Sculpting Avatars

Zuk and Meta have no imagination when it comes to the possibilities for representing ourselves in virtual reality spaces! In this workshop we’ll be creating our own virtual digital avatars, by sculpting them out of plasticine. Feel free to get adventurous with your deisgn, and we’ll 3D scan them, rig them with a skeleton, and let you pilot them in VR in front of a virtual mirror.

For ages 16+

Virtual reality co-presence has been touted as the future of human interaction, and the way we are represented within them is extremely important. So far, Meta’s approach to avatar creation has proven totally unimaginative, trying to create banal copies of ourselves with no capacity for all the amazing potential the virtual canvas could offer. This workshop lets you explore a very different, novel creative method, free from the constraints of conventional avatar design. Participants can play with the tangible artistry of sculpting plasticine figures, which will be scanned into 3D using an iPhone/Android photogrammetry app. The host will walk you through the process to automatically rig the sculpture with a digital skeleton, allowing it to be easily animated. Participants will then be invited to ‘puppet’ their avatars in virtual reality, using the headset and controllers to track their bodies and show themselves as their sculpted creations.

Accessibility

MAP mima is located in Speers Point Park, off Park Street, on the edge of Lake Macquarie. MAP mima is accessible by ramp with accessible toilets. MAP can be reached easily from the lake foreshore cycleway, the water, or by public transport. There is plenty of parking for cars, and buses with accessible spaces available, onsite and in the surrounding parklands.