A Virtual Reality experience modeled after Julian of Norwich's authorial positionality and the spatial confinement of anchorholds.
View outside of anchorhold from inside.
As an anchoress, Julian of Norwich confined herself to a form of reality and existence that many cannot fully understand due to its harsh and regimented size, complete isolation, and ultimate sensory deprivation. To make her writings and realities as an anchoress more accessible, I created a VR system modeled after Julian of Norwich’s anchorhold through utilizing Oculus and Unity applications without any prior coding, programing, or VR designing experience. Fascinatingly, numerous parallels arose between VR creation, implementation, and utilization as the experience of the anchorhold, including the roles of barriers, isolation, sensory deprivation, and wear on the body. As such, Anchorhold Afference is a virtual Reality experience modeled after Julian of Norwich's authorial positionality and the spatial confinement of anchorholds that offers users an opportunity to further consider the reality of anchoresses, like Julian of Norwich, as well as the affective nature of VR infrastructure.
Anchorhold Afference in use.
Kelsey Dufresne : Kelsey (she/her) is a Phd student and literature instructor that supports digital project work across the university. She focuses on experiential and experimental learning and community-centered discursive design and critical making with a focus on digital humanities.
North Carolina State University
2019 to present
digital humanities; critical making; VR; immersive experience; pedagogy
Student utilizing Anchorhold Afference.
Screenshot of Unity application demonstrating the creation of Anchorhold Afference.
View from inside Anchorhold Afference.
View from inside Anchorhold Afference with the Oculus Mirror in effect (blue and purple grid to protect users).
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