VR Beyond Isolation: Transcending The Sphere Theory

VR as a medium of art creation and viewing has been studied and experimented with since the 1960 s.head-mounted display(HMD)VR has become a hot topic today and is widely used by the general public.Due to the hermetic nature of HMD VR,there is a common misconception in the mass culture that virtual reality technology can lead to isolation of the spectator,but VR should be viewed in a more macro sense than the hermetic and isolated stereotype.Starting with the history of hermetic optical apparatuses as the precursors of virtual reality,this paper begins with a general overview of optical apparatuses as private enclosed image spaces from the fifteenth century to the present.Following this,the central thesis of this paper is introduced: the hermetic and isolated nature of virtual reality is rooted in its immersive technology,and much of the current discussion of VR rests on this level,but the author argues that VR has a potentially openness and publicity,and that these orientations need to be more deeply explored by current creators and researchers.In order to better sort out the aspects of virtual reality beyond its isolation,this paper introduces sphere theory as a way to understand the hermetic visual paradigm of VR and its potential for open connectivity.In her lecture Bubble Vision,Hito Steyerl presents the theory of the virtual reality space as a 360-degree orbiting sphere,and Steyerl sees this spherical visual paradigm as a symbol of the withdrawal and isolation of humans from the world.But the sphere does not necessarily represent human isolation,Peter Sloterdijk’s sphere theory offers three directions for referring to the sphere as the space of coexistence.Taking Sloterdijk’s sphere theory as a clue,this paper will conclude by proposing three directions for VR in the practice of transcending private space,and analyzing them specifically in relation to the work.Within the framework of sphere theory we can find that the spherical space of VR does not merely isolate the observer within the sphere,but its interior is allowed to coexist and its exterior is interconnected.The discussion of the openness and publicity of VR can provide more possibilities for the study of the medium of virtual reality and the creation of artists.