XR Diorama - An enigma in three acts
Summer Studio - M.Arch.II at UCLA A.UD IDEAS in 2023Today, we design simultaneously across multiple layers of reality, from our physical spaces to our augmented and virtual worlds. This studio is interested in the way we can connect these three layers of reality: the physical, the augmented (AR), and the virtual (VR) through storytelling. We jump into the world of extended reality using AR and VR technologies to tell a story. These technologies are used in the AR Gaming phenomenon Pokémon Go where you walk around the city looking for Pokémons to catch, raids, and arenas to play in. We connect the physical ordinary world, with the augmented, and the virtual because we are excited about what happens within the gaps between these worlds and how we can design these thresholds.
XR Diorama is an immersive storytelling device that exists across three mediums. We design enigmas that can only be solved by engaging simultaneously with three different levels of immersion in three acts. Each group of 2 to 3 designers crafts a story using our studio’s deck of cards, and that story exists in three acts, and it reveals itself only at the end of the last act.
Act I is a two-dimensional paper-based format where the first enigma is revealed as a short sentence, it is the starting plot that hooks our audience. Act II is an augmented reality format where we use the IDEAS Campus building to bring to life our stories through augmented digital content on top of the existing campus building; that second act reveals another clue for the enigma. Act III is a virtual reality format where the last clue of the story is revealed. The studio crafts these XR Dioramas through discussions on storytelling, aesthetics, scenography, and composition.
An enigma in three acts:
Act I - The Hook: Set the stage
Act II - Augmented Reality: Reveal a clue
Act III - Virtual Reality: Unveil the enigma
Students work by MSAUD - UCLA A.UD IDEAS - 2023 - Los Angeles