Minimalist Environments | A1

A1 | Design Problem Response

Week 2 | Minimalism (Session 1 - 25/07/22)

I've had this weird obsession with hallways lately, all it is, is two walls, a ceiling, but we instinctively want to walk through them, whether it's because of curiosity, hoping that there might be something at the end, or perhaps it's the fact that we find it inviting. I am curious to find out what makes hallways so enticing and I want to create an experience for audiences to experience this feeling.

Taking inspiration from minimalist concepts such as leaving the experience in the hands of the audience itself, in which they can choose to view and enter these hallways themselves or simply view them as an artwork itself. I draw inspiration from Bruce Nauman's work called the Green Light Corridor from 1970. Nauman confronts the viewer with a green neon-lit narrow corridor in which the viewer is implicitly invited into.

Film & TV does hallways so well and I've been inspired by a lot of this type of imagery, how the viewer is confronted with a hallway and yet we know that this is something the protagonist must do, is to go down this hallway no matter what type of hallway it is, a scary, dimly-lit or even ethereal, we all know that the hallway is there for a purpose and we know that there is something at the end.

What if I challenged that idea and make a never-ending hallway filled with differently imagery. Much like the never-ending staircase of Super Mario 64.

- What will the purpose of the experience?

I will have the player placed in a room, in which all they see is the hallway, there will be no direction as to what they are supposed to do. But once the player goes into the hallway, there's no going back, they're stuck in the endless hallway. (will try to polish up the concept in next post)

Scope of works

Essentials:

3-4 hallways? depending on time

Potential themes -

- ethereal, heaven-like, clouds

- modern hell, corporate office like hallways, white walls, white LED lighting, clean

- fever dream like hallway, wong kar-wai inspired

- eerie like, draw inspiration from The Shining, patterned carpet, hotel doors

Model the 'gallery' room itself
Have the player move in a straight line only(?)
> otherwise the player can just exit the hallway by walking backwards
Footsteps

Nice to have:

The 'gallery' room
Cloth physics, simulate wind breezing through

Week 2 | Ma (Session 2 - 29/07/22)

In the concept of Ma, it is the deliberate use of empty space. That space is respective, the idea is that we’re leaving some space for some renewal & change.

Ma changes our definition of the emptiness, moments of tension and anticipation are created through emptiness and allows contemplation and reflection to arise

Concept Reiteration:

What I want to focus on here is to develop a stronger concept. To add another layer of interactivity. As the teacher had stated, once I've gotten the attention of the user, I would have to add another layer to that element to do something with the user's attention.

*At this stage I've sort of transitioned my concept idea to Ma, explained below

List of potential ideas:

- research games that peak your curiosity

- research QWOP and how it makes you control different limbs,

- how can you make hallways interactive?

What can I do with the user's attention, okay there's a sense of dread, but what do you even do with that sense of dread?

Concept Reiteration (Final):

Using the idea of hallways to provide users with a sense of contemplation. It's meant to reflect my understanding of Ma. Cherishing the in-between moments and using a hallway to represent that idea between each room you pass and decide to enter.

Every so often there are rooms you can enter which represents the opposite of Ma. Artificial lights, office environment, rigid clean walls. This represents the hustle culture of living in modern society. I believe that humans aren't meant to be working for 40+ hours per week, it is un-natural for us to be in constant fight or flight mode when we are forced to be put in stressful situation.

User's aren't forced to enter the rooms, they choose so if they want to and they can leave if they want to. In an indirect way, this metaphor can be applied to in a situation where you feel is causing you too much anguish, that feelings of being trapped are imposed by external forces. Hence the sign that reminds you that "you're here forever". I believe that to apply Ma in my world perspective is to give yourself moments where you can be introspective. Is to soak in nature, breathe in the outside air and take in a good amount of sun in between life's mundane, stressful and often times of dread moments.

Week 3

The concept evolved from the hallway idea, the idea to draw in user's curiosity, to using the hallway to accentuate the idea of Ma, using the idea of hallways, something most humans use all the time in their life, as a significant component of the interactive environment.

To much of Miyazaki's film "Spirited Away", this hallway is loosely paying homage to the scene in which Chihiro rides through a train carriage, which Miyazaki tries to convey to the audience that these moments are not to necessarily advance the story but to give the sense of time and place and who they are.

Endless Hallway

Hallways are something we use everyday, we often use them to reach a destination without second thought, they are usually not long enough for us to really think about things that are outside of "oh damn I'm going to be late for class" or "I really need to pee". In the essence of Ma, I wanted provide the audience with an experience of tranquility, contemplation and reflection.

We are entirely in an artificial world when we walk through hallways. The space I have created is meant to juxtapose that fact hallways are exclusively man made. I have included aspects of nature, using grass and flowers to elicit and simulate an ethereal feeling. Whatever feelings the user feels going through the hallway is valid, whether it reflects an escape, or whether they simply feel calm. Walking though the hallway can feel perpetual, continuously moving in a direction, much like how time doesn't wait for anyone. It's a space that makes you feel something, whatever that is, even if its boredom.

The Rooms

Every few metres or so, there are doors that lead into a closed of space that represents an office environment. It's meant to be the complete opposite of the hallway. Personally it represents the 9 to 5, capitalist rat race that I spent a chunk of my early 20's living through.

References

Teleporting Script

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzzxjFD6-Mg&ab_channel=JimmyVegas

Doors

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPltQK5LlGE&ab_channel=LlamAcademy

Shaders

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcDU6YtWuLY&t=412s&ab_channel=GameDevRepublic

Carpet

https://freepbr.com/materials/office-carpet1/