Psycho-social Happenings in Mediated Environments

Abstract

One of the virtues of our changing times is that new media has challenged us to rethink and re-examine our basic presumptions about reality and the reality that is virtually perceived. From the perspective of an elec - tronic-media artist, I present a body of work (CASE STUDIES) of performative-like installations comprised of 3-D structures integrating video imagery with the reality of the physical, psychological, virtual, and social worlds. These structures are instigators for enticing “social happenings” whereby participants and viewers become subjects from an observational perspective, providing a simulated clinical “case study.” Raising issues of belief and perceptions of trust in the constructs of mediated environments, the demarcation between virtual risk and real risk (virtual reality and reality) breaks down.