Body, Space & Technology Journal (Feb 2022)
I AM (VR) : Tenuous Self (虛我) and the Liminal Body in Virtual Reality
Abstract
Positioned itself in the stance of critical posthumanism, this essay examines the virtual corporeality in Markus Selg and Susanne Kennedy's VR performance I AM (VR). By introducing Zhuangzi's idea of Tenuous self (虛我) and Jean-Luc Nancy's take on the liminal body, this essay asks how do we consider the physical form of the body, assembled in reality-reality within the immersive sharing and exchanging process of virtual-reality? What kind of transformation that the body might experience when it immerses into that otherworldly reality? I Am (VR), as an embodied performative happening of both artistic research and practice of virtual reality, provides insightful perspective in searching for possible answers. Taking this analysis as a departure point, this essay further investigates the possible entanglements between the ‘I’ and the ‘VR'.@font-face{font-family:"Cambria Math";panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;mso-font-charset:0;mso-generic-font-family:roman;mso-font-pitch:variable;mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}@font-face{font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;mso-font-charset:128;mso-generic-font-family:swiss;mso-font-pitch:variable;mso-font-signature:-134238209 -371195905 63 0 4129279 0;}@font-face{font-family:"\@Arial Unicode MS";panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;mso-font-charset:128;mso-generic-font-family:swiss;mso-font-pitch:variable;mso-font-signature:-134238209 -371195905 63 0 4129279 0;}@font-face{font-family:STSongti-TC-Regular;panose-1:2 1 6 0 4 1 1 1 1 1;mso-font-charset:136;mso-generic-font-family:auto;mso-font-pitch:variable;mso-font-signature:647 135200768 16 0 1310879 0;}@font-face{font-family:"\@STSongti-TC-Regular";mso-font-charset:136;mso-generic-font-family:auto;mso-font-pitch:variable;mso-font-signature:647 135200768 16 0 1310879 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal{mso-style-unhide:no;mso-style-qformat:yes;mso-style-parent:"";margin:0cm;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";border:none;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA;}p{mso-style-priority:99;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-right:0cm;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:0cm;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";}.MsoChpDefault{mso-style-type:export-only;mso-default-props:yes;font-size:10.0pt;mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";border:none;}.MsoPapDefault{mso-style-type:export-only;}div.WordSection1{page:WordSection1;}@font-face{font-family:"Cambria Math";panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;mso-font-charset:0;mso-generic-font-family:roman;mso-font-pitch:variable;mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}@font-face{font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;mso-font-charset:128;mso-generic-font-family:swiss;mso-font-pitch:variable;mso-font-signature:-134238209 -371195905 63 0 4129279 0;}@font-face{font-family:"Helvetica Neue";panose-1:2 0 5 3 0 0 0 2 0 4;mso-font-charset:0;mso-generic-font-family:auto;mso-font-pitch:variable;mso-font-signature:-452984065 1342208475 16 0 1 0;}@font-face{font-family:"\@Arial Unicode MS";panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;mso-font-charset:128;mso-generic-font-family:swiss;mso-font-pitch:variable;mso-font-signature:-134238209 -371195905 63 0 4129279 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal{mso-style-unhide:no;mso-style-qformat:yes;mso-style-parent:"";margin:0cm;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";border:none;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA;}p.Default, li.Default, div.Default{mso-style-name:Default;mso-style-unhide:no;mso-style-parent:"";margin-top:8.0pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;line-height:120%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica Neue";mso-fareast-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";mso-bidi-font-family:"Helvetica Neue";color:black;border:none;mso-style-textoutline-type:none;mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth:0pt;mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap:flat;mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join:bevel;mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit:0%;mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash:solid;mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align:center;mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound:simple;}.MsoChpDefault{mso-style-type:export-only;mso-default-props:yes;font-size:10.0pt;mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";border:none;}.MsoPapDefault{mso-style-type:export-only;}div.WordSection1{page:WordSection1;}
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