Preservation of virtual reality artworks Diagnosis to determine viable conservation strategies MA Thesis

Daphne Kramer Conservation and Restoration of Contemporary Art Faculty of Humanities Department of conservation and restoration of cultural Heritage 12-07-2019 [email protected]

Supervisor: Ellen Jansen Second reader: Femke Prinsen Preservation of Virtual Reality Artworks

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SUMMARY

Virtual reality (VR) is a complex medium. It has a wide range of applications, can contain several types of hardware and play a variety of content, creating a countless number of experiences. Artworks made in VR are hybrid and share characteristics with VR content of other industries that focus on entertainment, storytelling, education, documentation or simulation. Within these industries, research is done into preservation strategies for VR. These are tailored to the characteristics that are being valued in the medium and that should therefore be preserved. For artworks, it is important to find out whether a suggested strategy to preserve a VR artwork will work in a way that attention is paid to authenticity and artist intent. The strategies discussed in this thesis are storage and repair, migration, emulation and reinterpretation, which are conservation strategies that have been widely applied in the field of time-based media conservation for a considerate amount of time. However, research is lacking into ways to diagnose virtual reality artworks, so changes to their meaning caused by the implementation of conservation strategy can be determined. Documenting this is important as hardware may become obsolete and disappear over time. It will not be possible to change strategies and go back to the artwork's original appearance. The user experience plays an important role in this thesis and is explained by looking at characteristics that are inherent to virtual reality, such as interactivity, navigation and immersion. By explaining these aspects and documenting the experience that is generated from technical aspects of the medium, change can be monitored better. In addition, it will help to select which version of the work should be acquired or archived.

Virtual reality (VR) is een complex medium. Het kent vele toepassingen, kan verschillende soorten hardware bevatten en verschillende soorten inhoud afspelen, waardoor veel ervaringen mogelijk zijn. Kunstwerken in VR zijn hybride. Ze delen veel karaktereigenschappen met VR werken die gemaakt zijn voor andere doeleinden zoals entertainment, het vertellen van een verhaal, educatie, documentatie of simulatie. Ook binnen deze gebieden wordt onderzoek gedaan naar het behoud van VR. Ze zijn allen toegespitst op de waardes die belangrijk worden geacht in het medium en daarom bewaard moeten blijven. Voor kunstwerken is het belangrijk om te kijken of deze strategieën ook genoeg aandacht besteden aan de artistieke waarden van het werk, zoals de betekenis van het kunstwerk en de authenticiteit. De strategieën die besproken worden komen voort uit de discipline Time-based media conservering; opslag en reparatie, migratie, emulatie en herinterpretatie. Uit het evalueren van deze strategieën blijkt dat tot nu toe weinig aandacht wordt besteed aan de diagnose van VR-kunstwerken om te bepalen welke strategie het meest geschikt wordt geacht. Dit is belangrijk om te bepalen of de betekenis van het werk wordt aangetast door de desbetreffende strategie. Het is belangrijk om dit te documenteren omdat hardware kan verouderen en daardoor onbruikbaar kan worden. Het is op dat punt niet meer mogelijk om terug te gaan naar de originele staat van het werk. De gebruikerservaring speelt een belangrijke rol in deze scriptie en wordt uitgelegd aan de hand van karaktereigenschappen die inherent verbonden zijn met het medium VR, zoals interactiviteit, navigatie en immersie. Door uit te legen hoe de ervaring voortkomt uit technische aspecten van het medium en door deze te documenteren, kunnen veranderingen beter worden vastgelegd. Daarnaast kan het helpen om te selecteren welke versie van het werk wordt aangekocht of gearchiveerd.

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PREFACE

I never thought I was very technically skilled. When I was a kid and the video player didn’t work as it should be, I used to call my dad to come in and fix it. When starting the master’s program conservation and restoration of contemporary art, investigating, diagnosing and problem solving, became the most desirable skills to master, also for objects with plugs and batteries. It was from this moment that my ignorant behavior changed into an obsession to learn about analog and digital artworks, their hardware, electronic systems and software as I could no longer look away from technology I did not understand. In October 2017, I visited the Design Academy in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, during the Dutch Design Week. A student had used virtual reality as conservation tool for the preservation of a site-specific artwork by the Dutch artist Peter Struycken. What struck me was the interdisciplinarity that these types of artworks are situated in and the fact that solutions are being searched for within several industries. This was the starting point of my research into virtual reality. Initially, I wanted to study its possibilities as documentation tool and focus on ethical considerations but noticed that a thorough study into the technique, its qualities and how these qualities are being deployed within several application purposes, was lacking. It took a lot of time and analysis to get to know and understand this medium in all it is, and it grew on me, resulting in an exhibition and a master thesis. I hope my research into virtual reality will continue from this point, I may add to, adjust and revise it, until, together with other professionals that know more about technical possibilities, we can find solutions to preserve virtual reality artworks in the best way possible.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to pay gratitude to all people that helped me fulfil this research, especially to my supervisor Ellen Jansen, who has been amazing guiding me through this project and steering me into the right direction. Also, I received a lot of support from the other teachers of the contemporary art conservation program, Evelyne Snijders and Sanneke Stigter. I would like to thank my second reader Femke Prinsen (University of Amsterdam), and the professors Maarten van Bommel (University of Amsterdam) and Ella Hendriks (University of Amsterdam) and Rene Peschar (University of Amsterdam) for their feedback. My understanding of technical possibilities and impossibilities in virtual reality wouldn’t have been the same without the possibility to curate an exhibition of virtual reality artworks at ABC Architectural Centre in Haarlem. I would like to thank Zalán Szakács and Rudolf Bogart for cooperating in the exhibition and sharing their knowledge and Gabriel Verheggen for making this possible. Also, I would like to thank Annet Dekker (University of Amsterdam) for her inspiring lecture and conversations about archives and documentation, that has been of great help to think differently about the way complex artworks are treated. In addition, I would like to thank the following people I have talked to during this process: Jesse de Vos (Netherlands Institute of Sound and Vision), Gaby Wijers (LIMA), Lisette Vonk (University of Applied Science Amsterdam) and Kira Brown. Lastly, I would like to thank my fellow master students for two years of support and sharing ideas. Thank you Lihi Levie, Olivia Brum, Stefanie Janson and Marieke Kruithof, it would not have been the same without you.

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CONTENT

SUMMARY ...... 3 PREFACE ...... 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... 5 ABBREVIATIONS ...... 8 INTRODUCTION ...... 9 1. UNDERSTANDING VIRTUAL REALITY ...... 13 1.1. Definition ...... 13 1.2. Material characteristics and user experience ...... 14 1.2.1. Hardware ...... 14 1.2.2. Software ...... 16 1.2.3. User experience ...... 16 1.3. VR as digital object ...... 18 1.3.1. Trends in VR ...... 18 1.3.2. Versions ...... 19 2. VR AS A HYBRID ART FORM ...... 20 2.1. Hybrid applications ...... 20 2.1.1. Simulation ...... 21 2.1.2. Education ...... 21 2.1.3. Entertainment ...... 22 2.1.4. Story telling...... 22 2.1.5. Documentation ...... 23 2.1.6. Art ...... 23 2.2. Collecting, exhibiting and preserving ...... 24 2.2.1. Function of the institute ...... 24 2.2.2. The Art Museum ...... 25 3. CONSERVATION STRATEGIES ...... 27 3.1. Time-based media conservation ...... 27 3.2 Preservation of virtual reality ...... 28 3.2.1. Preservation strategies for virtual reality from the artworld ...... 29 3.2.2. Preservation strategies for virtual reality from information sciences ...... 30 3.2.3. Preservation strategies for virtual reality from the archive ...... 30 4. DIAGNOSIS ...... 32 4.1. Documentation ...... 32 4.1.1. Decision making model ...... 33

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4.1.2. Documentation models ...... 34 4.1.3. Possibilities for improvement...... 35 4.2. Terminology for user experience ...... 36 4.2.1. Navigation...... 36 4.2.2. Presence ...... 37 4.2.3. Immersion...... 38 5. CASE STUDY: AQUAPHOBIA – JAKOB STEENSEN ...... 40 5.1. Aquaphobia ...... 40 5.1.1. Technique ...... 40 5.1.2. Meaning of the artwork ...... 42 5.2. Diagnosis...... 43 5.2.1. Importance of the medium ...... 43 5.2.2. Relation between artist intention and VR characteristics ...... 44 5.2.3. Discussion ...... 45 CONCLUSION ...... 46 REFERENCES ...... 48 GLOSSARY ...... 53

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ABBREVIATIONS

API: Application Programming Interface AR: Augmented reality HMD: Head mounted display MR: Mixed reality VE: Virtual environment VR: Virtual reality XR: Extended reality

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INTRODUCTION

In March 2018, the sixth edition of Art Basel, one of the largest and iconic art fairs of the world, took place in Hong Kong, presenting a global mix of galleries showing the newest art by the world’s most celebrated contemporary artists. Among them were the virtual reality artworks by Marina Abramović and Anish Kapoor, shown at an HTC booth, supplier of head mounted displays. Abramović and Kapoor are considered renowned artists whose artworks are present in many large museums and private collections and whom have already been included in the canon of art for a considerate amount of time. Their usual practices being performance art, painting and sculpture, this event could be a one-time case. Abramović explains however that her shift to this medium is embedded in her current practice. “In this moment of my career, I have been wondering how to transfer energy from body to body through the use of modern technology.” 1 This event at Art Basel Hong Kong may not mark the beginning of virtual reality as artform but may be the start of its acceptance within the commercial artworld which may shortly lead into their presence in museums and other collections. Although virtual reality suddenly seems to appear everywhere, it is not a radically new medium. The first VR head-mounted display (HMD) was already developed in 1968 by computer scientist Ivan Sutherland. When looking through it, the user would see a three-dimensional image that changed perspective when the viewer moved their head.2 It was nicknamed, The Sword of Damocles, because of its bizarre appearance as it had to hang from the ceiling above the user’s head.3 In the work, digital signals were transferred to analogue signals that were eventually made visible via a miniature cathode ray tube. (figure 1.) Initially, it was difficult for artists to work with VR, as the technology was not available on the consumer market until the late 1980’s. The first virtual reality gear was commercially sold in 1987 by the Visual Programming Lab (VPL).4 As with most new technologies, the first models were expensive. Their head mounted display ‘EyePhone 1’ was available for $9400, and a complete VR system including a high-end computer, was sold for $250.000.5 The system was mainly advertised for researchers and developers in several fields, such as architecture and telecommunication. 6 With the advertisement of this gear, the term ‘virtual reality’ was used for the first time.

1 “Marina Abramović and Anish Kapoor to Present Two Virtual Reality Artworks at Art Basel in Hong Kong,” VIVE Blog, March 12, 20 18, https://blog.vive.com/us/2018/03/07/vive_art_basel_hong_kong/. 2 Ivan Sutherland, “A Head Mounted Display,” Proceedings of AFIPS 68, 757-764. 3 Hilary McLellan, “Virtual Realities,” in Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology: A Project of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, ed. David Jonassen and Marcy Driscoll, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, 2014, 462 4 “History of Virtual Reality.” Virtual Reality Society accessed June 1, 2019, https://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual- reality/history.html. 5 Paul Sorene. “Jaron Lanier’s EyePhone: Head and Glove Virtual Reality in the 1980s.” Flashback. November 24, 2014. Accessed June 16 2019. http://flashbak.com/jaron-laniers-eyephone-head-and-glove-virtual-reality-in- the-1980s-26180. 6 Savanah Campbell, “A Rift in our Practices?: Towards Preserving Virtual Reality,” A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Moving Image Archiving and Preservation Program Department of Cinema Studies New York University, https://www.nyu.edu/tisch/preservation/program/student_work/2017spring/17s_thesis_Campbell.pdf.

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Figure 1. The parts of the three-dimensional display system for The Sword of Damocles, invented by Ivan Sutherland.

