As technology continues to become more a part of our daily life the debate over how much of this embrace of technology is right is an on going one. Now, as a means to make a comment on the topic artist Mark Farid will spent one month living within virtual reality (VR) to explore what impact this will have on the human condition.
For the period of 28 days, 24-hours a day, artist Mark Farid will be wearing a VR headset to experience the life of someone else via their eyes and ears. Inspired by the ‘Stanford Prison Experiment’ (1971), Jean Baudrillard’s ‘Simulacra and Simulation’ (1981), and Josh Harris’ ‘Quiet: We Live in Public’ (1999), Farid’s ‘Seeing I’ will be a preforming art piece unlike any other.
Set to take place in a gallery space in London, Farid will be subject to the lives of others as the simulated reality is viewed 24-hours a day. Farid will have no pre-knowledge of, or existing relationship to the other persons who’s life he will be living. The only details he is aware of are that they are at least eighteen years of age and are in a relationship. The 28 day exhibition will remove Farid from human interaction other than that of the indirect relationship with the life of the other.
To keep in sync with the other, Farid will be eating, drinking and bathing in sync with the other, isolating him from human interaction and helping to build that relationship. Though the headset must remain one, he is free to do what he pleases within the space depending on the actions of what other who he is living. Augmented reality (AR) will allow for Farid to have visual indications of the gallery’s physical space, enabling him to independently navigate around the room.
For the audience, VR headsets will be available to use with a smartphone to share the experience with Farid and watch the recorded life of the other in real time. This one-of-a-kind exhibition will look to dive into the human condition and explore just how easy it might be to live the life of someone else, by immersing yourself with their sights and sounds.
Those who are interested in being a part of the project and go to their Seeing I website and apply to be the other who, if successfully picked, will need to wear a smart glasses to record their daily activities for 24 hours.
VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest on Seeing I along with future projects by Mark Farid.
via Mint VR