Mert Akbal

Binocular Waves, 2017   

VR experience for HTC Vive, Mobile VR or Oculus Rift

“Binocular Waves” consists of 360° stereoscopic virtual reality scenes. The scenes are rendered as image sequences from the 3D software. Afterwards each of these top-down stereo images are edited manually with a digital painting tool. Each image part (top or down) belonging to each eye has different drawings on it, creating a dichoptic presentation. As a result the user perceives a 3D scene with two additional hand painted visual layers viewed by each eye differently. These elements alternate in their consistence and drawing style such as one made of pointillist particles, curves and lines or flat monochrome areals. The background image showing the 3D scene is perspectively coherent in binocular vision and shaded mostly in grayscale, whereas the dichoptic handdrawn elements are predominantly in black, white or color. This segregation creates higher contrasts between two stimuli.

IMAGES

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Mert Akbal's artistic research focuses on the cognitive processes that play a role in the development of art. He presents two theses, on "oneiric dreams" and on "the curiosity". In his first thesis he argues that the oneiric dreams are poetic simulations that form an evolutionary precursor in the emergence of a hypothetical visual expression organ. The function of this visual expression organ is comparable to the function of a monitor that is absent in the body of the mammals, in contrast to, for example present in body of squids. The visual arts are cultural technologies which try to replace this missing expression organ like a prosthesis. For this they adopt the poetic language of dreams. In his second thesis he places "curiosity" as the driving force behind all creative activities. Art, science, philosophy, and other disciplines of culture are various phenomena based on curiosity, they use just different methods. Curiosity, however, is, according to him, is also a universal motivation for every change that breaks out of inertia and eternally repetitive cycles.    

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

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