Since the development of this HMD, VR systems have drastically changed and became more affordable in the 1990’s. However, they were commercial failures, mostly because of poor graphics, that were unable to simulate reality convincingly.7 From 2010 interest in the medium started growing and gained in popularity, partly because of large investments that were made by companies such as Facebook, that bought the startup Oculus in 2014 for 2 billion dollar.8 Big tech companies such as Samsung, HTC and Google started to invest in virtual- and artificial reality (AR) technologies as well and technological developments to HMD’s rapidly followed each other. The technique is now widely adapted and used in many industries for many purposes including the artworld. Although a considerable number of artists are now working with virtual reality, thus far their works have not widely been collected. When talking to institutes it became clear that they have some hesitance to start acquiring the medium. This is not strange considering their familiarity with the difficulties accompanying the conservation of time-based media artworks in their collection. Often hardware is included that shortly becomes obsolete, due to rapid technological developments. Similar

7 “History of Virtual Reality,” Virtual Reality Society, accessed June 27, 2019, https://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual- reality/history.html. 8 Stuart Dredge, "Facebook Closes Its $2Bn Oculus Rift Acquisition. What Next?" The Guardian, July 22, 2014, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jul/22/facebook-oculus-rift-acquisition-virtual-reality.

| 10 | Kramer, University of Amsterdam, 2019 Preservation of Virtual Reality Artworks problems await VR, which is an even more complex and faster developing technology. New technological features are being launched every year with a similar speed as the development of smartphones in the past ten years. VR is a complicated mix of hardware, software and user experience and asks for a experienced skill set of museum professionals in order to guarantee its availability and longevity. Conservators have been struggling to maintain equipment during exhibitions and the long- term preservation of these works has proven to be challenging. The necessary software to play files is sometimes missing which obstructs the readability of the file or the code in which it was written. Some works are streamed from an app, this makes preservation hard as the files and software are not accessible to archive. In addition to these problems, the maintenance of VR can be very time consuming. Museums often do not have the expertise, time and money to deal with maintenance and updates due to the speed of technical developments. Both academics and professionals within institutions have attempted to create practical preservation strategies that can be implemented in institutions. Within the field of archival studies, research was done into data archiving and file storage, for example for the preservation of websites and e-mails. This field is closely related to the archiving of sound and moving image. To a certain extent, depending on the archive’s function and the nature of the object, hardware and software is stored as well. It is more and more accepted that time-based media artworks, including VR have a character that demands change to be able to live a longer life. Without change it will become obsolete and the shell of the hardware will be the only document to refer to its existence. This has led into a focus in literature on foreseeing future problems and taking preventive measures by making thorough documentation of artworks to monitor change and ensure that the output can be reconstructed. For obsolescence of hardware and software the strategies storage and reparation, migration, emulation and reinterpretation have been widely researched and applied within the time-based media domain. Current research focuses on what extent these strategies can be implemented for virtual reality artworks. Because of the complexity of VR files, this is a challenging task that can possibly result in loss of work-defining properties. Research should be done into the workability and implementation of these strategies for virtual reality artworks. Many artists are choosing to use VR for a specific reason, it is a medium that is not comparable with any other medium that has been used to create art before. It is therefore important not only to understand how it technically functions but also how work-defining properties in this medium can be recognized, described and documented and to understand how to diagnose whether these properties are important for the artwork’s identity and meaning. A thorough evaluation is needed of what VR is composed of, how it functions, and which experiences it can create. In addition, it is important to understand how these elements are deployed in an artwork to express a certain idea. It is only then possible to preserve the artwork in a good way and decide which of the conservation strategies storage and repairation, migration, emulation and reinterpretation is best suitable, if technically possible. The focus of this research concerns therefore the diagnosis of virtual reality artworks. It will start with an investigation of what the medium is and what it is technically composed of. This research has shown that virtual reality itself, but also the cultural context, is complex. Besides a technical and ontological investigation of the medium, also the cultural context is explained in

| 11 | Kramer, University of Amsterdam, 2019 Preservation of Virtual Reality Artworks chapter two. This will be an assessment of different purposes VR is used for and how this is related to the institutes and industries that show, acquire or preserve them. Conservation strategies for virtual reality artworks derive from industries that are not (solely) working with art objects. But, as chapter three will explain, there is a need to work with experts from different fields, to find technical solutions for mediums such as VR, that will become obsolete within a short amount of time. This chapter investigates which strategies have been developed and what research still needs to be done. In chapter four it is discussed which documentation and decision-making models have been developed and to what extent they are suitable for the diagnosis and documentation of virtual reality artworks. This theory is tested by looking at a case study in chapter five. For the scope of this limited thesis project, the focus will lie on the preservation of immersive virtual reality artworks that have been made within the past three years. Since 2016 VR gained in popularity and is made available by many companies on the consumer market. This point also marks the beginning of its acceptance within the art world and the consideration of institutes to start collecting and preserving these works. Many devices and experiences have been created in the past three years. Some devices work secluded, whereas others rely on secondary hardware, such as computers, smartphone or game computers, adding another layer of conservation care to the already complex technique. For this research it would be too complex to deal with risks of incompatibility between file, software and hardware and possible emulation or migration solutions. This thesis has been written for the master’s program ‘conservation of contemporary art’ at the University of Amsterdam. Within this program students are being taught to take a step back and look at individual artworks, their meaning and inherent values to be able to find suitable conservation solutions. For technical complex artworks, it is necessary to work with professionals within different field so through collaboration, better technical solutions can be found. The aim of this research is to contribute to the discourse on preservation of virtual reality by looking at the diagnosis of artworks and providing a way in which inherent values to the meaning of the artwork can be uncovered. This research has been done by a careful investigation of the field, to understand relationships and connections between research, different institutes and objects they want to preserve. This has been achieved by visiting places, talking to people and reading literature from different fields, such as the game industry, psychology, and research in archiving and collecting objects. This thesis will not give technical solutions but will provide guidelines to follow when assessing VR artworks.

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1. UNDERSTANDING VIRTUAL REALITY

The discipline conservation of contemporary art focuses on the care of both tangible and intangible aspects of artworks. Besides chemical stability of physical objects, attention is paid to ethical considerations about changes that are being made to artworks. The central point of attention is the inherent conceptual idea, the artist’s intention, that should always be preserved. To do this successfully, a careful consideration of the relation between meaning and materiality in artworks is needed, to understand which work-defining properties are attributing to this the most. For this determination it is necessary to explore all aspects of an object, the materials of which it is composed, its functioning, but also the idea the artist wanted to convey. When it comes to investigating these aspects for virtual reality, this is a difficult task because of the diversity of hardware, software and content possibilities. In addition, how the artwork is perceived is hard to describe because this is subjective for every individual. This first chapter seeks to explain virtual reality in all its aspects, starting with the definition, explaining technical possibilities and how they make up an experience.

1.1. Definition

Starting research into virtual reality has led into a philosophical reconsideration of the concept ‘reality’. Descartes stated “Cogito, ergo Sum;” “I think, therefore I am,” which has been considered the basis of western philosophy, challenging the truth of all things. Descartes stated that the only thing he knew for sure is that he existed and even your own perception can deceive you.9 Well, most people perceive what they see with their eyes as reality. A definition for reality that is often used is “Existence, that is absolute, self-sufficient, or objective, and not subject to human decisions and conventions.”10 The term virtual reality seems straight forward at first but when you start thinking about it, it becomes more complex, because as antonym for reality the words ‘concept’, ‘fantasy’ and ‘imagination’ are mentioned, which seem strange considering that each of those words can also be used to explain virtual reality artworks. At first, it seems remarkable how something virtual can also be reality following these definitions. Is a virtual tree less real than a tangible one? Or are both real, but do they simply differ in materiality? Oxford Dictionary defines virtual reality as “The computer-generated simulation of a three- dimensional image or environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way by a person using special electronic equipment, such as a helmet with a screen inside or gloves fitted with sensors.”11 From this point it is understandable why the combination of the words ‘virtual’ and ‘reality’ are combined; to be distinctive from the medium video. The reality aspect of VR can refer to the attempt to create a more ´real´ image. In contrast to 2D video footage, where the viewer is looking at a static 2D video, virtual reality can add features to an experience that are closer to the way things are

9 “René Descartes,” Filosofie, accessed June 7, 2019, https://www.filosofie.nl/rene-descartes/index.html. 10 “Reality,” Oxford dictionary, accessed June 7, 2019, https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/reality. 11 "Virtual Reality - Definition of Virtual Reality in English by Lexico Dictionaries," Lexico Dictionaries – English, accessed June 27, 2019, https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/virtual_reality.

| 13 | Kramer, University of Amsterdam, 2019 Preservation of Virtual Reality Artworks experienced normally, being able to look around you, experience distances and being able to interact with the things in your surroundings. It is probably for this reason that virtual reality is appearing in many different industries where captured or created moving 2D content, play a central role, such as the film and gaming industry. The term is often used to describe any form of computer-generated 3D content that is accessible via special electronic equipment and that can or cannot be interacted with. Because of the confusion around the term reality, sometimes the term ‘virtual environment’ is used to refer to the same. Since in artworks the environment is not always the most important aspect of the work and the term virtual reality is most known, the latter is used in this thesis. Sometimes the term is mixed up with other techniques that combine the physical world with virtual information or graphics. This technique is called augmented reality, which is used to describe any form of overlay of virtual information over the physical reality.12 This overlay can for example include text, graphics, video and sound. A famous example of this is the application Pokémon Go, a free game in which players can catch a Pokémon in their neighborhood. The image of the animated character has been laid on top of the physical reality using the camera on the device on which the app is installed. The technique differs from virtual reality, where the spectator is completely immersed.

1.2. Material characteristics and user experience

Virtual reality consists of a combination of hardware, software and files that work together to create an experience. This experience is often called ‘immersive’ because it isolates the user from the physical world. Immersion is a widely used term that is characteristic for virtual reality and is, often by game developers, referred to as ultimate goal to achieve when creating an experience. It is explained as being involved in the experience, possibly to such an extent that the actual physical world is forgotten, and the user is ‘completely immersed’. There are many ways in which this immersion can be achieved. This is always a combination between hardware, software and content that together create a certain user experience. This paragraph will explain broadly the possibilities in VR that make up a VR system and the possible experiences generated by it.

1.2.1. Hardware

VR can be experienced via various types of hardware. Each device works differently, has specific characteristics and supports different types of content. What they all have in common is that they contain a display and that they can track the user’s motion. Depending on the degree of interactivity of the work, it can also track movement of controllers or buttons that are being pressed. A rough

12 Michael Kelly, “Virtual Reality,” Oxford Art Online, 2014, accessed 23 April 2019. http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199747108.001.0001/acref-9780199747108-e- 62?fromCrossSearch=true.

| 14 | Kramer, University of Amsterdam, 2019 Preservation of Virtual Reality Artworks distinction can be made between electronic HMD and HMD that are a non-electronic shell in which a smartphone can be placed, that then functions as the hardware. The last category is most accessible type of VR. Anyone in possession of a smartphone can buy a HMD to insert their smartphone in. This HMD is no more than a shell with a pair of lenses to create a stereoscopic view. The smartphone serves as hardware and contains all functions needed for a VR experience; a display and motion tracking for a dynamic visual experience. There are many of these goggles available on the market, all relatively inexpensive compared to electronic HMD. The resolution depends on the smartphone that is used, but also on the lenses in the goggles. The content can be streamed from apps on the smartphone. Within the other category, electronic HMD, there is a lot of variety. VR systems are being developed by different companies. There are high-end models that need to be connected to a computer or wireless models that can run on their own. One of the most advanced technologies is the HTC Vive, developed by HTC. It is the most expensive model on the market and considered the most high-end product. Current models available are HTC Vive, HTC Vive pro and HTC Vive focus, all slightly differing in characteristics. The Vive needs to run on a computer with a powerful graphics card. It is compatible with Steam, an online store developed by the company Valve, that allows users to stream and create content. Sony developed a HMD for PlayStation in October 2016.13 Since its release, 4.2 million headsets have been sold.14 In addition to this HMD, a Play Station 4 system is needed to use it. Another leading VR brand is Oculus, which is owned by Facebook. There are multiple Oculus headsets all with different specifications, from high-end gear to affordable wireless models. The wireless Oculus Go is an affordable and easy to use device that runs files that are not too complex. The above- mentioned companies are leading VR providers now, but many other companies have developed headsets or are developing headsets that will be released soon.15 VR can contain many types of hardware. Not only a head-mounted display, but also smartphones, advanced computers and game computers are needed to play files. This causes a lot of compatibility problems since not all file formats can be played on all hardware models. Especially larger files containing high-end interactive content cannot be played on lighter hardware, such as the wireless Oculus Go HMD. 16 In addition to HMD and computers, often other hardware, or additional technologies are used to add an extra sensation to the audio-visual inputs that are generated by the HMD. This in the form of tactile inputs that can be generated in several ways, for example by walking

