AMT Lab @ CMU: Earlier this Fall, James Tichenor and Joshua Walton, Design Architects for Microsoft HoloLens and Windows Holographic, lectured on “Blurring the Physical and Digital” as part of Carnegie Mellon University’s Design the Future Lecture Series. The lecture focused on a very close future where our physical world is as transmutable as our digital world thanks to the latest achievements in mixed reality. Designing projects based on mixed reality means being able to work across architecture, hardware and software to create interactive spaces in which individuals can experience virtual reality as a material element of the real environment.
6 comments:
It's so cool to see the leading companies from all aspects investing in Carnegie Mellon, it reminds me how competitive and valuable being part of the CMU community is. The importance of technology and the integration between it and more traditional field like art is rightfully emphasized. With things like the holo lense and the success of virtual reality games and movies recently its no doubt art is going to need to keep up. And its not just technology changing the way we partake in art but it should be a two way street. While in the future we might need technology to display art we will always need art to display technology.In other words there will always be an artist or designer behind every new technology because in the world we live in products need both function and fashion.
I had no idea this lecture was happening at CMU, but I might seek it out on YouTube if I can find it. It's always interesting to see how emerging technologies and art intersect. People often view science and art as two completely different fields, but they inform each other in such an impactful way. I also find it very interesting that this technology has a purpose to move art in a more social direction. I've never really thought of art as isolating before, but I can now see that in a way it sort of is. No only are people encouraged to view art alone, each audience member will likely have their own experience and reaction, making it more difficult to connect with each other. If technology can turn art into a more social space, it would be a very new experience. One other thing I really liked about this article was that it specifically addressed the role arts managers will have to play in integrating this new tech. It's easy to imagine managers feeling a little far away from the nitty gritty of creating art, but this article proves that they are just as important.
Virtual reality is the new frontier in the arts world. Being able to combine magical or fantastical elements with reality could lead to some really interesting art pieces, and I'm excited for this technology to progress farther. That being said, it must be hard for an arts manager to figure out how to deal with this new technology. How do you manage a separate environment outside of the real world? How do you guide the viewer through both worlds?
A class on virtual reality happens at the same time as I take an Ideate course, and watching them work on the VR is really cool. The possibilities that could come from that in terms of theatre and experimental art will be an interesting experiment to watch.
Many of the points discussed in this article are very valid. This idea that technology can evoke an emotional response is something that I honestly believe is true. This technology does have an effect on the way a space is seen and perceived. What this technology has been able to accomplish really sets it apart from the rest. I have never had the opportunity of using this technology, but judging by the videos that I've watch it seems to be virtually seamless. Giving you the ability to build the world inside of another world can completely change the way a viewer takes in content and displays emotion. These discoveries are very exciting and are causing me to eagerly await this technology become more available and also to develop the platform further to allow for an even more personal interaction with what is going on “on screen” and what is happening in the world around you.
I think this article is very insightful and eloquent. I think the idea of integrating technology into art scares many people because it puts our craftsmen and artists out of the picture. Suddenly, our world is consumed by media and technology, a medium we are not all familiar with. I love how this article proposed many solutions and attitudes about infusing art more places with technology. I loved the idea of being able to bring art to places it once couldn't be, like a hotel lobby. In addition, the author was very supportive of art and gave artists a platform to improve their existing techniques, not "get with us or you're out!" It is nice to feel comforted in the fact that not everything has to go digital, but in many ways the digital tidal wave approaching us will actually aid the craftsmen, artists and people who create tangible art. I hope this integration of media and art has a way to bring new audiences to art, and not take away from some of the classic facets of art.
I have mixed feelings about this – and about “augmented” or “virtual” reality in general. A lot the pieces discussed in the article should be more accurately labeled “interactive displays” or some such other title. Touching various screens to make lights go on or off or blink or flow with your pulse has nothing to do with virtual or augmented reality – it is computer programming, plain and simple. Putting video screens in a hotel so people don’t see the columns or walls, but instead see snow or leaves or a giant fish tank – again not virtual or augmented reality. It’s a TV. I do think that a lot of this technology will change art and the way people view art. However, there is only one reality. You can put on glasses and headphones and see images and hear sounds of being in Paris or Detroit or Mercury, and no matter how much it might seem like you’re there – you aren’t. As far as theater goes, while one might be able to do the same thing to “see” Hamilton from their couch or waiting in line to get tickets to Hamilton, there is a big difference between the virtual and actually being there.
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