JUNE 8 & 9, 2020 TRACKS
Immersive Storytelling – Panelists Presentation
Liveness in Virtual Reality
David Gochfeld – XR Director and Producer
Anna Henson – Experience Designer and Researcher: Embodied and Social UX for Spatial Computing
Real-time performance capture, coupled with virtual reality, allows us to bring people together in an entirely virtual, computer generated space. But what happens when we put performers into virtual reality? How do they connect with the audience? What does embodiment mean in this mediated scenario? We discuss aesthetic and practical considerations when working with live performers in vr, as well as how the work can contribute to our understanding of social presence. We make a case for VR as theater, and expanding the use of live performance as a tool for storytelling in VR.
Personal Profile
David Gochfeld
XR Director and Producer
dagosh.com
Linkedin
David Gochfeld is an award-wining XR creator. As a director and producer he creates interactive narrative experiences at the intersection of the real and virtual, drawing on classical and contemporary theatrical techniques and cutting edge immersive technology. His pioneering work with live performance in virtual reality includes versions of Hamlet and Alice in Wonderland, as well as original stage plays and improv comedy, and has been presented at festivals and conferences worldwide, including Tribeca, Venice, SXSW, GDC and the Future of Storytelling. He won an Emmy for his work on Zero Days VR. An experienced theatre actor and director, David trained at the prestigious LeCoq school in Paris. He marries this creative background with extensive technical expertise; he teaches Computer Science at NYU, is an experienced UX designer and has a Masters from NYU’s celebrated Interactive Telecommunications Program.
Personal Profile
Anna Henson
Experience Designer and Researcher: Embodied and Social UX for Spatial Computing
Linkedin
Anna Henson is an artist, interaction designer, and researcher investigating immersive and body-worn technologies through the lens of social psychology, media ethics, and theatre. She has a background in theatrical projection design, experiential design, and often collaborates with movement and dance practitioners. Her work has been seen internationally from Broadway to China, and is upcoming at The Kennedy Center in summer 2020. Anna teaches performance and immersive design at the university level, and is published in HCI. She has been a fellow at the National Academy of Sciences, and recently completed her MS in Computational Design at Carnegie Mellon University.