"What is it like (to be)?” is an immersive VR/AR artwork-performance that delves into the individual's relationship with their environment and senses through echolocation. Viewer is given a chance to participate in the artwork by wearing a VR headset-helmet-sonar, others can observe the newly made cyborg-animal and its performance. Utilising an infrared capture device, such as the Microsoft Kinect, we transmit real-time data into a VR device. By interpreting the captured sound through the microphone, we create an environment where sound replaces light, shaping the viewer's perspective. Similar to a bat, participants must rely on their voice to perceive and navigate their surroundings. The intensity of their sounds reveals intricate details within the enveloping darkness. This technique swaps conventional senses, where illumination by light is replaced by illumination through sound. Consequently, participants are prompted to question their understanding of what is familiar and unfamiliar in human existence.
Can technology serve as the bridge connecting human intelligence and nature? Through the employment of such devices, can we gain a better comprehension of nature as a species? Might the very thing that distances us from other animals also bring us closer to them? Our objective is to address these inquiries while generating further contemplation on the symbiotic relationship between humans, technology, and nature.
