When working with VR, there is the option to create an experience that follows a non-linear structure. This means that the steps the user takes to reach the end of the experience may not be sequential consecutively (i.e. A-B-C), but rather follow a randomised order based on the choices presented to the user (i.e. A-D-F-C).

Creating an experience in Virtual Reality is way less about curating a journey for the user, but rather about providing the ambience and environment for the user to create their own journey. This is why it is important for the artists to create a “spirit of place”. This is referring to the distinctive qulities of the envirnment- the ambience of the envirnment. This term- spirit of place- alludes to an unmanipulated environment, oftentimes with supernatural qualities. Considering the “spirit of place” within art means that art becomes very interwined with spirituality. It begs the questions- is art a spiritual parctice? Must artists hold spiritual beliefs to be able to create art that moves the soul? What about us artists trying to escape the instability of spirituality?

A “sense of place” is much easier to grasp that a “spirit of place”. It is more tangible as it refers to a more “urban” tone. A sense of place is therefore perhaps easier to create than a spirit of place, as it refers to a feeling more constructed by the hands of man. Something within our own capabilities to construct. A sense of place is perhaps a communal sense, as it is manipulated by all the bodies which enter it. It isn’t mystical or “untouchable” the way a spirit of place is.

So when working with Virtual Reality, both these senses are things to be considered, and artists have to carefully think about how they’ll construct them authentically.