Society. Spaces. Screens

Abstract

I make movies in which different images are intermittently shown on the screens of both eyes in a VR head-mount. In cognitive science, binocular rivalry is an essential study in unlocking the secrets of consciousness. This study tests how binocular rivalry alters our memory of consciousness and narrative when it occurs in human visual perception. In his book Assemblages and Human History, philosopher Manuel Delanda questions the narrative subject; as an extension of his argument, I begin to examine the question of the narrative subject at the level of perception. Pia Tikka considers cinema as an externalization of consciousness. I created an artwork called “56 Second Theater” to dissect the process of perceiving cinema and “BirdMan VR,” an artistic interpretation of binocular rivalry. In this study, I apply cognitive science theories to the analysis of my artwork. Specifically, I focus on how viewers remember the overall narrative of a movie when the events in which binocular rivalry occurs are altered.