APPLICATION PORTFOLIO ZIH JIE WENG

SUMMARY 1 LORE OF LONDON the journey of extinction rebellion from protest- ing, to taking control of their own autonomous zone, then through a global catastrophe. 2 4 ESCAPE OPEN CALL SUBMISSIONS Escaping from fear of missing out, Selected works for My Dream These Escaping to Goldsmiths Metaverse Days exhibition curated by SAIC 3 5 WELCOME TO WE ARE ALL UNCANNY VALLEY EARTH PEOPLE! Navigation video of the Uncanny We all share the same precious resourc- Valley... it is an actual place. Created es on Earth. playable virtual world by Unity.

FINAL OUTCOMES Process 1 Lore of London (Fictional Narration) Documentation The story takes place in a fictional, speculative future of flooded London in 2090. Battle of haves and have-nots fighting over natural resources. Futuristic conflict from climate change crisis. As an environmental ad- LORE OF LONDON vocate, I created this fictional short story narrative and news video fore- telling a post-apocalyptic London in 2090 facing catastrophic flooding. In the divisive London in 2090, civilians represented by Extinction Rebel- Extinction Rebellion & The Red Float lion anguished in the flooded area while the rich and powerful resided in higher dry land. The project aims to raise awareness of climate change through emotional appeals and reimagining the future if no action is taken now. This project is the journey of extinction rebellion from protesting, to taking con- Full Project Available at https://artemisweng.wixsite.com/arte/redflood trol of their own autonomous zone, then through a global catastrophe. We have CLICK TO VIEW! explored how they protested, how they lived and their day-to-day life, and their response to a global climate catastrophe. Using news articles from the time and artifacts recovered from the time, we have revealed how this marginalized group of Speculative News report: people broke into mainstream society. The global pandemic of covid has inspired Flooded London & XR Protest us to adopt a subject that matters and relates to the whole world. In the reality, we feel powerless, and still are unable to do Made with Blender and After Effect. anything to improve the current situation; however, in this project through representing A speculative BBC News report documenting a series of footage XR and letting our voices get to be heard, it including Extinction Rebellion going on the protest, affected vic- serves as a symbolic protest to show our tims and local community, London Underground. All taken around dissatisfaction with the status quo. the disaster area in flooded London. CLICK TO VIEW! Deliverable 1: A Speech to promote our ideology as one of the Extinction Rebellion PROCESS activists. Adopt & Represent

