When the Real and Virtual Merge: XR Live Performance“CUE” by 0b4k3

This article introduces the XR live performance “CUE” at Shibuya PARCO by artist phi16 and director 0b4k3. Information on how to view the archived work is provided at the end of the article.

Virtual Worlds Overlapping Reality

“CUE” is an XR performance by 0b4k3, winner of the PARCO PRIZE at NEWVIEW AWARDS 2020, and artist phi16, and was unveiled at the NEWVIEW FEST 2021 OPENING PARTY held at Shibuya PARCO.

The performance sought to blend reality and virtual space by using VR technology to recreate the real-world space of “ComMunE” in Shibuya PARCO. The performance can be viewed as an archive “CUE [Archive]” on Styly.

0b4k3 won the PARCO PRIZE at the NEWVIEW AWARDS 2020. As a complimentary prize, he was allowed to create a 3D work in coordination with Shibuya PARCO and display it in AR at Shibuya PARCO. His award-winning work at the time, “TECHNOVINEGAR,” was a VR work, but he took this award as an opportunity to try his hand at an AR work.

There is also an interview with the artist about this performance linked below.

Performaning During the Pandemic

Pictured above is the Shibuya Parco “ComMunE” in virtual space. An inorganic structure of bare pipes overlapping each other is paired with soft textured fabric hanging from the ceiling. Who is standing in the back?

As a result, it became close to the idea that I personally had regardless of the project, “Only my avatar exists in an unmanned real-life venue, and I will perform live in that state.”

Quoted from the STYLY interview

The performance event took place at a time when Covid-19 was in full force, requiring a flexible response according to the level of outbreak. Under these circumstances, the original idea had to be changed many times.

Pipes glittering with rhythmical sounds. The intensity of the light, which follows the architectural structure all the way to the back of the space, stimulates the senses even more intensely with the immersive experience that only a VR space can provide.

In contrast to the cold, inorganic pipes, the presence of the canvas provides a sense of flexibility. But the behavior of the canvas, which repeats fluid movements in response to the sound, confuses our perception of its own texture. The floor, which ripples in sync with the fabric, is a material that isn’t from the real world, but the way it ripples so naturally in the virtual world creates the illusion that it is happening in reality.

Click below to view the video.

 

Artist Profile

0b4k3 (“Obake” in leet, a Japanese word for “ghost”)

VR club “GHOST CLUB” sponsorship, Director. In recent years, the direction of some venues of “SANRIO Virtual Fes in Sanrio Puroland” held in VR SNS “VR Chat” and the direction of 2DMV and VRMV of “FORGOTTEN [Vocal: ermhoi (Black Boboi / millennium parade)] / MONDO GROSSO”.

Quoted from the STYLY interview

Experience an Archive of Live Performances in VR

Physical performances can only be experienced by going to a designated time and place. In the midst of the pandemic, which forced the cancellation of many events, VR expanded the possibilities of performance. Being freed from the constraints of time and place and being able to re-experience any space virtually supersedes the existing concept of time and space and allows new freedom in the way creators can explore possibilities.The author, 0b4k3, was also faced with the pandemic, but was able to create a new scene with ideas born from this situation.

The XR performance “CUE” was created in such a way. The invitation is open to  you to experience the stimulating  sounds, lights, and textures interacting with each other and piercing through your whole body in VR.

 

How to Experience a VR Scene

If you are accessing this page from a smartphone, please click on the “Try Now” button (*If you are experiencing the scene on a smartphone for the first time, please also refer to the following instructions).

After clicking, the following screen will be displayed.
If you have already downloaded the STYLY Mobile app, please select “Activate in STYLY app”.

If you have a HMD device, please select “Experience in VR” from your PC (web browser).

Download the STYLY Mobile app

 

 

Download the Steam version of STYLY app
https://store.steampowered.com/app/693990/STYLYVR_PLATFORM_FOR_ULTRA_EXPERIENCE/

Download the Oculus Quest version of STYLY app
https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/3982198145147898/

For those who want to know more about how to experience the scene
For more information on how to experience VR scenes, please refer to the following article.

Edited by SASAnishiki
Translated by passerby1