Jeremy Rotsztain

Walking a Turtle, 2021

VR experience for Oculus Rift

Walking a Turtle is a virtual reality experience where players go on a walk following a tortoise, interpreted from Walter Benjamin’s accounts of a curious ritual of Parisian flâneurs—“Around 1840 it was briefly fashionable to take turtles for a walk in the arcades.” Part game, part quantified-self wellness tracker, "Walking” is a farcical tool for resisting the attention economy. Players endure an obstacle course with an unwavering gaze in order to be coached into a state of presence. Walking a Turtle is a roomscale experience. The duration is approximately 20 minutes.

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ABOUT THE ARTIST

Jeremy Rotsztain (b. 1977 in Toronto, Canada) is an artist and software programmer working with computer graphics to explore aspects of human attention, speed, and media consumption in the age of information. He creates experimental animations, virtual reality worlds, mobile phone apps, and digital prints. Jeremy holds a Master's degree from the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States and internationally, including Zentrum für Kunst und Medien (ZKM), Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, New York Hall of Science, Boston Cyber Arts Festival, Festival Nouveau Cinéma de Montréal, and MUTEK Festival. Jeremy lives and works in Portland, Oregon.

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

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