A Taiwan virtual reality memory project: Rituals in the circle

Abstract

The aim of the proposed 360-degree virtual reality (VR) documentary explores questions of identity in the multi-ethnic environment of Taiwan, the connection to perception, tradition, and globalization, as well as how these in turn characterize culture in Taiwan as distinct in the region. The VR framework presented here was conceived by Richard Cornelisse for providing an installation of multi-dimensional experiences of a diverse Taiwanese milieu, that captivates and transports the viewer to a subtle, yet heightened, awareness of local nuances between people, location, and religious rituals. These experiences are meant to re-contextualize how one can understand Taiwan in terms of the people, culture, diversity, and landscape of as both viewer and participant. Our interactive platform activates viewer participation and allows them to engage the subject matter in a unique individualized experience of people and place: one that not only questions how one can understand issues of identity and traditions in a rapidly changing globalized cultural landscape, but also how one can experience local culture and geography through a malleable, immersive, non-linear narrative. © 2016 IEEE.