FMP: Contemporary Virtual Reality / it's nice that

The previous exibition at the Leeds City Gallery really prompted me to think about ways that Virtual Reality could benefit my practice, and how other artists are using it.

When deciding to look into contemporary use of Virtual Reality, I went straight onto it'snicethat.com because they're a really up-to date publication/blog that report on the latest news/breakthroughs in the world of Art and Design. I just wanted to get a feel for how people were starting to make use this of technology, and try and see if any illustrators/animators have utilised the platform to develop their work. 

Visualisation of VR Exhibition 'Threshold' by Mat Collishaw

Mat Collishaw’s VR artwork at Somerset House will restage the world’s first photography show

http://www.itsnicethat.com/news/somerset-house-and-photo-london-announce-exhibition-of-mat-collishaws-first-virtual-reality-artwork-140217

A VR based fully immersive experience based on the concept of going back in time and seeing the world's first ever photography show. A really interesting idea with a bit of irony(in a good way) as it is showing how far photography has developed, using the epitome of developed camera technology. 

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Greg Barth directs Jack Sachs’ bizarre VR characters and bored office workers in latest video

http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/jack-sachs-greg-barth-red-axes-video-130916

Quite a strange video which shows elements of rendered/ Animated VR, something that could be relevant to my practice and an area for future exploration.

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Christoph Niemann creates VR animation of his latest New Yorker cover illustration
http://www.itsnicethat.com/news/christoph-niemann-new-yorker-vr-animation-300816

I think this example is a really unique concept - a VR animated development of an illustrated magazine cover. The New Yorker is iconic for taking risks/giving a fresh take on design, but I think Christoph Niemann really outdid himself here. Though the use of 360 VR doesn't really improve communication, it just creates another platform where someone could be communicated to. The way that the video makes you interact with it in order to watch the ball be hit back and fourth across court, is an element that I felt was missing from the Google Expedition experience we had. I think this is a really fresh and exciting way of viewing editorial content that I intend to explore. 

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So after finding these examples of creative/illustrative/communicative use of VR, it made me think that perhaps it's not an impossible idea to explore creating my own 360 image. I love how it just adds another dimension to communicating, even past video, fully immersing the  viewer in it.