Large scale public adoption of profit motivated digitally mediated environments, has proceeded largely unabated. Some of these environments have proven to be harmful, exploitative but remain largely unregulated. With seemingly unlimited resources, the companies behind these systems expand their reach at an astonishing rate; constantly finding new ways, devices and strategies to keep as many active users in these digital realms for as long as possible. Much has been written about the negative effects of these spaces, and their addictive capacity, however, as they become embedded in our social and working lives, very few users have chosen to disengage with them. With expansion into VR, XR and AR, the future of these environments seems aimed at total and almost permanent engagement. synk uses an experiential allegory to pose the question: How can we understand the consequences of both our current levels of engagement with virtual systems and the possible futures of immersive versions of these environments?

synk is an immersive, interactive installation facilitated by substantial technical innovation. Real time volumetric video, novel camera alignment and fast point cloud meshing, facilitate a proprioceptive disconnection from the body. A fluid narrative that is altered by bodily interaction through higher order ambisonics contextualises this perceptual rupture. synk immerses visitors in a dystopian version of a virtual future, breaking the real time image of self from the physical body until perception and corporeality are completely interrupted by the system. synk uses this experience to present, without explicit explanation, a dystopian reality stemming from our engagement with virtual environments.

An experiential allegory of the negative effects of engagement with for-profit digital environments is a valuable addition to other materials such as documentaries, studies and articles on the topic; especially considering that despite the prevalence of such information public engagement with these environments grows rapidly and is relatively unregulated. The work, at various stages of development was presented in public showings facilitated by Amsterdam University of the Arts (AHK) and Cinedans Festival, research and processes were presented in the AHK, and tools developed for this project were adapted as teaching material for the AHK’s Interdisciplinary Digital Laboratory.

For some information on the technology and development of this work visit the background page.