Perhaps most of us have become desensitized or voluntarily tune out to instances of hyperreality. Yet, there are others who seek to engage with hyperreality in hopes of better understanding our physical reality. Maxence Parache’s Hyper(reality) project utilizes a helmet equipped with high definition video glasses, an Arduino glove with force sensors that control the 3D view, in addition to a harness for the kinect camera in order to “provide a digital experience, immersing the user in an alternative version of reality seen through the helmet.” In this temporarily simulated, information-driven, state [of consciousness], the physical world is filtered and rendered as a hyperreality, however, the user must still engage with physically real world upon which they stand, sit or rest. Indeed, the hyperreality Parache has developed is indeed one of differential spatial and sensational relations [due in large part to the Arduino glove] but to what extent the user commits to this hyperreality displayed within the helmet largely depends on how much they can detach from the physical reality. A the user situates in this interstitial state, one where signs and spatial dimensions crossover. Each experiential state – the physical and the rendered images in the 3D view, allows each state of perception to develop and enable its own rules as well as new ways of interaction. Parache’s Hyper(reality) project is also a more clearly articulated proposition for other applications working with experiential models to not only better understand reality, consciousness and perception but also to realize the potential for work on participation, education as well as skill and sensory development. With Parache’s open code platform enabling an array of modifications, future applications are looked forward to.
Vicente Gutierrez