An Australian artist, Shaun Gladwell, has created a virtual reality simulator that aims to bring the experience of death to life.
The simulator, titled “Passing Electrical Storms”, is currently being showcased at Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria.
It uses medical technologies to mimic the process of dying, from cardiac arrest to brain death.
The virtual reality allows participants to fully immerse themselves in the experience, offering both a meditative and unsettling atmosphere.
Gladwell explained to the Australian this week that the experience intends to evoke the sensation of “moving away from yourself and then floating off into the giant universe”.
The artist is hoping to use technology to encourage individuals to face the inevitability of their mortality, by providing them with a means to understand what dying truly feels like.
The exhibit provides an opportunity to guide people through the realities of this process, and ultimately bring more acceptance and understanding to death.
