| While the technological age has made Virtual Reality a popular buzz-word, its philosophical antecedents can be traced back at least as far as Plato. This study begins in an examination of the definitions of Virtual Reality, representation, interactivity, immersion and cyberspace. In doing so the discussion follows a trajectory from Plato, Aristotle, Horace, Rousseau, and Castelvetro to the military-industrial complex and the internet.; In arguing that theatre is one of the original Virtual Realities, I discuss specific works by Lope de Vega, Calderon de la Barca, and Luigi Pirandello, in that these plays, via the illusion of theatre are dealing with themes of illusion in art and life. I also look at how playwrights like Elmer Rice and Karel Capek have dealt with technology as a thematic concern in dramatic writings. Expanding these arguments to film I examine three Orientalist versions of Gunga Din (including Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom , and Sergeants 3) and argue that film as a Virtual Reality is a powerful means of (mis)representation in creating racist and colonialist (mis)understandings of subordinate groups (Indians in this case). I also look at The Lawnmower Man and The Truman Show to understand how Hollywood has dealt with themes of Virtual Reality and interactivity in the technological era.; In light of new computer technologies I visit the works of theatrical masters like Craig, Appia, Grotowski, Brecht and Svoboda to examine how current theatrical production practices can be enhanced and invigorated. I closely examine the work being done by Claudio Pinhanez and the Theatre Department at the University of Kansas where computers are being used not only in the design area but also in the performative aspects of theatre.; The study concludes with a discussion about creating new critical discourses around the issues raised by these new computer technologies. Virtual Reality as a philosophical, technological and aesthetic construct has always carried with it parallel and intersecting dialectics based in ethics, values and social impact. As these technologies begin to permeate almost every aspect of human interaction, the need for a critical theory around the area of art, technology and culture becomes desperately imperative. |
