Refined Direction.

The concept of hyperreality needed to be narrowed down, thus I intend to explore from now on the concept of the artistic creation of virtual worlds, and how this can be connected with a desire to explore notions of utopia.

Virtual worlds can be variously witnessed or hidden in the creation of artworks. It is up to the artist or designer to decide and develop how far and how much they wish people to apprehend their vision. By devices such as tactile design, digital design, and interaction design, creators are able to incorporate their audiences into their vision of alternate world. It is my intention to explore notions of utopia and dystopia through virtual world tactile and sensory design in the project following this film one.

Some inspiration for this film work and following endeavours are:

The Futurists,
The Surrealists-namely Dali, Ernst, Magritte, Breton
Theckla Schiphorst

And cinematic and literary precedents:

Inception,
V for Vendetta
The Island
1984
A Modern Utopia

Some Ideas

Some initial storyboarding. Character wakes up in unknown, unexplored and sterile surroundings. Begins to get intrigued, starts to explore, and discovers a door/ window into a virtual world.

Some Potential Scenarios.

Virtual and Hyper Technologies are developed and used by industry and government to collaborate on projects with high revenue potential. This leads to innovation but creates wider inequalities in the world as many do not have access to the technology. People seek escapism via alternate hyper social worlds (such as specific co-action fields in areas of their interest) and are able to live out virtual scenarios. They lose the ability to differentiate between real people and computer-generated avatars uploaded into databases.

HR and VR technologies are restricted by international conventions. People who develop HR technologies must make it obvious when an interaction or scenario is designed. They also must seek to experiment with sensory design to aid those with impairments etc, and find ways to make it medically and educationally benefical to the world. It makes international collaboration task forces on environmental issues etc more cost effective and allows a wider range of people to theorise about solutions to geographically isolated problems without the carbon footprint of commercial travel.

After the discussion on future scenarios, have been thinking about the potential applications of HyperReality and immersive technologies more. If the "frames" are to disappear, what will be the implications...

• What will be the predominant use for the technology? What will it be a replacement for?
• Who will decide the boundaries of its development?
  
• How will our sensory apprehension of the world be altered if we cannot know whether a tactile environment has been computer generated or is real? How do we currently determine what is a "real" experience?
  
• Will it lead to a challenge to design more for senses such as sound and taste rather than predominantly visual? At the moment these are barriers to a "believable" virtual reality experience
  

An interactive lighting and experiential design by Thecla Schiphorst. I admire the way she combines the visual and tactile

Have been rethinking the connection made between HyperReality and Simulacra. Possibly interested to explore how exactly sensory innovation within design leads to a blurring of reality or an altering of it.

More research has lead me to find the work of Thecla Schiphorst, whose digital and material explorations seem to explore how we apprehend the world through haptic means etc.