Initially there were more planes of movement with a user’s hand xyz position relative to the sensor controlling dollying (accerlerating, decelerating and reversing), panning (left and right movement) and trucking (up and down movement). The process of designing and programming the directional control was one that required constant testing and feedback from my peers. To further enhance this sensation, values from the leap controller have smoothing applied so there is a certain amount of drifting due to residual momentum. This gives the user the sensation of floating that I desired with this piece. For this piece there was a clear intent to embrace the ‘digital-ness’ of digital art instead of trying to disguise it as something more analog or natural.
This informs the generally maximalist visuals and the often glitchy textures that adorn many of the worlds. The use of the Leap Motion Controller helped in making the experience one that was embodied through the feedback between corresponding hand manipulation and navigational responses.Īesthetically, Digital Labyrinth draws heavily on hyper-gamified aesthetic, especially because is not necessarily a game. With Digital Labyrinth I wanted to create a real sense of floating, hence why its navigational controls were not bound to any xyz axis. As well as the discovering the different worlds presented in the piece I also wanted users to discover how they want to interact with the piece with only subtle cues such as the hand icons that light up when a user triggers the corresponding gestural control.įreeform exploration is also present on another level in the piece’s floating navigation.
The piece is intended to be personalised for its current user, this informs the freeform style of exploration with no menus or onboarding tutorials. I wanted to grant the audience greater autonomy and a sense of discovery as they explore the different sounds and visual environments of the piece at their own pace. Typically for such performative works the artist (vj / musician) dictate the tempo of the piece - deciding when visuals and sounds should transition and in what manner. My motivation for creating this piece stems from my previous work and affinity for vj / audiovisual work. While the experience is playable through the explorative nature of the piece there are no real objectives set in place, thus breaking the mould of objective-driven games. The piece also intends to immerse and hold users captive in an endless loop of sound and visual exploration, creating a virtual vacuum that is both more spacious and claustrophobic than physical reality.ĭigital Labyrinth hopes to explore new modes of engaging with sound and visuals - blurring the lines between game and art. Within each world lies another world you can travel towards and enter, alternatively you can explore and observe your current surroundings.Īt a wider level, Digital Labyrinth hopes to investigate new modes of engaging with sound and visuals - blurring lines between game and art.