13 “PlayStation VR Launches October 2016 Available Globally At 44,980 Yen, $399 USD, €399 And £349,” Sony, accessed May 1, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20160522011956/http://www.sony.com/en_us/SCA/company-news/press- releases/sony-computer-entertainment-america-inc/2016/playstationvr-launches-october-2016-available- glob.html. 14 “PlayStation VR: The Next Wave of Games Coming in Spring and Summer 2019,” PlayStation Blog, March 26, 2019, https://blog.us.playstation.com/2019/03/25/playstation-vr-the-next-wave-of-games-coming-in-spring- and-summer-2019/. 15 “What is Virtual Reality,” Marxent, accessed June,17, 2019, https://www.marxentlabs.com/what-is-virtual- reality/. 16 An overview of hardware and supported file formats is given by Savanah Campbell (2017) in her thesis about preservation of virtual reality works.

| 15 | Kramer, University of Amsterdam, 2019 Preservation of Virtual Reality Artworks on a treadmill or by wearing special gloves (data gloves) with sensors that can translate hand movements to the virtual environments, enabling the user to see their hands. These devices, that create a greater immersion in the virtual world, are called peripherals.17

1.2.2. Software

In paragraph 1.2.1 compatibility problems have been briefly discussed. These aspects relate to the differences in software and supported file formats between VR systems. The file format depends on the content, how the content was made and the intended hardware for which it was developed. VR involves many types of software. There is for example software to play content, and there is software to create content in which it also can be played. The latter is often used when complex files of interactive works are played, such as the case with games, that are inherently highly interactive. This software is also called an engine. 18 The most common used software for the development of immersive environments are the Unreal engine and the Unity engine. They both have a different programming language, C++ and C# respectively. Recently WebVR has been developed to simplify the creation and possibility to share virtual reality experiences with the use of internet.19 It solves some compatibility problems as VR can be experienced via a browser. Developers can use this open-source JavaScript API to make their content communicate with WebVR.20 Because of the limited size of this Master thesis research project, the collaboration between file, hardware and software will not be further discussed.21

1.2.3. User experience

An important aspect of virtual reality is user experience, a fusion of material and immaterial aspects that can be broken down in several components that all add up to a level of immersion. The following topics are all aspects that are part of the user experience. They can be related to hardware, software, content or both. Here they are explained to give an overview of possibilities in VR. Chapter four will further discuss them in more detail.

Dimension Although most people might think that VR is always three-dimensional, this is not the case. There is also two-dimensional content created for VR. In this case VR is used to make use of the HMD’s ability to create a 360-degree spatial dynamic view. This is especially the case for 360-degree video, which is

17 “Peripheral,” VR Glossary, accessed June 16, 2019, http://www.vrglossary.org/glossary/vr-peripheral/. 18 “A game engine is the software that provides game creators with the necessary set of features to build games quickly and efficiently.” “Game-Engines - How Do They Work?” Unity, accessed June 27, 2019, https://unity3d.com/what-is-a-game-engine. 19 “Web VR Experiments,” Experiments with Google, accessed June 8, 2019, https://experiments.withgoogle.com/collection/webvr. 20 API stands for application programming interface. It allows two programs to communicate with each other. The API is used to exchange information. For more information: https://www.britannica.com/technology/API. 21 All definitions can be found in a glossary in the back.

| 16 | Kramer, University of Amsterdam, 2019 Preservation of Virtual Reality Artworks filmed content (also called captured content to distinguish from content made in software), that is filmed in all possible angles to create a 360-degree view. Some 360-degree videos are two- dimensional, some are three-dimensional.

Navigation An important characteristic of VR is navigation. When the physical space is similar to the virtual environment, the user can move their own body and the headset will translate the movements to the virtual space. The ability to move is depending on the type of experience. Some works don’t allow movement. In this type of static experience, the user is placed in a central position and the world changes around them. This is for example the case with 360-degree video. However, when the virtual space is larger than the physical space, artists can find other ways to allow the user to navigate through the space or they can navigate the user as if they are in a vehicle. Artificial movement through a virtual space is called locomotion, an interaction mechanism that moves the user through the environment.22

Sound Another experience related aspect is sound. There are a couple of possibilities how sound can be perceived. There is hardware that has integrated audio in the form of headphones that are attached to the HMD. In other cases, external headphones can be used, or the sound comes from a speaker in the HMD that is situated close to the ears. Content wise, there can also be a difference in sound. The most commonly known form is stereophonic audio, which is the sound known from listening to music. In addition, also ambisonic audio is possible, which creates a more three-dimensional sound experience.23 Ambisonic sound is for example used to attract attention from the user to make them look or move in the right direction. It is more complex and requires programming to integrate it in an VR experience.

Interactivity Another distinction that can be made is between interactive and non-interactive works. Some VR forms are always non-interactive, such as 360-degree video. In this case the user is more a passive observer and often situated in a central position. Other works can be very interactive, such as games, or they can be partially interactive. The more interaction, the more likely the user will forget the real world. Within VR terminology this is also called flow, described as “the mental state whereby an experiencer is so involved in the process of an activity that nothing else seems to matter.”24

22 Steven LaValle, Virtual Reality, Cambridge University Press, 2019, 289. Available via http://vr.cs.uiuc.edu/vrbook.pdf. 23 Campbell, “A Rift in our Practices?” 68. 24 “Flow,” The VR Glossary, accessed June 17, 2919, http://www.vrglossary.org/#f.

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1.3. VR as digital object

Another important aspect of virtual reality that should be mentioned is its nature as digital object. What is characteristic for digital objects is that they can be copied numerous of times and still look identical to each other. This characteristic gives possibilities, it enables for example to show the work in several locations at the same time. It can also exist in a cloud service and can be streamed without the need of the actual file.25 Also small adjustments to files can be made to make it compatible for other hardware. It is possible that multiple versions exist at the same time. A work can be part of a collection and still be available via a streaming service for a different HMD. This is conflicting with the notion of an ‘original’, an aspect that is often pointed at to be the desirable state in which an artwork should be. It is important for a conservator to understand whether we can still speak of an original version as the desired version to preserve or if we should look at these works differently.

1.3.1. Trends in VR

Because of the nature of VR, to exist on a cloud where it can be streamed or downloaded, it can be made accessible to anyone in possession of a HMD that is compatible with the work. In 2018, the total number of worldwide VR users was 171 million.26 This is however expected to increase a lot in the coming years. Analysts at Goldman Sachs wrote a report in 2016 about potential growth in the VR market. They predicted that VR would become the next computing platform that will “possibly [be] as game-changing as the advent of the PC.”27 One of the arguments posed is the investment into the medium by Facebook, who bought the start-up company Oculus for $2 billion in 2014.28 They expect a widespread adoption of the medium especially for videogames, live events, video entertainment, healthcare, real estate, retail, education, engineering and the military sector, that could eventually be as ubiquitous as the smartphone. 29 They even state that, when size and mobility improves, the evolution can evolve virtual reality to get multiple functions, combining multiple devices and “potentially replacing phones and PC environments.”30 If this is correct, this would mean that VR would be visible in most households, just as the pc. This would also mean that VR works could be just as accessible as websites and can be viewed in anyone’s home environment.

25 Streaming is the activity of listening to or watching sound or video directly from the internet. “Streaming,” Cambridge dictionary, accessed June 25, 2019, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/streaming. 26 “Active Virtual Reality Users worldwide,” Statista, accessed June 25, 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/426469/active-virtual-reality-users-worldwide/. 27 Heather Bellini et al., Profiles in Innovation: Virtual and Augmented Reality, Understanding the Race for the Next Computing Platform, Goldman Sachs Equity Research, January 12, 2016. These are of course speculations and could be influenced by a conflict of interest and be therefore not completely objective. 28 Brian Solomon, “Facebook Buys Oculus, Virtual Reality Gaming Startup, For $2 Billion,” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, April 15, 2014, https://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2014/03/25/facebook-buys-oculus- virtual-reality-gaming-startup-for-2-billion/. 29 Heather Bellini et al., Profiles in Innovation: Virtual and Augmented Reality, Understanding the Race for the Next Computing Platform, Goldman Sachs Equity Research, January 12, 2016, 5 30 Ibidem.

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1.3.2. Versions

Since there are so many different types of hardware and software possibilities for virtual reality, it is possible that the artist made different versions to ensure compatibility with multiple devices. Works that run on HTC Vive, for example, are often interactable, have more advanced features and run on a high-end computer. The file formats made for this type of device will not run on wireless headsets. Artists sometimes make a ‘lighter’ version of their work in the form of a non-interactable video. This video is easier to distribute and works on less advanced headsets, that are most likely sooner present in institutions and households because they are more affordable. Since many versions of the same work can exist and they can all be copied, it is hard for conservators to investigate if there is a ‘master version’ or original. It is possible that all these versions are considered to be the same artwork, but it is also imaginable that the artist sees this differently and the ‘light’ video version is only meant as reference to the original. This completely depends on the artist’s opinion. In addition, it is possible that multiple versions exist in multiple places and two institutes have a different version in their collection.

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2. VR AS A HYBRID ART FORM

An object obtains value in the context it is placed. A photographic portrait by Rineke Dijkstra is considered a contemporary artwork in which we value the artistic idea that is expressed by the artist, whereas a school portrait of a child is most likely not considered to be art. The portrait by Dijkstra will be exhibited, stored and preserved in museum collections whereas the school portrait will get a place within an institution according to its geographical, religious or sociological relation between the depicted and the institute where it is archived. The photograph can be an artwork, an object, a document or a record. This principle is the same for virtual reality artworks and many other digital artworks that share the same medium with objects that have a different function. VR has many applications, such as for games, films, documentaries, performances, theater and dance. It is not always used for artworks. Objects tend to be categorized by several values after which is decided which institute should acquire, collect, archive, store, exhibit and preserve the object. Virtual reality does not fit within one category. All these industries have institutes that are concerned with the preservation of objects within their field. They will collect or archive the virtual reality objects that fit with their category. Katja Kwastek, professor in contemporary art at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, attributes this to inherent qualities of interactive art. She states that it arises from a conjunction of elements like music, theater, video art, film and visual arts with a wide range of digital technologies. In character it also shares characteristics with performing arts.31 Virtual reality artworks cannot be broken down and pushed within one discipline but are still often analyzed in that way. However, the same work can be interesting to a different public for different reasons. As preliminary investigation for conservation strategies of VR, this chapter will form an overview of industries that work with VR and focus on the aspects that make VR interesting for them, because the values given to the content and medium will most likely define how the object is preserved within an institution.

2.1. Hybrid applications

The following paragraphs will briefly discuss different types of VR applications that can exist in many different industries and have certain values. These values can be analyzed by looking at which aspects of VR will be most important for the work to fulfil its function. The applications discussed are not exhaustive but are meant to show that VR works can be preserved for different reasons. It could, for example, be that the object gets additional values over time, such as historic and economic values. The values that will be considered are aesthetic, artistic, historic, functionality and economic. They are values but as well assessment criteria for conservation possibilities. They are inspired on the revised decision-making model for contemporary art proposed by the Cologne Institute of Conservation Science. This model will be discussed in chapter four.

31 Katja Kwastek, Aesthetics of Interaction in Digital Art, Cambridge: Mit Press ltd, 2013, Viii.

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2.1.1. Simulation

Virtual reality is often used as visualization tool within industries that are involved in education, design, simulation or any form of visualization of ideas or theories. This was first done in the architectural industry in 1986, in the form of architectural walk through systems.32 Architects are looking into ways to use VR to build virtual copies of spaces that will eventually actually be build. As virtualization tool, VR can provide clients with a more accurate representation of what the final product will look like. Not only for architects this is a useful tool. It is also used a lot in museums to show for example what an historic sight used to look like. The National Maritime Museum, Het Scheepvaartsmuseum, in Amsterdam has recently added a permanent VR experience to their museum. Visitors on board of their VOC ship can experience the historic Amsterdam harbor in the 17th century. Simulation is also used to create visualizations of art exhibitions. Major art galleries such as Hauser and Wirth are featuring shows in virtual reality that are accessible online in one’s own home environment, to provide them with a preview of the real exhibition. Simulations often must be convincing to, for example, sell a product (economic value) or to inspire a visitor. Aesthetics is therefore an important value, because without a nice-looking simulation this will most likely not happen. Simulations can also have artistic values. An architect is often considered to be an artist, so the work might be preserved for similar reasons as scale-models of buildings; to show the oeuvre of the architect. For simulations of historic sights, the designer of the VR experience probably worked in commission and will most likely not get an overview of their work in a museum, the artistic value is therefore less important. To a lesser extent simulation have historic values. They often represent a historic situation but are not historic in itself. This can change however when a work is for example preserved to show how simulations were made in the 2010’s. Again, for architecture this can be different, as architecture is often placed in history to relate them to idealistic views about a certain way of living.

