By Caroline Lewis
| 19 May 2004
Caroline Lewis gets technoetic and heads to the Dana Centre to see what virtual reality art looks like.
A new virtual reality art installation opened on May 18 at the Science Museum’s Dana Centre in London.
The Living Image is a piece of technoetic art, which uses technology to create a new kind of experience.
Two artists and a theatre designer have worked with virtual reality (VR) and video to develop the piece, which was commissioned by the London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT).
Shows a photograph of a silhouetted figure against a virtual reality background of railings running towards a wall covered in graffiti.
Artist Trudi Entwhistle says: “We wanted to play with the possibilities of technology and the poetics of place.”
The Living Image really is a different kind of art – fitting for the Dana Centre, which hosts cutting-edge events and debates on science, technology and culture.
Roma Patel, Graham Nicholls and Trudi Entwhistle have fused their knowledge and memories of urban London and come up with a VR world that visitors can explore individually in 15 minute sessions.
Unlike a traditional exhibition, The Living Image is fully interactive. On entering the darkened room where it is housed, you are given a tracker and a handset.
Shows a photograph of a silhouetted figure against a virtual reality background of railings running towards a wall covered in graffiti.
Wearing stereoscopic glasses to complete the 3-D effect, you can walk around shadowy spaces from the cityscape of London, projected on a large screen in front of you.
Each person begins their journey from somewhere different in the VR world, which covers a total length of about two kilometres, according to new media artist Graham.
“You create your own narrative,” says Trudi. “Everybody will get a different perspective.”
Shows a black and white photograph of a virtual reality installation in which a line of railings is silhouetted against a wall covered in graffiti.
The places visited on the screen are all inspired by the makers’ personal connections with the area. You could find yourself in Smithfields Market or under the Westway, but be warned, none of these passageways are filled with sweetness and light.
“It is a bit noir,” admits Graham.
Video sequences and sound recorded at the real-life locations help to achieve a blurring of what is real and what is computer-generated.
There is the feeling of being confronted with a larger-than-life computer game, however the aim of this VR world is a little loftier.
Trudi says, “It’s really looking at the essence of place.” In everyday life, a Londoner would pass through these places without noticing much. Inside The Living Image, there is an interesting desire to take in the surroundings in much more detail, as you look at a work of art.
Shows a photograph of a silhouetted figure against a virtual reality backdrop of several lines of railings. There is a reddish yellow glow in the background.
The extent of the feeling of immersion will depend on how much participants explore and trigger the most interactive elements, which include sounds, video and text.
Theatre designer Roma says: “It’s extremely exciting to be involved in such a dynamic and pioneering project at the Dana Centre. The experience is absorbing – providing a fascinating insight into urban spaces through a unique collaboration of artists and immersive technology.”
Ready to visit this feast of multi-sensory psychogeography? The Living Image is on from May 18 to May 28 2004, excluding Saturday and Sunday, from 10am to 9pm.
It’s a free event, but tickets must be booked for individual 15 minute slots by calling 020 7942 4040, or email tickets@danacentre.org.uk. The Living Image is for adults.
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