Panel Statement
Panel: An Alembic of Transformation: Virtual Reality as Agent of Change
This paper will discuss two student projects, which were developed during a hybrid course between art/design and computer sciences at Sabanci University; both of which involve the creation of three dimensionally embodied avatars whose visual attributes are determined by data feeds from “Real Life” sources.
In as early as 1999 Frank Biocca’s asked several questions on how the representation of the body in virtual environments might affect the mind states of avatar handlers: The effects of embodiment on the sensation of physical presence, social presence, and self presence in virtual environments; and the effects of avatar representation on body image and body schema distortions. Today, with the wide spread usage of three dimensional online virtual worlds and the extended abilities to manipulate the visual representations of the inner persona, Biocca’s questions would appear to have acquired even greater urgency. While such efforts usually seem to be expected to work towards the concealment of identity and/or inner states of being; can a second approach, one involving revelations of the inner ‘self’ that may in fact go beyond what is available to our physical bodies also be contemplated? Can such ‘revelations’ bring about change, both in terms of human interaction but also in terms of self-perception?
Following up from Biocca’s seminal text, The Cyborg’s Dilemma (Biocca, 1999), this paper will describe the creative and technological processes which went into the materialization of these two avatars.
Elif Ayiter is a designer and researcher specializing in the development of hybrid educational methodologies between art & design and computer science, teaching full time at Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey. She has presented creative as well as research output at conferences including Siggraph, Consciousness Reframed, Creativity and Cognition, ISEA, ICALT, Computational Aesthetics (Eurographics) and Cyberworlds. She is also the chief editor of the forthcoming journal Metaverse Creativity with Intellect Journals, UK and is currently studying for a doctoral degree at the Planetary Collegium, CAiiA hub, at the University of Plymouth with Roy Ascott.
- Elif Ayiter is a designer and researcher specializing in the development of hybrid educational methodologies between art & design and computer science, teaching full time at Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey. She has presented creative as well as research output at conferences including Siggraph, Consciousness Reframed, Creativity and Cognition, ISEA, ICALT, Computational Aesthetics (Eurographics) and Cyberworlds. She is also the chief editor of the forthcoming journal Metaverse Creativity with Intellect Journals, UK and is currently studying for a doctoral degree at the Planetary Collegium, CAiiA hub, at the University of Plymouth with Roy Ascott.
- Dr. Selim Balcisoy After living in US and Switzerland over 14 years Dr. Balcisoy joined Sabanci University, Istanbul as Faculty in 2004 and founded one of the first visual business analysis companies VisioThink in 2006. His main interest is interactive technologies for visual storytelling and decision-making.
- Murat Germen is an artist / architect using photography as an expression / research tool. He holds the BS degree in city planning from Technical University of Istanbul (T) and the MArch degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US), where he was a Fulbright scholar and recipient of the AIA Henry Adams Gold Medal for academic excellence. Currently a professor of photography and multimedia design at Sabanci University in Istanbul, he previously worked for various state and private universities including Bilkent, Yeditepe, Istanbul Technical, Yildiz and Bilgi University. He has published articles and photo series on architecture / photography / art / digital design at various magazines and books, and has presented at several seminars, symposia and conferences including SIGGRAPH, ISEA2009, Mutamorphosis, Towards a Science of Consciousness, CAe 2008-9, CAC2, EVA-London’08-‘10, eCAADe, ASCAAD, and exhibited at over forty inter/national (Turkey, USA, Italy, Germany, UK, Mexico, Portugal, Uzbekistan, Greece, Japan, Russia, Iran, India, France, Canada, Bahrain) exhibitions. Germen’s works are in the collections Istanbul Modern’s and Proje4L Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art (Istanbul), in addition to numerous private collections.