2.1.2. Education

Already twenty years ago, research was done into the application of virtual reality for educational purposes (McLellan, 2001). VR was for example applied as interactive training system, but also for gathering and visualizing data.33 It was found to be potentially interesting for the medicine industry, for example for surgeons to prepare for difficult procedures, and in aviation, to train pilots with realistic situations that they might come across in the future.

32 F. Brooks Jr, “Walkthrough - A Dynamic Graphics System for Simulating Virtual Buildings.” Proceedings SIGGRAPH Workshop on Interactive 3D Graphics,1986 in Thomas Mazuryk and Michael Gervautz, Virtual Reality: History, Applications, Technology and Future, 1999, 6. 33 Hilary McLellan, “Virtual Realities,” in Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology: A Project of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, ed. David Jonassen and Marcy Driscoll, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, 2014, 471.

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It is imaginable that VR used for education, appreciates the interactivity of the medium the most, because the impact resulting from the user’s actions is what make them learn. The functionality of the work is therefore very important. Aesthetics may therefore be less important but can however inspire the user to use the VR system to learn.

2.1.3. Entertainment

Probably the most well-known application of VR is in the entertainment industry. The Japanese game manufacturer, Nintendo, already experimented with VR in the early 90s. As mentioned in chapter 1, PlayStation also developed their own virtual reality gear that is compatible with their PlayStation 4 devices. Specific for games, is that they combine virtual environments and interactivity. VR is therefore interesting, because it makes virtual experiences more ‘real’, adding a spatial dynamic perspective. There are many gray area’s between entertainment, education and storytelling as all these aspects are often intertwined with games. Games are often commercial products. The artistic value is generally something that is only valued by experts, fans and museums that are specialized in videogames. Most people, however, hardly know who developed and designed the game. Functionality, however, is a more important value. The game can only be played when it functions as designed and should therefore be interactive. Games can also have historic values that are related to nostalgia, because they could have been part of someone’s everyday life when they were a child. An institute preserving games would probably want to preserve this feeling.

2.1.4. Story telling

VR is increasingly used for storytelling. Moving image has been used for storytelling for a century, since the development of black-and-white movies. There are many initiatives involved in discovering possibilities of virtual reality for storytelling. The International Documentary Film Festival (IDFA) has started Doclab in 2007, to investigate immersive and interactive ways of non-fiction storytelling, including virtual reality. A similar project is the MIT Open Documentary Lab by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Also, in journalism storytelling is an important aspect. An example is a BBC’s 360-degree video experience in which users are placed inside an Iraqi helicopter flying above Mosul while firing on ground targets.34 About the use of virtual reality BBC says: “[VR] is interesting to us as program makers as it can help make people feel like they’re at the heart of the action or the story, which could help future audiences better understand important current affairs, news, science and history topics or give them a new perspective.”35 In line with storytelling, virtual reality productions are an increasingly important part of contemporary film. Eye Film Museum in Amsterdam has created

34 “Mosul: Fight against ISIS from the sky in 360 video - BBC News,” BBC News, 2017,360-degree video, 5:49 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKseZzSL2jM. 35 Will Saunders, “About the BBC - Exploring VR and Immersive Video,” BBC Blogs, BBC, June 8, 2016, https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/entries/a792a4ad-f1d4-4f95-a26a-18c03ff29b27.

| 22 | Kramer, University of Amsterdam, 2019 Preservation of Virtual Reality Artworks a new program, Eye Xtended, a continuing two-monthly program with VR productions. About these works they say that “their virtual stories, visual finds and triggered experiences touch our emotions, resonate with us and make us stop and think.”36 “Renowned makers have pledged their participation in the series. It is the first time that a museum has devoted structural attention over several years to virtual reality as a cinematic art form.”37 As can be concluded from the above-mentioned examples, VR is used for storytelling to add more emotional involvement to documentaries and film. The three-dimensionality of the medium plays an important role to achieve this as well as the possibility to look around in the experience. The functionality and aesthetics are therefore important values as these add up to the emotional experience.

2.1.5. Documentation

Another increasingly upcoming trend is VR as documentation tool. This application is similar to simulation but differs in aspiration. Where a simulation can be made to demonstrate an object or situation for a short amount of time, documentation usually strives to provide an accurate representation of a situation that should be (re-)accessible in the future. When looking for literature on preservation of virtual reality it became clear that VR is increasingly used as preservation tool itself for the preservation of ecological sights but also for the preservation of artworks. It is used to make visible what is lost, to show an artwork in a different conditional state, or to show a site-specific work that is lost. Ethically it is incorrect to call this trend ‘preservation,’ as it is not changing or improving the current state of the object or sight. Also, especially when applied on artworks, the artworks’ appearance may change drastically when non-digital objects are transferred to VR. This could therefore rather be called a documentation tool. Another interesting question would be if they are meant to be preserved. Usually documentation functions to guide a preservation or reconstruction process in the future (see also chapter 4), so should therefore be accurate, reliable and stored well. More research needs to be done into the usability of this application to say anything about their preservation.

2.1.6. Art

The last and for this research most important category that will be discussed is VR for artworks. They can have various forms, and various purposes and exist within all above-mentioned categories. Many renowned artists are now experimenting with VR as well as artists that have recently graduated. Some artists capture or create the content themselves whereas others work together with companies to do it for them. VR artworks are visible at the larger art fairs such as Art Basel, but also at biennales such as the Venice Biennale this year, 2019. That artworks are hybrid can be seen by the fact that they are

36 “Xtended.” Eye, June 6, 2019, https://www.eyefilm.nl/en/themes/xtended. 37 “Xtended: Rising,” Eye, March 21, 2019, https://www.eyefilm.nl/en/film/xtended-rising.

| 23 | Kramer, University of Amsterdam, 2019 Preservation of Virtual Reality Artworks also on view outside of art museums. The work Rising, by Marina Abramović, which highly relates to storytelling, was on view in the Eye film museum and cinema in Amsterdam. It is because of their content that touches upon other fields that artworks are often selected to be part of exhibitions and collections outside of the art museum. VR artworks have many values that are similar to those in the works mentioned in the categories above. Most important are the values that are related to the creative process. It is therefore important for institutes that usually archive or acquire different types of works (in other categories above) to acknowledge their status as artwork and their accompanying values. The artistic values are often a central aspect to consider when preserving artworks. A lot of attention is paid to authenticity; to keep the artwork in its original state. Contemporary artworks also have economic values, that are related to the authentic state of the object.

2.2. Collecting, exhibiting and preserving

The example of the difference between simulation and documentation already explained a bit how virtual reality with seemingly similar looking purposes will be treated differently because of their intended function. A simulation can be intended to provide temporary information whereas a document can be meant to do this on a long-term. This function is important to keep in mind when preserving a VR object. It is inseparable from the goal of the institute that acquires, archives or preserves it. This paragraph will discuss how similar objects can be treated differently in several institution with different missions.

2.2.1. Function of the institute

Annet Dekker, researcher at the University of Amsterdam, explained how institutes that are involved with identifying, acquiring and preserving objects, have different missions and use their objects or documents differently. A museum is involved with collecting and exhibiting unique objects whereas libraries and archives often strive to be more exhaustive and provide the public access to the objects. Within the institutions the object has a different function and also their accessibility is different. The terminology used in institutes can be confusing. What is the difference between an archive and a collection, an object and a record and between information and documentation? And what is the difference between acquiring and archiving something? This is difficult to explain but lies in the mission of the institute. VR in all categories mentioned above, can be an unique object for a museum but also a carrier of information for a library.38 Because of the versatility of applications VR is used for, there are many institutes that will have to deal with decisions concerning the preservation of VR objects. Since VR is used for many applications, the objects will have different values that need to be preserved, resulting in a different starting point for their preservation as well. Savanah Campbell, MA graduate, demonstrates this by

38 Guest lecture Annet Dekker on archival systems. 6-2-2019.

| 24 | Kramer, University of Amsterdam, 2019 Preservation of Virtual Reality Artworks looking at which institutes in the United States were preserving historic VR systems and which conservation strategy they had chosen. She investigated the Computer History Museum and Living Computers: Museums and Labs. They both have many historic VR systems in their museum, including the first VR system by Ivan Sutherland, the Sword of Damocles, mentioned in the introduction of this thesis. Campbell states that both museums are concerned with giving an historic overview of computer artifacts, including VR, and to provide access to their visitors via exhibitions.39 She states however, that no software or content is preserved with the headsets, resulting that the HMD cannot be exhibited in an interactive way. All HMD’s in the Living Computer Museum were therefore placed in glass vitrines, except for the HTC Vive, a model that is currently still for sale.40 Ideally the museum would have wanted to include software and content to be able to allow users to interact with the works, but this was not in their collection. Even though there is no interaction possible, the museum still sees value in exhibiting the devices. This is because they collect the devices because of their historic value as computer inventions and not because of the artistic value of the content. The chosen solution to store the hardware is therefore a suitable conservation option for the institute. The possibility to interact with the works would be a nice addition but does not get priority at all costs. This example shows that conservation strategies can differ enormously between institutions.

2.2.2. The Art Museum

In an art museum, only showing the hardware of an artwork in a vitrine would be unacceptable. The artwork would be considered ‘dead’. The artistic and authentic values get most attention and will be preserved at all costs. As discussed in paragraph 2.1. museums strive to preserve and exhibit objects. In case of VR, this would mean the museum presents the headsets in a museum setting and the visitor can view the experience while being present in the museum. The art museum not only takes care of the artwork, but also the context in which it is placed and the maintenance during exhibition. When part of a larger installation, also the installation of the work is carefully done and documented. This may sound logical, as this way of showing artworks is similar to other media artworks, but there is, however, another way VR can be shown. In the previous chapter it was already discussed that VR works can exist in many places at the same time, because they can be streamed and downloaded as digital works. The spectator is expected to have a device that can run the file or stream the video. There is no longer need for a physical space to go to. The question remains however, who is responsible for their preservation. In the last decade, institutes came up that operate outside of the boundaries of the physical museum space. The institute Acute Art is an example of this. They develop virtual reality works together with pioneer artist that are made accessible to stream and download via the Acute Art app and via the apps Steam and HTC Viveport. Another example is the Current Museum, a non-profit

39 Campbell, “A Rift in Our Practices?” 41. 40 Campbell, “A Rift in Our Practices?” 50.

| 25 | Kramer, University of Amsterdam, 2019 Preservation of Virtual Reality Artworks institute founded in 2016 involved in collecting and preserving variable media artworks. Their focus lies on the preservation of artworks that exist entirely on an electronic carrier.41 It is the institute’s intention to collect works that are challenging to preserve. Without having physical components, the artworks in the collection can easily exist across physical places and are therefore easily accessible across the world. When it comes to the preservation goal of museums that preserve artworks, this can be conflicting, because only ‘light’ versions are being preserved that can be streamed by users in their home environment. These versions are more like video versions and this can result in loss of inherent work-defining properties, such as installation related aspects and interactivity. In addition, without a mission to exhibit artworks in a physical space, no hardware will be stored. Subsequently, the work must be altered to keep being compatible with the latest HMD that are available in households. Potentially this will alter the look and feel of the artwork as well. Museums that are experimenting with providing online access to VR experiences must take these consequences into account.

This chapter has set out different applications of VR within several industries. VR artworks can share characteristics with any of these industries but can also differ a lot. When choosing a preservation strategy, it is important to look at the nature of the object and which values should be preserved. Since this is different for all industries as they don’t pursue the same mission, a conservator should carefully consider which preservation methods to apply on VR artworks. The following chapter will take a closer look at the strategies that are being developed for the preservation of virtual reality and, with this information in mind, see if they can be applicable for artworks in VR.

