Navigating the Penumbra of Virtual Reality: Perception, Cinematography, Psychology and Ethics

Since the coining of the term “virtual reality” (VR) by Jaron Lanier and development of head-mounted displays by pioneers such as Ivan Sutherland, VR has undergone several rounds of evolution, re-inventing itself slightly each time. It is only after over half a century, however, that this technology has now become accessible to the general consumer and therefore the mainstream. Not only that, anyone with access to this technology can now create content for VR - including artists. This raises questions about a creator’s responsibility for a user’s experience regardless of whether it relates to perception, aesthetics, psychology, ethics or multiple other factors. This panel examines several of these factors with an ultimate questioning of the impact VR artistic creations have on their audience and how these concerns factor into the design of an VR experience.