We’ve all laughed and ducked at the flailing arms of friends in VR, seemingly reaching out and touching objects in the air that we as spectators can only imagine exist in their reality.
This is why the latest project from two San Francisco designers, Pablo Rochat and Fabio Benedetto, is genius. The duo is showing you how to become a mime performer with the help of virtual reality, bringing this old world silent performance art to an entirely new dimension.
The idea behind what Rochat and Benedetto are calling the Mime Academy was to create something that made use of all the ridiculous arm gestures people make while in VR. Mime Academy is currently in private beta for the Oculus Rift but you can ask for free access from the creators by e-mailing them.
Although it may seem absurd at first, the concept kind of makes sense considering the accessibility of hand-tracking controllers like Leap Motion, which is used in the demonstration video (below) to provide more accurate tracking of those magical gloved hands.
If you do decide to grab your Oculus Rift, Leap Motion controller, laptop, and head down to the local park to start your career in the art of miming, make sure you take a friend so nobody snags your MacBook while you are immersed learning the ropes.
It is also probably mandatory to get your mime costume for any practice sessions, just don’t get pissed when all the face paint rubs off on your headset.
Last month we kicked off our first VRScout Art Show at VICE that showcased an entirely new form of performance art with artists live painting on stage with Tilt Brush. Some museums have even been bringing the paintings of Dali, Bruegel and Bosch to life in VR as well – and its beautiful. The future of art is going to be sweet!
Image Credit: Mime Academy
