Abstract (Long paper)

Keywords: VR Panoramic Photography, Hypermedia, Narrative, Painted Panorama, Immersive Image Spaces.

Since the 1787 patent of the immersive 360-degree painted panorama by Robert Barker, the panorama has been used as a narrative storytelling tool. With VR (virtual reality) panoramic photography in tandem with the notion of hypermedia, the VR panorama can further advance the idea of storytelling as both an object and an interface. Using the principles of Robert Barker’s patent of the panorama as a point of departure to explore the conceptual relationship between painted and screen-based panoramas, this paper will explore: how the potential for a hypermedia system can be found in the painted panorama; the unique qualities of the computer-based panorama; and discuss related hardware advances for the digital panorama, which appear to bring us closer to Robert Barker’s original intent as an immersive image space for the masses.

• Seth Thompson, is Associate Professor in the Department of Art and Design at the American University of Sharjah (United Arab Emirates), as well as a media artist and writer involved in documenting and interpreting art, design and culture through print and online presentations. His research interests and practice primarily focus on the interpretation and representation of visual culture and heritage using panoramic imaging and hypermedia systems. Media art history, with special emphasis on the panorama, plays an integral role in this theoretical and practice-based investigation. Thompson holds a BFA in Studio Arts from the University of Colorado, an MA in Visual Arts Administration from New York University and an MFA in Visual Art from Vermont College. He is a member of the International Art Critics Association and has lived and worked in the United Arab Emirates since 2006.,

Full text (PDF) p. 485-491