41 “Collection,” the Current, accessed April 13, 2019, https://current.mu/collection/.

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3. CONSERVATION STRATEGIES

Since a couple of years, research is done into possibilities to preserve virtual reality artworks. The discussion does not solely take place in the artworld, but also in the field of archiving, information science and the game industry. As discussed in chapter two, all these industries have a different focus, which is implemented in the strategies that they develop. In art museums already a lot of research is done into preservation of other media artworks that include for example moving image or are computer based. This fundamental knowledge serves as starting point for the preservation of VR artworks from the perspective of the art museum. This chapter will therefore look how preservation of VR can be continued from this practice. In addition, it will look if strategies that are being developed outside of the art world can be implemented without loss of inherent artistic values.

3.1. Time-based media conservation

In contemporary art conservation, virtual reality fits within the domain of time-based media art. This term is used to describe any form of art that relies on technological equipment and has a certain durational element.42 This discipline within contemporary art conservation emerged in 1990’s and was necessary since from the 1960’s artists have been using electronic technology in their artworks. In these objects or installations, the material physical degradation was not the main problem, but the equipment that rapidly became obsolete, and software and files that couldn’t communicate with each other anymore. Therefore, new strategies were developed in order to remain accessibility to the objects in the future. Preventive conservation, such as thorough documentation of artworks, migrating files to contemporary carriers and digitizing analog formats, started to play a more central role. Because of the need to update these works and make changes to it to prevent a complete loss, the ephemeral character of these artworks became more accepted.

The conservation mission for time-based media artworks as stated by Pip Laurenson (2006): “Conservation is the means by which the work-defining properties are documented, understood and maintained. Conservation as a practice aims to preserve the identity of the work of art. Conservation aims to be able display the work in the future. [And] Conservation enables different possible authentic installations of the work to be realized in the future.”43

When investigating these aspects to find the best possible conservation or preservation solution, one could say that the relation between concept and materiality should be investigated to be able to determine whether changes that are being made will harm the identity and authenticity of the artwork.

42 “Time-based Media,” Tate, art terms, accessed June 10, 2019. https://www.tate.org.uk/about- us/conservation/time-based-media. 43 Pip Laurenson, “Authenticity, Change and Loss in the Conservation of Time-Based Media Installations”, in Tate Papers, no.6, Autumn 2006, https://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/tate-papers/06/authenticity- change-and-loss-conservation-of-time-based-media-installations, accessed 18 June 2019.

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This means exploring which work defining properties can be ascribed to the medium specifically. A lot of attention is therefore paid to the decision-making process prior to the implementation of conservation strategies. A lot of documentation work is done to guide this thinking process, but also to ensure that conservators will have a good understanding what the artwork is about and how it is supposed to function when it ceases to work in the future. What is characteristic for time-based media artworks is that, even though the artwork is well functioning and in original condition, preventive measures must be taken to prevent a total loss caused by obsolescence when the hardware stops functioning. What conservators have learned from the past, is that technological developments in hardware and software follow each other rapidly. This has been demonstrated by the evolution of video carriers and monitors throughout the last couple of decades. It is inevitable that at some point the old technology is irreparable and irreplaceable with the same model. This phenomenon of obsolete equipment is well known also for other types of artworks such as slide-based artworks that rely on slide-projectors or software-based art that relies on computers with certain operational programs that can have the right software installed on them. In addition to functionality, the hardware is also valued for aesthetic and authentic reasons. Conservators strive to preserve the look and feel of the work in the way it was originally made, which will change when the work is transferred to a contemporary device. Before the moment of irreversible obsolescence, conservators must take action to prevent a total loss of an artwork. Four preservation strategies can be distinguished for time-based media artworks; storage and repair, migration, emulation and reinterpretation. Storage is considered the most conservative option. The work is physically stored together with any extra parts or equipment that can be used when the original breaks. The artwork will cease to function when it runs out of extra parts and is beyond reparable. Migration is the action to transfer the work to a more contemporary carrier. This results in changes to the look and feel of the work. To emulate an artwork means to “devise a way of imitating the original look of the piece by completely different means.”44 New software can for example impersonate old hardware. With emulation the functions of the old hardware or software are taken over by new hardware or software and do not necessarily change the artwork’s appearance. The most radical strategy would be to reinterpret a (part of) an artwork, which means to reconstruct the artwork from scratch by using any documentation that is available.

3.2 Preservation of virtual reality

It is inevitable that the same problem of obsolescence described in part 3.1. will occur for VR as well. As discussed in chapter 1, the technological developments in VR technology follow each other rapidly. File formats may be replaced by new formats that will result in compatibility problems between old files and newer devices. This interoperability will also be present between VR software and head mounted displays (Cranmer 2017). In addition, there are already problems with storing works as

44 “Glossary,” Variable Media Network, accessed June 18, 2019, http://www.variablemedia.net/pdf/Glossary_ENG.pdf.

| 28 | Kramer, University of Amsterdam, 2019 Preservation of Virtual Reality Artworks important metadata with information about the work cannot be included in the files and need to be stored separately. They will have to be included to understand and maintain formats.45 Research is done into the applicability of conservation strategies for time-based media artworks to virtual reality. This discussion takes place between professionals within different fields for different types of works whom are testing the suitability of storage, migration, emulation and reinterpretation strategies. The following paragraphs will investigate the state-of-the-art in this research.

3.2.1. Preservation strategies for virtual reality from the artworld

Just as with other time-based media artworks, storage is a possible solution to preserve VR but will not work on a long term. At some point the hardware will break down and will not be able to play any files. A solution would be to find the same device or to try and repair the original one, but this is obviously not the most future-proof strategy as at some point there will be no more options to show the work. A second option is migration. It is possible to migrate the work to new hardware. The characteristics of the work may change however, when the hardware changes. This may result in undesirable changes, for example in aesthetics and resolution. There is also a possibility that the work may not at all work on the new hardware when it was designed for a specific type of software that does not run on the newer headset. Tom Ensom and Jack McConchie, researchers at Tate, are investigating the possibility to also migrate software. It is a more drastic strategy that is still being looked into.46 There are still a lot of questions to answer, such as how time-consuming and costly it will be and how it can potentially change work-defining properties. Another option they are looking into is the emulation of hardware. This means to run old VR software on newer hardware. Emulation is not found to be a workable solution. Tom Ensom, researcher at Tate states that this usually works well for software-based art, but not for works that have peripherals involved. In addition, he explains that the support in graphics emulation is very limited now, which makes achieving reasonable frame rates difficult without using certain specialized techniques that then lower the preservation use of this strategy.47 Emulation is still found to have potential as strategy but should be further investigated. Reinterpretation is always perceived to be the last conservation option. In order to proceed with this a lot of careful and detailed documentation is necessary to gain a full understanding of what the artwork is about and how it functions. There is, however, no research done on how technical components and the experience of VR can be described and what other aspects need to be documented to grasp the artwork fully. For other time-based media artworks experiments have been done with oral history. Users would describe an experience and they would for example be filmed while taking part in the work. Similar documentation strategies could work for VR as well.

45 Candice Cranmer, Preserving the emerging: virtual reality and 360-degree video, an internship research report. Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision, 2017, 11. 46 Tom Ensom, “Vanishing Point, Session 6: Jack McConchie, Tom Ensom and Dom Biddulph, Tate and CSM,” YouTube video, 28:54, March 20, 2019, accessed June 18, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2vZd0FOP58&feature=youtu.be. 47 Ibidem.

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3.2.2. Preservation strategies for virtual reality from information sciences

Some initiatives strive to look for standardization possibilities to solve issues with compatibility. This is often found to be the most ideal solution, although standards need to be made for all files within the virtual reality package of files.48 This is however hard to establish. There is no clear-cut solution for all types of VR as some works are more complicated systems of files, software and hardware than others. Standardization is found to be far more complex for interactive VR works than for 360-degree video for example.49 Initiatives that are investigating standardization are the Khronos group, Open XR and Google spatial Media Group. Also, WebVR (see chapter 1) is an attempt to make works more compatible. These strategies derive from information sciences but can facilitate conservation practices of artworks.

3.2.3. Preservation strategies for virtual reality from the archive

The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision (NISV) is currently investigating the possibility to archive virtual reality works. The institute functions as knowledge institute, archive and museum for media culture and archives many types of media works. They found that 360-degree video can be integrated in established conservation strategies, by using web archiving, but interactive VR cannot, because it is too complex, existing of multiple files. Standardization of file formats is needed to be able to achieve this. Migration may therefore be only workable for 360-degree video but not for more complex VR content as this strategy is too time-consuming and ineffective. They state that “a bit or passive approach followed by emulation and full preservation may better suit the complexities of interactive VR and the institution’s workflows.”50 NISV compared possible strategies to current workflows, and tries to find ways to fit VR in. This is imaginable thinking of the excessive number of objects the institute archives and VR being an extra category of objects that will enter the collection. NISV is familiar with the challenge to archive complex interactive works as they have dealt with the preservation of games as well. VR can also be used for games and is therefore the next generation game-computer in line to be added to the already developed strategy for game preservation. What is interesting to mention is that their strategy so far has been to only archive the files of games and not the corresponding hardware. It was decided that hardware was not preserved as other institutes were found to be more suitable for the preservation of hardware and they strived to build a network with amateur collectors to facilitate access to hardware.51 Emulation was found to be the most successful solution for games and therefore adopted as main strategy for their preservation. “The advantage is that the emulated game can be played on current systems, making it independent of fragile and/or obsolete hardware. It also becomes easier to provide access to a game, since an emulator uses disk-images which are digital and therefore can be

48 Campbell, “A Rift in Our Practices?” 101. 49 Cranmer, “Preserving the emerging: virtual reality and 360-degree video,” 15. 50 Cranmer, “Preserving the emerging: virtual reality and 360-degree video,” 17. 51 Ibid, 7.

| 30 | Kramer, University of Amsterdam, 2019 Preservation of Virtual Reality Artworks copied to various digital carrier types without restrictions or loss of quality.”52 This research was conducted for games from the 80’s and 90’s. De Vos states that currently developed games are however far more complex.53 The institute relies on other organizations and communities to preserve hardware and uses emulation as back-up solution to be able to run the work on current systems. This will however, not work for artworks. In an archive VR may get a place as historic object. As discussed in chapter 2, the artistic values of games are to a less extent important. In art museums however, artistic and authentic values get more attention. Standardized workflows can result in loss of work-defining properties, such as the look and feel of the original object and will therefore not easily be accepted.

Long-term conservation processes may not be deemed economical for archival institutions when it comes to the preservation of commercially available devices such as virtual reality. However, museums will go the extra mile to preserve an artwork’s original state according to the artist’s intent. Therefore, standardized processes will not be suitable, and a more holistic approach is required. Emulation and migration solutions will have potential but need to be further researched. The question remains how feasible these strategies will be on a long term without losing work-defining properties. Especially when applying them on artworks that have extra layers of meaning embedded in certain material and non-material related aspects. In the beginning of this chapter the core missions for the conservation of time-based media artworks were explained. Most of the solutions presented in this chapter focus on the mission to enable the display of works in the future. What is lacking is research that aims for strategies that are built around two other core missions of conservation, the identity of the work and the means by work-defining properties are documented, understood and maintained. There is need to find ways to diagnose virtual reality artworks. Only then it will be possible to determine which solution will be best suitable in the future when migration and emulation have been further investigated.