FIRST STAGE: UNDERSTAND & REPRESENT After looking into lots of subcultures, Linking it back to our project, the story we have decided our chosen ideology to be: SECOND STAGE: ADOPT AND DESIGN Extinction rebellion believed in reusing and During the first stage, we are tasked with discover- allows us to identify and sort out several Extinction Rebellion recycling objects they already had or could ing, empathizing with a chosen cult, and represent- core traits of a cultic group, such as com- find. The plate would have been from earli- ing it afterward; in doing so, we need to define what munal living, having authoritarian yet char- While conducting my research on the Extinction Rebel- er but was repaired with glue then used to the cult is, understand its belief, and the people who ismatic leader, members aren’t allowed lion, I have found that most of their actions are festi- As for the second stage, we began to adopt the ideolo- eat off. This zero waste culture was also make it up. their own authority, and brainwashing. val-like. Instead of monotonous and typical protests, XR gies and design a new world where the Extinction Re- a huge belief in the community as they has turned their act into an engaging street party and bellion is the supreme ruler of the New Cross. “1984” by couldn’t afford to waste any materials At first, it was hard to communicate with the group Also, by breaking it down, we can perceive carnival that consists of “music, dancing, food stalls, Representation theory by Stuart Hall George Orwell has inspired me immensely when building through video calls since we barely know each other how powerful mob mentality is acting to and discussions,” highlighting their emphasis on rebel- describes that there is not a fixed and up the social structure. In the story and almost everyone is in different places at the society. Group Dynamics theory by Kurt lion in a non-violence and family-friendly way. Therefore, true representation of people or events of 1984, Big Brother is a symbolism of the power figure start of term. Therefore, everyone does their own Lewin suggests that the way how people alluding to several sitcoms and the original Extinction in a text, but there are lots of ways these of Oceania that installs fear among people. It is a role research and then talks through ideas during tutori- interact and behave is affected by each Rebellion’s approaches, we have decided to wear cos- can be represented. In a society, different model that citizens look up to and protect. Its political als. In my view, working as a group and discussing member’s internal thoughts and mind- tumes to our speech as a performance to catch the groups have their own culture; however, an system Ingsoc was founded on several sacred princi- really is a skill that everyone needs to improve in any sets. (Tasca, 2020) It could turn either audience’s attention immediately. individual may belong to a group but still ples: Newspeak (a fictional language created by the future group projects. good or bad and lead in a constructive maintain his own identity by having dis- totalitarian government), doublethink (the act of simulta- or destructive way. Human beings are Our speech went better than what I expected, and I tinctive interpretations. (Jhally, 1997) neously believing two mutually contradictory ideas), and If one were to search for the definition of cult on- social animals (Simon-Thomas, 2020): feel proud when there were many groups of 5 or 6, but the mutability of the past, which convinces the citizens line, “a religious group, often living together, whose cult members often take their cue of how we were the only group of 2 and we carried it out well; For instance, although Extinction Rebellion to believe that they are in good condition and the party beliefs are considered extreme or strange by many to behave from other group members or however, as for improvement, the speech should be cut has previously been labeled “uncooper- will never make mistakes. (page 26 of 1984) people” is the most common definition to pop up. leaders, thus they would get convinced it’s shorter in my view. This is because that I found people ative crusties” and “importunate nose- This model is what the area would look (cult, n.d.) To me, what comes up to my mind imme- righteous and best to do what everyone have slowly spaced in the latter part of it. We can also ringed” activists of all kinds that have like around 2035- 2040. More land has diately when I’m thinking of cult is animated satire else does, even when it is questionable. replace dull sentences with easy and catchy words with littered the landmark with “hemp-smelling According to 1984, a hierarchical society was only possi- been reclaimed and replaced with green- sitcoms like The Simpsons and several classic literary devices. In this way, the speech would be more bivouacs” by Boris Johnson (Johnson’s ble based on ignorance and poverty. Therefore, I created ery. This has allowed more trees to be pieces of literature such as “Carrie” by Stephen King effective and convincing, therefore, to recruit and attract ‘uncooperative crusties’ remark, 2019), it posters portraying a set of rules to limit freedom of the grown and the introduction of livestock and “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. Among them, more target audience to join or follow us. is not true that every protester in support city and individuals. This ‘new world’ would be a place farming into the area. The Salem Witch Trials in The Crucible has helped of XR fits the alternative and hippy ste- where everyone was equal and people worked for the me a lot in comprehending the common themes of At the same time when we kept digging into examining reotype. In fact, members come from all good of the community. It encourages citizens of New a cult and giving me the sense and aesthetics that it cult cultures, I was contradicting myself by coming walks Cross to go on parade to maintain the morale of society; provides. up with a question: Why are these groups or cultures of life; there are also well-dressed men the idea behind this was to get more and more people being defined as a cult? The term seems to be having and women, young and old, such as retired living in the area and slowly expanding it by terraforming The rise of the Salem Witch, the result of social a pejorative connotation attached to it, and I wonder if deputy headteachers and former lawyers the surrounding area and reclaiming it. disputes, religious fanaticism, political turbulence, it is because common people didn’t fully understand or who are in their sixties. It would just be has led to appalling tragedies including countless resonate with the subculture so that some of them are prejudicial and unnecessary to assign a murders of innocents unfairly mocked, judged, stereotyped, and treated as the specific designation and generalize indi- and false imprisonment. It has resulted from the underdog. viduals from a group. rigorous Puritan code, which provoked a group of girls’ curiosities in superstition and magic. After the girls began behaving strangely, the doctors couldn’t diagnose the condition. Therefore, the Puritans con- cluded quite simply—they are bewitched. The girls then denounced certain townspeople for this crime, including a local slave, Tituba, a homeless beggar; after being arrested for a few days, she admitted that she was a witch, and indicated there were other Suit that Extinction Rebellion witches in Salem, the settlers then panicked and activists would wear began a massive witch hunt to uncover these other witches. (Brooks, 2015) Images from Salem Witchcraft and It is not everyone that fits the crusty The Simpsons. (Witch Marge, n.d.) Common things people will come up with when mentioning XR stereotype. (Getty Images, n.d.)

