Wherever You Go

"Wherever you go, there you are". Usually I hear this expression used as a lament, a recognition that, try as we might, we are unable to change ourselves or escape from "who we are". However, I've never viewed the phrase that way. To me, it has always sounded celebratory, of the fact that everything one does and perceives is filtered through the unique lens of one's own viewpoints and experiences.

This project, my thesis as a student at NYU ITP, comes from that idea, and is heavily influenced by texts like Invisible Cities and the Poetics of Space that center on the idea of space as a reflection of the self. What I wanted is to build an experience that led all players to a space they felt was born from their unique perspective.

A playable version can be downloaded here.

Mechanisms

Wherever You Go was built on Unreal Engine for usage with the Meta Quest, but works with most major VR headsets; Facebook's Oculus, HTC's Vive, and Valve's Index have all been tested.

Players begin by putting on the headset, where they find themselves in a vast, empty, colorless landscape. As they wander this landscape, however, the environment changes and reshapes itself around them. The player is given no goals, instructions or time limit other than to 'find a place that feels like home'. The experience ends when the player feels they have found that place.

Within the world of the experience, the environment is fluid and shifts between four environments: the bottom of the ocean, a storm-riddled rocky coast, a lush and peaceful forest, and a dry, mysterious desert. Each of these environments is meant to evoke and resonate with a specific set of feelings on the axes of calm-turbulent and lush-barren.

The changes in the environment are based on how the player moves through the virtual world. The program reads the current orientation of the controller and, when the player moves forward, adjusts the landscape accordingly. This ensures that each person’s journey, and where each person ends up, are unique to them.

Reflections

I have a lot of love for all the work I put out into the world, but I would be lying if I said there wasn't a special place in my heart for Wherever You Go. This piece was what got me into XR, and displays all of what I've come to think of as the hallmarks of my work: a focus on individual user interaction and empowerment, a deep interest in how place and space influence us both internally and externally, and a communal aspect that encourages participants to think about the experiences of others.

Out of all the pieces I've worked on, this is the one that I would love most to find the time and money to expand on and develop further. I think there is a lot of potential in the idea of a constantly shifting, user-driven environment, and I would love to pursue it further. If have any suggestions or if this piece resonates with you as well, don't hesitate to reach out!