Virtual Reality: A Way Into Our Hearts?
Coming from a theatre background, I always felt strongly about the emotional impact of live performance. As I shift my focus more towards media and digital storytelling, I find myself looking for creative and visceral ways to tell stories.
Filmmaker and innovator Chris Milk recently orchestrated the largest collective virtual reality (VR) viewing in history. Providing the audience with Google Cardboard VR headsets, he attempted to demonstrate the stimulating and evocative power of an immersive shared experience. Milk’s TED Talk on “The Birth of Virtual Reality as an Art Form” explores the seemingly infinite possibilities of this medium, one which he argues has value not only as a form of entertainment, but as an engine for social change.
Inspired by his love for music, Milk aims to create art with deep emotional resonance. He describes VR as the ultimate “empathy machine”, hacking the senses in a direct and visceral way. While the novelty and game-like quality of VR prioritizes spectacle over story, Milk believes in utilizing the filmmaker’s ability to put the viewer’s consciousness at the centre of the 360-degree experience. The audience is no longer an observer, but an active participant.
While Milk makes a convincing argument for the direct link between physical proximity and emotional connection, I am not completely sold on the idea. There are undeniable benefits, but accessibility to offline communities and reliance on headsets are issues that come to mind when considering its global impact today and in the future.
There is a clear discrepancy between physical presence and virtual presence — will we ever find a way to bridge that gap?
Watch Chris Milk’s TED Talk here, in addition to his other work:
To hear the other side of the story:
