Before this session I had very minimal knowledge of Immersive Arts. The only practical experience I have on this topic was doing a 1 off workshop on AR last year. I did enjoy that and am happy to explore this in more depth in this workshop. I wanted to use this workshop as a way to break a break from my main project about chess and do something different. So I didn’t use chess for any of the exercise and chose a different way to explore play.
Augmented Reality (AR):
AR Examples:
’Revive’ Exhibition:
Susi Vetter:
Artivive: I used Artivive in the session I did on AR previously so I had a basic understanding on it going into the session.
Illustration I found on Pinterest: scan this image with the Artivive app to view the AR elements- this is the trigger image.
Screenshots from workshop with annotations:
This is a video of what the AR elements look like when the trigger image is scanned with the Artivive app. I’m really happy with the result of this exercise. I found using Artivive fairly straight forward but can see how it would get more complex as you bring in more AR elements. To create this I added the trigger image and then started adding in PNGs of some of my otter illustrations and arranged them around the main image. I played with the composition, having them at different heights and distances away from the trigger image so that there’s depth in the AR elements. The otters create a fun and playful scene that the viewer can explore by moving the camera from side to side and up and down.
Virtual Reality (VR):
VR Examples:
Pete Jiadong Qiang:
Bjork Digital:
Elizabeth Edwards:
Frame VR: I’d never use Frame VR or anything similar so this kind of technology was completely new to me.
The Otterverse: I chose to continue with the otter theme for the VR exercise. The website was relatively simple to navigate and use. I first chose which base world I wanted, I chose this one as it was the most colourful and fun which was the time I wanted to go for. Then I began downloaded free 3d models from Sketch Fab and importing them into this world. I populated the world with around 8 otters, each one slightly different. Within the scene I wanted to create little narratives such as the otter peeking out of the tent and the flying otter. This makes it more playful and fun to explore round and try find these different things. It was a good introduction into creating a fully digital, immersive world that people can explore.
Here are some screenshots from the Otterverse:
Click this link to view the Otterverse:
https://framevr.io/sxd-qrz-dgq
Reflection: I really enjoyed this workshop learning about 2 different types of immersive arts, AR and VR. I liked having a break from working on my chess project and engage with the theme of play in a different way by using otters as my topic. I had very little knowledge or experience with immersive arts so I was able to take a lot from the session. I found both activities fairly straight forward in regard to using the websites. I’m happy with the outcomes I created, I think they’re fun, playful and where a good introduction to the technology we were learning about. Out of AR and VR I definitely prefer AR as it is a way to advance my more traditional and usual style of art whereas VR is completely isolated from that. I won’t be using this technology in my project but it is something I’d like to explore more in the future.
Samuel Green Illustration 