Many artists and institutions are embracing immersive environments - creating an experience of "being there" - to immerse the visitor in a virtual world where one's senses are overwhelmed, forcing the viewer out of his physical self. The artists' goal is to turn the viewer from passive perceiver of the material world into active participant in a conceptual inner world. When it works, it creates a feeling of presence, when all the senses perceive the digital environment to be physically real. Digital media pioneer Jennifer Steinkamp fabricated a vividly seductive digital artwork following a tree through the four seasons as though blown by unpredictable winds, causing the branches to twist and clench. Titled "Mike Kelley" - to honor her late mentor and teacher, Los Angeles-based artist Mike Kelley - the artwork charts the passage of time by following the path of a single tree as it cycles through a year of change in 11 minutes.

Read Alec Clayton's full feature on "Shimmering Tree" in the Music and Culture section.

"SHIMMERING TREE: A PROJECTION BY JENNIFER STEINKAMP," 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday, through Jan. 26, 2014, Tacoma Art Museum, 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, $8-$10, 253.272.4258