Critical Writing Index

Virtual Bodies: What a blow that phantom gave me

by Catherine Richards

Angles of Incidence: reflections of multimedia artworks, 1993, pp. 15-22

Banff: Banff Centre for the Arts, 1993

Artist Catherine Richards addresses the role of the artist in the context of Virtual Reality. It is argued the body represents a nerve-centre, a notion born through scientific developments during the 1850's, specifically due to the work of famed scientist Helmholtz. Richards suggests the next evolutionary step of the body is to bind itself with technology and the virtual world. This raises issues of the artist's role in VR, specifically citing the ability to create anything at the slightest whim, despite the lack of tangibility. As well, other notions surrounding the role of the artist's body within a virtual world are discussed.

ITEM 1993.045 – available for viewing in the Research Centre