Friedemann Banz & Giulia Bowinkel

Mercury, 2016

VR experience for HTC Vive

In the VR Experience Mercury, artist duo Banz & Bowinkel relocate the viewer on an archipelago connected by footbridges. Elements of nature, culture or technology intertwine into a surreal terrain in which known physical laws are overridden. Both worlds are interconnected via interfaces such as a webcam. In their work, the artists focus on the human fascination with development, permeation and visualization of so-called reality. This includes the fusion of man with his tool—the computer, which has increasingly become a multifunctional prosthesis (or extension) of our society and the individual. It has proven to be extremely effective at representing reality, as VR simulates a credible alternative to analog, visible world for the eyes: a suggested space where one seems “actually” to be located.

 

A documentation of this artwork can also be found on ADA: 

digitalartarchive.at/database/general/work/mercury.html

IMAGES

VIDEO LINK

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

In their work, Banz & Bowinkel focus on the computer as an every day device and its influence on human culture. The focus here is on the perception of the world, which people understand as reality and is now simulated via the computer. With their work, Banz & Bowinkel question the concept of simulated reality  and thereby human perception of the world in virtual space.

If you are interested in exhibiting or viewing this artistic VR experience, please send an email to us.

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