THIRD STAGE: TAKE IT FURTHER & RED FLOOD Reflect/Possible Improvement After the critique of the second stage, we were Red is an emotive color that has universal To be fair, I’m far from satisfied with our project. Just Revisiting this project I hope to unpick my success suggested to establish a timeline to take the resonance. In the parade it ‘symbolizes the Before revisiting my project, I have carefully read the feedback from tutors and take some like the tutors said, I feel like there are still a lot of and struggle by taking tutors advices. I aim to whole world scale we created further to one common blood [Extinction Rebellion shares] notes: there are several points that I choose to improve as the following. spaces and aspects for us to explore further. improve the persuasiveness so that the story will extreme and make the structure more complete. with all species, that unifies us and makes Extinction Rebelion Paints the Streets of be convincing and successful, and focus on rhetor- We seem to be too timid and tentative with our us one,’ whilst in the literature, it symbolizes London Red 1. Experiment more with the emotional side, I like one of the comments from the tutors saying ical appeal strategies: logos, ethos, pathos of my our project felt too close to reality. I would love to visualization and concept. ideas; therefore, before the third stage, our archi- inevitability of death. By Matt Parker, CNN by using archive imagery alongside assets and artefacts tectural models and posters were not too con- Last updated 20th October 2055 see our project go bolder and crazier by reimaging vincing, and they were not having big differences Getting deeply inspired by the literature, 2. Behavior design: systematic understanding of how people think and how they future scale. Ways of reimaging and design future speculatively: from the real-world scale. we adopt the ideology and made the Ex- make decisions. It helps form the basis of thinking about interventions that lead to As for visualization, I think there is still a lot more By making BBC report video, ethos is established, it tinction Rebellion of the new world we cre- behavioural change. space for me to refine the concept of day-to-day shows the news that comes from the authority and Fascinated and inspired by the famous Red ated preaches eschatology, claiming that clothes or my 3D animation of the Mourning parade trustworthiness. Rebel Brigade, we create a timeline of how XR the world was now demonic, corrupt, and 3. All the tutors have mentioned how they enjoyed the mourning parade/red flood 3d on the red flood. We should be making more imagery transformed and how their approach is to rebel. doomed and that the only way to be saved animation I made. Some suggests to think how an action of protest might morph of collages and drawings to communicate our ideas By building narratives, backstory, and lore of 2090 ‘Color is a very powerful, quick, and easy route was to join the group. Furthermore, I also into an action of shared grief and into a cultural tradition. since using only words is too hard and tedious to London, logos is established, it shows why and to say, “We’re a certain thing”,’ says Clive Rus- designed a 3d animation as an intervention to Extinction Rebellion Activist floating through London make people focus and understand the message we what change/better future extinction rebellion is sell, the visual identity developer of Extinction dye the river red as a form of dissent. 4. More visuals of the parade, and what happens to the red bags when they are not in use. In the early morning of Friday 20th October, Extinction rebellion activists staged a floating protest. Masses of people are trying to depict. I also get frustrated when some fighting for. Understanding how 2090 people think Rebellion. Aside from getting inspiration from occupied London's flooded streets and alleyways. Dressed in red with accommodating floating red bags, they were delivering a sobering message to the failures of the government who had failed to take action before the great flood. groupmates’ attitudes toward the assignment were will make the behavioral change logical and rea- the actual parade performed by the original By wearing red ponchos and red floatation "The streets look as though they are filled with blood." commented an onlooker as the procession of people passed 5. What better future is extinction rebellion fighting for and want to change. sonable. extinction rebellion, some very vivid imagery in devices, the water looked like it was glowing their home. casual or not serious enough and are still unfamiliar A spokesman from the group stated that the peaceful protest aimed to unite the 6. The project felt too close to reality. Reimagine futures and with the subject we are doing even till now. my head from “The Masque of the Red Death” by red, almost like it was filled with blood. This broken capital in the fight against the climate crisis. By creating more visualizations/archive images Edgar Allan Poe has also been influential upon was to get people to realize that the govern- "We have all witnessed the effects of the climate catastrophe here in London,'' stated use speculative design steps to reaching them. the activist "It is not our place to point fingers or place of artefacts, outfits, change of the city and local me in the process. The literature has enabled me ment’s inability to make significant action blame. We are living at the tipping point of a global crisis. To honor those who have (Addressing big societal problems into future scenarios) perished, we must all unite to stop extinction of humanity" communities (victims), pathos is established and to visualize my ideas imaginatively. against climate change resulted in the deaths 7. Reflect on local narratives, communities, histories it will create emotion in audience based on their The protest had lasted for the entire day with some attendees perishing in the cold This isn’t a work that is cohesive enough, with some of thousands of people and the loss of whole water. Their message was clear and unwavering, If not now, then never. and bring them visually. everyday surrounding that they have a connection In The Masque of the Red Death, a rich prince cities and communities. This was also a main problems such as unequal distribution of work, to and evoke sympathy. who threw a party in his opulent mansion as an massive we told you so from the extinction 8. Visualization of outfits the protesters are wearing, inefficient time management and discussion, and lack epidemic decimated the peasant population. rebellion who had been warning about anoth- what are the artifacts. of collaboration. Suddenly, a masked figure which symbolizes the er extinction event and it eventually came. plague named Red Death has shown up and in- 9. Think about the impact, connect with flooding However, what is more, important is that we don’t ra- fected his guests. The story has made a profound and how it is affecting different communities. tionalize our failure and truly learn from these mistakes impression on me for its imagery, and the strong How extinction rebellion amplify voices struggling. by developing better strategies for any future group pro- color of red has been featured heavily. jects. Next time we would know that before doing any- Click to view the video! 10. Embraced the roles as narrative device. thing we should certainly discuss it so that it wouldn’t Death has been exquisitely personified in wearing be a waste of time. vesture “dabbled in blood, and his broad bow with 11. The long preamble history can fit for ethnographic report I’m thankful and glad that we have this chance to test all the features of the face was besprinkled with since everyone already knows current state of XR in reality things out and since it is formative, we get to receive the scarlet horror.” Particularly during this period genuine feedback without hurting our grades. I gained of the pandemic, I can’t help but recall its context, 12. What is the parade for, how about the local activities many valuable lessons from this journey, now I have which also happens to parallel Extinction Rebel- and people live after flood, think about climate migration. more faith and direction in what I’m doing, and I’m lion’s parade. ready for the new challenges. 13. Refine, create convincing design visualization that can effectively communicate the ideas. 14. London is already flooding, what does it look like in parallel futures BBC report of Red Float on flood, I designed a 3d animation as intervention to dye the river red as dissent. and replan the scenario.

