In a completely dark virtual world, users navigate by screaming into their headset microphones, triggering echolocation: a spherical visual pulse that originates at the head and travels outward over time. This pulse briefly reveals the virtual world and the presence of other users, illuminating glowing wires in vibrant, shifting colors. The experience blends the real with the virtual by overlaying a digital copy of the physical space, allowing users to explore through sound and touch. Intricate structures, hidden beyond the walkable space, emerge only through vocal echolocation, adding depth and mystery to the environment. Users move slowly through this space, guided by both their voices and their hands, feeling the environment as they go. At the same time, spectators can witness this acoustic exploration via immersive projection, which displays the VR users’ experiences in real time. Interaction extends beyond the headset: visitors outside the VR space can use a microphone positioned in front of the projection wall. When they scream into it, they trigger an additional, different colored echolocation pulse visible both in the projection and inside the VR headset, enabling a shared and reactive experience.

Exhibitions

REFRESH #3 (Zurich, Oktober 2020)