VR & Demo

Virtual Reality (VR) is increasingly used by designers and media artists in their work. VR is favored by users for its immersive experience, and artists and designers use VR to transcend the limitations of time and space. It is widely used in audio-visual art, performance art and land art such as dance, singing, environmental art, museum art works. The article firstly summarizes and summarizes the source, characteristics, development and form of public art and VR technology, and analyzes the relevant research results. This paper analyzes from three aspects: design requirements, design advantages and practical applications, and briefly summarizes the development prospects and key technological breakthroughs of VR technology in public art design.

Public art is an emerging discipline that has flourished in recent years [1]. Public art has three attributes, that is publicity, artistry, and locality. This is also the standard that distinguishes public art from other art categories. There are many forms of public art, dating back to the public sculptures in squares in ancient Roman times. Sculpture is also an important form of public art today. Figure 1 shows the urban public art design.

Virtual Reality (VR) [2,3] integrates computer technology and microelectronic technology. The ideal VR is to use these technologies to create a Virtual Environment through the computer, through the functions of vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell, etc., so that the user can feel the same as in reality, so that the user will feel the same as in reality. The feeling of the environment and the direct interaction between the user and the environment can be realized. VR is a collection of a series of high-tech technologies, including human-machine interface technology, image processing, pattern recognition, speech processing, sensor technology, as well as human behavioral research and many other key technologies

VR is the highest state of multimedia technology development, and has brought revolutionary changes in many disciplines such as artificial intelligence, CAD, 3D printing, medical services, graphic simulation, virtual communication, remote sensing, etc. It has a profound impact on a country's national defense, politics, economy, culture, and daily life

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As a relatively new field, public art has not developed for a long time. The definition of public art in various countries has not yet reached a consensus on the elaboration. Due to various real differences in art practice, different forms of public art have been developed, so the so-called public art does not simply refer to a certain style, genre or a single art style. Through artistic practice and exploration [8,9], the basic characteristics and connotations of public art have become clear and identifiable.

Public art can be understood as various works of art with obvious artistic characteristics in urban public space, which can be freely approached, viewed and participated by the public, and which reflect the spirit of urban culture. It includes urban sculptures, murals, installation art, street furniture and other forms of expression. Public art has strong artistry. Its value lies not only in its form of expression, but also in the social value and cultural value it displays, and the value concept conveyed by public art, which is more worthwhile. researchers are concerned. A certain value of art conveyed by any language and any material carrier is premised on providing social public services. Although the forms of public art are different, their public nature is the same, that is to say, it is emphasized that public art is not only a An art form that provides us with a way of life.

(1) Development of public art

During the Renaissance [10], many sculptures, fountains, reliefs and other aesthetic works of art appeared in public spaces. In 1572, the first monumental statue designed entirely for public spaces was built in Europe. After the 19th century, with the rapid development of the Western economy and the enrichment of material life, the cultural and spiritual needs of the people have been raised, and art has gradually become one of people's needs in life. In 1933, President Roosevelt advocated that art and economy should go hand in hand during the New Deal period.

The concept of public art in the modern sense originated from the implementation of the Percent for art Program in the United States in the 1950s. The implementation of this program marked the birth of public art and was raised to a theoretical issue.

After more than half a century of development, the public has become the main object of art and cultural services, and public art has gradually become more democratic, more practical, and more participatory. The creative materials and media forms of public art are constantly updated. The forms of expression are becoming more and more abundant, the value of public art is continuously deepened, and the influence of art is gradually enhanced.

In Chinese history, religious sites and market streets were important places for festivals, gatherings and religious activities at that time, and many religious art and architectural art monuments have survived to this day. Historically, most architectural and religious artworks in ancient times were not designed for the public, but they still had extensive social influence and symbolic significance at the time. Weng [11]called this type of artwork pre-public art in his book The Concept and Orientation of Public Art.

