Spiritwood
An immersive installation exploring the intersection of nature and spirituality through interactive technology.
Concept
Mixed reality technology is becoming more ubiquitous and more easily accessible, but what do these explorations of virtual worlds mean for our understanding of the natural world? Common depictions of AR and VR depict a complete detachment from the 'real' world, but how can these technologies serve to enhance our connection with our surroundings, rather than sever them?
Spiritwood is an immersive installation, commissioned for the 2025 MIT Reality Hack, that explores how AR can be used to supplement our interactions with the natural world, rather than replacing them. The installation gives a glimpse into a second, hidden world of nature spirits hidden from the human eye, and allows users to interact with them and leave offerings.
Spiritwood consists of a number of site-specific AR installations, scattered at certain trees around MIT's campus. When a user correctly identifies the tree (by matching a provided photo to a real-world location), they will be able to see into the realm of the forest spirits.
Each type of tree harbors a different type of spirit; rather than just observing these spirits, visitors can leave offerings in an attempt to win their favor; these offerings can take the form of candles left under the tree, photos or videos. While willow spirits might grant creativity and flexibility in one' endeavors, oak spirits will bless their supplicants with fortitude and heartiness in the face of difficulty. Chestnut spirits, on the other hand, are spirits of abundance, and will reward devotees with good fortune and prosperity.
Spiritwood reflects my continuing interest in the intersection of technology and spirituality, and the ways in which XR can be used to enhance our connection with worlds outside of our own. In its next iteration, I plan to add a greater number of interactions possible between users and spirits, as well as a greater variety of spirits to interact with. For now, this iteration of Spiritwood lives on in perpetuity just outside of the human realm on MIT's campus.