REVISIT Click to view the model! Underwater Bakerloo Tube Click to view the model! Local Community an underwater view of Bak- erloo Underground tube, the commuting place that every- In May 2019, the UK declared that London is now on the frontline of the climate one passed in daily life, now emergency. So, I felt like it was the right time to revisit the project with visuali- has submerged countless zation, helping Londoners and everyone to imagine how the seemingly abstract human lives. concept of climate change might affect our everyday lives through familiar parts of the city.” I choose to depict places like underground tube and St. Paul Cathedral to make Above image shows the impacts the flood’s having on us feel more relevant. Reimagining the future but at the same time trying to ma- local communities, where half of the house disappears nipulate it to look surreal. beneath the floodwaters and a young boy who once lived here sitting above the waterline sadly.

Click to view the complete lore! Click to view the complete lore! Click to view the model! Lore of London 2090Developing the communication and dissemination In order to make my fantasy world in the parallel future alive and more immersive, I have written a Lore to help deepen it. Lore is defined as “a body of traditions and knowledge on a subject or held by a particular group, typically passed from person to person by word of mouth.” Lore tends to exist in cultures with long and complex histories, something that is ex- tremely common in fantasy. The biggest advantage of using this lore to establish my fantasy world of 2090 London is that lore can say a lot with very little. More than that, it can invoke curi- osity far more than dry exposition can. It If I have successfully build an engaging and fascinating world invites the readers to ask questions about that means my audience can be convinced and fully immerse the world and wonder what else might be themselves in my fantasy. Through cohesive 3D art and visual- hidden within the story. This is because ization I have created as illustrated image, I want to fully con- lore is a story my characters that live in vey how I’ve pictured 2090 flooded London from large scale to It shows the famous St. Paul Cathedral that has the world would tell. the smallest scale and show how it all comes together. It really Drowning of St. Paul become an abandoned site that is flooded and helps me understand the scenario, plans out and expresses soak beneath the sea level. I think the best way to develop the the concept of 2090 London, Extinction Rebellion, local com- The image shows Extinction Rebellion activist dressed in red cloaks, preparing to go when writing this piece of narrative and lore, I am able to stand in the shoes of communication of my world-building is munities, and disputes. It conveys the vision for the parallel Activist In Red on a mourning parade, floating onto the flooded land of wasteland. those who live in flooded London 2090, fully comprehend how the catastrophe through these setting and narratives that future I re-imagined and set the tone for it. might have cause serious effect and harm to peoples life will help me explain the backstory. Click to view the model! artefacts from 2090 London

as you can see, with or without texture maps by adding more archieve imagery not and post-processing makes a huge difference just the original red flood animation BBC NEWS Re-edit Processes: 3D Visuals Click to view the model! Click to view the model! Click to view the video! finding people to show it to: my audience suggest me to make a theme music for the background and try to make it more realistic by voicing the tv script afterwards.

I have used Google Colab to improve, re-edit image cap- tured from my 3D render of St. Paul, in order to create a Process: Google Colab style of fictional and fantasy illustration Click to view Click to view the model! the model! underwater view of London 2090

