Nate Buswell

Sense of Reality - Virtual Reality - Not for Sale

Artist's Statement

Sense of Reality

The virtual reality piece, Sense of Reality, expands on the idea of digital spaces becoming their own form of reality that can cause reactions in the physical space; good or bad. The piece explains how a form of stimulus that is formed in a separate environment can create a connection between the two realities. These stimuli can be either positive or negative and create the same positive or negative effect on a person in their everyday life. There are many examples of this, the most common being people looking to digital spaces for comfort or release from their everyday lives and how their experiences in those spaces create an impact on their character and personalities. The other form is how virtually generated spaces can, with the help of professionals, begin to help those who are struggling to overcome traumatic experience through many stages of situations. Sense of Reality is a 3D modeled environment that shows how creating a connection can be something as easy as generating discomfort. The piece uses the anxiety and fear of heights as its stimulus to create this connection from the virtual experience to cause reactions in the viewers physical body. Beginning with a casual environment, it takes the viewer through stages that gradually increases the stimuli to cause a feeling of unease and anxiousness. While continuing throughout the environment, the viewer will be placed in situations where they have nowhere to go but down and into the next situation.

If you wish to purchase any of these pieces, please contact the gallery director, Jacqueline Nathan (jnathan@bgsu.edu.)