Objects of Immersion
Lead Research Organisation:
Lancaster University
Department Name: Lancaster Inst for the Contemporary Arts
Abstract
Traditionally, researchers and developers have approached immersion as an activity in which they are moving the audience between experiential states i.e. from reality to virtual reality. However, this consideration can work against immersion as it can induce cognitive dissonance if the audience experiences significant differences between the states. For example, this is particularly noticeable in Virtual Reality whereby the audience's visual perception of the displayed world is not matched across their other senses, often leading to adverse physical reactions, such as, nausea. This is arguably because immersion in Virtual Reality is often approached with a desire to recreate the physical experience portrayed within the content. In this research we propose considering immersion from a perspective through which we create an alternate hybrid reality that dynamically adapts fictional components of a story narrative dependent upon the particular context of the audience, thus approaching immersion through a lens of emotional engagement. In particular, this project will investigate whether media can be dynamically contextualised for a particular audience using objects in three distinct forms: media, data, and physical to produce more immersive experiences.
Planned Impact
The impact of this research is aimed at addressing three highlighted areas of the call:
1) to provide tools that allow content producers to experiment with the possibilities the technology can provide
2); to provide a new consideration of immersion that seeks to enhance rather than radically shift UK expertise in creating high quality broadcast content, and
3) leveraging the increasing amounts of contextually sensitive data emerging within the Internet of Things to create more immersive and emotionally engaging experiences.
The project partners will use bespoke, and existing web, and social media to provide the initial publicity of the aims for the project. The project will produce a demonstrator system which will allow the concept to be experienced by the public relation to BBC at an event at FACT. The tools and concepts behind Objects of Immersion will also be demonstrated to potential producers of content at an event such as MOZFEST. A further demonstration will be provided through the BBC TASTER evaluation site. Note that all the software outputs will be provided as open source to allow future research and content production to build upon this initial research. As a final output we will produce a Design Fiction to represent the potential of this project for creating future immersive experiences.
1) to provide tools that allow content producers to experiment with the possibilities the technology can provide
2); to provide a new consideration of immersion that seeks to enhance rather than radically shift UK expertise in creating high quality broadcast content, and
3) leveraging the increasing amounts of contextually sensitive data emerging within the Internet of Things to create more immersive and emotionally engaging experiences.
The project partners will use bespoke, and existing web, and social media to provide the initial publicity of the aims for the project. The project will produce a demonstrator system which will allow the concept to be experienced by the public relation to BBC at an event at FACT. The tools and concepts behind Objects of Immersion will also be demonstrated to potential producers of content at an event such as MOZFEST. A further demonstration will be provided through the BBC TASTER evaluation site. Note that all the software outputs will be provided as open source to allow future research and content production to build upon this initial research. As a final output we will produce a Design Fiction to represent the potential of this project for creating future immersive experiences.
Publications
Sailaja N
(2019)
The Living Room of the Future
Sailaja N
(2019)
The Living Room of the Future
Lindley J
(2019)
Making a Room for the IoT: a Domestic Demonstration
Gradinar A
(2019)
The Little Book of the Internet of Things for the Home
Gradinar A
(2019)
Situated Immersion: The Living Room of the Future
Coulton P
(2019)
Experiencing the Future Mundane
Title | Living room of the future at FACT Liverpool in 2018 |
Description | BBC R&D Video of FACT Exhibition |
Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
Year Produced | 2018 |
Impact | Request for multiple further exhibitions of the Living Room of the Future |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yneprnGCRm0 |
Description | The project sucessfully challenged the notion that certain technologies i.e. VR/AR are naturally immersive and how context plays a highly important part in immersion.The project also showed how how improving the legibility, agency, and negotiability in the design of connected devices is important to those considering adopting such technologies. |
Exploitation Route | New framings of immersion and how such an experiential future can be used to consider adoption of future technologies |
Sectors | Creative Economy Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Electronics |
URL | http://www.research.lancs.ac.uk/portal/en/upmprojects/objects-of-immersion(d1d9775e-b680-445c-9087-e015c22937eb).html |
Description | Project used internally by BBC R&D to illustrate Object Based Media |
First Year Of Impact | 2018 |
Sector | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) |
Impact Types | Cultural |
Description | Experiencing the Future Mundane |
Amount | £461,078 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/S02767X/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 08/2019 |
End | 09/2023 |
Description | Living Room of the Future Demonstrator for Building Research Establishment Watford |
Amount | £20,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | PETRAS |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 11/2018 |
End | 04/2019 |
Description | Becoming Immersed in the Future Mundane |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited talk University of Waikato New Zealand |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Living Room of the Future |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Talk for S3A: Future Spatial Audio for Immersive Listener Experience at Home |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Living Room of the Future TVX Demo |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | This demo presents the Living Room of the Future which explores new forms of immersive experience which utilise Object Based Media to provision media that is personalised, adaptable, dynamic, and responsive. It builds upon previous research on Perceptive Media, Internet of Things Storytelling, and Experiential Futures which, in contrast to approaches that simply conflate immersion with increased visual fidelity, proposes subtle and nuanced ways to immerse audiences in a situated context. The room-sized prototype demonstrates this approach to immersion and includes connected devices that provide contextual data to personalise the media as well as physical elements that enhance the immersive experience. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://tvx.acm.org/2019/ |
Description | Living Room of the Future: FACT Liverpool |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Living Room of the Future: extended run - FACT, Liverpool, United Kingdom Duration: 4/05/2018 ? 25/09/2018 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | http://www.research.lancs.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/living-room-of-the-future(aacb4440-3ca7-4b29-... |
Description | Living Room of the Future: PlayUk Skopje |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | PlayUK: 2018 Arcadia - Youth Cultural Centre, Skopje, Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Duration: 29/10/2018 ? 4/11/2018 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | http://www.research.lancs.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/living-room-of-the-future(78dddc7d-85b6-49ae-... |
Description | Living Room of the Future: Tate Modern |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | http://www.research.lancs.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/living-room-of-the-future(2f55b4e3-13e2-4755-9838-7879475c4247).html |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/tate-exchange/workshop/living-internet-things |
Description | Living Room of the Future: V&A London |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Digital Design Weekend - V&A, London, United Kingdom Duration: 22/09/2018 ? 23/09/2018 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/6YVLW34q/digital-design-weekend-2018-ldf |
Description | TV plots altered by our individual data - our viewing future? |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Lancaster University researchers say their 'Living Room of the Future' is not just a peek at what could await us as the Internet of Things (IoT) revolution gathers pace. Jim Drury reports. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://uk.reuters.com/video/2018/10/25/tv-plots-altered-by-our-individual-data?videoId=476741733 |