In addition to canvas and paintbrushes, virtual reality (VR) has also become Đặng Thị Minh Hằng’s creative toolbox. The technology not only allows her to produce impressive works of art, but it is also one of the mediums she uses in her project “Endangered,” which aims to spread awareness about wildlife conservation. Jia Lin She talks about her journey as an artist.
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| Virtual reality artist Đặng Thị Minh Hằng from Ho Chi Minh City is applying augmented reality to wildlife conservation through his project “Endangered Species.” VNS Photo Gia Linh |
Inner Sanctum: Tell us about yourself.
My name is Đặng Thị Minh Hằng, a self-taught virtual reality artist who has been working for over 2 years. I am also the founder of a wildlife conservation project called “Endangered”, which applies Extended Reality (XR) to promote wildlife conservation.
Inner Sanctum: Can you tell our readers about your artistic journey? What caused the sudden change in your artistic style?
I started learning art when I was about 7 years old and my love for it has continued ever since. I have won several awards and believe I can make it in the industry.
After graduating from university, I started working as a manga artist and game artist. Things started to change when I had my first child. I didn't want my child to see my drawings of violent scenes from games and manga, so I looked into other options. After trying different materials, I chose VR art, which I had always been interested in and which suited me best.
Inner Sanctum: VR art is likely still new to our readers, so can you explain how it differs from other art forms?
VR is a subsidiary of Extended Reality (XR), which also has subsidiaries such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR).
VR environments are completely virtual, while MR environments combine both real and virtual world objects, and in AR, virtual objects are placed into a real environment, such as the animals I created for my Endangered Species project..
I think the key to VR art is the immersive feeling it brings. Using only a VR headset and two controllers, artists can draw in a fully three-dimensional space and unleash their creativity to the fullest by using a variety of tools that transcend physical boundaries. Ultimately, it allows you to focus on your work and express yourself the best you can.
VR art also offers viewers a completely immersive experience when looking at a painting: instead of admiring the painting from a distance, the viewer can immerse themselves in the painting and become a part of it.
Inner Sanctum: Tell us more about the conservation project you mentioned. What are some of the sub-projects you have undertaken so far? What role can virtual reality play in protecting wildlife and the environment?
Last year I was the winner of the UNESCO NewView XR Field Lab (Mekong Region), which led to the founding of Endangered with the aim of using XR for wildlife conservation.
My first project was “XR: Endangered Species Vietnam 2023” in Ho Chi Minh City, an immersive exhibition to raise funds to conserve biodiversity in Chuyang Sinh National Park, Dak Lak Province.
The event allowed audience members to interact with two virtual animals, a spindle horn and a meerkat, and take part in reviving a virtual dead forest by painting green leaves, trees and other animals.
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| Last year, Hanh organized an immersive exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City to educate the public about virtual reality art and raise awareness for wildlife diversity conservation. Photo by Đặng Thị Minh Hằng |
348 visitors came and paid whatever they wanted for their tickets, raising over 13 million Vietnamese dong (US$500).
By applying XR to the exhibition, we hoped to minimize the use of natural and man-made materials, protecting the environment and reducing unnecessary costs on materials while still providing an immersive experience for attendees.
My virtual animals are here too Thit Long Khemian, Nguy Koh Chuk Chu The “Wild Meat Consumption Causes Infectious Diseases” campaign has been launched by the World Wildlife Fund in Quang Thi province to raise awareness about the risks that wild meat consumption poses to public health and the environment.
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| The spindle horn is one of the fictional animals featured in Hanh's “Wild meat consumption causes infectious diseases” campaign in Quang Tri province. Photo by Đặng Thị Minh Hằng |
I had the honor of participating in a talk show in Nam Cat Tien National Park (Dong Nai Province) In January, About the IUCN Green List, a global campaign providing local, expert guidance for successful conservation in protected and conserved areas.
Inner Sanctum: What challenges did you face in working with this form of art for the project?
Creating a VR painting requires multiple applications and devices to run simultaneously, and as this technology is still in development, glitches and crashes are bound to occur.
Also, since I have little experience in planning such a large-scale event, it was a bit difficult for me to know how to smoothly present the technology to the public and cooperate with other co-organizers. However, thanks to our great partners, such as XR Zoo, SEAP VR, and HAT ARTS, the project was a success.
Inner Sanctum: What are your future plans? Any upcoming projects?
We hope to connect with more like-minded individuals and regions to expand the scope of our project. If possible, we would like to install QR codes in each province and city that display virtual images of endangered local animals and plants. We believe this will raise local people's awareness of protecting endangered species and also encourage people in these areas to donate to conservation projects. Visually impaired
