VR
When I started my research into ‘dynamic surfaces’ I found images of strange attractors generated by Tim Stilson, which inspired me to try and animate a changing parameter in MATLAB, with the help of my supervisor Professor Keith Osman (UCE, now Birmingham City University).
Surprising similarities unfolded between the different approaches to dynamical systems.
Attractive forces
Improvements in 2017 in VR hardware and software inspired me to explore the possiblity to immerse a viewer in ‘attractive’ force fields in an interactive way, where gestures affect the mathematical parameters.
In 2020 I finally put together an exhibition combining sculpture, video, VR and prints,
called ‘Point of Creation’.
Immersion
The hardware and software are slowly improving to make the experience more emotionally, viscerally engaging, in terms of the field of view, resolution, rendering and number of particles, which can be rendered flat or as lit spheroids.
So far there is no narrative, so the experience relies entirely on the visual qualities and soundscape. Levete, aka Jim and Jillian Graham, contributed their spatial soundtracks ‘Aether’ and ‘Earth Day’ to carry the experience.
Interaction
The position of the hands influences the parameters, and more recent devices get better at reading gestures, which could add additional, more intuitive paramter controls.
