Soft Dissolve VR

Client Gray Area Art + Technology Incubator

Role Creative and Development

Tech Maya, Unity, Photoshop, GarageBand, C#, GearVR, HTC Vive, Android, Google Cardboard

Tools Maya, Unity, Photoshop, GarageBand, C#, GearVR, HTC Vive, Android, Google Cardboard

Overview

Soft Dissolve is a diffused and enveloping virtual reality environment which invites the viewer to experience a sensation of dissociation. It is an environmental uncanny valley; a mixture of the familiar and the eerie confronting the viewer with unconscious, repressed impulses. Both relaxing and alien, Soft Dissolve will envelop you in a slowly spreading uneasiness.

Project Incubation

I created everything in this piece during my time at the Gray Area Incubator. My advisor and cohort provided critical feedback on the experience and gave me an audience to demo the piece to.

Digitaly Induced Dissociation

Soft Dissolve is an ongoing project that deals with creating virtual spaces modeled after distressing emotional states. It was inspired by the sensation of therapeutic dissociation.The spacialized audio coupled with having the user lay down as the only means of “interaction” play a big part in achieving the type of surrender that precedes a dissociative state.

Mood-board / Inspiration Images

v01 - Gear VR

The first version of softdissolve was demoed on the Gear VR at the Gray Area Incubator Showcase. There were various issues with performance and the limitation of not having a sense of presence in the space. I got feedback from users that was incorporated into the second version of the experience.

v02 - HTC Vive

The second version of softdissolve was demoed and tested on the HTC Vive. The only interaction in the experience is triggered when the viewer sits down.