Dene Grigar : 5 Aspects of XR
Presentation by Dene Grigar. Discussion moderated by Fabien Bénétou.
Abstract
Since the introduction of the term “virtual reality,” coined by Jaron Lanier in 1987, theorists and creators have articulated ways to understand it, from practical perspectives relating to user interaction and design, to personal shamanic journeys and drug hallucinations, to Lanier’s own idea of using it to “externalize” one’s memory. This presentation builds on these ideas by offering observations, organized into a cohesive structure––that is, laws, which have developed out of a range of virtual experiences over the last 30 years, including dwelling in and developing MOOs; building holodeck experiences with sensor-based technologies; developing XR projects for museums and libraries; co-leading the Future of Text in XR project; and finally conceptualizing the visualization of physical historical artifacts for The NEXT.
With improvements to high-speed networks; XR technologies, such as headsets, controller-less interaction, voice activation, and spatial persona; computer graphical software; and AI, it is useful to revisit what has been articulated as the overarching properties of Virtual Reality, particularly now as it is increasingly used for educational, entertainment, and business applications.
Dene Grigar, Frode Hegland, Fabien Bénétou, Brandel Zachernuk, Rob Swigart, Jonathan Finn, Peter Wasilko, Mark Anderson, Karl Hebenstreit, Karl Arthur Smink, Tom Haymes, Marnie, Kailani Young, JJ Moorhead
AI: Summary
The meeting focused on Dene Grigar’s presentation about “Five Aspects of XR,” exploring Extended Reality through the lens of philosophical branches of metaphysics: ontology, teleology, epistemology, morality, and aesthetics. Grigar traced the historical progression from early concepts of “cyberspace” in the 1990s through various theoretical frameworks, including Michael Benedict’s “Cyberspace: First Steps” (1993), Curtis Hickman’s “52 Laws of Hyper Reality,” Michael Heim’s “Metaphysics of Virtual Reality” (1993), and Janet Murray’s work on narrative in cyberspace. The presentation included demonstrations of VR projects, discussions about the differences between digital and virtual objects, how XR can transcend physical laws, knowledge acquisition in virtual spaces, ethical considerations in XR experiences, and the aesthetic potential of XR to create synesthetic experiences. Participants engaged throughout the presentation, sharing insights about the metaphorical nature of virtual spaces, considerations for XR design, and ethical implications of virtual interactions.
AI: Speaker Summary
Dene Grigar presented on “Five Aspects of XR,” organizing her thoughts through the five branches of metaphysics. Drawing from 30 years of experience in digital environments, she explored:
1) Ontology – discussing how all virtual objects are digital but not all digital objects are virtual;
2) Teleology – examining how virtual worlds can re-envision physical reality without following physical laws;
3) Epistemology – asserting that knowledge acquisition isn’t limited to physical objects;
4) Morality – cautioning that XR experiences can impact users’ well-being; and
5) Aesthetics – highlighting how VR can transform human perception through experiences like synesthesia.
She shared examples from her work including a beach ball visualization for a virtual museum, and “Virtual DJ,” where users could “touch” light and sound. Grigar emphasized the transformative potential of XR while acknowledging ethical challenges.
Frode Hegland emphasized the distinction between “what it is and what you are in it” regarding virtual environments, connecting with Rob Swigart’s mention of liquid information. He suggested that becoming “liquid in your information” environment is a key aspect of VR experiences. Hegland noted the importance of understanding how mixed realities combine various valuable attributes and the necessity of considering them all. He also brought up important ethical considerations about human experiences in virtual environments, noting differences in how people react to depictions of violence versus intimate situations in virtual spaces, and emphasized that we must not “lose or pretend to lose who we are” as we move further into VR.
Fabien Bénétou discussed how our understanding of physical affordances should inform VR design decisions, suggesting that familiar behaviors should be maintained unless there’s a good reason to change them. He brought up philosopher Thomas Metzinger’s work on virtual beings and the potential ethical implications of creating artificial consciousness. Bénétou emphasized the need for moderation tools in social VR environments and questioned how to implement such tools in non-Euclidean spaces where traditional physical rules might not apply. While acknowledging the challenges, he expressed that pursuing these questions was worthwhile.
