Into the Vœrtex: Case study of a stereoscopic abstract animation installation

Abstract

In Max Hattler’s stereoscopic installation Vœrtex two-dimensional abstract animation is turned into immersive images with strong three-dimensional depth. Utilizing a two-screen, semi-Cave Automatic Virtual Environment, Vœrtex creates a unique viewing experience for the viewer, a hybrid space situated halfway between immersion-in-abstraction and the real world of the gallery space, allowing the viewer to be in two spaces simultaneously. This article discusses the technical set-up, production processes and stereoscopic techniques, including binocular colour rivalry and depth displacements employed in Vœrtex. This is followed by a discussion of Vœrtex in relation to the concept of lucidity and an audience study into viewers’ perception of the work. The hybrid set-up of Vœrtex, combining both stereoscopic and interactive visual texts, allows for a sense of creative inspiration and inquiry into the dreaming mind, and participants can actively choose to explore different aspects of their perception by oscillating between two divergent states: an immersive dream sensation and a sense of being anchored in the real world.

Expanded stereoscopy: Alternative aesthetics for artistic expression in 3D films

“…3.In expanded stereoscopic artworks, the placement of the audience can also entail the physical exhibition settings. An examination of the role of spatial arrangement for spectatorship is explored in the paper ‘Into the Vœrtex: Case Study of a Stereoscopic Abstract Animation Installation’ (Hattler and Cheung, 2021), which focuses on how the exhibition setup of S3D art installation Vœrtex (2021) engages viewers through an interactive viewing experience.…”