Review: Vestige
Vestige, a virtual reality experience created by Aaron Bradbury, takes you into the mind of Lisa, a woman who lost the love of her life Erik. The experience begins with Lisa answering a phone call. The person on the other end of the line is never identified, but it is safe to assume that it is someone close to Lisa that is checking up on how she is doing. Lisa describes the love that her and Erik shared. She recalls where they met and the life they lived together. Erik proposed to her by skydiving down and after he landed he got down on one knee. After getting married they lived in a run down house with raggedy blinds that let the sunlight seep into the room. She holds that memory fondly because that was the happiest she had been in her entire life. Lisa explains how she would die happily in his arms. Their love was truly passionate and real. Then one day, Lisa got the phone call that Erik had been in a car accident and was in the hospital. She remembers the long hours at a time she would spend by his bedside. As time passed and Erik didn’t get better, she was given the option to take him off of life support and she eventually decided to. Lisa was typically afraid of strangers, but the loss had her crying in the arms of people she didn’t know. At the end of the day, she’s learned from the grief and she misses Erik greatly.
Vestige is heavily visual. Lisa’s physical body and the memories she recalls are represented using outlines of light. These bright, warm, neon colors are used to trace Lisa in the room where she is having conversations. The scene changes as the phone call carries on. The artwork is visually appealing and I was impressed by the detail they were able to include without drawing smaller fine details.
The aural component of this work leaves a little to be desired. The phone call isn’t entirely clear and it sounds a little fuzzy at times. This was clearly an artistic choice, but I would have preferred a different way to deliver the conversation to the viewer.
This work has no interactive component. The viewer can walk around in the space, but that does not affect how the story is delivered. Walking around in the space does give a spatial aspect to the piece that contributes a lot to the artwork. Seeing the art in different angles is engaging.
This piece demands that the participant draw a connection between what Lisa is saying and the visuals that appear on the screen. The viewer must also have strong spatial awareness because it is possible to enter into the glowing lights and if they choose to do that then the visual component of the experience is ruined.
Time is used in an interesting way in Vestige. The visual aspect of the story begins in the present as Lisa begins her phone call. Her memories change the visuals on the screen as she explains the linear story of her relationship with Erik. The final visual the viewer is left with is a silhouette of Erik holding Lisa and then Erik disappears. This is an interesting incorporation of a made up reality intertwined with the reality Lisa lived through. This fictional reality ties into the idea that Erik’s death is a loss too painful to be true.
I believe Aaron Bradbury created this piece to illustrate the story of loss that a woman experienced. Lisa’s loss was incredibly sad and it was a loss that left her feeling alone in the world. The person that made up part of her existence was taken from her. Not only that, but she had to make the choice to take Erik off of life support. This is a decision that no person should have to make. Lisa needed, and still needs, as much love and support as she can get and Vestige is the vessel that takes the viewer into the life of Lisa to help her with the burden of grief.
Vestige delivers an incredible message of the raw emotions of life. It shows a complete stranger in their most insecure state and that is a beautiful aspect of human nature that we don’t get to see. The world teaches us to build walls and, especially in the age of social media, pretend that our lives are better than they are in order to build false personas. Lisa’s story emphasizes the imperfections of life and just how precious every moment is with the person you love. You never know when everything will be stripped away, so love deeply as Lisa and Erik did. I believe Vestige was a great success and I am thankful that I was able to enter Lisa’s life for the few minutes I was able to. It was a visually stunning piece coupled with a strong message about life.
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