Michael Naimark (1995-7) Be Now Here project captivated my sense of interest. Naimark’s immersive virtual environment gives the viewer a sense of escape from the space in reality to another virtual space somewhere across the world. This project is very intriguing because the virtual environment allows the viewer to escape into another part of the world by using representational 3D images of endangered places.
Not only does the viewer look through 3D glasses equipped with audio but also motion is added to the overall experience by a 16 foot rotating floor. If I were the viewer for this project I would be very excited to take the virtual tour to an endangered place I would probably never have the opportunity to go to. This project allows the viewers to experience endangered places without booking a plane ticket themselves. The virtual space of the project captivates the sense of moving from one place to the next without actual leaving at all.
I find the project interesting because the viewer is not shown one image of an endangered place but rather the image expands around the city showing what is to the left to the right, in front and behind. This gives the viewer even more feeling of actual being there, creating a sense of realism. I find it interesting that Naimark’s project focuses on representational images showing a realistic projection of what the cities look like and how people interact. Coming from a photojournalism perspective this project shows the viewer the reality of the place not a made up form of it even though it is a virtual environment.
Naimark defines the term as ‘dimensionalized movies’ which I feel is an important factor in depicting 3D movies today. In other words the advancement of 3D technology is becoming more prevalent. It seems that every new movie coming out today is in 3D. Naimark’s project opened the doors into a 3D virtual environment that moves across spaces. I find this project the building blocks to ‘dimensionalized movies’ and it will only continue to evolve as the revolution of technology advances.
