World Without End
Virtual Reality, Commission, Manarat al Saadiyat

2017-18

Overview
For Manarat al Saadiyat cultural center program, "Ramadan Arcade", artworks were commissioned that addressed Emirates culture during the holiday season. For this program, I created a Middle Eastern homage to Saint-Exupery's "The Little Prince." World Without End came from several elements - experimenting in VR with localized gravity made for the planetary mechanics, experiments in scanning Persian architecture (Badgir, or Wind Towers), and my metaphor of feeling akin to the Prince's journey.  Moving around the tiny planet, familiar landmarks, sounds, and music filled the landscape.  The goal, finding the rose, gave the interaction a special reward.

​

Because a VR headset was impractical for a 90-day installation, the project showed a first-person video game. The installation included a large-scale acrylic print of a macroscopic view of the "world" (seen here). 

​

​