VR and the Perception of the Space: A Sensorial Labyrinth Inspired by Giambattista Piranesi’s Carceri D’Invenzione

Abstract

The Virtual Reality project called Piranesi “beyond the real” aims to help the understanding of the series of etchings Carceri d’invenzione (Prisons of invention) by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, exhibited in the Museum of Representation of DICAR (University of Catania), participating in the strategies of co-creation of cultural content implemented by the museum. The research begins with a careful investigation of the etchings, which reveals immense spaces where bridges, towers, and stairs seem to follow each other endlessly. The only things in between are wooden beams, ropes or instruments of torture, used by surreal giant men in the foreground or “human ants” in the distance. The spaces that inspire this project are intended as the dream of a young man because of the fever or the genius of his black mind. The virtual labyrinth is a journey designed from the sensations of the Prisons, an immersive experience in completely new environments. Anxiety, disorientation, and illusion are the focus, the goal is the awareness of them. Two levels, two different perceptions of space: the first is an immense and dark underground labyrinth, which sinks vertically towards infinity with flights of stairs, high walls, suspended or recessed platforms; the second is an open space, which extends towards the horizontal infinity, extremely bright. it is a conceptual labyrinth, which can be crossed in many ways, with endless exits, and an end. That is the place where the visitor can complete the ascent being aware of the places he crossed. The study of spatiality was also conducted through the aid of a 1:200 scale physical model, which allowed us to verify the project hypotheses.