Brandel Zachernuk discussed how people attribute human characteristics to simple shapes in animation (referencing the 1944 Heider and Simmel animation), showing how easily we anthropomorphize virtual entities. He noted that the web generally lacks co-presence compared to MUDs or VR environments, which changes the nature of potential harms. Zachernuk also brought up the challenge of representing VR experiences in 2D media, explaining that developers must exaggerate certain aspects to convey the experience effectively. He raised questions about the “mundane ubiquity” of computer use and how bringing our bureaucratic systems into spatial computing raises important questions about vulnerability and representation.
Rob Swigart proposed viewing text through different “phase shifts” – from solid (tablets) to liquid (editable on computers) to gaseous (in cyberspace), with VR possibly representing a “plasma” phase. This metaphor suggests that each shift adds a dimension to text’s possibilities. Swigart also noted how video editing adds another dimension to the documentation of VR experiences, creating a different aesthetic layer that affects how we perceive the experience.
Jonathan Finn observed that desktop computing environments are themselves a form of virtual reality, using metaphors like trash bins and desks to create a logical virtual space. He discussed how software design often requires temporary suspension of rules during construction (like physics in VR or constraints in programming), and inquired about scenarios where turning physical laws on and off in VR environments might be beneficial.
Peter Wasilko shared valuable resources related to ontology and referenced Benedict’s concept of dimensions as active spaces where points could represent data queries. He suggested implementing “Dark Energy” as a repulsive force to maintain personal space between avatars in virtual environments. Wasilko also mentioned “Chat Circles” as an interesting UI based on distance to speakers in 2D virtual worlds, showing his interest in spatial interaction design.
Mark Anderson highlighted the relationship between creation mode and usage mode in virtual environments, referencing Rob’s comment about text evolving from liquid to vaporous forms. He suggested that we might not fully understand where the boundaries between reality and virtuality truly lie, in part because we transfer metaphors between media. Anderson also connected Jonathan’s point about real/unreal mode switching to Joyce’s concept of “Constructive vs. Exploratory” roles in hypertext.
Karl Hebenstreit shared his experience attending a conference where a presenter’s avatar appeared in Second Life, noting how disconcerting it was to later find himself sitting on the same virtual couch where her avatar had been. This anecdote highlighted the psychological impact virtual experiences can have, even when users are fully aware of the virtualized nature of the interaction.
Karl Arthur Smink provided practical insights about VR development, noting that moderation is “an ever-evolving, reactionary problem” in any online social space. He discussed cultural differences in personal space perception and argued that anything attempting to mimic something else without proper affordances will be labeled a gimmick. Smink also mentioned having written code for haptic gloves in VR that responded to both collisions and certain sounds, demonstrating his technical experience with sensory feedback in VR.
Tom Haymes cautioned against “McLuhanesque mistakes” where metaphors are recreated in environments where they don’t work well, citing an example of a failed virtual conference platform. He suggested considering how different environments (in-person, informal, virtual synchronous, and presentational) work fundamentally differently and questioned whether we still need desktop metaphors decades after Xerox PARC. Haymes proposed that abstraction might increase accessibility in virtual environments, using Minecraft as an example.
Marnie expressed enthusiasm about the presentation, particularly appreciating the demonstrations of virtual experiences and concepts related to synesthesia in VR environments.
AI: Topics Discussed
WebXR was discussed as the platform being used for the virtual museum project that Dene Grigar presented. She mentioned that her team is creating a virtual museum environment using WebXR, where they’ve converted physical artifacts (like Richard Holton’s beach ball) into 3D models that can be manipulated in a browser-based environment and also experienced in VR. Andrew Thompson was identified as the programmer working on this WebXR project. Brandel Zachernuk made a technical suggestion about the lighting in the WebXR environment, recommending the use of environment maps instead of directional lights for better performance and more convincing results, even sharing a CodePen template illustrating this approach.