52 De Vos, “The Game-Shaped Archive,” 9 53 Ibid, 15

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4. DIAGNOSIS

Whereas an object conservator would investigate the object thoroughly before making a conservation decision, this is not different for a conservator investigating virtual reality artworks. Similar aspects should be considered, such as the materials, technique, meaning and inherent values of the work. Understanding the artwork is a difficult and layered process. Conservators are trained to look through layers of materiality and meaning to find an answer to the question what the artwork is truly about. Dario Marchiori, associate professor in History of Film Forms at the Université Lyon 2 Lumière, describes the decision-making process through the interconnected steps description, analysis, interpretation and judgement.54 Marchiori states that describing an artwork is in fact a translation process into language. He explains that “Description combines meaningful concentration and faithfulness, in order to give a simple and homogeneous recollection (mental image) of an object, person, event, activity, or process (or parts of them).”55 It prepares in fact the analytic state and leaves out possible aims. Analysis, the subsequent phase, functions to understand the work better, to understand the function of its components and the operational processes.56 Interpretation is a difficult phase for which several methods can be used. The artwork can be interpreted by looking at the described and analyzed aspects in itself, but also by looking at its context. There is not a specific way to do this. Judgement is the most subjective aspect of all four. It informs the presuppositions of the analysis and is in fact the interpretive moment in the analysis.57 For a good understanding of what needs to be preserved, what can possibly be altered for preservation reasons and how this affects the meaning of the work, it is important to follow these steps in the decision-making process. As discussed in chapter three, current research focusses mostly on practical solutions. What is lacking is a discussion on the way artworks can be diagnosed. Especially of the four phases described by Marchiori, describing and analyzing are aspects that are hard to do for such a new medium as virtual reality that has many intangible aspects. This chapter seeks to find a way to do this.

4.1. Documentation

As mentioned in chapter three, documentation is an important part of the conservation of artworks. “Documentation is the process of gathering and organizing information about a work, including its condition, its content, its context, and the actions taken to preserve it.”58 The decision-making process

54 Dario Marchiori, “The Analysis of the Artwork,” in Preserving and Exhibiting Media Art Challenges and Perspectives, ed. Julia Noordgraaff, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2013, 129 55 Marchiori, “The Analysis of the Artwork,” 133. 56 Ibidem. 57 Ibid, 141. 58 Annet Dekker, “Enjoying the Gap: Comparing Contemporary Documentation Strategies,” in Preserving and Exhibiting Media Art Challenges and Perspectives, ed. Julia Noordgraaff, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2013, 159.

| 32 | Kramer, University of Amsterdam, 2019 Preservation of Virtual Reality Artworks should be included as well to ensure that other conservators can later understand why certain decisions were taken. In addition, when the work ceases to exist, documentation is the only thing that is left so it should give a realistic representation of the work in all its aspects. Hence documentation can have different reasons, resulting in different documents, such as condition reports, photographs, installation instructions and iteration reports to all different manifestations (especially important for installation artworks). Several models for this have been developed by large institutions and organizations that are dealing with time-based media artworks and are questioning the workability of reports for contemporary artworks for time-based media works. They are meant as guidelines for conservators to follow. Roughly a distinction can be made between models presenting a theory and reports that function as template or questionnaire that can be filled in to make sure all information is collected. These models and templates will be briefly discussed to see if there are possibilities to include documentation of virtual reality or if they are applicable.

4.1.1. Decision making model

Decision making models have been developed to help guide the thinking process when it comes to making decisions about preservation options for artworks. These models are often revised through the years when new artforms arise that do not fit within the old models. A leading model for contemporary art that has recently be revised is the SBMK decision making model (figure 4.1.). It is meant to raise questions instead of creating fixed answers.59 It is discussed here to show when dificulties in the process appear when decisions for virtual reality artworks are made. In terms of diagnosing an artwork, this model can be followed up to step 5. In step 1, the point of departure, the aim of the project is described. This is an important step, considering the different values that can be preserved and the different focus points institutes can have when preserving VR (as described in chapter 2). In Step 2 data is described, this is general objective information about the work, such as the components it exists of. Step 3 and 4 are the analysis part of the process in which the current state and desired state are discussed respectively. After this the discrepancy between the two will be looked at, which is the interpretative part. When it comes to taking preventive action, step 5 seems a bit odd as there might not be a problem between the current and desired state yet, because, ideally, everything would stay the same. But the desired state can also be seen as state in which the artwork would, migrated or emulated, be preserved for the future.

59 “The Decision-Making Model for Contemporary Art Conservation and Presentation.” Cologne Institute of Conservation Science, 2019, 1.

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Figure 4.1. SBMK decision making model. Source: The Decision-Making Model for Contemporary Art Conservation and Presentation.” Cologne Institute of Conservation Science, 2019.

4.1.2. Documentation models

As can be seen in the decision-making model, documentation is an important step to grasp what the artwork is about. Documentation models have been developed to guide this. Especially for step 2 of the decision-making model, templates are developed, to ensure that all important aspects are written down. It is, however, difficult to create a template that is suitable for all artworks. Especially time- based media artworks that contain a variety of hardware and software components, file and metadata and that can in addition also be part of an installation with several iterations. For a new medium like VR it can be challenging to fit in one of the existing models. Annet Dekker, researcher at the University of Amsterdam, is specialized in the preservation of digital art. She evaluated and compared the most well-known documentation models to see how they differ, and which parts should be improved. Dekker states that documentation is “(…) the process of gathering and organizing information about a work, including its condition, its content, its context and the actions taken to preserve it.”60 The documentation used in conservation is primarily used for

60 Dekker, “Enjoying the Gap,” 150-151.

| 34 | Kramer, University of Amsterdam, 2019 Preservation of Virtual Reality Artworks reconstruction and preservation but can however, also be a decision making tool.61 What Dekker noted is that more conservative ways of documentation focused on finding ways to document an artwork as objective as possible, mostly with the use of instrumental analysis. For artworks that are more complex in nature, such as time-based media artworks, also subjective information needs to be included.62 This is more and more accepted and finds it ways in contemporary documentation models. The documentation models discussed were the Capturing Unstable Media Conceptual Model (CMCM), the Variable Media Questionnaire, Media Art Notation System (MANS) and Matters in Media Art (MMA). They were tested on artwork from the interactive artist group Blast Theory that uses interactive media in their work. All models have positive and negative aspects. In general Dekker concluded that they are all insufficient to document the experience of an artwork that is derived from technical specifications. They also do not provide enough information about the experience itself.63 In addition Dekker states that “their highly prescribed structure (…) makes it difficult to implement a realistic and easily repeatable documentation project in conservation practice especially outside the field of installation art.”64

4.1.3. Possibilities for improvement

There are more documentation templates made, also for software-based artworks. As Dekker explained, also for these artworks there is a lack of guidelines to describe the experience generated by the artwork that is coming from technical specifications. It is important to describe the nature of the artwork. In chapter 1 was already stated that VR content can be easily copied and adjusted. It is possible that multiple versions exist that are all part of the same artwork. Iteration reports have been developed for room-scale installations. For each iteration a form is filled out. It should state all people that were involved in the decision-making process and describe details about spatial and technical specifications.65 This is not suitable however, for different versions of virtual reality works as the questions and boxes are often not applicable. It is interesting however, how the report focuses on the idea of an artwork’s identity over an idea of an original.66 It would be useful to investigate the idea and possibility to create something similar for VR works with multiple versions and to investigate how the appearance changes for each version. VR is not a medium of which the characteristics can immediately be understood when writing down that the work is a ‘virtual reality’ artwork. There are so many programmable or hardware related options that add up to the generated experience that can alter or disappear after certain conservation strategies are implemented. Also, it is not possible to capture (all) these options on a representative

61 Ibid, 151. 62 Dekker, “Enjoying the Gap,” 151. 63 Ibid, 166. 64 Ibid, 164 65 “New Documentation for Media Artworks,” Time-Based Media, Guggenheim, accessed June 20,2019, https://www.guggenheim.org/conservation/time-based-media. 66 Ibidem.

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(screen) video. Therefore, the documentation model should include space to write down the characteristics of the work. In addition, widely accepted terminology for VR is needed to do so. The following paragraph will propose how the generated experience can be described.

4.2. Terminology for user experience

Terminology will help to document artworks and to describe changes that occur due to conservation strategies. The aim is to follow a set of standards to describe virtual reality artworks. Investigating what should be documented starts by analyzing the artwork carefully. An important aspect of this is the user experience and which aspects attribute to this. A lot research for this is done in the gaming industry as this is seen an important aspect for the experience of immersion in games which is often linked to possibility to interact and act naturally in the environment. For storytelling research is done into cognitive, affective and behavioral factors as determinants of emotional responses by users by the content. Research into immersion in relation to temper is done in the field of storytelling. It is interesting to look at story telling because narratives can make up a great part of an artwork. What virtual reality can add, is interactivity in a story and a more immersive experience can stimulate an emotional response of the user.67

4.2.1. Navigation

In chapter 1, navigation was briefly discussed. Navigation is restricted to the type of gear that is used for the experience. It is therefore a characteristic that may change when the work is changed to be compatible with other headsets, hence it is important to describe. Navigation can be analyzed to see to what extent it relates to inherent work-defining properties of an artwork. The term locomotion was discussed; technology enabling the movement from one place to another in a virtual environment. Locomotion can be split up in three ways; perambulation, teleportation and transportation. Perambulation is the most natural way of moving through a space by moving your body. This can for example be done by walking through the physical space. Sometimes additional peripherals are used such as treadmills, to enable to continuous movement of the user. Also redirected walking is a method that allows more movement. In this case the user walks in a larger curve than visible in the virtual environment, so the user thinks they walked a long distance whereas they have actually been walking circles.68 This is called kinetic locomotion, whereas the use of peripherals on which buttons have to be pressed is called artificial locomotion.69 Another way of navigating is teleportation, which is, just as the word suggests, a way of navigating through a space by moving without passing through the space, but

67 Donghee Shin and Frank Biocca, “Exploring immersive experience in journalism,” New Media and Society, 20, no 8 (August 2018). 68 “Behold the Next Generation VR Technology: Part 5 - Locomotion.” Medium. Inborn Experience (UX in AR/VR), March 6, 2019, https://medium.com/inborn-experience/behold-the-next-generation-vr-technology- part-5-locomotion-c92d66d4a33e. 69 “Locomotion.” The VR Glossary accessed June 1, 2019, http://www.vrglossary.org/glossary/locomotion/#more-264.

| 36 | Kramer, University of Amsterdam, 2019 Preservation of Virtual Reality Artworks by moving to the new spot instantly instead. A point-and-click system is an example of this where the user points with the controller to a location in the virtual space and will be transferred to this place by clicking on the button of the controller.70 Other ways to teleport can be by looking at a certain point after which the software will recognize which direction the user wants to be teleported to. The last category is transportation. The user is transported through the experience as if they are in a vehicle.

4.2.2. Presence

An important aspect of user experience is presence. Within each experience, each type of headset and within each work the participant is experiencing one or more types of presence. In general presence is “a feeling of being in and of the virtual world, and the ignoring of physical world distractions.”71 Four types of presence are distinguished; Active presence, embodied presence, emotional presence and social presence, all immersive states of being and interacting with a virtual environment. Active presence is reached when the user is using a handheld tool or device within the VR environment.72 Emotional presence is “a state that evokes an emotional response from the experiencer (…).”73 Social presence is reached when the user can socially interact with others in the virtual environment. 74 Embodied presence is the acknowledgement of your body in VR.75 A factor influencing presence is navigation, discussed above. A user is more likely to be embodied present in an environment when the user is able to actually move their body to move around instead of using a joystick to point and click. Presence is also related to agency. Agency is “the capacity of an entity (a person or other entity) to act in, and influence, an artificial environment.”76 A distinction is made between local agency and global agency, to point at the level of influence a user can have (figure 4.2.). When there is no agency, the user cannot interact with the environment. When there is local agency, there is a limited amount of interaction and when there is global agency, the user can fully interact in the virtual environment. In this case the actions done by the user will influence the environment.77

70 Ibidem 71 “Presence.” The VR Glossary, accessed June 1, 2019, http://www.vrglossary.org/glossary/presence/ 72 “Active presence,” The VR Glossary, accessed June 1, 2019http://www.vrglossary.org/glossary/active- presence/. 73 “Emotional Presence,” The VR Glossary, accessed June 1, 2019, http://www.vrglossary.org/glossary/emotional-presence/ 74“Social Presence,” The VR Glossary, accessed June 1, 2019, http://www.vrglossary.org/glossary/social- presence/. 75 “Embodied presence,” The VR Glossary, accessed June 1, 2019, http://www.vrglossary.org/glossary/embodied-presence/ 76 “Agency,” The VR Glossary, accessed June 1, 2019, http://www.vrglossary.org/glossary/agency/#more-33. 77 Ibidem.

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Figure 4.2. The agency scale. Source: The VR Glossary, accessed June 27, 2019. http://www.vrglossary.org/glossary/agency/.

