An Essay in Three Dimensions
by Stephen Matsuba
VRML will certainly not disappear anytime soon, but the continued pervasive reaction to it by those outside of the VRML community does imply some interesting things from an artistic point of view.
An Essay in Three Dimensions by Stephen Matsuba |
CyberStage's own VRML piece is an interesting case in point. In February of 1997, CyberStage launched Construct(s) and Meme-ing, a VRML essay authored by Stephen Matsuba and hosted by the CyberStage Live web site. In the piece, its core arguments are presented not as traditional text, but as a series of virtual spaces and visual images. You, as the "reader", explore the author's argument by moving through the different virtual environments and interacting with them. The basic structure of the essay is comprised of five components: an introduction, three main points, and a conclusion. Each component is presented as a separate VRML world, and is downloaded as you progress through the essay. The premise is that once a person "played" in each space, he or she would pickup points in the author's argument, and would in theory be able to support or refute the overall assertion of the essay, much as if it was written in traditional text. |
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From an editorial development point of view, Construct(s) was a truly exciting and innovative project, partly due to its approach both to its chosen mode of communication as well as the presentation of the argument therein. Much of the aesthetic characteristic in the piece came out of Matsuba's belief that in new media, the current milieu of work is created out of the linear-text book model, and that we must think in new and less linear modes to take advantage of what new media gives us.
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Yet, since its launch in February 1997, the piece has had about 800 hits to date, a relatively low number in spite of a large marketing campaign (for an art piece), a two-week gallery installation with an opening, a mini lecture tour, and listings on key VRML link sites. Even being listed on the "SGI VRML of the Week" site added only 50 or so more visitors. This is a typical scenario for a VRML site, and many people are growing increasingly disappointed about the size of the audience that VRML is attracting.
VRML will certainly not disappear anytime soon, but the continued pervasive reaction to it by those outside of the VRML community does imply some interesting things from an artistic point of view. |
