Be Now Here (Welcome to the Neighborhood)

Be Now Here (welcome to the neighborhood) an immersive virtual environment by Michael Naimark, supported by Interval Research Corporation is an installation in an absorbing, virtual environment of squares and other public places in four exotic locations: Jerusalem, Dubrovnik, Timbuktu and Angkor, places on the list of threatened cities of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. The work is intended to focus attention on the falling commitment of people to their living environment and the lack of places where people can come together. The installation comprises a three-dimensional video projection with four-channel surround-sound. The viewers are on a platform that turns once a minute and offers a panoramic view of one of the above cities while they are submerged in the sounds of the relevant city. With one press of the button the location changes and if you press several times, the time of day changes too. The rotation of the platform gives a feeling of standing among the locals, each time in a different continent, without actually travelling. Michael Naimark (1957) worked for twelve years as independent media artist and was one of the leading figures in the development of the first interactive laserdiscs in the late seventies. He has chairs at renowned American institutes, including MIT. Be Now Here (Welcome to the Neighborhood), an immersive virtual environment by Michael Naimark supported by Interval Research Corporation, Palo Alto, with special thanks to Unesco World Heritage Centre, Paris (c) Interval Research Corporation, 1995, All Rights Reserved