From: "Eric J. Pierce" Subject: ANNNOUNCE: BCS/VR-Group Sept. Meeting: Rita Addison's CAVE Experiences Date: Sun, 8 Sep 1996 18:47:18 GMT -------------- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY -------------- THE BOSTON COMPUTER SOCIETY VIRTUAL REALITY GROUP PRESENTS DETOUR: Brain Deconstruction Ahead and Synesthesia by Rita K. Addison Sensory Communication Group Research Laboratory of Electronics Massachusetts Institute of Technology * AND * World Up: A Multiplatform Virtual World Building Environment with Jim Blom of Sense 8 Corporation WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 7:00 PM EST ROOM 054 (BASEMENT) MEDIA LABORATORY (BLDG E-15) MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS ______________________________________________________________________ Join the Boston Computer Society Virtual Reality Group and Rita K. Addison as we explore DETOUR: Brain Deconstruction Ahead (SIGGRAPH'94) and Synesthesia (SUPERCOMPUTING'95). In addition, Jim Blom of Sense 8 will be presenting the World Up rapid VR world development environment. Rita K. Addison is the artist/producer of award-winning virtual reality CAVE experiences. Her educational degrees and training are in psychology. She consults on conceptual, content and nterface design, as well as designing and leading creative multidisciplinary team building workshops. MIT recently announced her appointment as a research affiliate for 1996-1997. DETOUR: Brain Deconstruction Ahead - is an immersive, interactive, and autobiographical virtual reality experience by artist Rita Addison. It tells how her life and art were changed profoundly and permanently by a brain injury sustained during an automobile accident. A fundamentally important objective of Rita's work in DETOUR is to enable empathic awareness among participants so that they can see and feel for themselves what it is like to have one's perceptions altered and impaired. DETOUR was produced for presentation in the CAVE, a 10' x 10' x 10' space in which high-resolution graphics generated by SGI ONYX computers are rear-projected onto each of the three vertical walls and down-projected onto the floor. Synesthesia - is defined as a unique neuroperceptual event identified in one out of three million people in which a sensory input, such as music, is perceived as a different sensory mode. Examples are seeing triangles when one listens to Mozart or tasting points when one eats artichokes. These phenomena are particularly intriguing as they relate to current research on neurological networking/interaction. The prototype developed in this project may serve as a stimulus to design innovative methods to assess, diagnose, treat, and rehabilitate those with brain injury, such as trauma, strokes, and so on. Visit http://man-ray.mit.edu/www/rka/rka.html for more info! Also, check out http://www.sense8.com for more info on World Up. MEETING DETAILS: --------------- When: Wednesday, September 11, 7:00 PM EST Location: MIT Media Lab (Building E-15) Room 054 (in basement) 20 Ames Street Cambridge, Massachusetts By T: Get off at the Kendall Square Station on the Red Line. When you come to the surface you will be at the end of Main Street where it is more like a wide bricked pedestrian area in front of the Marriot Hotel. Walking to the end of the block toward Central square, will put the Marriot on the right. The corner of the Marriot complex where Legal Seafoods is will be the corner of Main and Ames. Take a left onto Ames Street. The Main and Ames. Take a left onto Ames Street. The Media Lab is the only silver tiled building on the street and will be on your left. By Car: Ames Street runs between Main street and Memorial Drive, near Kendall Square in Cambridge. It is one-way going from Main to Memorial. Your best bet is to either look for parking near Kendall Sq. and follow walking instructions (By T) above. *OR* you could look for parking along Memorial Drive and walk up Ames Street the other way. If you're interested in coming and don't know how to get to MIT or even Cambridge, MA, instructions from all highways are available upon request via e-mail to ejp@world.std.com. ======================================================================= BCS VR Group - A Gathering of Minds for Cyberspace Development: The Group meetings are a great way to meet others who are "actually" developing Virtual Environments. Whether you have an intrest in the developing Virtual Environments. Whether you have an intrest in the dicussions, would like to write code or somewhere in the middle there lots to do and talk about!!! BCS VR Group Philosophy: The purpose of the Boston Computer Society Virtual Reality Group is to provide an ongoing venue for developing virtual environments as well as a forum for bringing scientists and developers together with VR enthusiasts/potential users. Through actively exploring both the technology and its cultural implications, exposing each to the other's thoughts and ideas, and "learning from" and "sharing with" industry leaders, we can help shape the future of this medium. ====================================================================== FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: ------------------------------ Director BCS-VRG: Brenden C.Maher Speaker Requests: brenden@media.mit.edu voice: (617) 621.3309