Project recon is inspired by ‘Valorant’, which is a multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed by Riot Games.
I was inspired by the map ‘Ascent’, which is one of five maps. The map Ascent is initially floating in the air and features tight alleys with a large mid courtyard area where people tend to occupy. While researching this map I was interested in the space occupiable vs space occupiable, changes in light, and how players interact with each other in different spaces.
When creating the cabinet of curiosities, I took follies, symbols, and other objects from the game. I organized them in different ways to study/experiment with how objects interact with each other, and what space is created during that organization.
Taking the objects, symbols, and follies, I created many experimental misfit objects. From these objects I created five new misfit objects. The new misfit objects’ interior space was created by other misfit objects, to create a space that reflects the exterior facade. Putting the new five objects together, I was able to create a ‘game like’ design of my project.
From the ‘game-like’ concept, I created a realistic conceptual form that I took into Sansar (a virtual world). My project began to focus on how color changes experience in a space. In Valorant each map has its own color schemes and you interact/experience that map differently.
To reflect that in my project, I had different lights throughout my project that influenced unique purposes to experience different spaces.
In Sansar, ‘Project Recon’ is inhabited by a youtube gamer. In this video, she gives a walkthrough tour of her new habitat.
This begins to question virtual space vs real life, interaction with space, and what could happen in the future if this virtual youtuber becomes more popular.