Gestures were discussed in the context of interaction in virtual environments. Dene Grigar demonstrated how hand tracking allowed for interaction with virtual objects in her projects. In one video shown, she exhibited a Virtual DJ project where she used hand gestures with a tracker to create multimedia experiences, describing how she could “touch” light and sound through gestures. Fabien Bénétou also shared a demo video showing text manipulation in VR using finger gestures, where users could move text elements around and interact with UI elements through hand movements. The discussion touched on how gesture-based interactions in VR can create novel sensory experiences, particularly in relation to synesthesia where one sense is experienced through another.
Historical development of virtual reality concepts was extensively discussed, from early “cyberspace” terminology in the pre-web era to modern XR. Dene traced theoretical frameworks from Benedict’s 1993 work through to modern VR philosophy.
The philosophical dimensions of XR were analyzed through the five branches of metaphysics: ontology (nature of virtuality), teleology (purpose), epistemology (knowledge acquisition), morality (ethical implications), and aesthetics (beauty and perception).
The differences between digital and virtual objects were examined, with Dene asserting that while all virtual objects are digital, not all digital objects are virtual – requiring specific rendering for VR experiences.
Ethics in virtual environments was a significant topic, with particular attention to the potential for harm in social VR spaces, including the infamous 1993 “Rape in Cyberspace” incident at LambdaMOO.
Physical laws in virtual spaces were discussed, with participants considering when and why designers might want to maintain or break physical constraints in VR.
Synesthesia as an aesthetic experience in VR was highlighted, particularly how it allows users to experience senses in novel ways, such as “touching” light or sound.
Metaphors in interface design were debated, questioning how transitional metaphors like “desktops” might limit or enhance experiences in virtual environments.
AI: Concepts Introduced
Ontology (by Dene Grigar): The nature of virtuality. Grigar defined this as examining “what something is” and proposed that “all virtual objects are digital, but not all digital objects are virtual.” She explained that virtual reality is formed from digital technologies but requires specific rendering for three-dimensional experiences.
Teleology (by Dene Grigar): The purpose of virtual reality. Grigar defined this as the potential to “re-envision the physical world in new ways,” noting that virtual environments don’t need to follow physical laws like Newton’s laws of motion or universal gravitation.
Epistemology (by Dene Grigar): Knowledge in virtual space. Grigar defined this as recognizing that “knowledge acquisition is not limited to experiences with physical objects and physical space,” explaining that VR can provide understanding through enhanced sensory capabilities and embedding abstract information directly into scenes.
Morality (by Dene Grigar): The ethical principles of virtual reality. Grigar defined this as acknowledging that “XR experiences we create have the potential of impacting the well-being of others,” discussing how virtual interactions can have real emotional impacts despite occurring in digital environments.
Aesthetics (by Dene Grigar): Beauty and perception in virtual reality. Grigar defined this as recognizing “virtual reality’s power to transform human perception,” focusing particularly on synesthesia as a way VR can allow users to experience senses in new ways, such as “holding light” or “touching sound.”
Phase shifts of text (by Rob Swigart): A metaphor for text evolution where text started as “solid” (on tablets), became “liquid” (editable on computers), and in cyberspace becomes “gaseous” (like speech), with VR possibly representing a “plasma” state, each shift adding a dimension.
Synesthesia (by Dene Grigar): Defined as “the confusion or conflation of the senses where one sense is experienced or described in terms of another,” which VR can facilitate by allowing users to have cross-sensory experiences like holding light or touching sound.
Hyper Reality (by Dene Grigar, referencing Curtis Hickman): Defined as a “multisensory, free-roam virtual reality space” that takes people to “alternate realms beyond their own.”
Cyberspace (by Dene Grigar, referencing Michael Benedict): Defined as “globally networked computer-sustained, computer-accessed, computer-generated, multidimensional, artificial or virtual reality.”
AI: People Mentioned
Michael Benedict, mentioned by Dene Grigar as the author of “Cyberspace First Steps” (1993), which she described as a “Bible” for her thinking about cyberspace/VR.
Curtis Hickman, mentioned by Dene Grigar as the author of “52 Laws of Hyper Reality” in his self-published book “Hyper Reality: The Art of Designing Impossible Experiences.”
