9 February - Virtual Space
Char Davies
Montreal
As an artist constructing immersive virtual reality environments,
I think of virtual space as an entirely new kind of space,
paradoxically conceptual yet physical - a visual/aural spatial/temporal
'arena' wherein abstract constructs of the world can be virtually
embodied in three dimensions and then kinaesthetically explored
through full-body immersion and interaction. When approached as a
site for artistic expression and possible psychological transformation,
the potential of this medium is profound. Computer technology aside, as
Gaston Bachelard wrote many years ago in the Poetics of Space:
"...by changing space, by leaving the space of one's usual sensibilities,
one enters into communication with a space that is psychically innovating ...
For we do not change place, we change our Nature."
This lecture will start at 5.30 p.m. in The Lady Mitchell Hall,
Sidgwick Avenue. An adjacent overflow theatre is provided with live TV
coverage. Each lecture is typically attended by 600 people, and it is advisable
to arrive around half an hour early to ensure a place.
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