See how artists use VR to immerse you in their interactive worlds
Watch the newest episode of digi-Art now (no goggles required)
CBC Arts' new series digi-Art looks to the horizon to see what's possible with tech and art — charting a course led by creatives and innovators toward new worlds and ways of creating.
Imagine you had the power to travel anywhere in an instant. Maybe you'd transport yourself to a secluded A-frame cabin, a spot to sip cocoa while you marvel at the shimmering Northern Lights. Or maybe you'd rocket to a whole other dimension — a place where neon-pink mushrooms can grow as tall as trees.
On the new episode of digi-Art, host Taelor Lewis-Joseph gets to visit both of those places. How? Virtual reality! But the episode is about more than pure escapism.
On the program, she'll introduce you to a few Canadian artists who believe that VR is a powerful storytelling tool, one that can offer viewers a whole new perspective on culture, identity, ecosystems — just about anything that exists in our day-to-day "reality."
'The possibilities are endless'
Casey Koyczan is the first expert you'll hear from on the show, an artist whose immersive digital films have appeared at SXSW and Nuit Blanche Toronto.
Koyczan's a multidisciplinary artist, and of all the mediums he's worked in over the years — sculpture, installation, music — nothing can match the storytelling capabilities of VR. "It really seems like the possibilities are endless when you are using this software," he says. "You can create literally anything."
Originally from Yellowknife, Koyczan is Dene, and as he explains on digi-Art, his work is very much informed by the stories and art-making practices of his heritage. Through making art, he's always learning more about Dene tradition, and Indigenous culture more broadly.
One of Koyczan's newest VR films (Ełeghàà: All At Once) imagines the past, present and future of Denendeh, the Dene homeland. During the episode, you'll get a sneak peek.
"One of the most powerful things about [VR], overtop of any other medium, is this idea of immersion. You can take someone and put them right in your story," says Koyczan. "You can create these huge worlds that really elicit scale, and it really helps you to understand these legends a lot more directly. You stop and look around you, and it kind of puts humanity into perspective."
A whole new artificial world
Haru Ji and Graham Wakefield have a similar take on VR. They're the co-founders of a research project called Artificial Nature. Founded in 2007, Artificial Nature has presented interactive art installations in cities throughout the world — experiences that drop the viewer inside digital environments inspired by the mechanics of real-world ecosystems.
"The invitation is to become part of an alien ecosystem rich in networks of complex feedback, but not as its central subject," they write on their website. If you view an Artificial Nature artwork, leave your Main Character Energy at the door. The work is meant to remind you of the interconnectedness of life — and technology.
On digi-Art, you'll hear from Ji and Wakefield via video call. They discuss how the real world inspires the virtual environments they create. Plus, Joseph-Lewis gets to experience one of their past projects, Endless Current, a "simulated 3D fluid environment" that she compares to a view of the Milky Way.
After that VR experience, she wraps the program with this takeaway: "[VR] can show us more about ourselves, our environment and our place in this vast and wonderful world."
Watch the episode above.