Michael Heim, mentioned by Dene Grigar as author of “The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality” (1993) who presented seven concepts underlying virtual experiences.
Janet Murray, mentioned by Dene Grigar as someone who approaches VR from a literary standpoint, focusing on immersion, agency, and transformation as pleasures of cyberspace.
Richard Holton, mentioned by Dene Grigar as an artist who used beach balls in his performances of his hypertext novel “Figurski at Findhorn on Acid” (2001).
Victor Vitanza, mentioned by Dene Grigar as having discussed the term “hyper reality” 30 years ago.
Julian Dibbell, mentioned by Dene Grigar as the Village Voice reporter who wrote about the “Rape in Cyberspace” incident at LambdaMOO in 1993.
Douglas Rushkoff, mentioned by Dene Grigar in reference to psychedelic drug use and reshaping reality experiences.
Jason Gerald, mentioned by Dene Grigar regarding VR providing understanding through sensory capabilities.
Jaron Lanier, mentioned by Dene Grigar regarding the ability to extend and share memory and experiences in VR.
Paulina Dimova, mentioned by Dene Grigar as author of “At the Crossroads of the Senses: The Synesthetic Arts in European Modernism.”
Steve Gibson, mentioned by Dene Grigar as her collaborator on the “Virtual DJ” project shown in the presentation.
Andrew Thompson, mentioned by Dene Grigar as the programmer working on her WebXR project.
Andrew Truax (also called “True”), mentioned by Dene Grigar as the 3D modeler for her project.
Heider and Simmel, mentioned by Brandel Zachernuk as creators of a 1944 animation where simple shapes are perceived as having social characteristics.
Thomas Metzinger, mentioned by Fabien Bénétou as a German philosopher who wrote about ethical risks around virtual beings.
Joyce, mentioned by Mark Anderson in reference to the notion of ‘Constructive’ vs ‘Exploratory’ roles in hypertext.
Aristotle, mentioned by Dene Grigar as dividing knowledge into different categories.
Newton, mentioned by Dene Grigar in reference to laws of physics that don’t need to apply in virtual spaces.
Kepler, mentioned by Dene Grigar in reference to laws of planetary gravitation that don’t need to apply in virtual spaces.
Archimedes, mentioned by Dene Grigar in reference to principles that don’t need to hold in virtual space.
Christopher Alexander, mentioned by Peter Wasilko as possible inspiration with his “Pattern Language” approach.
Irene Greif, mentioned by Karl Hebenstreit as the director of Lotus Research whose avatar appeared in Second Life.
Hoffman, mentioned by Fabien Bénétou in reference to “The Case Against Reality” discussing efficient versus veridical interfaces.
Asimov, mentioned by Tom Haymes in reference to “The Jokester.”
McLuhan, mentioned by Tom Haymes in warning against “McLuhanesque mistakes” in transferring metaphors between media.
AI: Product or Company Names Mentioned
Apple Vision Pro, mentioned by Dene Grigar as providing a seamless experience compared to earlier virtual environments.
Beat Saber, mentioned by Dene Grigar as an example of a VR application where users can move in three dimensions.
Supernatural, mentioned by Dene Grigar as a VR boxing program she uses.
Matrix (movie), mentioned by Dene Grigar as encompassing the mentality of cyberspace and by Karl Hebenstreit as a reference for his profile picture.
LambdaMOO, mentioned by Dene Grigar as the site of the infamous 1993 “Rape in Cyberspace” incident.
MUDs (Multi-User Dungeons), mentioned by multiple participants when discussing early text-based virtual environments.
MOOs (MUD Object-Oriented), mentioned by Dene Grigar when discussing her experience creating digital environments.
Gopher, mentioned by Dene Grigar as an early internet navigation tool.
Jughead, mentioned by Dene Grigar as a Gopher-like search tool.
Archie, mentioned by Dene Grigar as a Gopher-like search tool.
Texas Woman’s University (TWU), mentioned by Dene Grigar as the institution where she created a MU environment.
Google Doc, mentioned by Dene Grigar as the tool used by her students to create dialog for a VR project.
