Virtual Hallucinations: Projects in VJing, virtual reality and cyberculture

Abstract

This paper discusses a variety of the author's artistic projects exploring altered states of consciousness and computer art. First, the paper will provide a brief overview of previous creative works, which include compositions of electroacoustic music, interactive visualisations, and visual music films. These previous works use the concept of altered states of consciousness as a compositional principle, as explored in the author's book Inner Sound: Altered States of Consciousness in Electronic Music and AudioVisual Media (OUP 2018). Following this, a variety of the author's recent creative work produced from 2016-2019 will be discussed. These works include: a series of paintings that incorporate computer graphics animations when viewed in augmented reality; VJ performances constructed using direct animation on 8mm film, computer graphics animations generated from code and audio-reactive effects; and Cyberdream VR, a virtual reality experience. These interrelated projects continue to develop the author's artistic investigations into altered states, while also referencing work such as demo scene videos; cyberdelic imagery of the type seen on fliers from the 1990s rave-era; and the recent Internet-borne subculture vaporwave, which recontextualises the aesthetics of 1980s and 1990s ambient corporate music and utopian computer graphics to construct surrealistic dystopias. Altered states of consciousness. Augmented reality. Cyberculture. Rave culture. Vaporwave. Virtual reality. VJing.