...To Be Free, 2022

VR headset, baby seat, metal cage, padlock, wood/concrete
48 in x 24 in x 36 in

augmented reality without the device

Combining inspiration from Marcel Duchamp's Readymades (Fountain, Prelude to a Broken Arm) and Japanese tsukumogami (Shinto animism), To Be Free employs found objects to symbolize humanity in technology. Each item acquired second hand, purchased at thrift stores or found on the side of the road. A connection of seemingly insignificant, unwanted objects thoughtfully assembled into an emotional story everyone can identify.

Providing an immersive lesson in augmented reality history without the need for a device.

what does your imagination see?

Originally conceived in honor of Oculus Go and
John Carmack, I eventually realized this piece captures a much deeper, more personal meaning, well beyond the story of the little VR headset that could.

To Be Free is my first sculpture, and has been an extremely difficult piece to complete.

Initially simple in design, the concept immediately solidified as soon as it entered my imagination.

However, the actual work took over six months to accomplish.

Overwhelmed by multiple emotional breakdowns and painful confrontations with my own childhood traumas, I saw pieces of myself in the invisible baby.

Directly paralleled to the lifetime of struggle I face everyday as an Autistic adult, To Be Free is an expression of my yearning to be independent.

Endless attempts to identify with a society who refuse to see me. Speaking knowledge from a different perspective.
Burning desire to be accepted.

Pushing myself as far as possible, yet constantly falling short of others' expectations that can never be appeased.

Abandoned into accepting my words will never be heard, no matter how loud I scream.

Still clinging onto a dream that one day I'll finally be included.

unlocked from the inside

custom installed "breathing" LED

Selling over 2 million units to schools and universities worldwide, Oculus Go offered a brilliant glimpse into our new era of extended learning. This newfound industry was exciting. An open book filled with endless futures.

However Go’s impact fell far shorter than industy’s expectations.

Purchased by the bundle, universities and primary schools were promised this curious new headset was the key to our future of education. However, without proper training or demonstration, teachers had no way to connect this strange new device to their classrooms. Some were so afraid of the headsets getting damaged, students weren’t allowed to touch them. Others despised the technology as nothing more than a videogame distraction that doesn’t belong. At more than one high school, I watched their entire VR program get tossed into a laundry basket of unused headsets and shoved under a corner table where students will never find them. Millions of Gos never reaching their potential because they just weren’t understood. Destined for government auctions, sold as scrap to the lowest bidder, then broken down and mined for it’s gold, silver, and precious metals.


This makes me sad.

In 2020, Facebook announced the Go will no longer be supported, soon dissolving the Oculus brand entirely. Abandoned by the very parent company who made them, in favor of a new headset packaged with the same promises and even shorter lifespan.

One year later, after several months lobbying Facebook, John Carmack (creator of legendary videogames Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake) announced the now depricated Oculus Go is being unlocked, officially removing Facebook's control of the device and your data. The freely available *fastboot oem unlock* bootloader strips the devices software down to its root programming, allowing any developer with a dream to open Go's future without the need for Facebook's servers and restrictions.

concrete slab represents abandonment

©2022 Nicholi Noah

The Go in this art piece is unlocked and fully functioning.

She is free now.

Destined to carry a message of optimism and achievement.
Inspiring discussion. Emoting compassion.
Sparking new understanding of what it truly means to be human.

To Be Free is a mixed-media sculpture combining found objects and poetry with electronics art and 3D printing techniques. It's dimensions are 48"h x 24"w x 36"d and is designed to be viewed in 360 degrees. Fully self-contained and battery operated, requiring no external power. The included QR code links directly to this synopsis webpage and portolio site.

© 2023 Nicholi Noah (nicholinoah.com)
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