4.2.3. Immersion

All the aspects described in the paragraphs above add up to the experience of immersion. Immersion is explained as powerful experience. It is especially known in the gaming industry, where this phenomenon is considered to be a very important factor bringing forth enjoyment. 78 It is often explained to involve “a lack of awareness of time, a loss of awareness of the real world, involvement and a sense of being in the task environment.”79 Especially the aspects, navigation, presence and agency mentioned above, are considered to have a large effect on the level of immersion a user experiences. Establishing the level of involvement is difficult. Emily Brown and Paul Cairns studied this phenomenon in relation to interaction by interviewing gamers. Immersion was found to be related to a degree of involvement.80 They describe involvement in three levels: ”engagement, engrossment and immersion.”81 However, these levels are not objective and the same for each user as there can be several barriers that block a complete immersive experience, such as time, effort and attention. It also relates to an understanding of the hardware, knowing how to use the controller to be able to interact the way you want to interact.82

Looking at these research projects, it is imaginable that studies into immersive experiences can also benefit research into preservation strategies for virtual reality, helping to determine the level of immersion. The barriers mentioned in the study by Emily Brown and Paul Cairns can be considered by letting multiple people describe their experience when looking and/or interacting with a virtual reality

78 Emily Brown and Paul Cairns, “A Grounded Investigation of Game Immersion.” Extended abstracts of the 2004 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2004, Vienna, Austria, April 24 - 29, 2004. 79 Anna Cox et. al., “Measuring and Defining the Experience of Immersion in Gamers.” 32. 80 Brown and Cairns, “A Grounded Investigation of Game Immersion.” 2. 81 Ibid, 2-3. 82 Ibid, 2.

| 38 | Kramer, University of Amsterdam, 2019 Preservation of Virtual Reality Artworks artwork. They should also describe their knowledge of the medium, if they found it easy to use the controller, as this may have had impact on their experience. The conservator should try to describe this level of immersion and establish which elements, presence, agency, navigation etc., make up this experience. What should be considered however, is the relation between the immersive experience and the time in which the artwork has been made. In the future, the artwork might have to be migrated or emulated so it can be played on newer hardware. It is possible that we are used to better graphics and sharper images and that this can cause a decline of immersion in older artworks. The conservator should establish whether immersion is an inherent aspect of the work and if it can be altered.

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5. CASE STUDY: AQUAPHOBIA – JAKOB STEENSEN

All aspects of virtual reality have been discussed as well as the values that are attributing to virtual reality, the industries that use VR, why they use VR and how this results in preservation strategies that will determine what the artwork will look like in the future. In chapter three it has been explained that in the field of contemporary art conservation the relation between meaning of the artwork, materiality and experience is important. This chapter seeks to demonstrate this by investigating a virtual reality artwork with multiple versions. It will discuss the meaning of the work and look at reasons why VR is used to convey the message. All experiential aspects explained in chapter four will be discussed to evaluate the differences between versions and if they still express the same idea.

5.1. Aquaphobia

The artwork investigated for this research project is Aquaphobia, by the Danish artist Jakob Steensen. Steensen is a virtual reality and video artist currently living and working in New York, the United States. He is an internationally renowned artist, won Several art prizes and exhibited recently at the Venice Biennale 2019, Serpentine Galleries, Frieze London and Carnegie museum amongst other places. In all his work, Steensen’s inspiration derives from his fascination for ecosystems, especially small-scale ecosystems that are changing as result of climate change amongst other reasons. He uses landscapes, particularly in VR, to experience them in new ways.83

5.1.1. Technique

Steensen’s primal technique for artworks is virtual reality amongst other media related techniques such as video installations. Steensen’s VR works are made with the use of many techniques. First, he studies the environment where the work will be based on. He spends a lot of time staying there, talking to scientists and photographing the environment.”84 He creates digital objects, creatures, assets and locations based on these trips and conversations, after which they are transformed digitally.85 Back in the studio, the photographs are modified by rapping them over 3D models.86 A lot of the 3D models are created in VR while wearing a headset and using hand controllable sculpting tools to create forms. These are put in a landscape that is made in a computer game engine.87 The production of each piece takes about a year to a year and a half and arises from a collaboration with many other people such as scientists, composers and NGO’s.

83 Louisiana Channel, “Jakob Steensen Interview: Our Middle Existence,” YouTube Video, 14:37, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oFrpZAp00M 84 Laura Wallace, “A Conversation with Jakob Kudsk Steensen,” Conversation Project NYC, September 4, 2018, http://www.conversationprojectnyc.com/blog/2018/9/4/a-conversation-with-jakob-kudsk-steensen. 85 Louisiana Channel, “Jakob Steensen Interview: Our Middle Existence,” YouTube Video, 14:37, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oFrpZAp00M. 86 Ibidem. 87 Computer game engines are software-developed environments for the design of computer games.

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Just as with many of Steensen’s VR works, Aquaphobia is shown in several ways. It can be seen in a virtual reality headset via an app on your phone, as video installation in a museum or as full installation including soil where visitors can stand in (figure 5.1.). Some versions are interactive some are not, some versions are 2D, some are 3D. Thus, the versions have different characteristics. In addition, some of these versions have been included in institutions. The work was acquired by the Current Museum, a museum collecting works that solely exist on electronic carriers and making these available for their members. The institute Acute Art makes it available via an app that allows users to stream the work on their phone. Even though these initiatives are enabling accessibility or taking care of preserving the work, the work is still available for exhibitions and can be on view in several places at the same time.

Figure 5.1. Jakob Kudsk Steensen, Aquaphobia, Room-scale VR, 2017. Photo: http://www.jakobsteensen.com/.

About the versions Steensen explains:

“What is interesting, to me, is that this medium is very much alive. (…) The location of where I am showing is important in terms of reaching an audience. As an artist I don’t think [that] I am making art for myself (…) I am making art for people to experience. This goes through all design processes I do. (…). All the work I do can show in many different ways but the work itself lives as its virtual simulation on a computer. So, the work itself is a landscape I built, that landscape lives literally on a computer and it just runs.”88

88 Louisiana Channel, “Jakob Steensen Interview: Our Middle Existence,” YouTube Video, 14:37, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oFrpZAp00M.

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Steensen’s work demonstrates that it is important for a conservator to look at the ontology of the object. Digital artworks can ontologically have different meanings. It is important to grasp what the artwork is in its existence to be able to prioritize conservation needs for all components. Steensen explains that in his work there can be multiple versions, because the hardware and the way it is shown just functions as a tunnel to the work, that exists on the computer. The hardware functions as access to the landscape he created that is philosophically placed in a central position.

“When I think about a medium, for example an artistic medium, I think about a tunnel or a channel. And I am thinking that I am channeling a specific place in an exhibition space to an actual landscape and something that has happened to nature. The installation and technology and what I do in the studio is kind of the tunnel, the portal, the thing that takes you there, but it is not like you are there. There is this middle, uncanny weird space and that’s where the artwork is itself.”89

Technically, this philosophical idea is not possible. Each version is an exported file format that is played on certain hardware to which it is compatible. There is an ambiguity between the idea and how it technically works. An important question to ask the artist would be if he would still think the same about this when only a video would be preserved. And if not, which version does represent the artist’s intention the best and which characteristics of the work (described in chapter 4) do make up this experience?

5.1.2. Meaning of the artwork

The work Aquaphobia is a metaphor for anxiety for the future.90 Literally it means fear for water, which refers to fear for increasing sea levels in areas that are affected by climate change. In his work Steensen tries to create a relationship between the exterior, architectural world and inner psychological spaces.91 To achieve this, he investigated a park and pier in Brooklyn that he built at a 1:1 scale in VR. All the architectural elements from that area were translated to the virtual environment to create environmental sentiments, such as pleasure, wonder, fear and anxiety.92 This approach derives from the game industry where ‘level design’ is implemented to reach this.

“With Aquaphobia, (…) I wanted to develop 5 steps of overcoming fear of water, inspired by psychological methods of overcoming aquaphobia. I then wrote a kind of break-up story and "love poem" told from a transforming mutational water blob, which goes from microbial scale to overtaking the entire world. Physically then, inside the virtual

89 Louisiana Channel, “Jakob Steensen Interview: Our Middle Existence,” YouTube Video, 14:37, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oFrpZAp00M. 90 Homeostase at The Wrong – New Digital Art Biennale, “Jakob Steensen Aquaphobia Entrevista,” YouTube Video, 1:25, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5n8vupaReU&vl=en. 91 “Jakob Kudsk Steensen.” Isthisit. accessed June 12, 2019, https://www.isthisitisthisit.com/jakob-kudsk- steensen. 92 “Jakob Kudsk Steensen.” Isthisit. accessed June 12, 2019, https://www.isthisitisthisit.com/jakob-kudsk- steensen.

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environment, you are moving through five spaces (…). So, I think, with Aquaphobia, I became more aware of methods of directly connecting psychological inner structures and transformations, with the climate changes we are seeing, and imagine the future of VR is excellent for entering such psychological, and real, spaces.”93

Steensen explains that his inspiration derives from disciplines outside of the art world. Steensen speaks of level design as origin for his approach. Level design derives from the game industry and is an artistic and technical discipline focusing on the environmental sentiments anxiety, pleasure and fear. This is reached because users reach new stages in the work; new levels.

5.2. Diagnosis

The meaning of the artwork, and the differences between versions and have been discussed. This paragraph will try to analyze the relation between the meaning and work-defining properties and see if they are more present in one version over the other.

5.2.1. Importance of the medium

A first step in the diagnosis process will be to analyze why the medium VR has been chosen for this work. This will already point towards certain characteristics to analyze further. Partly, using VR comes naturally to Steensen. He explained that he grew up playing and modifying games and building interactive 3D experiences. “I feel VR allows me to express myself freely, and to show people who have never been introduced to 3D worlds how it can be used by artists.”94 “The combination of visiting new locations, observing landscapes and how people relate locally to different landscapes, and then use these elements to conjure and develop entire places people can visit is pretty thrilling to me.”95 “VR makes me feel I can truly express myself intuitively, where making a video or projection installations would still feel limiting. I keep returning to VR even though I try to tell myself the next show will be different. I am constantly attracted to it.”96 From these quotes can be concluded that part of his interest in the medium derives from activities that he was already familiar with as a child. In addition, he deploys the environmental aspect of VR, the ability to create virtual spaces. Steensen also explains that VR to him is an enhancement of our senses. VR attributes to creating an emotional response. “I don’t want to guide someone too much

93 “Jakob Kudsk Steensen.” Isthisit. accessed June 12, 2019, https://www.isthisitisthisit.com/jakob-kudsk- steensen. 94 “Jakob Kudsk Steensen Creates Complex Worlds.” CLOT Magazine, accessed June 12, 2019. https://www.clotmag.com/computing-art/jakob-kudsk-steensen-creating-overwhelmingly-complex-worlds. 95 “Jakob Kudsk Steensen.” Isthisit. accessed June 12, 2019, https://www.isthisitisthisit.com/jakob-kudsk- steensen. 96 “Jakob Kudsk Steensen Creates Complex Worlds.” CLOT Magazine, accessed June 12, 2019. https://www.clotmag.com/computing-art/jakob-kudsk-steensen-creating-overwhelmingly-complex-worlds.

| 43 | Kramer, University of Amsterdam, 2019 Preservation of Virtual Reality Artworks through the piece. My intention is to create something that is corporal, emotional and psychological.”97 In terms of tactility Steensen explains that in VR you can stand in the soil and experience things and move your body around in a way that would not be possible without this specific technology.98

5.2.2. Relation between artist intention and VR characteristics

Interactivity About the meaning Steensen explains that the work introduces 5 steps of overcoming fear of water. This is a psychological process that he tries to achieve. For the diagnosis of the artwork it is important to look at which aspects of VR are contributing to this. What is remarkable is that these five steps are more visible in the interactive version than in the video version. The five levels do change in both versions but are activated by the user in the interactive experience while in the video there is a somewhat more gradual change from one environment to the other. In the interactive experience ‘level design’ is explored to a larger extent than in the video version, consequently resulting in a larger emotional effect; anxiety, pleasure and fear.

Navigation In an interview Steensen states that he doesn’t want to guide the user too much through the piece. This can be related to navigation. Technically it is possible to guide the user through the piece with the use of transportation locomotion, which is implemented in the stereoscopic video version. However, in the more advanced HTC Vive version, the user is free to move through the environment via kinetic navigation, but also via teleportation and is therefore not ‘guided.’ Guiding can however also refer to explaining an experience for the user. It could be that Steensen’s intention was not to explain too much as he would then fill in certain emotions for the experiencer. Or that they will have to find out themselves what to do to get to the other levels of the experience. This is something that would be important to verify with the artist.

