Doppelgänger II is an interactive audiovisual installation that explores the idea of self-awareness. It's a part of IMUU's installation series that explores the human condition in a future dystopia where machinery analysis and prediction of our mind become possible, and data monetization becomes uncontrollable.
This project utilizes virtual reality, motion-sensing camera, 3d sound and brainwave(EEG) headband. There is a "mirror portal" in the virtual world that reflects the audiences' physical bodies as well as their psychological activities. The audience is brought into the VR world seeing a primitive state of the mind and they may consciously or subconsciously interact with the visual elements and the movement of surrounding sound by using their brains to influence their level of concentration and calmness. Meanwhile, all five brainwaves are constantly modulating different harmonic partials of a computer-generated sine tone.
User Flow:
initially, a set of abstract visuals represents the primitive state of mind with which the users interact consciously and subconsciously, influencing the visual and auditory feedback with the primary focus on the level of concentration and serenity. Simultaneously, all five sensory brainwaves are interpreted as shifting harmonics of computer-generated sine tones.
In the "mirror", users can see a mirrored version of themselves, which is realized from the capture of their motions.
When their brainwaves reach a particular state, the elements in the world may morph, or various animation sequences may be trigged, which visually represent their current state of mind. For example, when users reach a high level of concentration, the whole virtual world brightens up, and another humanoid appears in the portal.
Software: TouchDesigner, Maxmsp, Tilt Brush, Autodesk Maya, Muse Monitor
Media: VR; EEG; Ambisonic; Kinect motion tracking;
Sound/Interactive Programming: Weilu Ge
Animation: Kelon Cen
Future development:
This project is in continuous development and iteration. We're moving towards the next step to improve the algorithms of data analysis and explore possibilities of multi-user/collective EEG experience in a shared hybrid reality space. We are also working on to enrich the VR content/interaction with more environment design and higher-order ambisonic decoding of 3D sound.
