M CURIE | CHRONICLE ’20 | SPINOOCHI | SMASHERS | THE RED FLUTE | SHOCKWAVES | THE ARK | GHOSTS OF CAMP X | NUMEROLOGY VR | XR LAB | TIMEWAVE | BRAVE NEW WORLD | KPE | VELOCITY LAB | THE IMPOSTOR | BLACKWATER | SIRE | GLOBAL THEATRE
XR LAB
In 2015, Powell launched the XR Lab (formerly Virtual Reality Lab), a 3 to 4-month (12-16 sessions) program that provides media creators and technologists with an opportunity to create VR/AR/MR prototypes, brainstorm and explore complex formats using immersive technology, and collaborate with like-minded members of the XR community. See: http://timewavefestival.com/xrlab/
Given Powell’s understanding of content creation for traditional mediums (stage, film, TV), she believes that longer term development vehicles are necessary in the immersive space. While hackathons and weekend workshops are helpful to inspire new work, artists require more time to not only train in 3D technologies but also collaborate with each other to implement XR applications.
In 2017, the lab was conducted in partnership with the NYU Game Center as host and supported by TIME Inc. (2017) and Oculus. Previous sponsors of the lab exhibition day include Hearst Technology (2016) and Samsung (2015).
The lab progresses in 3 phases: Train, Design and Build.
Phase 1 Train: Unity Bootcamp – The first three sessions (3 weeks) are dedicated to acquiring a foundation in XR development and training in Unity 3D. During Phase 1, Participants develop a simple XR application using a game engine and Cardboard.
Phase 2 Design: Concept, Story & Interaction – The next few sessions (2 to 3 weeks) cover designing XR concepts, stories or games and forming teams to implement a demo. During this phase, participants address the various components of an XR application – e.g., narrative flow, art, interaction design and input devices.
Phase 3 Build: Implementation & Demo – Six to seven sessions (6 to 7 weeks) focus on building an XR application for Cardboard, Gear VR or the Oculus Rift. At the beginning of each session, participants share their progress and any difficulties that emerge during development.
XR LAB GALLERY
Multiplayer Game on Gear VR
Folks gather to play the amazing maze game “Breach” on Gear VR
“Not You”
VR experience exploring sexism in the workplace. Team: Maxwell Foxman, So Sun Park, Bunmi Sijuwade, Rebecca Poulson, Erika Scott
Zhen Cao, Matthew Cornelius
Zhen Cao (NYU) and Matthew Cornelius (Director, Motion Capture at NYIT) of Virtual Reality Lab NY
“rePLAY” – VR/Vive experience
John Benton’s Vive demo based on an award-winning graphic novel
The Cool Cats
Johann Rodriguez, GM Hearst Labs, Annie Malarkey of Made in NY Media Center, Lisa Beth Kovetz, CUNY TV
“Endanger!”
“Endanger!” is a VR/mobile/PC game to virtually and socially find & save endangered species and their habitats. Team: Lynn Rogoff
“The Giftschrank (Poison Room)”
Save a masterpiece and solve puzzles from a famous art heist. Team: Bracey Smith, Jacqueline Hurwitz, Matthew MacVey
Multiplayer VR Game on Vive
Attendees line up to play “Angry Jenga” – three phones and a Vive
“Angry Jenga”
Multiplayer VR/Vive game. Team: Ollie Rankin, Will Wurtzebach, Sean Hyland, Zhen Cao
Angelique Anderson, Kristin Loeb
“Humpty Dumpty and Other Goosey Tales” – interactive pop-up book in VR and “Dinner with Friends” – cinematic VR of two couples in conflict
“Interplay”
Interactive Leap Motion installation by So Sun Park (Vassar)
“Collage”
Evan Harper turned Hearst Tower into a stunning interactive VR experience.
“Unboxed”
VR experience about the early history of video game consoles. Team: Jackson Tam
“A Dream Within a Dream”
An animation using motion capture for the Oculus Rift. Team: Adam Miao, David Wang
“Breach”
Multiplayer Gear VR game. Team: Rehmat Qadir, Matthew Cornelius, Dorian Dargan, Christopher Hill
XR Lab Demo Day at Hearst
Enthusiastic attendees at Hearst Tower on Friday, May 13, 2016