Seeing I: Pilot, at Ars Electronica Digital Arts Festival, 2nd - 8th September 2019

Culminating a residency at Ars Electronica Digital Arts Festival; for seven consecutive days, artist Mark Farid wore a VR headset for nine continuous hours each day, subject to the sights and sounds of a different person each day.

Each day, Farid watched the first person point-of-view perspective of a person, for 9 continuous hours, watching them commute, eat and socialise, Farid was free to do as he pleased within the gallery space, so long as the headset remained on.

At the end of each day when Farid took off the VR headset, he spoke to Clinical Psychologist Dr. Tamara Russell about what he found difficult, engaging, and immersive. On the final night of the exhibition, a public conversation between Farid and Dr. Russell took place in the gallery space.

The artist with the VR headset on, in bed.
The artist with the VR headset on, eating dinner.
A close-up of the artist, and his biometric harness.
The artist with the VR headset on, on an exercise bike.
A photograph of the artist with the VR headset on, from behind the exhibition.
The artist with the VR headset on, walking around.
The artist with the VR headset on, eating pizza in bed.
The artist with the VR headset on, walking in the space.
The artist with the VR headset on, asleep in bed.
A triple exposed photograph of the artist with the VR headset on, at Ars Electronica Digital Arts Festival.

The Other's

This 7-day, public trial-run was used to test the pre-production required to do this project. We also used this exhibition to trial a range of different ages, genders, and characteristics of different Other’s.

Day 1: Mark Farid, 27, male. Artist.

Day 2: Romy Lewis, 18, female. Received her A-Level results the day before filming.

Day 3: Anonymous, 71, female. Art Historian and Lecturer.

Day 4: Lindsay Hogg, 22, female. Just finished university, unemployed.

Day 5: Liam Michaels, 22, male. Just finished university, Bartender.

Day 6: Jahan Jhala, 27, male. Farmer.

Day 7: Stefan Lutschinger, 50, male. Media Lecturer.

Ars Electronica Team

Mark Farid Artist, Producer, and Subject

Nimrod Vardi Producer

Dr. Tamara Russell Clinical Psychologist

Carl Smith Biometric Data Capture and Research

Rebecca Edwards Curator

Milla Lewis Photographer and Exhibition Assistant

Custom Built Recorder for Seeing I

(This will be open-sourced at the end of the project)

Tadej Vindis System Design and Project Management of the Custom Built Recorder

Frank Davies System Design and Software Development of the Custom Built Recorder

Drew Richards Prototyping, Manufacture and 3D Design of the custom Built Recorder

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