Interactive Reliquary
This project, Interactive Reliquary, gives the experience of peeking into a world; perhaps microscopic, through a sculpture and 3D printed objects. Using the videogame viewing device, the visitor navigates between both real and imaginary spaces as they inspect life forms.
Most of the software I use is intended for commercial purposes. For Interactive Reliquary, I created a program for a pre-release/developer version of the OUYA, a gaming platform released June, 2013. This particular program is not meant to be game-like, instead I have designed experiences to unfold and exist over a period of time–much like an aquarium. Time is manipulated– the days are shortened, to control the senses. The environment changes throughout the course of a day: from dawn, day, dusk and night. The sound is random, but constant, like the kinds of sounds you would hear next to a pond.
In future versions, I envision building a complete world. One summer might look different from the next. Specific events would be triggered on a set day in for the future. The reliquary would encapsulate a digital garden where complex events would happen over time. The plant would grow and the user could prune it, like caring for a bonsai. Trimming would change the way it grows and influence the outcome of how it looks further confusing what is digital space with a real living space. I am interested to see if the player grows attached to something that requires and responds to care. Over time, would an emotional relationship form between an imagined life form?
media: glass, OUYA, 3D printed nylon, stainless steel, completed 2013