A Trip to Hollow Land 2019
Multi-users Virtual Reality Experience
This project is aimed to create a collective virtual travel experience to a demolished hybrid city in the 3D environment.
Time: A month, Nov - Dec 2019
Tools: Unity, Cinema 4D, Oculus Rift
Role: Concept, User experience, Modeling, Programming
Collaborator: Chenshan Gao
Tools: Unity, Cinema 4D, Oculus Rift
Role: Concept, User experience, Modeling, Programming
Collaborator: Chenshan Gao
Abstract
“How do we showcase the conflict between urban and economic explosion happening around the world and its derivatives?”
Hollowland is a surreal cityscape that draws inspiration from both ancient and modern city planning. It incorporates elements like existing landmarks, everyday objects as well universal travel destinations. It is a exclusion zone of a former industrial site filled human’s unfulfilled desires.
Why invite people on a trip to Hollowland?
︎ Break the limitations of the traditional travel method and create a new way that allows multi-users to travel wherever and whenever in 3D space.
︎ Showcase Hollowland, a nonexistent surreal city inspired by the derivative of China's economic explosion, the Ghost town at Hangzhou City, and the decrepit brutalist architecture in eastern Europe.
︎ Encourage more people to join this conversation about the urban sprawl and the uncontrolled development around the world.
Visual Reference
User journey
Spacy:
Residents of Hollowland and tour guide. They are hospitable, wear the helmet and glowing blue bracelets. Travelers will be transformed into spacy but wear the glowing yellow bracelets.
Residents of Hollowland and tour guide. They are hospitable, wear the helmet and glowing blue bracelets. Travelers will be transformed into spacy but wear the glowing yellow bracelets.
Wishing well:
The water comes from this abandoned factory, all the resident are gathering here to pray.
The water comes from this abandoned factory, all the resident are gathering here to pray.
City park:
Hollowland was built with a lot of surreal elements, like Gaint buddha, Fan, Temple, even Starbucks coffee cup.
Hollowland was built with a lot of surreal elements, like Gaint buddha, Fan, Temple, even Starbucks coffee cup.
Interaction
&
Design
This is a collective and immersive experience. Players will enter a physical space that looks like a travel agency office. At this step, travel itinerary tickets will be distributed to the players.
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Once players enter the Hollowland, the tour guide, Spacy, will overview the entire trip and invite players to get on a bus, which is the traffic tool for the whole trip.
At the same time, players also can meet the traveling companion at the bus stop; there will be spatial sound here that will give players a sense of space.
At the same time, players also can meet the traveling companion at the bus stop; there will be spatial sound here that will give players a sense of space.
Yellow bracelets: Players Orange bracelets: Spacy Blue bracelets: Residents
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The players, spacy, and residents wear three different color bracelets to distinguish the difference between them.
The players, spacy, and residents wear three different color bracelets to distinguish the difference between them.
At the bus stop, residents' behaviors hint that players can
︎︎︎grab and toss the coin
︎︎︎pray
︎︎︎walking around
︎︎︎grab and toss the coin
︎︎︎pray
︎︎︎walking around
Throughout the trip, players can take pictures with the joystick buttons.
There is limited travel time (two minutes) at each stop to simulate the actual traveling experience, and when that time is up, spacy will remind everyone to get back on the bus.
There is limited travel time (two minutes) at each stop to simulate the actual traveling experience, and when that time is up, spacy will remind everyone to get back on the bus.
OFF-BOARDING
- Players will back to the bus.
- Take off their oculus set.
- There will be a display screen where people can take a second look the photos they have taken.
- Collect feedback from the players.
VR View
This project was exhibited at the Winter show 2019, a two-day exhibition of new media art projects created by the students of ITP and IMA.
Thanks for making it here.