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Queering virtual reality with drag realness: a case study of a creative investigation Bennett, A and Beckwith, M 2018, 'Queering virtual reality with drag realness: a case study of a creative investigation', Refractory: a journal of entertainment media, vol. 30, pp. 1-12. Document type: Journal Article Collection: Journal Articles Title Queering virtual reality with drag realness: a case study of a creative investigation Author(s) Bennett, A Beckwith, M Year 2018 Journal name Refractory: a journal of entertainment media Volume number 30 Start page 1 End page 12 Total pages 12 Publisher Swinburne University of Technology Abstract This text unpacks intersections between virtuality and drag that emerged during the making of a VR artwork called Virtual Drag made by Alison Bennett, Megan Beckwith and Mark Payne. Whilst making the work, we realised that drag offers some useful pathways for thinking about virtual reality. The intersections between virtuality and drag stem from ways of speaking about virtual reality as simulation and the drag definition of realness. This video will discuss the motivations behind the project, how it was made and the impact of the work. We will then unpack the key proposition generated through making the work: what might the drag concept of realness reveal about the structures that constitute virtual reality? As a creative investigation, the VR work was not an illustration of a preconceived theoretical argument or position. The theoretical potential and implications of the work unfolded as the work was made and exhibited. The discussion will include definitions of virtuality as both emergence and dissolution. We reference Baudrillard's notion of the collapse of the distinction between the real and the virtual. These ideas are then compared with Drag conceptions of realness. Starting with Butler's proposition of gender as simulacra, a copy of a copy, drag realness resonates with virtuality, the manifestation of the constructed and contingent frameworks of culture and identity, the liminal vector between ideal and tangible. These propositions surfaced as tangible through making Virtual Drag. We want to talk about how queer thinking and conceptual ideas about drag can open up interesting possibilities for thinking about virtual reality. We want to think about queering virtual reality not simply in terms of content but also in terms of the processes employed when we make work, the aesthetic and technical choices we make as part of that process. The key proposition that arises out of this case study is that drag offers useful pathways for rethinking structures that consti Subject Electronic Media Art Keyword(s) virtual reality queer theory drag Copyright notice © 2018 The individual authors hold copyright. If material is re-published elsewhere it must include a statement that it was originally published by Refractory. The editors reserve the right to maintain permanent archival copies of all submissions. ISSN 1447-4905 Related Links Link Description https://refractory-journal.com/30-bennett-beckwith/ Link to Published Version   Versions Version Filter Type Wed, 02 Jan 2019, 15:30:01 EST Filtered Full Access Statistics: 38 Abstract Views  -  Detailed Statistics Created: Fri, 14 Dec 2018, 16:06:00 EST by Catalyst Administrator