FINAL OUTCOMES Escaping to Goldsmiths Metaverse ESCAPE 2 VR walkthrough of the virtual world: Goldsmiths Metaverse. Escaping from FOMO at Goldsmiths Click Here: Navigation Video Goldsmiths Metaverse explores the connection between schoolmates that communicate with existing barriers, whether it is culture, language, or time. What’s “so Goldsmiths” These barriers challenge the means to connect. This depravity forces us to navigate each other and our perceptions in different ways, creating a univer- “I thought if I went to Goldsmiths I’d start sal way to explore the connection. drinking Glen’s vodka/cider/pints, watching In this piece, I have created avatars for my schoolmates using the collected rugby, start saying ‘bloody’, reading the Dai- pictures. This environment can be a tool used to mediate and strike conver- ly Mail, buying vinyl records and clothes in sations, where you don’t have to fear of being missed out but at the same charity shops, and getting involved with some time give you personal space. radical political subjects to defend my nation or identity, “ Whether to say Goldsmiths Metaverse is an escapism, I prefer to think of but the truth is-- soon I figured out that I it as an experience. It isn’t necessary replace real-life experience, but do wasn’t cool enough for the atmosphere there. things that you normally can’t do. I don’t want to spark any political discussion, True Goldsmiths’ insiders would recognize several Goldsmiths’ memes, fun- and I’m just trying to find a comfy spot for me ny encounters, and famous news that I embedded in the virtual space. to stand. Full Project Available at https://artemisweng.wixsite.com/arte/gold- Sometimes I feel like there is an invisible smithsmetaverse societal convention here, and I actually feel quite threatened when seeing people put so much effort into what they wear, or even look “Goldsmiths” when just wearing a sweater. I always feel odd, underdressed and a little out- of-place, like I never truly belong to a certain genre of fits. I’ve seen lots of creative types with some pretty outlandish wardrobes at the campus, and it really gives me a lot of a Speculative Game Interface leftist, hipster-ish, artsy (art-school-kids) vibe here. Looking closely into the stylistic deci- Speculative game interface for Goldsmiths Metaverse. sions of people here at goldsmiths, a place where the subculture becomes the main cul- The idea of this creative work came from personal experience as I ture, I aim to connect the similarities and find first arrived at Goldsmiths feeling like an outsider. At virtual Gold- what they represent. smiths, introverts such as myself roam freely and fit into the crowd. Using Unity, I designed a potential game interface using Figma and Metahuman by Unreal Engine with identity options for gender and This serves as the general “freshman des- appearance. The notion of fitting in and inclusivity holds dearly to me. perately trying to discover fashion” starter pack: aiming to find the most Goldsmiths’ outfit, and have a little escape from being judged about not being Goldsmiths enough, by adapting people’s outfits here and hiding in PROCESS the crowds.

Activities/Exploration Concept/Project ID RECONNAISSANCE & REALITY Brief: An escape is a transition to a new state or space, a momentary swerve from the everyday. engage in your environment in new and interesting ways - observing, testing, and defining opportunities for escape. Escape exists as a construct that removes a person or group from one particular state or place to identify my escape. what am I escaping from? another. this state can be both physical or psychological. We are asked to identify an opportunity or desire to create an escape. There was a time during covid when I’m doing remote study in Taiwan, I can’t really travel to England to have the full experience of uni. Although we had group projects and I made several friends by in front of the screen, I feel like these friends are temporary because they are gonna find cooler people in reality, face to face, before I even come here to study. Sometimes I feel like there is an invisible societal convention here, and I actually Photograph something/be furtive: I’m scared of missing out on just being crazy feel quite threatened when seeing people found a cat hiding in bushes at campus and going out on a Friday or Saturday night. put so much effort into what they wear, or even look “Goldsmiths” when just wearing Hide and merge in the background: during this Take a trip using unusual mode of As for myself, I enjoy playing piano, video a sweater. I always feel odd, underdressed exercise, me and my friend took each other’s transport. Go North: I just came to games, and movies...so it’s not like I can’t and a little out-of-place, like I never truly picture of hiding and becoming one of some- london and the transpotation Im most have fun by myself. I’m just afraid of ending belong to a certain genre of fits. I’ve seen thing. We both wear dark and can’t really been familiar with is the bus, however I took up alone like before with everyone else hav- lots of creative types with some pretty out- seen, and it was a cool experience. underground to expeirence something ing made some great friends. landish wardrobes at the campus, and it different. Now looking back at it the really gives me a lot of a leftist, hipster-ish, transpotation I used every day becomes What’s “so Goldsmiths” artsy (art-school-kids) vibe here. mainly underground/DLR “I thought if I went to Goldsmiths I’d start Therefore, I started to observe people and drinking Glen’s vodka/cider/pints, watch- hoping to be like them, be like one of the ing rugby, start saying ‘bloody’, reading the whole community. The first thing comes Daily Mail, buying vinyl records and clothes to my mind is outfit, since it is something in charity shops, and getting involved with that left you the first impression of a per- some radical political subjects to defend my son. If I look like one of them, I would be nation or identity, “ 75% successful to achieve the goal. Just like everyone else! Looking closely into the stylistic decisions “HUMAN IS ULTRA SOCIAL ANIMAL” of people here at goldsmiths, I collect To understand goldsmiths students, I start to document and study people’s outfits. but the truth is-- soon I figured out that I people’s picture of their style and clothes, Firstly, I try to be sneaky and hide to document but found that it doesn’t work well, and there is a risk wasn’t cool enough for the atmosphere and create a catalog of general “freshman that if people see me, they might get triggered. Become someone else: me and my ICL mate merge in my desperately trying to discover fashion” friends from KCL and sneak into library without getting there. I don’t want to spark any political dis- Then I found that although the outfits are different, they share the very similar visual codes to each noticed, and it actually worked. It is a day to experience KCL cussion, and I’m just trying to find a comfy starter pack. other. I found that peop- le often feel unique about themselves, but everyone ends up being the same. students’ life spot for me to stand. If I want to have a little escape from be- Group Dynamics theory by Kurt Lewin suggests that the way how people interact and behave is Watch escape movie: Drowning love. It is about one teen idol Natsume in Tokyo who has to give up on ing judged about not being Goldsmiths affected by each member’s internal thoughts and mindsets. (Tasca, 2020) Human beings are social her career who moves to her father’s hometown in of Ukigumo as her parents have decided to aid her ail- enough, I can look at it as a reference and animals. ing grandfather in the small town. Soon she meets Koi who is a young heir of an influential family. They adapting people’s outfits here and hiding Group members often take their cue of how to behave from other group members or leaders, thus are both shining figures among the peers in same age. However, they encountered a terrible incident and in the crowds. they would get convin- ced it’s righteous and best to do what everyone else does, even when it is affect their lives. They are no longer liked by their peer and everything is depraved but there is no time Pros and Cons I listed out after for our characters to deal with the trauma they’re put through. They decided to escape from it. Near the doing activities and brainstorming questionable. end of the story, ou and Kana killed the rapist for harming Natsume. The three decide to keep it a secret It is hard for people to stay unique when our taste and sense of fashion and everything of us all get so as to avoid the past affecting her future career. (escapism) Kou felt guilty as he couldn’t protect his influenced and affected by the community woman and thus thought he doesn’t deserve her. Main characters are all escaping from this incident.

