During Advanced Play Design, One of the emergent themes which I noticed around my work was Immersion, Immersive Spaces and Tech. Combining the physical and digital!
Iterating around this idea, Ive created an Immersive VR Archive, also derived from my CPS archive. The CPS Archive was a simpler version of this layed on flat 2D screen, with no immersion, while this APD Archive engulfs the user in the cosmic VR. The hardware combination used is from my experimentation from weekly task found object. It also has interactice elements which were made during weekly task- bubble.
APD allowed me to explore a number of side ideas and experiments, few of them related and made it into my final studio project while few didn't(like this bubble mechanic(week-force)), and some have opened a future direction for further exploration and experiments. 
Observation is more than just seeing, it encompasses a far greater range of sensory input. Reflection on this idea of observation without sight is at the core of this work. To explore this notion , I created a simple visual replication of what one might see with their eyes closed.
Play with time ~ a certain sense of rhythm . Playing on an audio reactive system created in Unity, the idea of Time was experimented and played with in a number of ways ,Time as Rhythm - The whole experience is a loop in itself, it’s realtime and is everchanging even if the same song is loaded it’ll give a different visual approach, It’s repetitive yet very much not. Each previous frame is snapshotted and paused which gives us this interesting visual response, which is also a play with time in a technical context. This work also feeds on one of the modules(audio reakt) needed for the studio project - Multiverse.
Combining forces with Phoebe and Rachel Thompson, we created a multiplayer VR gameplay prototype. I tinkered with external controllers including ardruino kit to come up with ideas and mechanics to combine these technologies with VR.
A place is an immersion - knowledge and experience are situated in the interplay between person and environment. Expanding on this ideation alongside Virtual Reality and 360 immersive projected spaces, I experimented with number of 360 renders creating some exciting visuals.
Discovering these outcomes which were result of squashed 360degree visuals in a square plane, they also make me wonder on what if that might be the way or perception through some other planetary eyes.
Derived from and completing on a 360 underwater scene of a drowning girl which will be projected in a 180 immersive theatrical ‘Les Mysteres Du Louvre’ with ReAction Theatre.
Playing with the idea of force as an external input from the user with an internal ingame mechanic, a system for a bubble burst was created where when touched gently it floats away and if hard hit, it bursts. This exploration also feeds in for my studio project Multiverse.
Working with newly found ZED mini stereo camera and leap motion , I hack them together and combined them with VR- HTC VIVE. This also forms the hardware support for my stuudio project. The Zed mini camera, gives Augmented Reality supprt to Virtual Reality with depth tracking, Leap Motion provides Hand Tracking. Major Play and tinkering here was how to fit and place them together, as every millimeter is responsible for overall calibiration.
Here I created a realtime Video effect which creates visual effects based on the depth and motion, Capturing the afterhour dance community at RMIT, I had the camera and screen setup which created the scene in realtime as its audience floated around.
Materiality of an object defines the aesthetic and mood of it. Further Augmented Reality relies fully on materiality to work. Combining these two ideas together, I created an AR enabled Myki card, playing with its materiality and aesthetics.
Playing with the idea of using minimum hardware requirements or being stuck at a place due to hardware requirements and Tinkering as a method of play to work around these solutions. I tested one of the recent SDK I got my hands on, which does poses estimation ie-detect human position by just camera. making the tech work on most laptops and phones.
About This Work
By Sahaj Garg
Email Sahaj Garg
Published On: 24/10/2019