Presence Steensen explained that he uses VR, because in VR you can stand in the soil and experience things and move your body around in a way that would not be possible without this specific technology.99 This aspect can be related to presence. Peripherals and other installation related aspects of artworks help to add up to presence in the VR environment. In the room-scale installation that includes sand to stand in, the user will feel more embodied present as the physical space relates more to the virtual environment. Also, the hand-held peripherals included with this experience will give the user a sense of active presence, as they are able to see their hands in the environment. Lastly, Steensen also tries

97 Homeostase at The Wrong – New Digital Art Biennale, “Jakob Steensen Aquaphobia Entrevista,” YouTube Video, 1:25, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5n8vupaReU&vl=en. 98 Louisiana Channel, “Jakob Steensen Interview: Our Middle Existence,” YouTube Video, 14:37, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oFrpZAp00M 99 Ibidem.

| 44 | Kramer, University of Amsterdam, 2019 Preservation of Virtual Reality Artworks to achieve an emotional presence. This is more related to the content of the experience than technical possibilities. Steensen explained however, how level design was implemented to achieve emotional responses.

Agency This possibility to interact is explained by agency. The video version has no agency. The user is a passive observer that is being moved through the experience. The interactive experience has local agency. The user can influence their environment to a limited extent.

5.2.3. Discussion

To conclude it should be said that many aspects Steensen mentions in interviews to be important to his work, are more visible in the room-scale interactive VR experience than the video version. These aspects are all related to the aspects that make up the user experience; navigation, interactivity, presence and agency. Whether this would mean that, when only the video version would be preserved, this will result in loss of work-defining properties is hard to say, because there is some ambiguity between certain things Steensen says. On the one hand he explains that all versions function as a sort of tunnel to the work that exists in a computer, so it doesn’t matter whether you will see a video or an interactive experience. On the other hand, he states that some characteristics are important, such as experiencing the five levels of overcoming fear, being able to navigate yourself and to freely move and stand in the soil. In addition, he carefully chooses the medium to let people explore environments as if they were real. These are all missing or to a less extent visible in the video version. What should be mentioned is that it is possible that an artist also makes several versions so more people can experience the work. The high-end interactive version is not very accessible to people that are not in the possession of the expensive gear, so even though museums make it available via a streaming service, it still needs to run on high-end equipment. Video versions can therefore fulfil the purpose of giving an impression of what the experience will be and to invite users to go to an exhibition where the work is shown in full installation.

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CONCLUSION

Usually when people think of conservation, they do not think of artworks that have been made a year ago. However, conservation starts already with the decision to acquire or archive a piece. It is at that exact moment that the object in question is valued by archivists or conservators following the mission of the institute. At this point the decision is made which version is stored and which elements of the work (file, software, HMD, peripherals) are included. Since VR artworks can consist of complex files and archiving is a costly and difficult process, decisions do have to be made. Moreover, the artwork will have to be changed somehow to keep it accessible for future generations. In this thesis I have tried to answer the question how workable current preservation strategies for virtual reality are for artworks. Foremost I noted that research into this has only recently started and professionals in several fields are trying to work together to find possible solutions. However, what is workable for a certain industry is not workable for another. When investigating this, it became clear that the focus lies on technical strategies to migrate and emulate files to enable the accessibility of the works in the future. What became evident, however, is that the workability of these strategies cannot be tested without knowing how to approach the medium when diagnosing an artwork. Other questions should be discussed aside of the technical possibilities that are currently investigated. It is the task of the conservator to diagnose the artwork by describing, analyzing, interpreting and judging it. As time-based media conservator it is hard to judge whether strategies will be workable when there are no tools to diagnose virtual reality artworks. First, I have therefore tried to understand what the medium consists of and what it is used for. VR can be explained in technology, materiality, content and experience. The technical possibilities are manifold. Hardware can vary from head mounted displays that work secluded, that work with (game) computers, or with smartphones that need to be placed in goggles to create a stereoscopic view. Also, the possibilities for experiences are manifold. There is captured and created content, 2D and 3D content, interactive and non-interactive content and static and navigable content. These aspects all add up to a level of immersion that the user experiences in the virtual environment. Chapter two investigated what VR is used for and how several industries deal with the medium. VR is applied in many industries. Roughly its application purposes can be grouped in the categories simulation, education, entertainment, storytelling, documentation and art. All categories attribute different values to VR. Art is hybrid in a sense that it can share characteristics with all other categories and can therefore also have any of these values. This makes it hard to decide for artworks what should be preserved. As digital object, VR can be curated in museums but also online. There is not always an original, it can exist in many different places at the same time because it can live on electronic carriers solely. There is not always a need to go to a place to view the work when you are in the possession of a headset at home. This leads to a shift in focus to certain versions of artworks that are easy distributable and compatible with most devices. In time-based media conservation four strategies have been developed to deal with obsolete equipment; storage and repair, migration, emulation and reinterpretation. These conservation

| 46 | Kramer, University of Amsterdam, 2019 Preservation of Virtual Reality Artworks strategies have been considered for virtual reality objects as well. There is no consensus between industries what is the most suitable solution. Migration and emulation are theoretically found to be most suitable for long term preservation, although research still needs to be done to overcome technical issues and prevent loss of work-defining properties. For time-based media artworks decision- making models and documentation forms have been developed to guide the documentation process for complex media artworks but are not found to be suitable for the documentation of VR as they don’t capture work-defining properties of the medium. These models should be adjusted to be suitable for VR and should include ways to describe the user experience. This can be done by investigating navigation, presence, agency and interactivity and by linking these aspects to the meaning of the artwork. This was demonstrated by looking at the artwork Aquaphobia by Jakob Steensen. This artwork is made in many versions, that are all considered to be the same work. This case shows that additional questions should be asked by the conservator to be able to diagnose the differences between versions and what should be preserved. An artist interview is important to find out what these versions ontologically mean to the artist, why they have been created and if we can speak of a ‘master version’ or ‘original’ or whether we should step away from those categories and accept the artwork as a less static object, just as the way this is considered for installation art that can have multiple iterations. A lot of further research in this topic is necessary. The proposed changes to documentation models should be further investigated and tested on several artworks. They should also be tested on the possibility to include technical components. To do this, a collaboration should take place between time-based media conservators and professionals specialized in preserving software-based art that know more about possibilities to store files and metadata and that will know which information should be included in the documentation. What I have tried to touch upon is the way VR is used. New organizations are appearing that make use of the nature of VR to be a digital object that can exist beyond physical spaces. Consequently, there is a risk that only ‘light’ versions of artworks are being acquired, archived and preserved. It is important to further investigate how this trend develops and how this affects the way artworks are being preserved. Especially for artworks that also exist as room- scale installation version this can be an issue.

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GLOSSARY

This glossary is meant to give an overview of terms used in this thesis. Most terms are taken from VRglossary.org unless stated otherwise.

360-degree video: “360-degree videos, also known as immersive videos or spherical videos, are video recordings where a view in every direction is recorded at the same time, shot using an omnidirectional camera or a collection of cameras.”100 Active presence: “An immersive state that is reached as a consequence of using a handheld tool/device (peripheral) within a VR experience.” Agency: “The capacity of an entity (a person or other entity) to act in, and influence, an artificial environment.” Augmented reality: “Images produced by a computer and used together with a view of the real world.”101 Data glove: “An interactive device – often resembling a glove worn on the hand – which connects to a computer system and facilitates fine-motion control within virtual reality.” Digital art: “Art that is made or presented using digital technology.”102 Embodied presence: “Acknowledging the existence of your body within a virtual reality VR experience.” Emotional presence: “A state that evokes an emotional response from the experiencer e.g. empathy, joy, or fun, within a virtual reality experience.” Emulation: “To emulate a work is to devise a way of imitating the original look of the piece by completely different means. The term emulation can be applied generally to any refabrication or substitution of an artwork’s components, but it also has a specific meaning in the context of digital media.”103 Flow: “The mental state whereby an experiencer is so involved in the process of an activity that nothing else seems to matter.” Head mounted display: “A set of goggles or a helmet with tiny monitors in front of each eye to generate images seen by the wearer as three-dimensional.” Head tracking: “The ability for a head mounted display to monitor the position and orientation of the experiencer’s head through tracking.” Local agency: “Interactivity that flavors the experience, but is unlikely to send it down a different narrative path.” Locomotion: “Refers to the process of moving from one place to another. This is most commonly used to refer to movement within the virtual environment e.g. how an avatar navigates the virtual world, but can also refer to movement outside of the virtual environment e.g. how the experiencer navigates the real-world while in a virtual experience.” Migration: “To migrate an artwork involves upgrading equipment and source material. To migrate

100 “360-degree video,” Wikipedia, accessed July 13, 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/360-degree_video. 101 “Augmented Reality,” Cambridge dictionary, accessed May 12, 2019, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/augmented-reality. 102 “Digital Art,” Tate, art terms, accessed, June 17, 2019, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/d/digital-art. 103 “Glossary,” Veriable Media Network, accessed, June 18, 2019, http://www.variablemedia.net/pdf/Glossary_ENG.pdf.

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the video monitors of Nam June Paik’s TV Garden, for example, would be to replace them with up-to-date models as TV sets change with industry trends. The major disadvantage of migration is that the appearance of the original artwork may change substantially when the technology undergoes an evolutionary jump, as when cathode-ray tubes give way to flat screens.”104 Mixed reality: “Mixed reality is similar to augmented reality except virtual objects are integrated into the natural world.” Reinterpretation: “The most radical preservation strategy is to reinterpret the work each time it is recreated. To reinterpret a Dan Flavin light installation would mean to ask what contemporary medium would have the metaphoric value of fluorescent light in the 1960s. Reinterpretation is a dangerous technique when not warranted by the artist, but it may be the only way to re-create performed, installed, or networked art designed to vary with context.”105 Room-scale VR: “A design paradigm that allows users to move freely within a room-sized environment while partaking in a virtual reality experience.” Peripheral: “A device that helps enhance a virtual reality experience by enabling greater immersion within the virtual world.” Positional audio: “Audio that is triggered based on the position of the headset.” Presence: “A feeling of being in and of the virtual world, and the ignoring of physical world distractions.” Social presence: “Choosing to actively engage with others within a virtual reality experience.” Software-based art: “A genre of digital art that emphasizes the creation of original or revelatory Software applications—such as alternative Web browsing, image manipulation, or video- editing tools—rather than any single image or output produced with such a tool. Software art is typically compiled, but often freely distributed over the Web.”106 Storage: “The most conservative collecting strategy—the default strategy for most museums—is to store a work physically. Storing one of Dan Flavin’s fluorescent light installations simply means buying a supply of the out-of-production bulbs and putting them in a crate.”107 Streaming: “A technique for transmitting lengthy audio or video programs over the Internet by transmitting a continuous signal in real time rather than downloading an entire clip at once.” Streaming audio or video enables Websites to serve as virtual radio or television stations.108 Time-based media: “Refers to art that is dependent on technology and has a durational dimension.”109 User experience: “The overall experience of a person using a product such as a website or computer application, especially in terms of how easy or pleasing it is to use.”110 Virtual reality: “The computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment

104 “Glossary,” Variable Media Network, accessed, June 18, 2019, http://www.variablemedia.net/pdf/Glossary_ENG.pdf. 105 Ibidem. 106 Ibidem. 107 Ibidem. 108 Ibidem. 109 “Time-based media,” Art terms, Tate, accessed June 17, 2019, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art- terms/t/time-based-media. 110 “User experience,” Lexico, powered by Oxford, accessed June 17, 2019, https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/user_experience.

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that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way by a person using special electronic equipment, such as a helmet with a screen inside or gloves fitted with sensors.”111 Web browser: “A piece of software used to view and interact with web pages.”112 Web VR: “WebVR is an emerging technology that aims to present virtual reality content in traditional web browsing interfaces.”

111 “Virtual reality,”Lexico, powerd by Oxford, accessed June 17, 2019, https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/virtual_reality. 112 “Web browser,” Lexico, powerd by Oxford, accessed June 17, 2019, https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/web_browser

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