Reflect/Possible Improvement Sadly, the first half of project I still didn’t feel Revisiting this project I hope to create a more confident and comfortable with the virtual environment where people can be result. I also didn’t really escape successful- invited to a space that can gather, talk ly, so I’m not too satisfied. It is time and that and chat and have fun. No one will be I don’t have enough technical skills at that missed out in the experience. time that I wasn’t able to achieve the things I want to make.However, now we have this It will be useful for the everyone to help opportunity to revisit our project, I would free their minds away from place or have more time to learn the skills during this bed they be stuck in. When your friends time. might be on the other side of the planet, you can’t afford to see them in real life. Or you want to add something to the One day when I was playing video games experience that is physically impossible, with my brother and some strangers, friends or you want to create a whole new expe- that I just made online, the game gives me rience that nobody has ever experienced an inspiration! before. I have always loved video games, ever since “I would really like to meet new people Catalog of I was young. I love the feeling of being in but then that would involve me going Goldsmiths Outfits I created another parallel future. out there, which I’m not doing because I don’t know if I’m comfortable about In the game world, I could be inevitable going out by myself.“ supervillain, an archer, or dressing up glam- orously depending on the game I’m entering. Don’t worry: I never feel missed out or alone in the game. Come inside, take your shoes off into Moreover, it is so much easier for me to Goldsmiths Metaverse. make friends all around the world in virtual game world, especially during the time of The catalog style is strongly inspired by covid social opportunities for me became The Sartorialist, Hans Eijkelboom even harder to come by. Double the people, double the fun, when others can relate and the excitement is not “HUMAN IS ULTRA SOCIAL ANIMAL” experienced alone, it become more interest- Taking the route of goldsmiths’ students, adopt their culture Start docu- ing and appareling. menting photos in public, where they might at: Stu- dio, SU bar, SU cafe. I stop sneakily taking pictures of everyone, instead, I go on and ask if I can take pictures for them because I like their outfits very much. Overcoming the awkwardness by interacting with people. Dissecting and breaking down into details of the elements Categorize them and arrange them in same fields

REVISIT Field Research: Capturing Texture Escaping to Goldsmiths Metaverse Goldsmiths Metaverse explores the connec- tion between school mates that commu- nicate with existing barriers, whether it is culture, language, or time. The effect of these barriers challenges the means to connect. This depravity forces us to navigate each other and our perceptions in different ways, creating a universal way to explore connec- tion. In this piece, I have created avatars for my school mates using the collected pictures. This environment can be a tool used to medi- inspiration that connects to goldsmiths mates and ate and strike conversations, where you don’t Field research: Collecting more data, since resonates to us. Since I am creating a Metaverse have to fear of being missed out but at the last time during tutorial they suggested me catering to Goldsmiths people, I want it to trigger same time giving you personal space. to collect more pictures of people. Looking some great and funny memories we both share, Click to view the model! for avatar’s outfits in the crowd. making the experience more interesting. Not everyone has access to the same expe- Field research: I focus on the first- riences, nor at the same fidelity. hand observation, learning about po- Whether to say Goldsmiths Metaverse is an sitions and the structure/construction escapism, I prefer to think of it as an expe- of existing goldsmiths Richard Hog- rience. It isn’t necessarily to replace real life gart buildings, so that before building experience, but do things that you normally the model I will have full comprehen- can’t do in real life anyway. Rather than es- sion. Also, I have took pictures of Col- caping from socializing with school mates, lege Green, hedges, and the building this metaverse will envelop attention and for the use of image texture. provides you comfort in virtual reality. It seems familiar but it is different, fresh and new experience, and there are so many unlocked opportunity and exploration left to be discovered, just like video games having new maps when installing updates. You can wear clothes that you don’t wear in real life, look completely different from real life, and engage with people you never have a chance to talk to in real life. Discover differ- ent districts, meet people, party at events, and more! It adds unique possibilities to create your own pocket reality.

