Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/612975
30 cgw n o v e m b e r . d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 5 T he timing couldn't have been better. The popularity of VR and AR was on the upswing at a meteoric level, and SIGGRAPH was not about to ignore the resurgence of these technolo- gies. To showcase the growing number of applications and to draw attention to the virtual reality and augmented reality redux, conference leaders introduced VR Village, where show-goers got the opportunity to see firsthand what all the hype was about. Here, Denise Quesnel, co-chair of SIGGRAPH 2015's VR Village, talks with CGW Chief Editor Karen Moltenbrey about the current state of the technology as represented at the conference venue, as well as how VR and AR technology have matured and evolved in general. Tell me a little about yourself and how you got involved in VR. I work in Vancouver, Canada, as a researcher with a focus on the immersive realities at Emily Carr University of Art + Design. My specialty is in R&D and figuring out solutions to common technical problems in the creative and entertainment industries. I've been involved in stereoscopic and 360-degree imagery for about six years now as my mainstay, with VR becoming the most common applica- tion of those techniques over the past few years. Who came up with the idea for VR Village? VR Village was the brainchild of SIGGRAPH 2015 Conference Chair Marc Barr and ACM SIGGRAPH President Jeff Jortner, along with my VR Village co-chair, Ed Lantz. In the autumn of 2014, I was appointed Immersive Imaging Liaison for the 2016 conference, where VR is intended to be part of a strong focus. In December 2014, I was contacted by Marc to see if I would like to It Takes A Village VR AND AR HAVE HIT A SECOND GROWTH SPURT, AS THE INDUSTRY BEGINS TO NURTURE THE TECHNOLOGIES ONCE AGAIN BY KAREN MOLTENBREY