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Section title
Area 87
by Yousif Al-Daffaie
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CSA Research Report
Project Details Project Lead:
Yousif Al-Daffaie
Design Participants:
Lucy Jones
Title:
Area 87
Type:
Research Project and Installation
Location:
UCA Canterbury’s TrakLab
Project Dates:
28 May - 31 July 2018 Design Development 01 August - 21 August Installation commencement 21 August - 31 August Project open to the public
Design Period:
06/2018 - 08/2018
Budget:
£200
Scale:
6m x 6m x 3m.
Support:
UCA
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Research Agenda and Process Overview Between the poetry of a cultural space and the misery of a destroyed one, a fine line is drawn, this line is conventionally known as war. These wars tend to destroy the physical heritage as well as immaterial spiritualities in a space. However, with the continuous development of technology, it is possible to relive a story, see what went wrong, when and why. Stories of destruction, fear, resentment and bad choices, after 2016 left nothing but the aftermath of destruction that was left to mark the worst war in the history of Mosul, these stories are waiting to be told to then make clear where we stand at the moment. We are, more or less, in the temporal state of ‘zero’, we look back to see destruction, look forward to see the future; it’s an endless dilemma between the lucid and the real. Area 87 is a virtual translation to the principle of ‘zero space’. A zero space is defined as the transitional space between the outside -negative- and the inside -positive- (Glanville, 2014), this definition transforms to become temporal in Area 87, as it takes the metaphor of negative and positive spaces to walk the user through a time line of Al-Najafi Street- Mosul -negative space- , to then reach a space of lucidity - zero space-, in which every movement changes the future - positive space-
Research Questions 1.
How can VR be used to reconstruct lost heritage and revive it?
2. What role can VR play in portraying immateriality in an environment? 3. How can users be immersed and aware of the fragility of a space? 4. How can the idea of a Lucid Space –a flexible, changable space– be implimented to achieve an immersive experience? 5. How can more than one person experience the space in a VR Environment?
Fig.01 (previous page) ‘First and Second Space Split Screen’
Research Statement
Significance and Contribution Exploring Stories through User Contribution Artists have tried to portray war through many different methodologies, however, the use of VR is relatively unexplored in the frame of the mentioned purpose, VR can be immersive, time-based and interactive, which engages the user in the issue more and keeps that experience in their memories. Virtual Reality has become the new medium to portray feelings and art, it offers an opportunity to deliver a message for the user to experience otherwise undeliverable feelings first hand, experience that can not be lived in real life at the temporal state of the place. VR Projects, in this manner, are either used for journalism ‘360 Videos’, gaming ‘Good graphics, no purpose’, storytelling ‘observing’. Area 87, on the other hand, aims to fuse journalism, purposful gaming, and story telling, through telling a story, while the user’s behavior in the space can change the outcome of the project.
Methodologies 1.
Analyzing the history and concluding the heritage value of the space.
2. Building the street before and after it was destroyed in VR with details extracted from the first methodology. 3. Designing and Building the Zero Space in VR, in which user’s movements and interactions can change the identity of the space. 4. Engaging the user as well as an audience in the space, through projections on more than one side of the wall that reflect what the user is seeing in VR
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Design Proposal The project in its core is a VR installation that aims to portray the story of Al-Najafi StreetMosul. The project aims to engage users in their emotions as well as actions to co-create the space of the street, incorporating past and present, as their movements and behaviors in that space alters the final outcome of the Zero - Lucid - Space. Using the principle of a ‘zero space’ as a metaphor to build the story of Al-Najafi Street, Mosul, Iraq. The project will consist of three sectors; 1. The Negative space ( The Unlucid); this space is
a ‘realistic’ simulation of the street before and after it was destroyed, this sector is linear and users do not get to choose where they want to go. 2. The Zero Space (The Lucid); A designed space, consisting of spiritual heritage elements that change as the user approaches them, the result of user’s movement in that space is a completely changed space, the environment is unreal and the space gives complete freedom for the user to navigate in; Lucid Space. 3. The Positive Space (Lucid, Unlucid); the user gets to choose whether they want to go back to the first space or proceed to the positive space, which may be a disappointing end to the story.
Key technological outcomes of proposal 1.
