Experiencing Familiar and Unfamiliar in Google Earth on VR Vibe
Firstly opening the application and scoping the earth I felt physically sick, I'm not sure whether this was because of speed that i was moving was a lot faster than how a body would normally navigate space or because of the confused scenario of looking down on earth in a space which might never be inhabitable (gravity and oxygen and all). It almost feels impossible to document through photographs and language. I have decided to video the monitor screen to try and make sense of what i am doing within the experience. For the purpose of this experiment i have decided to visit familiar areas where i have been before to contrast the real life experience. I have chosen to visit Massey University Block 10 and Navigate around my home suburb, Seatoun.
I entered a space which i have no recollection of by accident. I felt naughty and innopropiate being in a space where i have not been welcomed. The feeling was interesting because of the unrealness of the experience versus the social implications i had to it. I felt out of place and as if i was intruding or stalking. It made me feel uneasy.
I found my myself back onto a view over Wellington City and navigated to a street view. It was interesting at first recognising where i was and realising that i could navigate the area with ease. My previous experience with google earth on computer defiantly helped, recognising the motion of switching frames and the cursors on the ground indicating potential movements. Initially finding myself walking through Newtown and over to Massey, I found myself 'feeling at home'.
- long pauses is me documenting may experience, a lot can be skipped -
The feeling i had in a familiar space was confusing also, my view point was raised about 2 feet above where i would normally view from. The feeling of my feet was on a similar texture, hard ground, but the view was hard to relate to actual life. When i looked up however the view point was more similar. The monument had a very similar depth behind the bushes than it normally would and my body was stood in a similar way to how i would if i was standing in this particular spot. I don't think that i would usually spend so long standing in this particular spot but the space in lifeless and there is no perception of time or movement. I don't think that it is nessicarily a good thing that i feel like this space is entirely independent of any life for the moment. The loneliness is inherent and scary. Maybe i would feel differently if there was someone in this lab with me that i could talk to. But because of the familiarity and juxtaposed falseness to it, there is almost a fear that i could get stuck in here. The light quality is similar to the time of day that i would usually be around this space. Bright, with the direction of light coming from North-East. There is no air rotation in the room that i am standing in though and this adds to the awkwardly stillness of the 360 frames.
After this experience, I had motion sickness for about and hour. The experience was surprisingly disorientating. I did feel that for an amount of time i had fully immersed in a virtual space and had in turn, left the reality of the VR lab behind, however the likeness to real life was not great. What i did find interesting though was the view I had been exposed to. It did change the way that i thought about my trip home and the way I imagined it in my mind.
Experiencing the physical
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