Figuratively Speaking

"Figuratively Speaking" is an immersive virtual reality art environment that are based on a series of my paintings which feature faces as figurative characters. The portraiture paintings are used as a method for designing the virtual environment and as a method for establishing wayfinding. The navigation paths rely on identifying the faces in the environment. The searching enhances the emotional aesthetics of the experience as the faces speak to you when they are approached. "Figuratively Speaking" explores the ritual of approaching people and groups of people. The experience is enhanced by the sound designs that score the language and the character of the figures. The work has exhibited at the Grunwald Gallery and at the Intermedia Festival in Indiana and performed in a concert with Big Robot at Zerospace in Wisconsin. Audio design by Rachel Weaver. Music by Michael Drews.