In this seminar, we uncover the overlooked history of the metaverse, emphasizing the pivotal roles of women in the VR landscape. Tracing VR back to the industry’s first peak in the 1990s – a period often overlooked in today’s architectural discourse – we delve into the seminal research of female VR pioneers in scenography, arts, and design. The stories of Brenda Laurel, Char Davies, Monika Fleischmann, and Rebecca Allen will serve as anchors, followed by insights from contemporary practitioners challenging gender and identity norms in today’s digital spheres. The lines traced between these women aim to construct new perspectives on VR’s historical context and to challenge prevailing discussions about the potential futures of the metaverse. This seminar is structured as a blocked event, including an applied VR exploration segment centred on embodied virtuality, where each student will have the chance to design and animate their personal virtual avatar.
Title Female Pioneers in the History of VR
Description In this seminar, we uncover the overlooked history of the metaverse, emphasizing the pivotal roles of women in the VR landscape. Tracing VR back to the industry’s first peak in the 1990s – a period often overlooked in today’s architectural discourse – we delve into the seminal research of female VR pioneers in scenography, arts, and design. The stories of Brenda Laurel, Char Davies, Monika Fleischmann, and Rebecca Allen will serve as anchors, followed by insights from contemporary practitioners challenging gender and identity norms in today’s digital spheres. The lines traced between these women aim to construct new perspectives on VR’s historical context and to challenge prevailing discussions about the potential futures of the metaverse. This seminar is structured as a blocked event, including an applied VR exploration segment centred on embodied virtuality, where each student will have the chance to design and animate their personal virtual avatar.
Learning Objective Conveying historical knowledge of digital technologies; 2. Analysis and translation of visual material (film and image recordings of virtual works and experimental setups) into written analyses; 3. Recognizing scientific and analytical interpretive patterns and analyzing lines of argumentation.
Form of Assessment Inherent examination character incl. Participation in the XR workshop and discussion; Submission of texts for the XR Atlas platform; Oral presentation.
Recommended Prerequisites No prior knowledge required.