Meta Goldsmiths (interactive!) Click to view video Process of texturing school mates av- atars in Blender, and placing all school mate avatars on College Green, it be- In order to really build an comes a world rotating around us. interactive experiece/space Process of texturing the RHB that can be visited, building in Blender, Image textures I captured and created for and placing all school mate I have learned how to use avatars and the school building, including avatars on College Green unity in this projecct. some of the first stage photos I took. The video has demostrate how we can move around and have a look of the whole Goldsmiths Metaverse. You can also see there is a portal connecting other RHB Modelling space, which means the more Click to view exciting elements are yet to come! the model! Click to view Click to view the model! the video!

Meta Goldsmiths (game interface) Goldsmiths Metaverse: The more is yet to come Goldsmiths Metaverse is an ever-ex- isting, online, three-dimensional world made of multiple virtual spaces. Day-to-day activities can be carried out online, making remote meetings, working, and entertainment more viv- id. Goldsmiths Metaverse is yet to be Imagine living your life or it’ s a normal built in its full form, but there are new school day where you have to go to school, I also created a metahuman using possibilities left to be discovered. doing the things you need to do daily, but Unreal Engine. I can choose any you get to do it all from the comfort of your appearance, I can be so much In Goldsmiths metaverse you are a 3d home in Goldsmiths Metaverse. Any ‘event’ stronger or larger in size, I can modeled avatar in a virtual space. You that doesn’t require you to directly interface bleach my brows, have beard, and use this avatar to interact with other with something (ie something like eating wear neon clothes that Im too shy school mates in the space. food, stuff that needs to be physical), could In metaverse, you are free to wear in new life. I can be who- be virtual. Work meetings, parties, ‘live’ to do things you can’t do ever I want to be! It is a virtual space in which we can shows, movies, small hang out sessions, in real life, you can have interact with others, just like in real day-to-day office happenings, etc. ponies to have class with life. In the Metaverse, you can create you, sleeping in carrot pile anything you can imagine, including Being virtual: No cleanup, easy set up, easy during the break. avatars, virtual characters, and realms. to drastically change aspects of the loca- tion or resources you have access to (espe- cially during the time of covid, virutal party had more attendees than expected. Boom, instantly larger room), totally safe from a The process of figma shows how the interface would disease-spreading standpoint be if Goldsmiths Metaverse is developed into an online You can fly. You can breathe underwater. game. We can choose the suggested outfits, wearing You can have ‘wild’ animals at your event. same style as your school mates Pony and pets can be brought to College Green to picnic. The more is yet to come! I hope to bring more fun elements into the metaverse, and invite people to visit, or even develop it into a video game!!

FINAL OUTCOMES Welcome to the Uncanny Valley DISSOLVING 3 Click Here: Navigation Video VR walkthrough of the virtual world: the Uncanny Valley REALITIES Welcome to the Uncanny Valley explores the relationship between fascina- tion and the uncanny, specifically, how I can evoke feelings of the uncanny in visual media and reality, learning from filmmakers, Gothic Literature, Welcome to the Uncanny Valley movies and animation. The research method captures the uncanny ele- ment from the angle and perspective of its influence upon humans and their fear – how the uncanny incites fear and its mechanisms. Weirdly, as a child, I wished I had an identical twin and shared a special bond with her because I always This project is a body of work that examines the close proximity between felt ignored. However, as I grew up, the uncanniness the realistic and the eerie. In this piece, I have 3d scanned my everyday life of meeting someone who looked exactly like me and places like school hall, bus, underground station, and my own design started to get on my nerves. Although this fear has process of making plaster face cast. waned away as I grow older, sometimes, my reflec- tion creeps me out when I am unaware of a mirror I have imagined the Uncanny valley as not just a theory but an actual place, nearby. The terror is ingrained in my brain when I and I have experienced it first hand. look too hard at myself. Full Project Available at https://artemisweng.wixsite.com/arte/dissolving- realities When doing the project, I faced my own fear. I creat- ed a body of work that examines the close proxim- ity between the realistic and the eerie by exploring the deviations from the faces depending on the shrinkage of alginate mould. During the process, I Point Cloud Experiments researched and became familiar with biomaterials. I also found an adapted, cheap, simplified gelatin rec- I like to 3D scan liminal places in daily life to document extra dimen- ipe that functions similarly to silicone but in a formu- sions of reality, turning mundane life into cinema. Moreover, I want to lation that can be remelted, reused, and recycled. warp how we see reality by building tension with camera movement. View Project at https://artemisweng.wixsite.com/ I capture the surreal yet daunting world of our hazy dreams and arte/dissolvingrealities memories and let people wander in this place where the rules of the universe do not apply. I embrace photogrammetry’s fuzzy texture and imprecise nature instead of trying to get close to photorealism. I find this more authentic to reality as there are different ways of seeing it, and this is how I see it. Now seek your broken and missing jigsaw puzzles in this space, and as you revisit it, the old memories are re- vived piece by piece. Full Project Available at https://artemisweng.wixsite.com/arte/dis- solvingrealities PROCESS

