Virtual art
Encyclopedia
Virtual art is art
practice using virtual reality
, augmented reality
or mixed reality
as a medium in a digital environment..
art form, containing all previous media as subsets. Since virtual art consist of virtual reality
, augmented reality
, or mixed reality
, it can be seen in other aspects such as video games and movies. As virtual art covers such a wide array of mediums it is a catch-all term for specific focuses within it. Unlike most art forms, with virtual art one can become a recognizable figure in the community with little to no experience. For example, a screen shot taken out of a video game with the help of the internet can go viral
and quickly become a phenomenon.
, and Inworldz virtual environments in which anything is possible to the user, who is represented by an avatar
. In the virtual world, the avatar's abilities ranges from ordinary walking to flying. The environment and scenery of such environments is similar to the real world, except that that it can be altered by the avatar. Worlds like Inworldz and Second Life feature an editor which allows the user to build his or her own experience just the way he or she wants it to be. The user is not bounded by physics or improbabilities that he or she faces in the real world.
Virtual art is made of many computer programs and has no boundaries, so it uses animations, movies, computer games and so on. As it becomes more and more popular and important, it results in people being able to live another virtual life. With the advancements in technology virtual art has transformed and evolved quickly from simple 8-bit representations to 3D models containing millions of polygons.
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
practice using virtual reality
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
, augmented reality
Augmented reality
Augmented reality is a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. It is related to a more general concept called mediated reality, in which a view of reality is...
or mixed reality
Mixed reality
Mixed reality refers to the merging of real and virtual worlds to produce new environments and visualisations where physical and digital objects co-exist and interact in real time...
as a medium in a digital environment..
Form
It can be considered a post-convergentPost-convergent
Post-convergent means, literally, “after convergence”. It is the period in the development of any given medium when, having converged all prior media within itself, it ceases to be used to solely recreate these prior media and starts to be used for creating work that is only possible in the new...
art form, containing all previous media as subsets. Since virtual art consist of virtual reality
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
, augmented reality
Augmented reality
Augmented reality is a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. It is related to a more general concept called mediated reality, in which a view of reality is...
, or mixed reality
Mixed reality
Mixed reality refers to the merging of real and virtual worlds to produce new environments and visualisations where physical and digital objects co-exist and interact in real time...
, it can be seen in other aspects such as video games and movies. As virtual art covers such a wide array of mediums it is a catch-all term for specific focuses within it. Unlike most art forms, with virtual art one can become a recognizable figure in the community with little to no experience. For example, a screen shot taken out of a video game with the help of the internet can go viral
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
and quickly become a phenomenon.
Virtual art in virtual worlds and entertainment
Virtual art can be seen in worlds like Second LifeSecond Life
Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
, and Inworldz virtual environments in which anything is possible to the user, who is represented by an avatar
Avatar (computing)
In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities. It can also refer to a text...
. In the virtual world, the avatar's abilities ranges from ordinary walking to flying. The environment and scenery of such environments is similar to the real world, except that that it can be altered by the avatar. Worlds like Inworldz and Second Life feature an editor which allows the user to build his or her own experience just the way he or she wants it to be. The user is not bounded by physics or improbabilities that he or she faces in the real world.
Virtual art is made of many computer programs and has no boundaries, so it uses animations, movies, computer games and so on. As it becomes more and more popular and important, it results in people being able to live another virtual life. With the advancements in technology virtual art has transformed and evolved quickly from simple 8-bit representations to 3D models containing millions of polygons.
Virtual art in popular video games and movies
- Final FantasyFinal Fantasyis a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
- The SimsThe SimsThe Sims is a strategic life-simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Its development was led by game designer Will Wright, also known for developing SimCity...
- HaloHalo (series)Halo is a multi-million dollar science fiction video game franchise created by Bungie and now managed by 343 Industries and owned by Microsoft Studios. The series centers on an interstellar war between humanity and a theocratic alliance of aliens known as the Covenant...
- Metal Gear SolidMetal Gear Solidis a videogame by Hideo Kojima. The game was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and first published by Konami in 1998 for the PlayStation video game console. It is the sequel to Kojimas early MSX2 computer games Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake...
- The MatrixThe MatrixThe Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
- TerminatorTerminator (franchise)The Terminator series is a science fiction franchise encompassing a series of films and other media concerning battles between Skynet's artificially intelligent machine network, and John Connor's Resistance forces and the rest of the human race....
- Avatar
Notable artists producing virtual art
- Maurice BenayounMaurice BenayounMaurice Benayoun is a French pioneer new-media artist and theorist based in Paris. His work employs various media, including video, immersive virtual reality, the Web, wireless technology, performance, large-scale urban art installations and interactive exhibitions.-Biography:Born in Mascara,...
- Geoff Bunn
- Brody CondonBrody CondonBrody Condon is an artist based in New York. Concerned with the aftermath of trauma and the over-identification with fantasy in contemporary culture, Condon’s work is best known for its influence on the re-purposing of existing pop cultural material to create performative situations, video, and...
- Char DaviesChar DaviesChar Davies is an artist who creates artworks using the technologies of immersive virtual reality.-Life and work:Davies was born in Toronto. Originally a painter, she transitioned to digital media in the late 1980s, becoming a founding director of the 3-D software company Softimage...
- Michael NaimarkMichael NaimarkMichael Naimark is a media artist and researcher who often explores “place representation.”- Biography :Naimark helped found a number of prominent research labs including the MIT Media Laboratory , the Atari Research Lab , the Apple Multimedia Lab , Lucasfilm Interactive , and Interval Research...
- Myron Krueger
- Stefan RoloffStefan RoloffStefan Roloff is a painter, video artist and filmmaker, living and working in New York and Berlin. He is a pioneer of digital video and photography.- Life :...
- Jeffrey ShawJeffrey ShawJeffrey Shaw is a pioneering new media artist and researcher. From 1965 to 2002 he lived in Milan, London, Amsterdam and Karlsruhe, and returned to Australia in 2003 to assume the Directorship of the iCinema Research Centre at the University of New South Wales...
- Peter WeibelPeter WeibelPeter Weibel is an artist, curator and theoretician.Raised in Upper Austria he started to study French and cinematography in Paris...
External links
- Virtual Art and Artists Bibliography compiled by Frank Popper for Leonardo/ISAST