Christian Venables on the Relationship Between VR and AR and the Future of Art
Christian Venables is an artist and developer from Nottinghamshire, UK. His work stems from his background in architecture and making 3-D models. Today, Venables experiments with sculpting and modeling in his works and often records the workflow to make the process more accessible for anyone interested in starting in the 3-D world themselves.
We talked with Christian about his piece for Ghosting and where he sees the future of art going.
Tell us about your the piece you’ll be presenting with Ghosting
The work I’m presenting with Ghosting explores shape, line, and materiality within the virtual environment where there are no constraints. Fluidity 1.0 plays with balance and movement. By placing myself at the center of the piece, I was able to use the extents of my arms to constrain the piece to my proportions, rendered in marble.
Translating my work from VR to AR is an essential part of my process. I enjoy experimenting with sculpting/modeling in VR and being able to create in the space around me in a very quiet personal manner.Â
The VR space I create in is almost sacred, a peaceful clean white space. The first step is to lay down basic forms/gestures straight from my mind or bring in reference images that inspire me. A lot of the time I have music playing to enhance the relaxing environment. Once the piece is complete, which can take several sessions, I export and continue working on a pc to export for materials/texture painting. Sharing pieces in AR allows others to see and experience my work as not everyone has a VR headset and can place themselves in the same space as my work.
As AR lovers, we love talking about space. How does your space reflect or influence the work you create?
I moved to the country around 3 years ago, and since making the move I feel my work has definitely improved due to the space, fresh air, and plenty of nature to enjoy. It’s only after moving to the country I got my first VR headset (Oculus Quest) and developed my skills and workflows to accompany the AR skillset.
How has Blockchain technology supported you as an artist (so far)?
Having sold a piece with blockchain technology myself, it is clear that this is the future for artists and their work, providing an income that previously never existed. The increased support also allows the production of more challenging and inspirational pieces.
Illust’s platform & community has supported me as an artist by allowing my work to be seen by many more of the right people/artists/nft collectors. It also confirms the direction the future of art is going.