From a specific physical point of view, public art refers to art placed in public spaces, including sculptures, murals, installations, paintings and other visual art forms in public spaces in the traditional sense, as well as public facilities with aesthetic designs. In a broader context, public art is not only a reference to an art form, but also a method and way for art to intervene in public life. In addition to public artworks and public facilities with aesthetic value, public art also includes public art activities and artistic behaviors organized, organized and participated by social subjects and the public.

(2) The form of public art

Public art is a kind of art with rich forms of expression and design methods. As far as the dimension of space is concerned, physical public space, social public space, symbolic public space and even virtual cyberspace can all constitute a space carrier for public art. In the era of rapid development of information, these spaces together constitute the external existence of public art. According to the existing form of public art, public art can be basically divided into artistic, functional and artistic activities.

Artistic public art has a strong role in space decoration, emphasizing the harmony of content and form, full of appeal, and at the same time can convey the deep thoughts contained in the works. Murals, reliefs and sculptures in public spaces are relatively common forms of public art with strong artistry. Such as the Cloud Gate sculpture [12].

With the development of acousto-optics and information technology, some installations with novel creative media and strong interaction have also become popular forms of public art expression.

In the 2019 Wuzhen city Contemporary Art Invitational Exhibition in China. Sound Transmission through the Bone: Listening with the Carp [13] presents the underwater world to viewers in the form of mixed recordings. The installation works of immersive experience. Flower Dance Forest [14] launched by Teamlab Design Company, have been well received once they were launched. Land Art uses nature as a creative medium [15], combines art and nature, and creates an art form that is full of artistic integrity. Valley Curtain [16] created by Christo's in the United States in 1970-1972 is a typical example of land art

Functional public art[17] includes artistic public facilities and landscape structures, etc. It is an aesthetic enhancement of public facilities and public environment by art. The carrier of functional public art is very rich, public signage system, lighting design and public service facilities. Such as public facilities, ground paving, transportation facilities, communication facilities, amusement facilities, etc. may become public art carriers.

In addition to the physical display of art forms, public organization activities and artistic performances are also common manifestations of modern public art. Such as public art exhibitions, art performances, art salons, etc. On the whole, with the wide application of new technologies, the manifestations of public art are constantly enriched and developed. New technology means centered on new media technology has gradually replaced some traditional public art forms based on manual skills. Today, the formal boundaries of public art are still being explored and expanded

Immersion [18] is the key of VR. Immersion is no longer like a traditional computer interface, VR interaction has the same way of interacting with nature in the real environment, fully immersed in the virtual environment created by the computer.

Interaction can manipulate objects in the virtual environment through the use of interactive devices to change the virtual world. Its VR system is different from the characteristics of traditional three-dimensional animation.

Imagination. VR is not just an interface between users and terminals, users can use the VR system to improve their perceptual and rational understanding from the qualitative and quantitative integrated virtual environment, thereby generating new ideas and uses.

(2) The development process of VR

In 1962, I. Sutherland, a doctoral student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, participated in a conference initiated by senior researchers in computer graphics. He presented Sketchpad [19] software with the idea of ​​interactive computer graphics that opened up a new field of development to the world. He not only pioneered the new field of computer-aided design (CAD). The majority of technicians finally abandoned pencils and drawing tools and realized a key aspect of VR—interactive drawing. In 1965, Ivan Sutherland first proposed the basic idea of ​​VR system including interactive graphic display force feedback device and sound prompt in a paper. It is The Ultimate Display [20]. He pointed out that the virtual world composed of computers should make people "look real and feel real". Since then, people have officially started the research and exploration process of VR system.

In 1966, MIT's Lincoln Laboratory officially started the development of helmet-mounted displays. In 1970, the first fully functional HMD system appeared. In 1984, NASA Ames built the first stereo helmet. Jaron Lanier[21], the founder of VP Research in the United States, proposed Virtual Reality.

In the 1990s, with the continuous improvement of computer hardware technology and the development of computer software systems, real-time animation production of sounds and images based on large data sets became possible. The continuous innovation and improvement of human-computer interaction systems and the continuous entry of practical input/output devices into the market have laid a good foundation for the development of VR systems.

