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    Cutting Kim: Playful Transgression Through VR Voice Interaction in Public Exhibition Contexts

    Joonhyung Bae, E. Choi, J. Nam

    Proc. 18th ACM SIGGRAPH Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques in Asia (SIGGRAPH Asia), Hong Kong, China, Dec. 15–18, 2025

    2025 · Conference Paper · Published

    DOI 10.1145/3757369.3767596Publisher pagePDF

    In one sentence

    VR artwork that turns the participant's voice — from hum to scream — into a 'sonic sword'; across four public exhibitions it analyses the 'publicly private' paradox of vocal release inside a headset that is also a public spectacle.

    Abstract

    This paper introduces Cutting Kim, an interactive VR artwork that explores playful transgression by transforming raw vocal utterances—from a hesitant hum to a cathartic scream—into a 'sonic sword,' a spectacular and destructive force. Through an iterative, practice-based methodology spanning four distinct public exhibitions, from workshops to a large-scale cultural festival, the work revealed a central paradox of the 'publicly private' act: the VR headset grants perceived privacy for vocal release yet simultaneously transforms the participant's physical body and voice into a public spectacle. This paper analyzes this complex negotiation between inner liberation and public self-awareness. We argue that by creating such experiences, interactive art can function as a 'rehearsal space' for social possibilities, offering a tangible model for how technology can be used not to control but to liberate the expressive human voice.

    Source: SIGGRAPH Asia 2025 Art Papers (via OpenAlex)

    Key facts

    • Iterative practice-based study across 4 public exhibitions (workshops → large cultural festival)
    • Concepts: playful transgression, 'publicly private' act, interactive art as a 'rehearsal space'
    • SIGGRAPH Asia 2025 Art Papers

    When this paper is relevant

    • You design VR interaction or games with voice as the primary input
    • You study VR in public exhibitions: participant self-awareness and spectatorship
    • You need theory on playful transgression or cathartic release in interactive art
    • You want an example of iterative practice-based research across exhibitions

    Related

    Cite

    Joonhyung Bae, E. Choi, J. Nam (2025). Cutting Kim: Playful Transgression Through VR Voice Interaction in Public Exhibition Contexts. Proc. 18th ACM SIGGRAPH Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques in Asia (SIGGRAPH Asia), Hong Kong, China, Dec. 15–18, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1145/3757369.3767596

    @inproceedings{Bae2025cutting,
  title = {Cutting Kim: Playful Transgression Through VR Voice Interaction in Public Exhibition Contexts},
  author = {Joonhyung Bae and E. Choi and J. Nam},
  booktitle = {Proc. 18th ACM SIGGRAPH Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques in Asia (SIGGRAPH Asia), Hong Kong, China, Dec. 15–18, 2025},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1145/3757369.3767596},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3757369.3767596}
}

    Machine-readable copy: /papers/cutting-kim-2025.md