Design Project 3
Introduction
Our main focus for this final project was to produce something metaphoric and spiritual. The idea was inspired by sites from around the globe and certain rituals performed on sacred grounds. Our aim was to design a space which uses the experiences of each avatar to undergo a reflective journey of their soul, given the name The Soul. In which, in this case, we used fear as an incentive/catalyst for these avatars to experience these “epiphanies”. Although the journey, in which the avatar travels, is physical, the resulting destination, being sitting on the ground just outside the campfire, reinforces the idea of “epiphany” and therefore, the person would have learnt from their experience; possibly to have more courage, or the drive to never-give-up; due to the sense of accomplishment. With this in mind, it is logical to say, that the narrative is being told through an art-form; it is metaphoric and barely literal.
Design Challenges And Solution
Original Ideas
- Wirada: Hell
- Jackey: Dance Club
- Stephen: Zen Garden
During the analysis period, we had to ask ourselves: how can you combine these spaces? Are we going to compensate each space equally? Are we going to sacrifice one in order to achieve something greater and more meaningful? After merging, does it tell the story? And what is the story?
The greatest challenge was, expectedly, the initial formulation of ideas. There were a few ridiculous, along with a few feasible schemes, and these were all results of minimal analysis and understanding of each members’ design. So, the solution was to break the ideas down to a less direct approach and brainstorm them accordingly. We reached a point, where we broke the words, dance and club, up to assist ourselves, and resulting in the following transitions:
Ø Hell > Halloween > Fear
Ø Dance Club > Club > Gathering
Ø Zen Garden > Quiet Garden > Peace
And thusly, our final three keywords to generate our space. But then the following issue is to consider the actual manipulation of ideas into design and merging of ideas. Many questions were asked and there were many conflicts. In the end, members decided to surrender parts, and also major parts, of their design.
With regards to fear, it was only a matter of answering a few questions: what is scary? How is it scary? How would people react? For this reason, we reintroduced Wirada’s initial maze, only to have complicated, and restructured, it to comply with fear-factors.
The maze consists of only a few elements that evoke fear: sound, entrapment, and narrow pathways. Narrow pathways are common in any horrific films, places, and scenery, simply because the human mind tells them that they are trapped and can only go in that direction. It gives them a great sense of insecurity and intimidation. As these narrow paths change course, the person is unable to dictate what would appear around the corner, and thusly, intensifying the anxiety, which would then lead to fear again. Sound is one of five senses and one of the most powerful senses of the human body. What a person hear can inflict different emotions to a person and possibly how a person would act later. Director James Wan commented on the issue of silence, when filming “Dead Silence”, that a lone person in a dark, empty space would be nervous and unease when the atmosphere is completely muted. Although a majority of our maze-space is silent, we incorporated a few sounds, that is unknowingly activated by collision, to stun the people, making them believe that it was caused from within the space.
With regards to gathering, the problem was to create a space that enhances the meaning of enticement. The one discarded prototype was huge barriers of trees surrounding one campfire. This is commonly seen in the real world, but in the virtual world, it lacks meaning and interactivity. The solution was to create a huge bowl-shaped valley which resembles Mt. Eden. And since the land was natural, we brought back dance in its most natural form, the indigenous ceremonial dances. This also compromises the idea of Peace. Our analysis of peace, that could be applicable here, was Mother Nature. The natural view, environment, and atmosphere helps reinforces the upper-ground space, and the strong transition between the two spaces magnifies by emotive-induction.
So why is this space considered a social interactive space?
The social interactivity between avatars can be determined by the number of avatars present and how the avatars experience the space. For example, if there is only one person there, the fear may be maximized, but it may give them a sense of adventure. If there is a group, then the fear would be minimized and asks avatars to collaborate with each other as the paths taken would affect one another. Needless to say, the upper-ground space is highly sociable as the bowl-shaped valley reveals a strong sense of enticement, as explained above.
Reflective Conclusion
This project has opened the doors of new challenges: the strength to let go of one’s own “master-piece”, negotiate with teammates, formulation of ideas of restricted barriers etc. I believe that our design has improved us in terms of collective thinking and creative response to a heavily restricted barrier. To create a space that is spiritual and metaphoric, is definitely not one that we would have thought of at the first place. I believe our space and its components work well together, and along with the original story behind it, conveys a strong sense of narrative.
