Aesthetics of Immersion in Interactive Immersive Environments: a Phenomenological Case Study of Light Strings
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AESTHETICS OF IMMERSION IN INTERACTIVE IMMERSIVE ENVIRONMENTS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL CASE STUDY OF LIGHT STRINGS by Jinsil (Hwaryoung) Seo B.A., Seoul Women’s University, 1995 M.A., Kyung Hee University, 2002 M.F.A., School of Visual Arts, 2004 DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the School of Interactive Arts and Technology © Jinsil (Hwaryoung) Seo 2011 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Summer 2011 All rights reserved. However, in accordance with the Copyright Act of Canada, this work may be reproduced, without authorization, under the conditions for Fair Dealing. Therefore, limited reproduction of this work for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review and news reporting is likely to be in accordance with the law, particularly if cited appropriately. APPROVAL Name: Jinsil (Hwaryoung) Seo Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Title of Thesis: Aesthetics of Immersion in Interactive Immersive Environments: A Phenomenological Case Study of Light Strings Examining Committee: Chair: ______________________________________ Dr. Marek Hatala Associate Professor, School of Interactive Arts and Technology ______________________________________ Dr. Diane Gromala Senior Supervisor Associate Professor, School of Interactive Arts and Technology ______________________________________ Dr. Thecla Schiphorst Supervisor Associate Professor, School of Interactive Arts and Technology ______________________________________ Dr. Andrew Feenberg Supervisor Professor, School of Communication ______________________________________ Dr. Chris Shaw Internal Examiner Associate Professor, School of Interactive Arts and Technology ______________________________________ Dr. Maria Lantin External Examiner Director, Intersections Digital Studios and S3D Centre Emily Carr University of Art + Design Date Defended/Approved: ______________________________________ ii Declaration of Partial Copyright Licence The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. 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Simon Fraser University Library Burnaby, BC, Canada Last revision: Spring 09 STATEMENT OF ETHICS APPROVAL The author, whose name appears on the title page of this work, has obtained, for the research described in this work, either: (a) Human research ethics approval from the Simon Fraser University Office of Research Ethics, or (b) Advance approval of the animal care protocol from the University Animal Care Committee of Simon Fraser University; or has conducted the research (c) as a co-investigator, collaborator or research assistant in a research project approved in advance, or (d) as a member of a course approved in advance for minimal risk human research, by the Office of Research Ethics. A copy of the approval letter has been filed at the Theses Office of the University Library at the time of submission of this thesis or project. The original application for approval and letter of approval are filed with the relevant offices. Inquiries may be directed to those authorities. Simon Fraser University Library Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC, Canada Last update: Spring 2010 ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the aesthetics of immersive experience in Light Strings, an interactive immersive environment. One of prominent aspects of Interactive Art is the notion of immersion. The concept of immersion is generally defined as a viewer “forgetting” the real world outside of the virtual environment and by a sense of being in a make-believe world generated by computational hardware and software. Immersion has been explored in various disciplines (Literature, Game, Architecture, Aesthetics, etc.), but many Virtual Reality (VR) scientists and artists have actively examined the concept by focusing on creating new immersive environments that push the boundaries of new technology. This approach is often aimed at countering the disembodying tendency of virtual reality concerns. As an interactive artist and researcher, I conceive of immersion as any experience where integrated bodily, conscious, and pre-conscious states thoroughly intertwine with the world. Moreover immersion is where mind, body and environment interweave and communicate with each other inside of technically-mediated, spatially enclosed, and sensuously-interactive computational environments. Light Strings was created based on my previous art practice and research into immersion as a way to study participants’ experiences with the artwork and how meanings are co-created by artists and participants. This research exemplifies ‘Research through Art’ applied in the context of immersion for interactive art. In the participant study of Light Strings, participants were encouraged to describe the felt experiences of the installation through phenomenologically oriented research methods. This allowed the gathering of different data about participant experience, focusing on various qualities of immersion and how they were constructed and assimilated over time. As a result, an experiential model of the participants’ experiences was developed by exploring bodily, spatial, and contextual consciousness with temporal considerations. Through this research, I bring insight into the aesthetics of immersive experience in interactive immersive environments where the ideas of materiality and embodiment are at the forefront. Keywords: Immersive Experience; Aesthetics of Immersion; Immersive Consciousness; Interactive Immersive Environment iii DEDICATION To my family for their lifelong support iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful for having had the opportunity to study at SFU SIAT. During that time, I received significant financial support from my supervisor Diane Gromala, SIAT and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Without these, I wouldn’t have been able to create my artworks and finish the research. Thanks to my senior supervisor, Dr. Diane Gromala, for her tremendous advice about art research; Dr. Thecla Schiphorst for her enthusiasm, creative guidance and positive energy; Dr. Andrew Feenberg for his generosity with his time and attention. The staff, students, and faculty at the School of Interactive Arts + Technology have made my research experience memorable and meaningful. In particular, I would like to thank Greg Corness for his friendship, creative ideas, inspiring conversations through collaborations; David Jhave Johnston for his warm heart, creative advice and proofreading; Karen Tanenbaum for her help on proofreading of my dissertation. I really appreciate my husband Dr. Jin Kyo Suh, for his always believing in and supporting me. Finally, thanks to my parents and my brother for their love and support through my whole life. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Approval.............................................................................................................................ii Abstract............................................................................................................................. iii Dedication .........................................................................................................................iv Acknowledgements............................................................................................................v Table of Contents..............................................................................................................vi List of Figures ...................................................................................................................ix List of Tables...................................................................................................................