Tactus Super Distancia Super Tempus

Virtual Reality transforms [dis]embodiment in digital space into embodiment in a virtual place. This work records the user’s embodiment–translational data and actions– and plays this data back in a looping sequence creating an “other” avatar in the virtual space. Over time these “others” accumulate, each minute a new recording begins its loop performing the actions of the previous minute. These recordings are uploaded to a server and pulled down in all virtual reality headsets running the software. The virtual space becomes populated with all of the collective recordings of every user. Recordings begin to overlap and interact as more sessions are added. The recordings of one’s “self” and of others become muddled. The environment these current and past embodiments navigate through is an amalgamation of living spaces and office rooms, captured with photogrammetry. The embodiment of the self and others drives the computational effects of the environment.

Richard Hoagland (US)
This work is a collaboration between Richard Hoagland, VRTogether, and Dmitry Strakovsky. Richard has a varied background including experimental game development, VR experience design, computer science research, and entrepreneurship. His current work is focused primarily in interactive software, virtual reality, and academic research exploring current and new forms of social interaction and embodiment. His work has been exhibited at CURRENTS, FILE, Alt.Ctrl.GDC, IndieCade, and the Smithsonian. Dmitry Strakovsky is a Professor of Art at the University of Kentucky. He was a main force behind Land of Tomorrow Galleries and has had a variety of professional lives in fields as diverse as toy design and software management. Dima is the founder of Infinite Industries, a non-profit digital platform dedicated to cultural events. VRTogether is a spatial computing company focusing on empowering senior citizens through technology built to suit their needs with an emphasis on reducing social isolation and loneliness.