Hey guys, what’s good? On this week’s episode we were joined by David Campbell as we talked about the gaming exhibition 1UP North taking place in Northumbria University. Unknown to us, myself and David both explored the idea of virtual realities (VR) and how they interact with our own reality in our dissertations. Where he examined VR in relation to games having an impact of the environment, I explored how VR is used in contemporary art. This lead to quite interesting discussion, so if you haven’t heard the episode you can find it here: https://soundcloud.com/user-991312750/episode-5
Archeological Reminiscence of Millet’s “Angelus,” 1933–35, Salvador Dalí.
Photo: © Salvador Dalí/Fundació Gala-Salvador Dali/Artist Rights Society (ARS), 2015
While talking about the VR experiences available, I mentioned that during my dissertation research I found a video that was part of a 2016 exhibition celebrating the work of surrealist artist Salvador Dali (1904-1989) and animator and producer Walt Disney (1901-1966). The exhibition was entitled ‘Disney and Dali: Architects of the Imagination’ and aimed to offer an immersive and enriching multi-media experience that told the story of the unlikely alliance between two of the most renowned artists of the twentieth century. After meeting at a Hollywood party in 1945, Dali and Disney became life life-long friends. Although the two never completed a project together, they planned to collaborate on a film entitled Destino, which did go into production despite eventually bringing scrapped after three months.
Within this 2016 exhibition, VR was used in a piece entitled ‘Dreams of Dali’ in which the viewer is invited to immerse themselves in a reconstruction of one of Salvador Dali’s surreal landscapes.
Personally, I play games to enter into worlds and situations which I would never encounter in our reality. I much prefer games that immerse me in their gameplay by allowing my imagination to run wild, rather than the games that aim to be super realistic and lifelike. In my opinion, this is where VR technology is missing the mark. The emphasis so far seems to have been on placing gamers in very life like situations, simply mimicking the reality we inhabit. But to me, that’s not what is magical about video games and art. Why would I use VR to stand in a virtual art gallery when I could use to to actually enter into the art! I want to stroll in Monet’s garden and gaze upon Van Gogh’s night sky, and I don’t think many people would disagree with me.
This is what I enjoyed so much about ‘Dreams of Dali’. I have provided a link below so that you can watch it; I would love to know your thoughts. You can watch it as a 360-video from a desktop computer or mobile device or, if you are lucky enough to have a VR device you can give it a go! I have also provided a couple of links to articles about Dali and Disney as they are two quite interesting characters!
Dreams of Dali (Video) The Dali Museum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1eLeIocAcU
Explore The Trippy Landscapes of Salvador Dali Through Virtual Reality By Will Speros
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/salvador-dali-virtual-reality
The Time Salvador Dali Worked for Walt Disney by Mark Mancini
mentalfloss.com/article/50074/time-salvador-dali-worked-walt-disney
The Secret History of Salvador Dali’s Disney Film By Trey Taylor
-Rosie Stronach
Hey Art, Whats Good? 