AMSTERDAM (THE NETHERLANDS) – At a virtual reality exhibition in the Netherlands, couples planning to have children got a foretaste of parenthood by creating their own babies on the digital platform.
Visitors answered questions posed by a computer tablet to select the physical appearance, character traits and other features of their ‘virtual babies’.
Guests sat in a room with sofas and soft lighting and flowing curtains to enjoy the installation titled “IVFX: posthuman parenting in hybrid reality,” which is the creation of Dutch visual artist Victorine van Alphen.
“I had lots of deep, personal conversations that inspired me,” Van Alphen said, “including with people who wanted to have children but couldn’t, someone who had lost a child and neighbours considering artificial insemination.”
“There were lots of beautiful, inspiring conversations, anecdotes and background discussions that formed this strange, futuristic project,” she said. “I kind of gave myself the ‘mission impossible’ to create a presence in virtual reality.”
“It’s definitely smart,” said Jennifer van Exel, discussing the options with her partner Frouke Engel.
Their preferences then led to a computer generated infant in an incubator, which whimpered and had a red glowing heartbeat.
“I don’t know if you can say it has a head. I am not sure other people will be able to relate to it,” said van Exel while having a look at the baby through 3D goggles and singing a lullaby.
“We’re the parents, so obviously we created it and you want to be compassionate and loving, but it’s nothing human so it’s really hard to actually relate to it.”