Virtual Reality (VR) systems allow the user to experience a sense of presence in a place other than the physical body. VR also allows users to feel like someone else when they take the first-person perspective of another real person or avatar.
With the help of VR tools and devices for consumers integrated into our VR in Wonderland#1 system, the perception of the body of the participants in another room can be directed to a new perspective. Consequently, the VR in Wonderland#1 research setting actually makes it possible to manipulate the participants’ physical perception through self-localization. The natural view of the participants is replaced by the vision of a small robotic device running in an abstract city labyrinth model. While wearing head mounted displays and looking around, users can observe themselves from the perspective of the third person from below and above, leading to confusion about self-localization. This is a common approach where bodily illusions influence bodily self-awareness.
Biographies:
Maša Jazbec (SI), is an intermedia artist, curator and academic researcher. She holds a Ph.D. in human informatics, attained at the University of Tsukuba (Empowerment Informatics program) and MA in interactive art, achieved at Interface Culture program at the University of Arts and Design Linz, Austria. She is engaged and committed to the vision and execution of the Trbovlje New Media Setting project in Slovenia, and organizes projects and events integrating science, art, technology and society at the international new media culture Speculum Artium festival. She was a visiting researcher at Ishiguro Laboratory at ATR, Kyoto in Japan. Her projects, exhibited as artworks, have always shown her understanding of new media as a research artistic practice, stemming from artistic and scientific thought, linked to the current situation in the contemporary society. Her latest research interests are mostly focused in social robotics and android science. She presented her research at conferences such as Computer Human Interaction 2016, Human Robot Interaction 2017, ISEA 2017 and System Man and Cybernetics IEEE 2017. In 2018 she was in the Prix Ars Jury for ‘Interactive Art +’ category at Ars Electronica. She is currently a guest professor at Interface Culture lab at University for Arts and Design Linz, Austria.
Aleksandra Mitic (SR) is a Serbian artist and textile designer living in Linz, Austria. She obtained her diploma in Fine Arts with an emphasis in textiles from the School of Design, and her bachelor’s degree from the Universtität für künstlerische und industrielle Gestaltung, where she currently attends the Interface Culture Master program. Inspired by the world around her, nature in its most playful forms, principally using traditional patterns and motifs, in both conventional and contemporary contexts, Aleksandra’s work is driven by the desire to leave something beautiful behind with every step she takes. She has participated as a designer in international fairs such as Première Vision Paris, and in the exhibition of the NEW DESIGNERS LONDON, in London. At the same time, Aleksanda Mitic designs and creates textile works of art and interactive installations, while using different media and materials
Bàlint Budai (HU) is a visual representation and conceptual artist (based in Linz, originally from Budapest ). Researching sound and preparing audio-visual installations that are based on conceptual impressions of reality, human and “non human” forms in the context of death. Basically he came from graphic design and has painter background, music field as a percussionist and dancer as a performer. Currently He works with different mediums and translating concepts which are representing the levels of perception.
Jürgen Ropp (AT) is a mixed media artist currently based in Linz. He is working on the intersection of art, science and technology, trying to find inspiration from scientific patterns and new technological developments. His contemporary work is based on mixed reality technologies, which he is using in installations and performative setups.
Vanessa Vozzo (IT) is a media artist and professor in interactive art at Polytechnic of Turin (IT) and in interactive and VR documentary at Civica Scuola di Cinema “Luchino Visconti” of Milan (IT). She leads project works at the University of Turin (IT) since 2007. She founded the collaborative new media art platform Officine Sintetiche and she’s attending the Interface Culture Master Program in Linz (AT).
