Out of Body

Out of body is a contemplative study on self-perception. Before visitors enter the virtual world, a full-body scan in a lying position is prepared and integrated into two imaginary landscapes. The inanimate body, an abstracted picture of self, is then visited by the experiencer. On the contrary, the sensation of the own physical body is occluded by the VR displays and transforms the self into a bodyless floating entity. While this sensation is often thought of as a limitation of current VR technology, in Out of Body, it is a natural necessity of seeing one’s own body from outside.

In its still live form, Out of Body invites the visitor to spent time with the mortal self, like visiting oneself as a sleeper, as a sick, as a dead. The transcendent visualization and the sense of scale are altered to evoke an abstraction. Inspire exploration and caring.

There are two landscapes of encounter: The Forest and The Plane.

The Forest

**Figure 1:** Forest Scene, Top view

The forest scene consists of an elaborate terrain with great details and atmospheric sound recordings. The woods are soaked in intense sunlight, which reflects off the scanned body surface. Through the surface cracks, the light seems to leak out into the surrounding. The fierce light of the body prevents to see the facial features directly. The body is slightly shrunk and dissolving into the ground, appearing strangely fragile.

The Plane

**Figure 2:** Plane Scene, Side view

The second scene is abstract, a colossal body lying on an infinite plane. There is merely silence. The human body, which is enlarged seven times, dissolves as a fracturing sculpture.

Project

Out of body is a collboration with Berlin-based multidisciplinary time artist Moss Beynon Juckes. The experience was created with Unity Engine, the body scan was performed with Scandy App and the forest terrain is a free asset created by IL.ranch.