The following text has been written to illuminate the research embodied In Ephemere, a fullyimmersive
virtual environment which integrates stereoscopic 3D computer-generated images and
spatialized 3D sound, with a user interface based on breathing, balance, and gaze. This artwork was
begun when I entered the doctoral program at CAiNA (Centre of Advanced Inquiry Into the Interactive
Arts) in 1997, and was completed in 1998.
The work Ephemere is grounded in a very personal vision, developed over more than 25
years of artistic practice, including, most significantly, painting. Ephemere follows on its
predecessor Osmose, and as such, Is a continuation of my efforts to: (I) explore and communicate
my sensibility of what it means to be embodied, here now, in the living Rowing world; and (ii) use
the medium of immersive virtual space to do so, necessarily subverting its culturally-biased
conventions to achieve this goal.
The contents of this text are most clearly indicated by its title: Landscapes of Ephemeral
Embrace: A Painter's Exploration of the Medium of Immersive Virtual Space for Transforming
Perception. And further, by its chapter headings: (I) Context: Rethinking Technology in the "Reign
of King Logos ; (II) Defining Terms: Key Concepts and Concerns in the Work; (III) Origins of the
Work in Prior Artistic Practice: Emergence of Key Concerns and Strategies; (IV) First Explorations in
Immersive Virtual Space: Osmose; (V) Continuing Explorations In Immersive Virtual Space:
Ephemere; and (VI) Strategies and Their Implications In the Immersive Experience. In this text, I
have focused my discussion on artistic Intent, rather than on whether I have been successful, for
this can only be evaluated with the passing of time
