Event 4 - Toni Dove

Toni Dove operating her interactive media

We had a chance to visit with contemporary artist Toni Dove, and we were briefed on her latest projects which involve interactive media. All scrubbing of videos and intensity of sound is controlled from a split screen motion capture camera, and immerses the active viewer without the need for clunky equipment. Her latest work incorporates human position to switch between different character states and perspectives such as: the character's mind, a second person's view, a trance/dream-like states, and from an overall timeline depending on how close to the screen one stands.

Soarin' Over California attraction at California Adventures

Virtual Reality platform

This type of cinema reminded me of interactive rides and attractions at amusement parks, such as the Star Wars attraction in Disneyland and Soarin' Over California in California Adventures. The Star Wars attraction fits passengers into a small shuttle lifted on a hydraulic system and uses a tilting axis to match the video's motion and create the illusion that the 'spaceship' riders are sitting in is moving around in outer space. Similarly, the free hanging attraction Soarin' Over California uses fans and moveable suspended seats to create the illusion that riders are paragliding over different parts of California. But even these rides are considered passive now with the influx of virtual reality.

Video Games are beginning to take on a new dimension in reality immersion. Virtual reality is used in anything from flight simulation and war combat, to casual gaming and bike training. It provides a virtual environment full of programmed conditions that many would be unable to experience outside of the simulator. In an attempt to create the most accurate virtual experience, some simulation companies have even gone so far as to create a 360 degree scree, a 360 degree treadmill, and the option to hook up paintball guns around the user that can fire from any direction to simulate real gun fire. This is currently the pinnacle of immersive and interactive media, but how long until this form of media is the norm and we have an even more immersive platform for experiencing new realities.

First person shooter game simulator

Myself meeting Toni Dove
after her guest lecture

Sources
Dove, Toni. "Toni Dove Blog." BUSTLELAMP. 22 Nov. 2014. Web 25 Apr. 2016.

Laser: Toni Dove Exhibition. Cond. Toni Dove. UCLA, Westwood. 21 Apr. 2016. Performance.

Hutchins, Raine. "The Ultimate Battlefield 3 Simulator - Taking Gaming To a New Level." GamerFront RSS. 18 Oct 2011. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

Kelion, Leo. "Omni Virtual Reality Game Controller Secures Kickstarter Cash." BBC News. 07 June 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

Tsang, Maxine. "Week 9: Soarin' Over California." DH101 Fall 2014. 01 Dec. 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

Thegadgetshow. "Ultimate Battlefield 3 Simulator - Build & Test (Full Video) - The Gadget Show." YouTube. YouTube, 24 Oct. 2011. Web. 25 Apr. 2016