[The Toronto Star reports on how large-scale projection-mapped images and accompanying soundtracks are providing popular immersive entertainment experiences and challenging the definition of art. As one of the experts who hope the sector will turn to original, contemporary and even narrative-based source material says, “They’re barely touching on what this technology can do right now — the level of illusion and how it can create this sense of presence.” See the original story for a second image. –Matthew]

Disney signs deal with Toronto’s Lighthouse Immersive to develop new projection art experience

Projection-driven immersive exhibitions are revolutionizing the arts world and changing the way we engage and consume art

By Joshua Chong
October 6, 2022

Lighthouse Immersive announced Thursday that it has struck a major deal with Walt Disney Animation Studios, which has granted the Canadian company access to its entire canon of films from “Steamboat Willy” to “Encanto” and everything in between.… read more. “Disney deal latest sign that projection-driven immersive exhibitions are revolutionizing how we engage with art”

[The TV Guide review below of a new Amazon Prime Video series based on William Gibson’s novel The Peripheral and brought to the screen by the producers of HBO’s Westworld avoids major spoilers and makes clear that the series portrays, and addresses issues related to, advanced forms of presence. Not all the reviews are as positive (see The Hollywood Reporter and especially The Verge, but the program’s IMDb entry at this writing has an 8.3/10 rating). For more information and insights about the series see Wired’s interview with the producers. GeekWire’s coverage notes that series creator/producer/writer Scott B. Smith discusses “how his team created the screen version of ‘The Peripheral’ — and how Gibson’s world of the future squares with the challenges of the present — in the latest episode of Fiction Science, a podcast that focuses on the intersection of science and technology with fiction and popular culture.”… read more. “New TV series based on William Gibson’s The Peripheral imagines a dark and plausible future”

[Initial evidence that the presence evoked by singing in virtual reality may have positive effects on health and wellbeing is discussed in this story from the University of York. In addition to the links within it, see a 15:49 minute talk by Professor Helena Daffern on YouTube. –Matthew

Could virtual reality singing have mental health benefits?

October 20, 2022

Researchers have created a virtual reality choir to understand whether virtual singing could have the same health and wellbeing benefits as group singing in real life.

The team test the virtual reality singing experience in care homes.

When in-person group singing activities were halted during Covid-19 people tried different ways of keeping their choir activities alive, such as ‘zoom choirs’. Researchers at the University of York surveyed over 3000 members of choirs in the UK after the first lockdown to understand what was missing from their usual choir experience.… read more. “Could virtual reality singing have mental health benefits?”

[The short story below from ABC27 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and the press release from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections that follows describe an innovative use of presence-evoking virtual reality. –Matthew]

[Image: Source: FOX 56]

Virtual reality brings incarcerated Pa. parents closer to their kids

By: Bryan Munoz
Posted: October 17, 2022 / Updated: October 18, 2022

(WHTM) — The Department of Corrections is teaming up with Pittsburgh nonprofit Amachi for a one-a-kind initiative.

“It’s an incredible opportunity for kids and parents to reconnect especially after a long period of no visitation,” said Anna Hollis, executive director for Amachi.

It involves using an immersive, 360-degree virtual reality experience from Wrap Technologies, offering multiple scenarios — everything from hiking together to taking a trip into space.

“They only see each other when they are not wearing a headset. We begin the visit with the child and parent connecting, talking, catching up, then they decide what adventure they want to take on together,” Hollis said.… read more. “Virtual reality brings incarcerated Pennsylvania parents closer to their kids”

[This Motherboard story doesn’t use the term and isn’t about any traditional type of presence, but it describes a presence phenomenon in which humans overlook the key role of artificial intelligence technology in their mediated experience. See the original version for a Twitter post and link to an extended conversation, and Futurism’s March 2020 story “This Grad Student Used a Neural Network to Write His Papers.”  –Matthew]

Students Are Using AI to Write Their Papers, Because Of Course They Are

Essays written by AI language tools like OpenAI’s Playground are often hard to tell apart from text written by humans.

By Claire Woodcock
October 14, 2022

innovate_rye’s professors know them as a first-year biochemistry major, and an “A” student. What their professors don’t know about them is that they’re using a powerful AI language model to finish most homework assignments.… read more. “Students are using AI to write papers without detection by instructors or plagiarism detectors”