In its aim to stay on the cutting edge, Dhaka Lit Fest introduced a new dimension of experience for its literature enthusiasts. On the first day of the festival, Goethe-Institute Bangladesh showcased a virtual reality show called Vrwandlung.
Jan Tompkins, the supervisor of the installation spoke at the panel organized around the presentation at Cosmic Tent on Day 1 of the festival. The panel shed a light upon gaining a better experience of Kafka’s famous, Metamorphosis through virtual reality. The panel was moderated by Minhaz Us Salakeen Fahme, an IT entrepreneur.
Opening the discussion about what virtual reality (VR) actually means, Minhaz said “Through this virtual software one has the capacity to see an image which one wants to create and see.” Tompkins talked about his research that showed that VR technology resulted in a greater degree of self disclosure. Since VR only lets one see an idealized image of a person, and not their real face -- people feel more comfortable to talk to them through VR. “We live in a society that is incredibly divided in politics and all the other things. This creates a lot of issue with human beings. VR works as a remedy to connect people globally.”
Tompkins explained the mechanics of the storytelling in the VR experience. Mika Johnson, a Finnish-American multimedia artist, who directed the realistic simulations, studied and tested months to make that balanced virtual reality show, which offers the user a few pre-set choices to select in order to customize the experience.
The panel ended with a Q&A session that sought to address concerns raised about the potential for abuse of VR technology, with the panelists striving to reassure the audience about safety protocols in place for such technologies.
