Virtual Realism
Published on 20. April 2000
Book
Paperback/Softback
264 pages
978-0-19-513874-0 (ISBN)
Description
Virtual Realism is an art form and a way of living with technology. To explain it, Michael Heim draws on a hypertext of topics, from answering machines to interactive art, from engineering to television programmes, from the meaning of UFOs to the Internet.
The technology of virtual reality brought a new dimension to culture with its virtual offices and cyberspace friendships - but few agree on its merits. Opinions range from the Unabomber's Luddite activism to Wired's cyberpunk attitude to Bill Gate's commercial optimism. Virtual Realism guides readers through the debate and suggests ways of harmonizing computers with culture.
Exploring a wide-range of virtual reality technologies, from a tour of a virtual art gallery to the heads-up-displays used by military pilots, Michael Heim shares the discoveries he has made over several years in the studios of VR designers. Always suggesting a harmony of technology with lifestyle, the result is an illuminating look at the meaning and value of human life in the age of cyberculture.
The technology of virtual reality brought a new dimension to culture with its virtual offices and cyberspace friendships - but few agree on its merits. Opinions range from the Unabomber's Luddite activism to Wired's cyberpunk attitude to Bill Gate's commercial optimism. Virtual Realism guides readers through the debate and suggests ways of harmonizing computers with culture.
Exploring a wide-range of virtual reality technologies, from a tour of a virtual art gallery to the heads-up-displays used by military pilots, Michael Heim shares the discoveries he has made over several years in the studios of VR designers. Always suggesting a harmony of technology with lifestyle, the result is an illuminating look at the meaning and value of human life in the age of cyberculture.
Reviews / Votes
A pleasant, easily readable account of several applications of computer technology to create experiential art and one or two useful tools. * The Washington Post Book World *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
8 pp colour plates, halftones
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
434 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-513874-0 (9780195138740)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Michael Heim is lecturer at the California State University Extension, Long Beach. He is the author of the award-winning The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality (OUP, 1993) and the ground-breaking Electric Language (1987).
Content
1. VR 101 ; 2. Virtual Realism ; 3. The Art of Virtual Reality ; 4. Interactive Design: Tunnel or Spiral? ; 5. InfoEcology ; 6. Nature and Cyberspace ; 7. AWS and UFOs ; Notes on Artists and Art Works ; Vocabulary of Virtual Realism ; Bibliography for Further Reading ; Index