Macintosh, mentioned by Dene Grigar in reference to computer environments.
Next (Electronic Literature Lab), mentioned by Dene Grigar as her lab archiving digital artifacts.
Protégé, mentioned by Peter Wasilko as “the best ontology editor around.”
Second Life, mentioned by Karl Hebenstreit regarding a virtual recreation of the Dolphin Hotel.
Minecraft, mentioned by Tom Haymes as an example of successful abstraction in virtual environments.
Twitter, mentioned by Fabien Bénétou in relation to manipulating dimensions of virtual space.
Xerox PARC, mentioned by Tom Haymes in questioning whether we still need desktop metaphors decades later.
Lotus Research, mentioned by Karl Hebenstreit in his anecdote about Irene Greif.
Lotusphere, mentioned by Karl Hebenstreit as the conference he attended where a presenter’s avatar appeared in Second Life.
Atari, mentioned by Karl Arthur Smink regarding early shooting games.
Free Guy (movie), mentioned by Mark Anderson in relation to virtual banking.
CodePen, mentioned by Brandel Zachernuk when sharing a template for environment maps in WebXR.
Gather.town, suggested by Mark Anderson as possibly the platform Dene was trying to recall.
Virbela, suggested by Brandel Zachernuk as possibly the platform Dene was trying to recall.
Chat Circles, mentioned by Peter Wasilko as “an interesting UI based on distance to the speaker in a 2-D virtual world.”
Society of American Archivists, mentioned by Dene Grigar in relation to her experience with digital archiving classes.
LinkedIn, mentioned by Karl Arthur Smink in reference to exaggerated claims about novelty in technology.
Colossus, mentioned by Tom Haymes as a B-movie similar to “The Thirteenth Floor.”
The Thirteenth Floor (movie), mentioned by Tom Haymes as exploring what’s “real” in virtual environments.
AI: Other
The meeting revealed generational perspectives on XR development, with Dene Grigar offering valuable historical context from her 30 years of experience witnessing the evolution from pre-web ASCII environments to modern VR systems. There was a notable emphasis on the importance of philosophical frameworks for understanding and developing XR technologies, with participants wrestling with complex questions about reality, perception, ethics, and design. The conversation demonstrated a thoughtful approach to technology development, considering not just technical capabilities but human experience, ethics, and cultural implications.
Several participants drew connections between academic theory and practical application, with examples ranging from virtual museum exhibits to social VR environments. The group seemed to value both theoretical understanding and hands-on experimentation, suggesting a holistic approach to advancing XR technologies.
There was particular concern about ethical considerations in XR, with multiple participants acknowledging the potential for both harm and transformative positive experiences. This suggests that the Future of Text community is mindful of their responsibility as creators and thinkers in this space.
The conversation also revealed tension between maintaining familiar metaphors for accessibility and breaking conventions to explore new possibilities unique to XR environments – a fundamental design challenge that runs throughout the history of interface design.
Chat Log URLs
https://protege.stanford.edu
https://www.gather.town
https://www.virbela.com https://smg.media.mit.edu/papers/Viegas/ChatCircles/chat-circles_CHI.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smell-O-Vision https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Pattern_Language https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393254693 https://codepen.io/zachernuk/pen/YzMZPqb https://mitpress.mit.edu/search-result-list/?keyword=Holodeck https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262521772/cyberspace https://liquidinformation.org
https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.10599
The chat log showed active engagement from participants throughout the presentation, with many sharing relevant resources, technical suggestions, and philosophical reflections. Mark Anderson provided bibliographic information for books mentioned in the presentation, while Peter Wasilko and others shared links to tools and resources related to the discussion topics. Several participants used the chat to extend spoken points with additional technical details or theoretical connections. There were multiple instances of participants reacting positively to each other’s contributions with emojis, showing an engaged and supportive community. The chat served both as a backchannel for side discussions and as a way to enhance the main presentation with additional resources and perspectives. Topics in the chat ranged from technical advice about WebXR implementation to philosophical concepts about reality and perception to ethical considerations in virtual environments.