Freya Zhuang | Avatar Skin: Towards New Bodily Experience

The project seeks to blur the boundaries between our physical and digital selves by linking the avatars’ skin to our tangible, living skin. Through the integration of electronic components and the unfolding of UV maps from digital avatar models, the project facilitates communication between our virtual and real identities.


As individuals, we inhabit separate physical bodies and digital entities spread out across the internet. Avatars serve as our digital embodiments, existing within us.

Our physical bodies are constrained by their static and fixed nature, our skin, being permeable, engages in a constant exchange of matter with the environment, granting our physical beings adaptability. In contrast, avatars possess a dynamic and ever-changing appearance, offering boundless possibilities for self-expression. This project seeks to explore the relationship between these two bodies by introducing the concept of skin as a means to examine avatars as extensions of the human body, forging a tangible connection with our living, breathing skin. Through this convergence, a juxtaposition is created, facilitating seamless communication between our digital and physical identities, allowing avatars to transcend the boundaries of the virtual world and merge with our corporeal existence.

To accomplish this fusion, the project delves into the intricacies of UV maps, unfolding the detailed surface attributes of digital avatar models. Furthermore, electronics are integrated into the project, acknowledging the crucial role of algorithms, vast data sets, and powerful servers in the generation and manipulation of avatars.

 
 

Tags:#Avatar#DigitalSculpture