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Janine Cirincione, Michael Ferraro / Dead Souls
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An interactive virtual reality exhibition, "The Dead Souls" premiered at
The Fine Art Center at UMASS/Amherst on February 9, 1996. "The Dead Souls"
is an interactive art work whose title is derived from a work by Nikolai
Gogol. Like many games and tales, "The Dead Souls" sends the
protagonist/viewer on a journey of self-discovery. This is a tale of self
delusion and deception focusing on the conflict between the
internal/personal self and the fictive constructions we present to the
world. The viewer or player navigates through the 3-D computer generated
environment, encountering various characters along the way. Each character
hides behind a mask of deceptive behavior, but a "chorus" of souls helps
to guide the player on his or her journey. As players interact with the
characters and the environment, their actions reveal the player's own
belief structure, which in turn determines how the experience develops.
With interactivity meaning is accumulated through choices made, actions
taken and experience lived. In this work the player's interaction raises
questions about how people relate to each other in digital environments.
What is the nature of truth within fictional structures? How fluid can
identity become and still have meaning? What new social relationships are
emerging as we hide behind log-in ID's and computer-created avatars?
This work exists at the intersection between architecture, film and drama -- the medium is experiential and interactive. It is an adventure in which you wander through a computer-generated, 3-dimensional world filled with images, characters, and music, actually living within the narrative. Technically, "The Dead Souls" integrates high quality imagery with real-time virtual reality software in order to create a truly interactive experience, i.e. one that responds to the player's movement, behavior and timing. The game characters are active agents within this world. The installation includes a large projected image and navigational joystick with an interactive soundscape filling the gallery. Collaborating on the piece are performance poet Edwin Torres, who wrote the screenplay, painter Katie Merz, who designed the characters and composer Michael Sweet, who created the musical score and interactive soundscape.
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