Animating the space through user engagement; upon contact, the space will react back and change according to user movement
2. The project needs to be modelled in a 3D Software ‘Rhino’, Imported into ‘Unity’, Scripted for every animation and action, and imported into the VR Headset. This combination of software provides a workflow to achieve the proposed design in the most effecient way, as well as achieving the desired rendering style : realistic+game-like (depending on the scene). 3. The projectors need to reflect what the person with the Headset is seeing, to simualte almost the same experience for the other space occupants . 4. Sound and Speakers positioning need to designed in such a way that engages the hearing sense as well as the motion and visual. Fig.02 (right) Dying Light - Techland
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Proposal & Context
Design Research Context Field of Work
Work by others
The project sits between game design (Open world games, which allows the user to navigate freely), Immersive Journalism, and Storytelling.
Work by Forensic Architecture was done to document destructed places upon destruction, depending on facts and analyzing the cultural value.
Area 87 aims to fuse them, on the basis of Open World design to tell a story to raise awareness about a problem, as well as engaging the user with the matter. On the other hand, the project aims to achieve a response from the user to the issue of the project, and a perception of what are the factors that define heritage as a design driver.
Games by Rockstar and Techland are the best examples for the making of an Open World. Projects like “The Use of Force” and “The Life of a Pig” represent story telling an immersive journalism, through the use of VR to raise awareness.
Unit 15 by Barlett offers inspiration for the cinematic elements to be added to achieve a certain notion The project, therefore is an from the space. artistic Installation of VR and a critical reflection of cultural issues.
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Design Methodologies As mentioned in the design proposal, the projec thas elements, being the historic, the temporal –negative–, the zero and the positive, each one will need a seperate methodology
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Analyzing historical values: 4. Create the zero space, a surgical analysis of Mosul where the user’s movement and Al-Najafi Street to docuaffect the looks of the space, ment the temporal and hiseverything in the space will torical state of the street. change under the guidelines of the animations men2. Modelling: Building a model tioned in the 3rd methodolof the street in reflection of ogy. (Write about how it’s the outcomes from the first designed). methodology in Rhino, and building it again as a de- 5. Installing the projectors and structed version mirroring the displays so that the audience can see and lis3. Importing the outcome to ten to the same experience Unity and animating the enas the person with the headvironment through coding, set. and adding other features (webcam, portals, video player) Critical Design Elements 1.
The re-creation of the street
2. An interactive VR environment that responds spatially with the user’s movement. 3. Scene-to-scene transitions to reflect different notions .
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Process & Methods
Prototyping and testing The project aims to conclude the desired experience through going through how the place was before it was destroyed, and then portraying it after the fact, to then engage the user into a ‘zero space’ experience, in which they are able to change how the space looks like depending on their movement within the space, to finally get to the positive space, in which they get to explore personalized elements of what makes the space what it is culturally and traditionally.
a. The Street Before After analyzing the history of the space and the archtiectural elements it held, the street is first created and prototyped through a 3D model in rhino, inconrproting texture and materiality, as well as detailed architectural elements learnt from the analyzing process. b. The Street After Understanding the elements that make the user perceive the space as destucted and carefully incorporting them within the space after duplicating it, to create a couple of versions, one before and one after it was destroyed. c. The Zero Space The space in which the user’s movements change its identity and looks. d. The Positive Space The place that engages a close up of the studied elements in one place, to engage the user in them first hand.
Fig.03 (left) An Areal view explaining the site and its context.
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Process & Methods
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04j Fig.04 Process of work; 04a:Start of modelling in Rhino. 04b: Adding detail and height to the rhino model. 04c: adding books and covers to books. 04d: Importing the model to unity and giving textures. 04e: Adding details to textures. 04f: animating the moving (population). 04g: destructing the space and turning it in the temporal state. 04h: adding the camera and the moving character to the scene 04i: Creating the zero space, with alhadba minaret in the middle and the same arches as the ones in the street. 04j: creating the platforms and ramps 04k: adding the secular elements in the space.
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Fig.05 Resultant spaces 05c
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Fig.06 (left) Betweeen Real Life and Simulation. Fig.07 (right) Animation cubes; every green cube triggers 1 set of animation.
