What happens when we don’t have access to the physical dimension?
What happens when our reality becomes obstructed by the digital?
How could we design a virtual reality for the blind？
Unearthing Realms is a project by exploring the relations between the physical and digital realms, as well as the boundaries in between. Essentially, the project explores how the digital realm can be utilized in order to enhance our experience of reality, as opposed to challenging it. Moreover, this project further questions: What happens if people don’t have the fundamental capability of fully experiencing all that the digital realm can offer? Being digital, digital technology and experience are the three areas that bind our project together. For these reasons, we have created a simulation which explores non-visual VR territory. Through haptics, vibrations and sound, we aim to create a platform which the viewers can engage with by standing, sitting, or walking on it. The platform will be placed in a black-out room, in order for the full priority to be dedicated towards the audio-sensory experiences, without the influence of visuals. Such audio-sensory components aim to support the physical process in order to trigger experiences and memories, thus allowing the participating individuals to create narratives and dreams of their own. In addition, this also provided an innovative idea for people with disabilities to obtain a more accessible VR experience. Through this exploration, we hope to create more possibilities into the future VR technology in terms of inclusivity and diversity. It not only has huge commercial and market potential, but can also bring profound impacts to all fields of society, providing people with disabilities and the general public with more diverse experiences and opportunities for participation.
