Still a nascent phenomenon in Southeast Asia
By Ho See Wah

Key Points

Artists get on board with virtual reality (VR) technology
Southeast Asian VR works few and far between
Potential to capture a broader spectrum of audience
Art organisations’ invested in the medium’s possibilities

Ngô Kỳ Duyên (Jo) and Lananh Lê, ‘Forest Gallery’ (still), 2019, VR film. Image courtesy of the artist.

VR is quickly rising in popularity in the art world as it promises an unprecedented approach for experiencing art. At the heart of VR technology is an immersive experience of a simulated reality. While the first multimedia device was created in the 1950s, it is only in recent times that the technology has become more accessible to the public, as competition among digital giants like HTC, Google and Samsung spurred its development for an everyday audience. The most common method for experiencing VR today is by using a headset, where users are fed the sights and sounds of a virtual environment. Motion sensors detect their real-time movements and translate it online, enabling the illusion of being in the simulated world. The complexity of experiences range from VR films where the audience sees a three-dimensional world with a 360-degree view, to more elaborate set-ups that include hand controllers, allowing for actions and mobility.

teamLab, ‘Message Pillar’, 2016, interactive digital installation. Image courtesy of teamLab.

While augmented reality (AR) technology also alters reality, the experiences of VR and AR are quite different. The former creates a wholly different world, whereas the latter overlays images onto the real world, most commonly through applications on the user’s device. More recently, international art collective teamLab installed an AR artwork, ‘Message Pillar’ (2016) at Gardens by the Bay, Singapore in January 2020. The work is brought to life through a customised application, where users see dancing words dancing around the physical pillar on their phone screens.

The technology provides a new mode of expression for art. An artwork’s affective qualities are elevated with the use of VR owing to its enveloping setting, and the artist’s imagination can truly run wild as the virtual world is not limited by real-life constraints. Take for example Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen’s ‘R for Resonance, where a VR video is incorporated into the installation. First shown at Sharjah Biennial 14 in 2019 and again at ar/ge kunst in 2020, the artwork examines reverberations among the gong instrument, bronze, rituals, and pre-colonial and colonial histories of Southeast Asia beyond its straightforward connections. The exploration manifests in the VR film where ambisonic sounds and a proliferation of dancing objects weave together, set against an endless expanse of black. Viewers are immersed in a surrealistic world beyond pure rationality, reinforcing the subliminal relationships among the artist’s surveyed subjects.

Cao Fei, ‘The Eternal Wave’, 2020, virtual reality. Image courtesy of the artist and Acute Art.

Though some Southeast Asian artists are experimenting with VR, the use of the medium is still in its nascent stages in the region. The use of this technology is more prolific elsewhere. In London, production company Acute Art collaborates with contemporary artists such as Marina Abramović, Ai Weiwei, Cao Fei and Olafur Eliasson to develop VR and AR artworks. On VR’s appeal, Director Daniel Birnbaum comments, “Some artists explore the incredible possibilities for storytelling in virtual space. Others are more interested in the global reach. I think the potential is great and that these tools will be essential to new forms of international visual culture and exchange.” In line with this, the company developed an application for users to experience some artworks for free.

The format of this medium allows it to capture a big audience across the globe. Constant innovation around VR induces the technology’s usability for the layperson and its increasing affordability. The possibility that VR headsets will be as ubiquitous as the smartphone is not such a pipe dream after all, as many reports and predictions assert. For Acute Art’s smartphone app, users can experience the VR setting with the simple Google Cardboard headset, starting from an affordable price of USD15. Remote viewing of VR artworks may become commonplace. Already, many physical exhibitions are adapted for online viewing due to the ongoing pandemic, so such a future is not far off.

Ngô Kỳ Duyên (Jo), ‘A Better Day’ (still), 2020, VR film. Image courtesy of the artist.

VR works are fascinating for a broad spectrum of audiences, thanks to the novelty of a convincing virtual reality immersion. Vietnamese artist Ngô Kỳ Duyên (Jo) witnessed its allure first-hand when she participated in a group exhibition, ‘You Can Talk to Me’ with her VR film, ‘A Better Day’, at Tipsy Art, Ho Chi Minh City in December 2019 and Exhibition Centre, Hanoi in January this year. “I decided to dedicate myself towards new media once I realised the powerful attention it can draw”, says Jo. “Art should not be too conceptual and limited to only white cube spaces. It should be made accessible and more open to the public.” The VR film presented textual accounts from victims of sexual harassment, set against dreamlike sequences that hints at the narrative’s settings. Accompanying the texts was an audio feed of the stories. This intimate experience brought the viewer closer to the inner world of the storyteller, spurring feelings of empathy. ‘A Better Day’ drew a large crowd of 100 to 150 per day on the weekends including viewers that were new to art, demonstrating the medium’s magnetism.

Because of its pull, art organisations are exploring the ways that this technology can extend the impact of storytelling through art. The National Museum of Singapore (NMS) has been exploring the use of digital tools, including VR, to enhance cultural experiences and promote creative experimentation through its initiative, DigiMuse. An early project is ‘An Excavation Through Time’ (2017) by iMMERSiVELY, a creative startup specialising in immersive media technologies. Visitors excavated artefacts from Singapore’s Temasek period, allowing for the thrill of discovery to pique their interest in the objects. At art agency art/n23, which operates out of Dumaguete City and Brussels, founders Sandra Palomar and Cristina Herfort recently showcased Filipino artist Issay Rodriguez, ‘DOON (Over There)’ (2020) at Art Fair Philippines. The viewer is placed in a beehive to guide fellow hive mates towards potential sources of nectar and pollen harvest through the waggle dance, the bee’s non-verbal way of communication. In this manner, ‘DOON (Over There)’ sparks curiosity on the wondrous world of bees and at the same time, raises awareness on the ecological issues surrounding bees.

Issay Rodriguez, VR environment overlaid screenshots of ‘DOON (Over There)’, 2020. Image courtesy of ‘DOON’ VR Team.

When it comes to collecting VR art, the way that it is acquired has the potential to differ from traditional practices. Palomar and Herfort envision a structure where artists can be paid per view instead of a one-off transaction, which could make it more affordable and encourage more people to collect works in the medium. The founders note, “VR is disruptive and innovative in the same way photography, for example, might have been to painting, more than a hundred years ago.” While VR will certainly provide a dramatically different encounter with art, it remains to be seen how trailblazing it will be.

Not everyone has easy access to VR, of course. The costs can be forbidding, as the production of a VR work requires specialised technical know-how and software. And while there are predictions of widespread VR headset ownership, acquiring this device is not a priority for many, though the fascination with virtual worlds endures.

Guiding virtual bees in the VR environment of Issay Rodriguez’s ‘DOON (Over There)’, 2020. Image courtesy of ‘DOON’ VR Team.

All in all, VR art is still a growing phenomenon. In Southeast Asia, only a few artists have engaged with this medium, as Jo, Rodrigeuz, and Ho have. Nevertheless, interests in expanding on VR technology in art holds interests for groups like NMS and art/n23, who are invested in the medium’s possibilities. VR art certainly captures the fascination of many, and it will be interesting to see how VR will take Southeast Asian art further.