CAVE [22] was established by the University of Chicago, which is a three-dimensional spatial image projection system with three projection screens. In November 1993, astronauts used the VR system to successfully remove a new telescope panel from the shuttle's transport module. The design of Boeing 777 [23,24] using VR is a scientific research achievement that has attracted the attention of the scientific and technological circles in recent years. Michael Naimark [25] used panoramic photography to complete a large-scale cultural heritage panorama

The first is desktop-level VR. Desktop-level VR is the use of personal computers or low-level workstations to achieve virtual simulation. The computer screen serves as a window for participants to observe the virtual world, and various peripheral devices are used to navigate the virtual environment and to manipulate various virtual objects in the virtual scene. Since this kind of VR is not supported by expensive hardware and software, the investment is not very high, and it has been widely used at present.

The second is the projection VR system. Using single or multiple projection displays to form a stereoscopic virtual environment on a large screen, it can provide a high degree of immersion for many people.

The third is CAVE system. Also known as a cavernous stereoscopic display system, it is a cubic space in which one facet is used for entry and exit and ventilation, and the remaining five facets work together to produce a stereoscopic image. A three-dimensional virtual environment is formed in the entire cube space, which can realize the full immersion of many people. The whole system equipment is expensive and the technical content is very high.

The fourth is distributed VR systems. This is based on the immersive VR system to connect different users together and share a virtual space, so that users can work together to a higher level. The foundation of distributed VR is Distributed Interaction Simulation (DIS)

Application of VR ：

The characteristics of VR are its interactivity, sensibility, imagination, etc. Combining these characteristics, the user will be able to fully integrate into the interactive 3D environment simulated by the computer, communicate and interact with the user, and through the simulated interaction between the user and the 3D environment, according to the user's perception of the virtual environment, the designer can effectively inspire the user's thinking and understand the user's needs for product design and training.

In modern public art design, VR's immersive sense of immersion and human-computer interaction are its prominent features, and at the same time, this also meets the relevant needs of modern art design and training. By applying VR to the modern art design and training, the design and training teachers can run the VR system with the help of the training computer. The things in the three-dimensional environment are objective objects, and they can also constitute imaginary situations that do not exist. For example, during product design, when the user informs the designer and trainer of their own ideas and opinions, the designer and trainer can try to create related products with the help of VR, which has the characteristics of being more visual and intuitive. Design and training can also provide better virtual model performances with the help of VR. In general, with the popularization of VR equipment and facilities, the innovative development of technology, the improvement of various functions and the development of supporting applications, modern art design training can be presented in more diverse forms.

(1) Enhance the expressive power of public art.

Social publicity is the most fundamental attribute of public art, which determines that public participation is the most basic manifestation of the role of public art in social public space. It is open and shared to the public, and the public can fully immerse and experience in public art. It is precisely because of this social publicity that public works of art require public interaction and feedback.

(2) Increase the interaction between public art works and the public

There are four specific types of interaction methods: motion capture, tactile feedback, eye tracking, and gesture tracking. Through these interaction methods, VR technology can bring the public a sense of immersion, and when applied to public art design, the public can better appreciate it. Art, understanding art, is also more conducive to the public's feedback on art works, and facilitates the communication between artists and the public.

(3) It is convenient for public art creators to adjust their works

The convenience impact of VR technology on public art is reflected in two levels: one is the positive impact on public art creators, and the other is the improvement of public experience. With the support of VR, public art creators have access to new forms of creation. Feedback and adjust your own artwork, and make the creation meet the actual needs of the public.

(4) Facilitate the public to experience public art

With the support of VR, the public can get rid of the constraints of time and space in the process of experiencing public art. The public can experience it at any time by wearing VR technology equipment. The public art space display space is not only a traditional art block or exhibition hall. The public can enter the public art at home. The time-saving and labor-saving experience method allows the public to spend more Spend more time in the appreciation of public art. At the same time, the public can experience in a relatively private environment, without worrying about the unsafe factors of the surrounding environment, and the psychological investment and thinking level will also be higher than the traditional public art perception method.

