Conclusion
As a whole, this net-art project explores traditional forms of interaction in a virtual space, as they are often used in computer games. Here the objective was to explore forms of liveness that occur through the sensation of being physically present and mobile in a virtual space. Furthermore, through the use of a text-based narrative structure, that is gradually uncovered by the user's actions, a specific meaningfulness is paired with the interactions with the virtual object. Furthermore this generates what Gordon Calleja refers to as 'Narrative Involvement' (2011: 113).
What Calleja refers to as different catgories of involvement, describes that emotional attachments are developed with a virtual scene, through the series of events that occur within it. It seems plausible to assume that this also entails experiences of liveness, as such events - at least in the given scene - directly take place as a result of the user's actions. Because of this immanent relation between action, result and the unfolding of a narrative, livenesses of time and space are created, in the sense of Sanden's categorizations. While Sanden understands the liveness of space as being connected to being in the same location as the live event, here it is to be understood as being present in the virtual space, a presentness that is evoked by the meaningfulness of one's actions.
This net-art project was the first one to be realized as part of this research project. While the discussed forms of liveness seem important aspects of the generation of feelings of liveness in virtual environments, they have largely already been well explored in the context of game studies. While it seemed important to explore them in a non-game context, the conclusion has been drawn to focus on more specific and less traditional forms of liveness and interaction in the following projects, which has led to 'Why Frets? - TOUCH' and 'Why Frets? - FACE', and - with a different focus - to the augmented reality projects 'SkylAR'.
References
Fig.4: The space contains the two figures and the six strings after the 'siamese-guitar' and the text have disappeared.
Different stages of Interaction - second phase
In the back area of the virtual space two statute-like figures are displayed. Once the 'siamese-guitar' disappeared, they can be approached. The six 'strings' that span through the entire space, create a visual trajectory towards them, which is supposed to encourage the user to get closer and to explore them.
While at a distance, the figures are complete but the closer the user approaches them, the more they desintegrate. When they are approached very closely, a trigger zone is entered that takes over the navigation of the avatar. It rotates around its axis and towards the next line of text that occures in the distance and that sais: It took an engineer to pick up where the muses left off.
At the same time a granulated synthetic sound occures that forms a dense filtered sonic texture that rises in its frequency spectrum.
When the second figure is approached a similar process occurs, again the avatar rotates around its axis and the text which leads us to the history of the electric guitar occurs. Again a filtered cloud of granulated sounds is heard that sweeps upwards before fading out. A special visual element that occurs in this stage are a series of additional strings in wave-forms that are 'entangled around the six strings. Together, they form a sort of weaving pattern.
After several seconds, also the suspended chord fades out and the screen dims to black. This forms the end of the virtual experience.
The Narrative
The underlying story contains the following lines:
This was never about strumming chords,
let alone about chordal progressions,
but about keeping Hermes from committing murder,
to an aging turtle.
Let's give him a harmony that sooths,
as well as agitates
while he quenches his thirst.
It took an engineer to pick up where the muses left off,
which leads us to the history of the electric guitar.
The first part of the text refers to the myth about the creation of music, that Platon attributed to Hermes. According to this story, the demi-god Hermes took a rest while traveling and a turtle passed his way. He conceived the idea that the turtle's body could serve as a resonating body. He killed the turtle and used its hollow body as the resonator of a set of string: the chitarra was thus born.
In the second part of the text a connection from the ancient chitarra to the modern electric guitar is created.
Fig.2: the text after two collisions with the 'siamese-guitar'. Also two strings occured at the bottom of the screen.
"Why Frets? – FLOAT"
This net-art page explores a number of different phenomena in order to create forms of involvement that have the potential of facilitating the experience of liveness.
"Why Frets? - FLOAT" uses a narrative structure that includes text. Single sentences are triggered by the user and thus add a concrete meaning to the actions that trigger them. Furthermore, there are various objects that occur in the virtual space that can be explored and interacted with, some of which are only created through interactions.
All interactions are taking place by navigating through a virtual 3D space (by using the mouse and w-a-s-d keys) and colliding with the virtual objects.
A central theme of this net-art work is the electric guitar, which forms the main visual and main sonic element.
Direkt link: whyfrets.iem.sh
Fig.7: The last line of text that appears after the second trigger zone around a figure has been entered, which leads to the end of the virtual experience.
Different stages of Interaction
After arriving on a landing page a penetrating sound is audible at 50Hz, typical of a hum of an electric guitar. Once the landing page is clicked on it fades out and the pitch unfolds to a harmony which is timbrally modulated. The first object that the user encounters in the virtual space is an object called the 'siamese guitar', which consists of two guitar bodies that are sharing the same neck.
Already when entereing the scene, the first line of the text is displayed. When the virtual avatar collides with the 'siamese guitar' a noisy and percussive sound sample is triggered that was produced with an electric guitar. At that moment a second line of text is added and the harmony of the sustained chord changes.
Also, a red "string" occures in the lower part of the space. When touched by the avatar, this string can be triggered to produce sound, similar to a plucked string.
The user has to collide with the 'siamese guitar' repeatedly, until six strings have been generated and the first seven lines of the text have become visible. At that moment the 'siamese guitar' slowly disappears, which concludes the first part of the virtual experience.