This project explores the possibility of VR as an alternative theatre form for performing arts. For the past hundreds of years, the proscenium stage has been the most used form of stage in the performing arts, and is still the most popular and the most familiar stage type for the public. At the proscenium stage, the audience sees the dramatic facts through the frame, so it has the advantage of preventing the attention of the audience from being dispersed. However, on the contrary, it has the disadvantage of making the audience have a sense of distance from the stage since the world in the stage is completely separated from the world of the audience.
In this 360 VR performance work, we remove the barrier between the audience and the stage allowing the audience to immerse themselves more in the performance, and experiment a new performance type where the performing is done around the audience rather than the audience surrounding performers.
For this work, we used a 360 video camera (a rig of 6 GoPro cameras) to capture the stage, where a group of dancers wearing the Hanbok - the Korea traditional costume - performed the traditional dance specially choreographed for this show. This video was created to promote the beauty of the Hanbok as a more immersive approach. An audience watches the show with a HMD device such as Google Cardboad or Samsung Gear VR. The audience feels like the whole show is done only for himself or herself. Suddenly the audience becomes the main character of the show.
Select scenes from 360 VR Hanbok Art Performance. Filmed at Mary Hall, Sogang University
360 VR Hanbok Art Performance Color Space,
Please watch this on any VR Headset such as Google Cardboard or Samsung Gear VR for full immersive experience.
Co-Produced by Seonok Park and Jusub Kim
360 VR Hanbok Art Performance Color Space - Making Film,
Edited by Shinhyo Kim
Publication
Seonokc Park and Jusub Kim, "Color Space: 360 VR Hanbok Art Performance", IEEE VR 2019 Creative VR Video Program, Osaka, Japan, March 23, 2019 (one of fifteen VR video works)