Public art works are usually displayed in public spaces such as art galleries, commercial blocks, subways, etc., and the display method is usually placed directly, waiting for the public to watch. Such unidirectional dissemination cannot form a close relationship between works and viewers, artists and viewers, and it is difficult to effectively transmit the ideas of works to viewers, resulting in greatly limited functions of public art works. The intervention of VR technology has made the visual breakthrough of public art works, and provided a new choice for the display of public art works.

VR technology can restore ancient buildings. Ancient buildings are public art buildings of great historical significance. As carriers of history and culture, they contain rich historical and cultural information and are artistic treasures of human civilization. Chinese ancient buildings are damaged to varying degrees due to force majeure such as man-made destruction, time, and natural corrosion in history. It is also difficult to repair ancient buildings in the traditional sense. The reason is that the details of traditional repairing techniques of ancient buildings are lost, and the original appearance of ancient buildings cannot be restored. Repairing with modern technology will damage the historical value of ancient buildings.

Compared with the traditional concept of public art display, the biggest advantage and uniqueness of VR technology applied to public art display is interactivity. VR technology intervenes in public art display, and on the basis of giving the public visual enjoyment, it can mobilize the participation and overall feeling of all other senses. For example [26], Marina Abramović’s first VR technology work Rising in 2017, let the audience wear VR technology equipment to enter the artist’s virtual private space, and witness the process of seawater rising from Marina Abramović’s waist until submerge. For every promise made by the audience to reduce carbon emissions, the water level in the glass tank drops by one point, and in turn, the water level continues to rise until this virtual Marina Abramović drowns. The work aims to warn the public about the phenomenon of global warming. Marina Abramović said that VR technology can use technology to inspire compassion in human nature, thereby guiding people to think carefully about the important issue of global climate change.

Rising has a huge impact on people's hearts by allowing viewers to experience the suffering of others with empathy. The performance art that can be done with the human body is very limited, and the artist is even in danger of dying in the performance. But with VR, artists have no limit to what they can imagine.

The most prominent feature of virtual technology application is that it breaks the space limitations of two-dimensional graphic design, and it does not need to worry about the problems of product model display during design. There is no need to discard a large amount of design information due to the limitation of transmission volume. From a theoretical point of view, any type of artistic design can be fully displayed in a virtual multi-dimensional environment.

At present, virtual technology has been applied to many fields, and its development trend shows the following characteristics, namely, high-resolution image reality, low-cost VR equipment and facilities, and powerful processing and analysis capabilities. These are the core of the development of virtual technology. During the application of virtual technology in the future, if virtual technology cannot make breakthroughs and improvements in these areas, it may be difficult to play its value and role in modern art design. At the same time, from the perspective of the specific application of VR, it is a basis for promoting the innovation of modern art design modes and methods, which redefines the work of art designers.

Considering the current development status of VR, although this technology has achieved some achievements in theoretical research and practical application, and has attracted more and more people's attention, its technical maturity is not enough, especially in the design and training of modern art. Due to the influence of personal experience and other factors, the effect of VR in modern art design is not ideal.

In modern art design, different users have different needs and feelings for products. Therefore, when applying VR, we should not only pay attention to the application and expression of technology, but also pay attention to the emotional expression of users. Capture more emotional expressions of users during VR, and integrate them into product design and training, so that product design bursts with new vitality.

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As an emerging technology, VR will be applied to various fields of human development under the background of 5G network. Public art design requires the intervention of VR. In the practical application of VR technology, VR provides artists with a more creative and imaginative creation platform, gets rid of physical constraints such as space and materials, and also brings new visual breakthroughs to the public. In the process of creation, artists also need to think about how to realize the communication between people and improve the communication and interaction between the public

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