Re: [-empyre-] thoughts on the gallery space

[Lloyd Sharp <lsharp@bigpond.net.au>]

> <melinda said>
>  i was wondering lloyd about peoples reactions to the work in that context ,
> and im wondering why didnt you make more..i recall seeing them and thinking
> how fabulously delicate they were installed in a huge gallery space, whiel
> and the oterh work in the show was of  a massive scale and very heavily
> constructed.. so it made the nano creatures, which were abstractly and
> virtually constructed.. more alive..

That was a lateral experience... exhibiting digital works at a number 
of combined Craft|Design exhibitions.
Within the 'craft' exhibition context the precision of the works and 
industrial side of the production fitted ok.

People reacted to them and saw them somewhat like jewellery and small 
ceramic works in the craft context much like those intricate design 
works using the various similar materials of glass, aluminum and 
plastics.

But they were also intrigued by the transfer from the vague digital 
space to the gallery space.

Many people thought  the accompanying prints of 3d works and 
environments|spaces exhibited with them were photographs of real 
objects and spaces - just like the sculptural pieces they could see 
and touch right there in front of them.

This to me is a predictable extension of my work in the architectural 
industry doing 3D Architectural walk-throughs for building projects 
to gain tenders and have the spaces then made 'real', and the work I 
have done and taught within the industrial design industry where the 
'virtual' work gets eventually made into 'real' objects via 
rapid-prototyping or as an actual mass produced product using CAM etc.

...and I have made more Stereolith, SLS and other rapid-prototype 
objects... but mainly for myself and as direct commissions for other 
people who liked them as micro sculptures.

What is most interesting about this is the kind of 'inverse' digital immersion.
The objects emanated directly from the 3D environments I was working 
on and were made 'real' at a human scale.
They are as exciting as each other in many different ways.
I like that there is a continuum from the virtual to the real where 
aspects can be materialised and digitised.

This brings both clarity and opacity to some of the distinctions 
between the virtual and real for me.

Some of the more interesting works I have seen cross this boundary...
in some by simply helping us into or out of the space by provided 
physical clues like smell and touch as a way to reinforce, diffuse or 
suspend belief - or help bypass the inadequacy of the VR headsets, 2D 
monitors and projections.

however...  there are still unique spaces and experiences which I 
think can be created in the digital arena and they can only exist 
there...  just as I see there is no current digital replacement for 
the 'real' experience of eating, digesting and excreting food.

And despite my comments at the start of this discussion about not 
having anything much to discuss about this with 12 year olds in the 
context of games, I have no problems with people using the 
technologies like game stations to explore these experiences.