The three-part media installation Avatopia (2023) is a mobile discovery lab where you get to work on your ideal virtual avatar.
The metaverse is experiencing a true surge. Over the past two years, virtual worlds where people can meet up have popped up everywhere. VR scientist Mel Slater said about this: "Most people think VR is about being somewhere else, but it's actually about being someone else."
In the metaverse, it doesn't matter what you look like; you can upload and embody any imaginable 3D model. This has led to the creation of active communities where people experiment with gender, body, and identity in various ways. watch: We Met in Virtual Reality (2022)
In Avatopia, you design your own avatar and at the same time learn more about yourself. If your body can take on any imaginable form, what suits you best? Through a magical dress-up game, you learn more about how to present yourself. But of course, dancing with your own avatar and having a bit of fun in the virtual world is also possible!
The installation has three parts:
- A VR world where you can try out all sorts of strange looking avatars
- A dress-up game where you ask each other life questions while picking out a cool outfit
- A design application where you can design your ideal avatar by picking from strange AI-generated body parts
You can play the last part from home on your computer. Visit: avatopia.nl
Avatopia is part of a production trajectory by Cross-TIC, under the guidance of Tetem.
VR-Development & VR Soundtrack by Ymer Marinus