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Process & Methods
Fabrication Techniques For every elements of the design, a code and a methodology for application in Unity had to be done, there are 4 main features that make this project what it is; the animation, the webcam reflection, the video player, and the portals. each one of those needed scripting on unity, as well as testing for implimentation feasbility and VR testing. (See appendix for codes.)
a. Animation The main code of the project; upon contact with an invisible cube, an animation is triggered to change one element of the space. b. WebCam A code that allows the user to see themself in real life through a webcam, in the project. c. Video Playback Projection of a video on a plane inside the project, to display actual footage of how the street looked like. d. Portals Transportation from one scene to another in a smooth transition.
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08 a Fig 08: The workfrlow. Fig 08a: Autocad, building the scene as a plan. 09b: modelling the scene in Rhino. 09c: Unity playmode; implementing the scene in VR and scripting. 09d. Unity Animation; animating the scene
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Process & Methods
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Process & Methods
Control Systems a. Unity and HTC Vive
c. WebCam
The main Controlling mechanism and navigation method is the HTC Vive VR headset and remote, programmed to navigate via Unity.
Projecting a live video of what’s happening outside the headset (in the space) in the project, to link the real with the unreal, the lucid with the unlucid.
b. Projectors
d. TV Screens
displaying a documentary of real Projecting on the walls of the life footage of the street and its space what the user sees in the temporal state to introduce the VR Headset, which allows the users to the project. audience to also participate. e. People navigating in random places within the scene. The scene had to be designed in such a way that allows people to navigate wherever they want without feeling they’re “out of the model’s edges”, also, clues to where they should navigate was made to control their movement while tricking the user into thinking they are in a free space.
Fig.09 (far left) Before and After movement images of the space. Fig.10 (left) HTC vive and remote controls.
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Occupation and Interaction As the questions were all revolving around the immersive experiences whithin a VR environment, as well as the question of immersing the audience as well as a user in a space, the project focused on the space and its characteristics. The project starts outside the traklab, engaging the user with a TV that shows the inside of the traklab, then images and information about the site, then another TV showing the documentary, then they get inside the traklab, which is filled with projections of 1. what
the user is seeing in VR, images and videos about the site in real life, as well as immersive sound experience of arabic music/ explosions/people talking in arabic.
Review of Outcomes
Fig.11 (left) The outside of the lab gallery Fig.12 Projection of the live VR experience .
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fig.13 The storyline of the project: a. splash screen b. Historic Simulation c. Negative Space d. Zero Space, e. Positive Space
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Fig.14 (Previous Page) Interactive drawing of use Fig. 15 WIP of space
Review of Outcomes
Dissemination and Future Work As the matter of Mosul is being widely studied after the UN has pledged to rebuild it, many universities and institutions are participating. this project can develop further to focus on the immaterial side of Mosul’s reconstruction process. Diving deeply into what makes Mosul perceived the way it is. The project can also be developed at its own category in terms of VR experiences, opening a window for a whole new VR field, which can be about the possibility for a reconstruction methodology; rebuilding demolished historical spaces in VR (in architectural heritage conservation field ), and how VR can be used a model to understand the historical issue before a construction process. On the other hand, the project can have the possibility of being further developed as a detailed study of urban characteristics of Mosul’s traditional streets, and be set as a guideline for future reconstruction in Mosul and Iraq.
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Appendix Code 01: Animation and Sound Trigger
Code 02: Webcam Display on a Plane
Appendix
Code 03: Portal Camera
Code 04 Next Scene Transportation
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Materials and Suppliers List
40� Panasonic TV from UCA canterbury 2 Epson Projectors from UCA canterbury 1 Speaker set from UCA canterbury 1 Webcam from UCA canterbury 1 Camcorder from UCA canterbury
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Appendix
Bibliography Al-Alaf, I., 2017. The revival of the Najafi Street is a Cultural Necessity. Smith, C.E., n.d. Design with the other 90%: CITIES. Tiesdell, S., OC, T., Heath, T., 1996. Revitalizing Historic Urban Quarters. Sykes, H., Roberts, P., 2000. Urban Regeneration. Hall, E., 1966. The Hidden Dimension.
Image Credits All figures are copyright the author unless noted as follows: Figure 02: copyright Techland Games
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Credits MA Architecture Course Leader: Lucy Alice Jones MA Architecture Design Tutors: Lucy Alice Jones Owain Caruana-Davies Kim Trogal Anna Holder
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