Embodied Realities in VR

Since its infancy VR has been heralded as an embodied technology that incorporates the body in its entirety: immersing our physical and mental selves into a digital world. But what kinds of embodied experiences are actually possible? And what happens if the expected use of this medium is “hacked” in order to activate and awaken different states of being?

In the IDFA Award-winning VR work Turbulence, immersive artist Ben Joseph Andrews takes us inside his experience with vestibular migraines, and how it affects his perception of reality. He allows us to experience the sensation of jamais vu: where everything familiar seems new and different.

Join us for a revealing session in which Andrews guides us through Turbulence and how it connects to his innovative experiential practice – one that explores XR technologies as a lens through which to understand and express his disabled embodiment. This session will feature a live performance where Andrews deconstructs VR’s illusion of seamless embodiment, reflecting his own experience of a chronic vestibular condition in Turbulence.

 

Image Credit: Turbulence: Jamais Vu (2023)

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