Bolter and Grusin quote Jaron Lanier and Meredith Bricken about becoming a T-rex or a DNA molecule via virtual reality, or about moving back and forth to the rhythm of a song, or about becoming a droplet in the rain or the river (p. 15). It’s hard to read this passage without imagining this as a recreation of an LSD trip, perhaps without the removal of the experimenter’s ego, which would certainly act as a mediator of the experience.
While they write that the VR experience would “diminish and ultimately… deny the mediating presence of the computer and its interface” (p. 16), I haven’t yet seen this in action, even though this article is at least 19 years old. Even current VR headsets are mediated by UI designers, who continually refine the behavior of the environment to react to the users demands. A UI designer I heard recently remarked that she watched headset users unintentionally poking at their monitors and knocking them over. She redesigned the environment to allow users to point to controls or objects which would then zoom to the user for them to select and control without reaching outstretched arms further into their physical environment.
Another example: I used an Oculus to explore a spaceship designed by some students in a prison education class. It was very cool, but the environment was limited interactively in the same way that older first-person shooters like Doom were, and most immersive games still are. Movements and actions are limited and all objects that appear may not be interactive. The interactivity is limited by the system resources and the ability and time constraints of the designer. System glitches like clipping may reveal an oversight over the developer.
My point: UI design is very necessary and all environments are mediated. We are not yet at a point when the medium is transparent.
The section on hypermediacy of European cathedrals mentions that altarpieces “juxtaposed media [and]... embodied contradictory spatial logics” (p. 28). I propose that these features also embodied contradictory spiritual spaces, which a parishioner would’ve experienced as some spaces that were inaccessible but for the priest.
Ref:
Bolter, Jay and Richard Grusin. “Immediacy, Hypermediacy, and Remediation.” Remediation. MIT Press, 2000.
While they write that the VR experience would “diminish and ultimately… deny the mediating presence of the computer and its interface” (p. 16), I haven’t yet seen this in action, even though this article is at least 19 years old. Even current VR headsets are mediated by UI designers, who continually refine the behavior of the environment to react to the users demands. A UI designer I heard recently remarked that she watched headset users unintentionally poking at their monitors and knocking them over. She redesigned the environment to allow users to point to controls or objects which would then zoom to the user for them to select and control without reaching outstretched arms further into their physical environment.
Another example: I used an Oculus to explore a spaceship designed by some students in a prison education class. It was very cool, but the environment was limited interactively in the same way that older first-person shooters like Doom were, and most immersive games still are. Movements and actions are limited and all objects that appear may not be interactive. The interactivity is limited by the system resources and the ability and time constraints of the designer. System glitches like clipping may reveal an oversight over the developer.
My point: UI design is very necessary and all environments are mediated. We are not yet at a point when the medium is transparent.
The section on hypermediacy of European cathedrals mentions that altarpieces “juxtaposed media [and]... embodied contradictory spatial logics” (p. 28). I propose that these features also embodied contradictory spiritual spaces, which a parishioner would’ve experienced as some spaces that were inaccessible but for the priest.
Ref:
Bolter, Jay and Richard Grusin. “Immediacy, Hypermediacy, and Remediation.” Remediation. MIT Press, 2000.
What you say is very true, good UI design is fantastic for interacting with alternate world, realities, or visual representations in virtual realities. Though, why is it key for the medium to be transparent? In other words, how would the transparent medium help convey the message or objective?
ReplyDeleteI am also intrigued by that question does media really need to be transparent to convey the message? Do we want to be able to distinguish between the real and digital?
ReplyDeleteAlso your comparison to an LSD I thought was very cool, thinking about all the weird and complex ways we could eventually experience VR is very trippy.
I think we will want to distinguish between the two in most cases. Suspension of disbelief isn't always necessary or desired. Also, it's very possible I don't understand the concepts clearly, and it's likely I need to reread this paper, as it was a bit murky the first time through. That said, I suppose transparency means not leaving muddy footprints all over your work. If a work is awkward, or an interface is poorly designed or implemented, it continuously reminds the viewer/user that 'oh, someone made this,' rather than being lost in a seamless experience. I'm reminded of 'Don't Make Me Think,' a design book by Steve Krug. He talks about good design as invisible; the viewer's actions can be intuitive, which increases efficiency and reduces the user's frustration. I'm also reminded of my son's film critique he calls the "But! Moment," where a scene is bad enough that it noticeably bumps you out of your suspension of disbelief. Perhaps this mightn't be necessary if the work is of a new form or designed to shock; the viewer is quickly reminded that someone made this & then begins to wonder why and/or who the artist is & what motivated them. Case in point: cartoonist John Callahan's work is considered tasteless by some, but it's nearly always self-deprecating.
ReplyDeleteShifting gears a bit - this is interesting: an animated film with panel design borrowed from comics but with some interesting new inter-panel physics introduced. One can understand the story flow using knowledge of comics, and the new physics quickly become apparent and then understood in short time. https://vimeo.com/356409246
The VR part is interesting cause the technology is truly to take you out of reality and immerse you into the given area a game dev creates.
ReplyDelete