ZERO latency VR — montreal, QC
Zero Latency VR Mural
This was a simple, quick, and very fun little project, commissioned by the Montreal branch of a Melbourne, Australia company called Zero Latency (ZL)
ZL is a global leader in free-roam multiplayer virtual reality, claiming to be the world’s best VR gaming experience with more than 75 locations, spread over 4 continents and 27 countries.Â
That’s a big deal.
I’m as removed from the world of VR as one might possibly be, having not dipped even a tiny toe into that sauce. It’s fascinating territory though, inviting one to reconsider fundamental questions about reality, perception, identity, ethics, and the nature of human experience.
SPACE
The project fit itself quite neatly into this pocket sized vestibule, very close to Marche Jean Talon, one of Montreal’s cultural hotspots for good food and community vibe. Â
I very much appreciate the way even a small space can become a portal into another creative dimension. A one person at a time experience within an intimate space. Â
Space is the place, featuring an odd assortment of characters painted with only a few choice colours. The piece really pops in person and by pic. Dry-brush strokes on a slightly textured stucco wall is where its at. Â
It was one of the very few projects painted between 2019-22, on account of autoimmune dis-ease, which left me wrestling with massive fatigue, inflammation, and crippling pain. It went up late 2022 — November if memory serves well — over a two day stretch barely warm enough to support the drying paint. Â
Due to a radical shift in lifestyle, much of that condition has and continues to improve, though the deformation of joints continues to limit the scope of activity I’m able to do within a zone of relative comfort. Some realities are hard to escape. Â
It felt good to get back into the saddle with this little guy, even though at the time, it felt more than big enough. The owners and staff are very kind.
One day, perhaps, artists will paint walls from the comfort of the couch or desk, rendering broad strokes in virtual reality as machines automate our bidding.
For now, I’m very grateful for the touch of brush, pushing paint around with a stick. Doing so grounds me to what is and will always be, self evidently.
