unreal engine

[Synthetic Architectures] Reality Threshold First Draft

In thinking about thresholds between virtual and physical reality, I think about all sorts of other thresholds. What is the threshold between different transitions and stages of our life?

References: LINK (Bully, School Maps, Persona 5)

In the creation of this project, I am writing school fanfiction. I revisit a common dream I have of queueing up on the lunch line, choosing between various mass-produced “dishes” that are available, and then finding a place least awkward to put down your tray. 

“Schools are —in a sense—the nation’s largest restaurant chain. But too often, our education system approaches feeding 30 million kids a day as a burden: lunch time is a drain on learning time, cafeteria culture is a drain on school culture,”  (Reimagining School Cafeterias)

But what does it look like from the child’s point of view? It can be a place of socialization, comfort, fear, anxiety. It’s such a foundational space of growing up for so many kids that grew up in the U.S.

First draft of Unreal Engine final project “Reality Threshold”

Logistical Planning

  • VR artwork that requires Oculus Quest 3 headset, but will also have a monitor to accommodate accessibility concerns.

  • People will engage with my project by either exploring the 3D space through VR headset or by PC setup (monitor/keyboard/mouse). Third party observers will be able to watch the person wearing the headset walk around. On the table, I will have takeaways such as stickers and zines that people can take as memorabilia.