BACK ON THE CYBERSTAGE

Toronto’s Vincent John Vincent is world renowned for being the first and foremost Virtual Reality Performer. He has performed around the world to rave reviews applauding his dynamic, revolutionary use of technology as well as his powerful artistic integration. Vincent embraces multimedia, recreating his dreamscapes into computer realities, then stepping into them with his whole body using the Mandala Virtual Reality System he helped co-create in 1986. Vincent, a poet, songwriter, dancer, juggler, actor, and musician combines these talents into the virtual world. He is also the co-founder of Vivid Group, and has been one of the world leaders in the Virtual Reality field for over a decade.

For the past eight months, Vincent has been recovering from a shattered wrist injury and has been unable to perform. During this time he has been using the Mandala VR System to help himself in physical recovery and now back in form, he will be performing at the SATIR ’96 conference next week.

SATIR ’96 (3rd Biennial Avanta conference) - THE POWER TO CREATE CHANGE is taking place in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The conference focuses on a variety of topics from the creative possibilities of computers to the connection between inner and outer space. Vincent John Vincent will be performing in Virtual Reality, together with the band 20th Century Kid. VJV will take the audience on an audio-visual adventure through time and space in a performance entitled "Visions from the Virtual Dawn". This awe-inspiring, cutting edge event takes place at Humanities Theatre, University of Waterloo 8:00 p.m., August 7th. VJV will also be speaking, his subject being the endless possibilities of virtual reality in relation to the dynamic of man/machine interfacing.

During a performance, the audience sees VJV and 20th Century Kid on the stage combining "cyber" and traditional instruments. VJV steps in front of a video camera and monitor setup. He sees his live image placed inside of the interactive, real time computer animation and video worlds of the Mandala VR System. The audience watches a larger screen above the stage, showing VJV in the virtual world. Without touching anything in the "real" world, VJV can interact and play with objects that surround his video image. This is possible because of the System’s ability to track his movements in real time at all times, and recognize his interaction with the animation through Vivid Group’s patented gesture recognition technology. This could be as simple as picking up an animated 3-D ball and rolling it around his body, and as complex as jamming lead riffs on an animated electric guitar, or a drum solo on a virtual drum kit. It’s an interactive music video playground that is breathtaking to watch! Vincent takes the concept of performance and shows us an environment where anything is possible.

Vincent has performed solo around the world, as well as performing with a variety of different musicians. Occasionally the live musicians and other performers who interact with him in the virtual world are not actually in the same city in which he is performing, and are brought together live in cyberspace through various technologies. Vincent first used video conferencing technology to bring people from other cities into his live performances so that they could play the virtual instruments, jamming together in real time. Vincent’s live performances have also been captured as "stills", and simultaneously sent out with sound onto the world wide web. VJV and 20th Century Kid are now working on sending live audio/video feeds of their performances in virtual reality into cyberspace on the web.

For information and picture files, check out Vincent’s newly created homepage com/frames/20thce~1.htm

For information, slides and video on Vincent John Vincent and the Mandala System, call gOgO at (416) 340-9290 ext. 225 fax: (416) 348-9809 e-mail gogo@vividgroup.com

Vivid Group 317 Adelaide St. W. #302 Toronto, Ontario Canada M5V 1P9