Sunday, April 5, 2020

VR Empathy and Queerskins

I’ve never considered virtual reality as more than an elaborate video game extension. My opinion did not change as Chris Milk explained The Wilderness Downtown project or even his interactive panel piece. However, when he showed “Clouds Over Sidra”, when I realized what he had been trying to explain all along, my thought was “oh my goodness, this changes everything!”. If all of the decision makers of our world could see into the everyday lives of the people which they govern, if they could live their lives for a day, imagine how different their decisions would be. I have never considered virtual reality in this way. I only saw it as a threat, simply another technological change that would take away from real experiences. However, Milk’s work shows that although the experience is not real, the emotions that are connected with it are, and that can be just as powerful. 
I’ve been excited to explore Queerskins since we began this class. It is such a beautifully executed piece. The combination of the music, and the writing, but as well as the voice overs and short clips and images. Even the color scheme. It is tragically beautiful, and I loved it. Queerskins accomplishes the same level of intimacy and warrants the same level of empathy as virtual reality does. To know a character intimately, to hear their private thoughts and know their dearest loved ones,  to experience their loss as if it is your own; that is a very difficult thing to do in art. This piece accomplishes it perfectly. As a person it leaves me heartbroken, but as a literature and art enthusiast I am simply in love with this piece. 


Sabrina Brown

1 comment:

  1. I love the way you spoke on Chris Milk! I had the same view point, VR was just like a video game or some Google maps project but it can be so much more than that. When he said the government officials were moved by the piece in Switzerland that to me is when it became all more real. I think the emotions put in place with the scene that can be captured could almost be stronger than the person living in it. For those living through those moments, they can become adapted but watching "Cloud Over Sidra" my heart ache to see the living conditions that they must deal with.

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