{"id":11510,"date":"2020-12-18T10:44:43","date_gmt":"2020-12-18T09:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.laval-virtual.com\/?p=11510"},"modified":"2020-12-21T14:52:50","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T13:52:50","slug":"body-remixer-connects-real-people-through-virtual-bodies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.laval-virtual.com\/en\/body-remixer-connects-real-people-through-virtual-bodies\/","title":{"rendered":"Body Remixer connects real people through virtual bodies"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2020, the virtual Recto VRso Art&VR Gallery exhibited virtual and mixed reality<\/a> artworks exploring the theme: “Real body \/ Virtual body”. John Desnoyers-Stewart, an engineer, designer, artist, and PhD student at <\/strong><\/b>Simon Fraser University<\/strong><\/b><\/a> in Vancouver, Canada, took part in the project with an artwork. He created Body Remixer along with a team from the <\/strong><\/b>iSpace Lab<\/strong><\/b><\/a> (Katerina Stepanova, Bernhard Riecke, and Patrick Pennefather). Body Remixer is an immersive installation that extends bodies and stimulates social connection. We interviewed him, and asked him about his artwork, its link to Recto VRso, and his upcoming projects and how he adapted to 2020.<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you describe your artwork, Body Remixer?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Body Remixer<\/a> is an interactive immersive installation that transforms bodies into particle systems. We use a Kinect to track bodies in space – tracking up to 6 people. During the experience, people see their reflection in a virtual mirror projected on the walls, so they can interact with the system directly. They can also put on a VR headset, and all the people around them become these virtual particle bodies. They don’t see the identity of the people around them anymore. Everybody kind of looks the same, they’re just in different colours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, whether they use the headset or the projection, they can high-five each other. By high-fiving, they connect their bodies together and the particles start to flow between them, creating a<\/span> sense of connection<\/b>. They can also do a two-hand high-five. When they do the two-hand high-five, they swap their bodies and they get merged together. There is a sort of overlay, so you can see your own body somewhat, but also the other person’s body too. This draws your attention towards the difference between your movements. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea is to encourage them to move together, to respond to one another. Further, to reinforce that synchrony of movements, we added a sound response to that synchrony – a drum soundtrack. With whoever you are paired up with, the closer your movement is towards one another, the louder the drum soundtrack gets. The sound is louder when you are in synchrony, and it’s quieter when you move differently. That’s how the users can play with the system. The idea is that it also lets you learn and explore the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n