Section 1

Introduction to Digital Media & Virtual Reality

Section I is an introduction of the origin and the evolution of the digital media, Virtual Reality. Its an illustrative synthesis of what the new media consists of, what virtual reality implies, its evolutive process, specializations, the terms of strength and support that makes virtual reality, at the moment, into what it has been converted. This introductory part will serve to enter into contact with the cyber world the Digital reality its evolutive process, what has been achieved in this sector. Likewise we will take up what stereoscopy consists of, how this phenomenon works as well as the hologram of what it consists and how it is acheived.

Section 1 is divided into six segments

I. The origin of the computer, Digital Media, animation,simulation
II. Origin and development of Virtual Reality&Interactivity
III. What about Robotic+VR+Interactivity ?
IV. What is a Hologram
V.What about Stereoscopy ??
VI. Some inputs about Telepresence , Cyberspace, networking

Glossary of Virtual Reality Terminology

For every segment corresponding to this section a video presentation will be made so as to permit the visualization of images as explained in the theoritical aspect.which will demonstrate in a more illustrative and detailed way, enlightning in sofar as its historic process, discoveries, news, definition and evolution of the virtual and cyber worlds.

The video screening of the section I is a selection of work by different institutions,universities, labs, events, authors,producers, Interactive Science Centers, museums for digital arts, labs, artists and designers, digital production houses,scientists and cultural entities, from Europe and around the world.

Section I will also be, in turn, the introductory part of the exhibit Virtuality and Interactivity. The design of the exhibit carried out in the form of an interactive circuit...the introduction sections are in themselves part of the exhibit.

At the end of these spaces there are two ways to go:
1.To see the videos of each section and to keep on going to the specific section dedicated to the spaces they just saw.
2.enter into each of the main Sections of the Exhibit Virtuality and Interactivity.

• What is the origin of the term "avatar" your alter ego in the Virtual world?
  
• What is the cyber world?
  
• From where the interactive origin came?
  
• Is "navigation " a cyber term?
  
• Where on the earth was the first robot born?
  
• What is the origin of the digital?
  
• From where so much digital strength originates?
  
• Who conceived the idea for the first time?
  
• Why and who gave it such a dynamic force?

The word "cyber", apparently referring to the science of cybernetics, was well-chosen for this purpose, as it is derived from the Greek verb "Kubernao", which means "to steer" and which is the root of our present word "to govern".

Within the context of digital media, the concept of interactivity signifies mutual communication between sender and receipient - the "author" can become the "user" and the "user" can become the "author" and or navigate for example .

Navigation?? The term "navigation" signiifies the definition of and adherence to a course and is derived form the latin "navigare" which can be translated as steering, sailing or travelling. The same symbols are used on the internet and in real space - through virtual navigation involves the "re-configuring" - i.e. production - of a time process. Etymological dictionaries define the term expedition as a voyage of research.

If for example we were to ask where the term Robot came form we will be surprised to learn that: the term first used by the theatral author Karel Capek, Kapek has been postulated several times for the nobel prize award.. as writer and theatral author. In his work, (Rossum's Universal Robots) which opened in Prague in January of 1921. The theme was the dehumanizaion of man in the technological civilization. In that work the robots were created by means of a chemical process. So we can deduce that the first "robot" on earth appeared in a theatrical piece???

It was in fact Asimov who utilized for the first time in history the term "robotics" Asimov was born 1920 and was a Russian American writer... or do you think that the term interactivity is from the cyber world...in reality no... the prefix "inter" means between or "in the middle of" activity signifies active behaviour and was borrowed from the latin word "agere" in the 17th century.

It is interesting to understand the root and the origin of some of the terms and inventions and be plesantly surprised to find out none of these fields exclusively belong to the speciality... as we can see avatar for example is a sanskrit term adapted to define "the appearance of" which in reality means visible manifestation of abstract concept. The "virtual world" terminology literally means a twentieth century virtual show.

This could be easily understood by the analogy of a seed and its product. The seed as a manifest reality exist, it is sown and from somewhere it knowns what type of shrub it should produce, hence type of flower and eventually fruit. What happens during the intervals of each manifestation?. It is only natural to apply this same rationale to the field of artistical and technological development where one thing leads to another and at certain intervals there would appear spontaenous occurences which will serve as a bright and guiding light to human kind from whence he takes new impetus for moving ever forward in an evolutive world.

If we could insert ourselves into this understanding and realize that there could be no jumps or skips in keeping abrest with the evolutive process...whether it be technology, art, science, culture, daily life, whatsoever the activity, we would arrive to the conclusion that time, as a chain of events, should not be broken nor should it be wasted for eventually we pay the consequences...This is the dynamic of history. History in fact is produced by this evolutive process.

It is one of my objectives, in the Section 1, to bring to the awareness of the common man as well as the professional and all not connected with the magic of the new technology of virtual reality, robotics, the cyber world: how they are born, how they develop and how they are intrinsically integrated to our present life, whether we are aware of it or not, and how we can utilize these innovations in whatever our own endeavours consist of as a powerful media which is changing the history of human kind , changing the evolutive process in the arts, science, culture, industry and above all changes drastically the way of approach.. which approach... well any "approach".

F.F.