“Both virtual reality and the ecological panic are about immersive experiences in which our usual reference point, or illusion of one, has been lost.” – Timothy Morton.
The world of Virtual Reality and creating sound for the purpose of commercialisation may be a daunting one, perhaps even a nauseating one for many. But understanding how sound interacts with the screen, not just in the context of cinema and 2D game, can help further one’s understanding of sound art, and affirm their position as to why they create art.
The term “virtual reality” was coined in the mid 80s by John Lanier, founder of VPL (Virtual Programming Language) research. He used goggles and gloves to create realistic virtual environemnts, which is the basis of how we experience VR today. However, immersive expereinces date back further than that- what we would now recognise as a “4D cinematic experience) was estavblished in 1956, with the world of cinema looking for ways in which the viewer could feel more immersed within the world in which the film / experiene was based in. The history of immersive experiences and imaging doesn’t just reside in the entertainment fields; perhaps the entertainment fields owe a debt to the world of medicine, as the invention of the stereoscope in the 1800s uses very early versions of virtual reality technologies.
For the person partaking in the immersive experience via virtual reality, it is a beautiful experience (unless like myself, VR induces nausea). It allows for them to live within the art, become a part of it. In that sense, VR is a fascillatator of community- the most upheld human value. Perhaps this is why so many people are attracted to the world of VR. It allows them to build connection with not only the art, but the artist whose vision is being displayed. But is this the same notion for the artist fascillitating this imaginitive world? Although a creative proceedure, creating an immersive landscape requires a huge amount of craft, a team of people responsible for producing different assets, and timescales and budgets. With this, the process of creating an immersive experience becomes a job rather than a fun creative project- requring multiple levels of coordination and communication, with some artists on the team having to let go of their values as artists, as the outcome of the work must achieve certain standards that may not adhere to within their personal art. This particuarly applies to the sound designers on the team who are just given lists of assets; the process is much more task based and less collaboritively based than for the visual artists on the team. This therefore places Virtual Reality as a commercialisation of art and, in particular, sound.
In my own VR project, I am on a team made up of six sound artists and two visual artists. Our immersive experience is a game, set in space. We have not assigned set roles so everyone can partake it creating all the different sounds needed; foley, effects, music, etc.
I created this soundscape using synthesis and a heavy use of time stretching. I thought that this fits the aesthetic of “space”. However, it has not beenm used as someone else in the team has taken the role of creating the music.