Guest talk by Dr. Ágnes Karolina Bakk, Ph.D., head and lead researcher of the Immersion and Interaction Hub at the Innovation Center of Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, Budapest
Speaker Bio
Ágnes Karolina Bakk, Ph.D., is the head and lead researcher of the Immersion and Interaction Hub at the Innovation Center of Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, Budapest. As a narrative designer, she focuses on immersive theatrical formats, storytelling, and the science of magic. Her research includes romantic relationships in Metaverse-like environments and psychological restoration in VR. She founded Zip-Scene and co-founded Random Error Studio and Vektor VR section. She teaches and speaks globally, and co-edited Designing Immersive Environments – Enchanting Spaces, forthcoming from Palgrave Macmillan in October 2024.
Talk Abstract
Zenctuary VR is a mental health-oriented standalone VR application that simulates natural environment. It can positively enhance mental health by:
– reproducing the effects of nature
– creating an environment that has high-quality graphics
– offering non-gamified interaction possibilities
It is based on interdisciplinary scientific research including health workers and researchers in psychology, design, technology and media theory. The talk discusses how design research emerged into an application that enters clinical trial phase, and how discussions with ARDIN scholars (Christian Roth, Iva Georgieva, Borbála Tölgyesi) helped the application prototype to take shape.