New York, USA Fri, Jul 16, 2021 at 4:00 pm EDT
Chicago, USA Fri, Jul 16, 2021 at 3:00 pm CDT
Los Angeles, USA Fri, Jul 16, 2021 at 1:00 pm PDT
UTC, Time Zone Fri, Jul 16, 2021 at 8:00 pm
During the past year, the global COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the already in progress shift towards remote learning and remote interactions. While Zoom and other video conferencing platforms have been the main tools used in this recent phase, we desire more “presence” than these 2D platforms seem to allow. Recent developments of low-cost Virtual Reality (VR) headsets coupled with the rise of multi-user “Social VR” platforms, have led to a situation in which casual users without expensive gaming setups can easily attend shared VR experiences.
In this talk we will discuss the various ways we have utilized Social VR (via the Altspace platform) for musical purposes. We will discuss our experience of hosting educational music lectures that utilized custom built virtual instruments, creating a kinetic sound sculpture for virtual Burning Man (BRCvr), and building an exhibit hall for a virtual gala session for the Society of Electro Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS) conference. Additionally we will discuss our thoughts on the possibilities and pitfalls of musical performance in Social VR along with a glimpse into our plans for the future.
Victoria Szabo is a Research Professor of Visual and Media Studies at Duke University, and directs the PhD in Computational Media, Arts & Cultures and the Certificate in Information Science + Studies. Her work focuses on immersive and interactive media for digital humanities and computational media art. She is co-lead of Psychasthenia Studio, and artists’ games collective. She was Chair of Art Papers at SIGGRAPH Asia 2023 in Sydney and will be Art Papers Chair for SIGGRAPH Asia 2024 in Tokyo. She is also Chair of the Art Advisory Group for ACM SIGGRAPH and a member of the Digital Arts Community Committee.