This April the XReality Center launched its first series of virtual XR Meetups connecting VR and AR enthusiasts from all corners of The New School. Students and faculty from Parsons School of Design, Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, The New School College of Performing Arts, and The School of Public Engagement came together each Friday to talk about XR projects, development workflows, new technology, and the latest news in the XR industry. Each week we brought in different designers and industry professionals working in XR to share their insight in a conversation led by Maya Georgieva. Here’s a quick recap of our April topics and the questions we explored with our guest speakers.
April 10th – Kicking-Off the New XR MeetUp Series at The New School
Topic – Social VR & XR during Covid-19
Speaker: Kyle Li, Professor at the Design and Technology Program at Parsons School of Design
Questions
- How does socializing in VR compare to Socializing IRL?
- Could social experiences actually be enhanced in Virtual spaces?
- Does having control over the 3D space with someone else expand the way people socialize?
- How does social VR compare to normal digital social apps like zoom ?
- Does ones identity change in virtual social spaces?
- What social VR have you done?
- Whats your most memorable VR experience?
- Has social distancing changed your view on virtual environments?
- Do you think Covid-19 will have an impact on the XR industry?
April 17th – Development Kits and Project Workflow
Topic: Development Kits and Project Workflow
Speakers
Tomas Correa – BFA, College of Performing Arts
Jason Li – Parsons School of Design, Design and Technology Program
Bolar Amgalan – MFA, Parsons School of Design, Design and Technology Program
Marcos Echeverria Ortiz – MA, Media Studies Program , School of Public Engagement
Questions
- Briefly describe your project?
- Why did you select to work with this SDK?
- What worked well and why?
- What are you still trying to figure out?
- Do you have any advice on working with the SDK?
April 24th – Narratives in VR & 360 Video
Topic: Narratives in VR
Speakers
Carlos Johns-Davilla – Alumni of the College of Performing Arts
Zohar Kfir – Creator of Testimony and Professor at Parsons School of Design
Questions
Zohar
- How did you first get into 360 Film making?
- What other 360 filmmakers should we all be watching?
- What are some best practices framing shots in 360?
- Does the narrative structure change when your working in 360? If so, how?
- Do you find that the relationship between the performer and camera is changed when you film in 360? What projects are you working on right now?
Carlos
- How did you conceive the project?
- What was the goal of your project “While You Wait”?
- How did you direct your dancers in relation to your 360 camera?
- Did you have to build a relationship between the two?
- What is a zero footprint installation?
- What spaces did you choose for your installation?
- What projects are you working on right now?