I had began the project to create a shared memory space in VR. Marina suggested that I look into personal geographies. As I researched more, I became fascinated by the relationship between humans and space, how “space” become “place”, and how we attach meaning to space.

This project has evolved into an exploration of collective recollections of a space, in this case 721 Broadway Fl.4. It’s interesting that once the name of the space (ITP) is removed, there is void in meaning. I’m interested to see how individuals remember about this space, recognizing patterns from their recollections, and creating a composite of them that can be explored in VR.

I looked into a variety of topics, from Sense of Place to Narrative Maps to Psychogeography. All research as well as design mockups can be found on my Hackpad.

Here’s my presentation.

All notes on Hackpad.

 

As I reflected on last week’s research and my conversation with Francois, I realized that there two opposing attitudes towards the LHC experiment. On one side, as Francois mentioned, there is awe of discovery. On the other, there is terror of potential calamity. This week I tried to find some analogies and imageries for these two attitudes.

Fear and terror
If you google LHC, there are plenty of homemade visuals of doom.

 

Analogies

And just for fun:

Awe and Wonder
I found more images of simulations of particles colliding. I feel that these images, though technical, portray the beauty and wonder of the experiment.

Analogies
Using Francois’s example of cosmic rays, what scientists used to compare with the energy created by the LHC collision.

The Unknown
Since LHC is an experiment, the largest and most complex that mankind has ever built, nobody can confidently predict the outcome. That excites some, such as the scientists, and terrifies others. This dynamic fascinates me and I plan to continue exploring in this direction. An idea is to create a VR experience of inside the LHC.

References
https://www.quora.com/search?q=LHC

You’ve Doomed Us All!

To dos

• Read H.P. Lovercraft and Greek Myth of going into hell
• Research related VR experiences
• Sketch 3D scenerios and environments
• Prototype in three.js