FINAL OUTCOMES C Major Scale Welcome to the Uncanny Valley For experimentation, sometimes I combine self-composed music 4 with visual art. OPEN CALL VR walkthrough of the virtual world: the Uncanny Valley The composition is about the musical and physical representa- tion of the process of adopting cultural diversity and exchanges of SIONS SUBMIS Welcome to the Uncanny Valley explores the relationship between fascina- multidisciplinary ideas. The beauty, texture, and endless possibilities tion and the uncanny, specifically, how I can evoke feelings of the uncanny of a singular color shine much brighter when it is mixed with and AudioVisual - Design with music in visual media and reality, learning from filmmakers, Gothic Literature, contrasted against others. The commingling of colors represents movies and animation. The research method captures the uncanny ele- acceptance and bonding of cultural and ideological differences. Selected works for My Dream These Days exhi- ment from the angle and perspective of its influence upon humans and bition curated by SAIC; a 12-hour showcase of their fear – how the uncanny incites fear and its mechanisms. Starting with the stringed music, I dropped one drop of red poster artist work streamed consecutively on Twitch, paint into the water. As the music progressed with richer sounds as well as projected live at physical locations in This project is a body of work that examines the close proximity between from more instruments, I dropped various colors of paint into the the Chicago area (SAIC Performance Hall 280). the realistic and the eerie. In this piece, I have 3d scanned my everyday life water as well. and places like school hall, bus, underground station, and my own design In 2021, I submitted some of my work to the process of making plaster face cast. After all the colors are mixed together, I added a large amount of open call for new media exhibition - My Dream white paint into the water, which fused all the colors into one. That These Days Part I & II, curated by SAIC. Three I have imagined the Uncanny valley as not just a theory but an actual place, is the point where the music comes to an end and back to singular of my submitted audiovisual-integrated works and I have experienced it first hand. stringed music, which symbolizes we are one in harmony. Levitating, Perspectives, and C Major Scale Full Project Available at https://artemisweng.wixsite.com/arte/dissolving- were selected for both exhibitions. For all three Full Project Available at https://artemisweng.wixsite.com/arte/dis- pieces, I combined self-composed music with realities solvingrealities visual that added a whole new dimension. Some express their thoughts and feelings through words or actions. For me, visual arts and music are my ways to connect to the world and lend an artistic voice to the voiceless and Perspectives socially vulnerable. I like to 3D scan liminal places in daily life to document extra dimen- View on website: https://artemisweng.wixsite. sions of reality, turning mundane life into cinema. Moreover, I want to com/arte/opencallsubmissions warp how we see reality by building tension with camera movement. 3D Gallery: https://newart.city/show/mdtd-vir- I capture the surreal yet daunting world of our hazy dreams and tual memories and let people wander in this place where the rules of the universe do not apply. I embrace photogrammetry’s fuzzy texture and imprecise nature instead of trying to get close to photorealism. I find this more authentic to reality as there are different ways of seeing it, and this is how I see it. Now seek your broken and missing jigsaw puzzles in this space, and as you revisit it, the old memories are re- vived piece by piece. Full Project Available at https://artemisweng.wixsite.com/arte/dis- solvingrealities PROCESS

My website that displays my 3d work: WE ARE ALL 5 Wildcards https://artemisweng.wixsite.com/arte/3d TH PEOPLE! https://youtu.be/wtkDLtT_GHw EAR 2D Acrylic Painting to 3D Animation Recreation of my acrylic painting (in the back- ground), I decided to reinforce the ideology in a 3D perspective and remade it into anima- tion. Inspired by the protests in Hong Kong and conflicts within my own heritage. I was born and raised in Taiwan. To me, Taiwan is my country. However, half of my relatives consid- er themselves as mainland Chinese despite living in Taiwan most of their lives. I respect the beliefs from both sides of my heritage. Personally, I think that every person has the right to express their own identities. I believe in peaceful cohabitation from all ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. We all share the same precious resources on Earth. View animation at: https://youtu.be/9wk0dt- SUDgs I have discovered my huge interest in 3d modelling and Except for the highlighted projects I have introduced have been self practicing for 2 years right now. Escape previously, here are other self initiated projects that are to Goldsmiths and Welcome to the Uncanny Valley prompted by learning specific software. Among them have gives me a chance to practice my skills in Unity the ones I like the most from this year is the commis- Worldbuilding which is something that I’m not so sioned 3D asset of Nikola Tesla, which I am responsible familiar with but super insterested in; however, after fin- to make young, midlife, and old Tesla for UI design. I am satisfied with the outcome since it was deemed as ishing them I finally gain some confidence that I believe myself can make better outcome and apply to whether my first official character design/model because the future projects or work in the future. quality is good enough in my opinion.