Remnants
Responsibilities
Interaction Design, Art Direction, Development, User Research
Special Thanks
Aaron Redublo
Overview
Remnants is an art gallery that combines the strength of a traditional gallery, with the limitless potential of virtual spaces.
Challenge
Despite providing a near limitless scope, displaying artwork in a digital setting has been fairly one-note compared to its physical counter-space. You either scroll an endless feed or view artworks that are often disconnected from one another.
Objective
An art exhibition that makes use of the latest tech, and computing power to make the most immersive digital art-viewing experience that exceeds what’s possible in reality.
Project Background
A study conducted by the Toronto Arts Foundation︎ revealed
that people in Toronto are more likely to attend art galleries and shows, at a significantly lower cost point.
All of these art events take place in physical spaces. All of these art events take place in physical spaces. Unfortunately, most artists today don’t get the opportunity to display their work in physical spaces.
Reduced prices for these events often come as revenue penelty. As physical spaces require maintenance, rent payments, utilities, insurance, and other administration costs.
All of these art events take place in physical spaces. All of these art events take place in physical spaces. Unfortunately, most artists today don’t get the opportunity to display their work in physical spaces.
Reduced prices for these events often come as revenue penelty. As physical spaces require maintenance, rent payments, utilities, insurance, and other administration costs.
However, the artists of today tend to showcase a lot of their work in digital spaces. It is the easiest way to get their work out there with the least amount of barriers. This is evident by the popularity of artists on social media platforms and the rise of other art publishing platforms such as Ello︎.
So why not offer a curated digital art gallery that forgoes the costs associated with physical spaces?
Research Strategy
Methods
On top of background research, I also utilized ethnography research principles to better understand the relationship people have with art.
I conducted interviews from artists who work in a variety of different media such as photography, film, illustration and digital to learn more about their relationship with art, and art culture. I also interviewed people who were divorced from art creation to learn about why they seek out art, and what makes the art viewing experience exciting and memorable for them.
The research was consolidated into easy to read maps that helped me synthesize the cultural implications of the different facets involved with experiencing and interacting with art.
Key Learnings
One of my key learnings through this process was that the tangibility presented in physical art pieces was sorely missing in digital art platforms.
Discovery
Recent emerging technology such as virtual reality, and augmented reality can bring a lot to the table when it comes to showcasing art.
Afterimage︎ by Felipe Pantone, was an experiment in displaying digital artwork in a physical art gallery. Viewers would use their phone to aid in discovering the art that wouldn’t be able to be seen with the naked eye.
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Afterimage by Felipe Pantone
Afterimage︎ by Felipe Pantone, was an experiment in displaying digital artwork in a physical art gallery. Viewers would use their phone to aid in discovering the art that wouldn’t be able to be seen with the naked eye.
Afterimage by Felipe Pantone
Virtual reality has also occupied the cultural mindset and in turn is popular among art creators for showcasing art, and creating artwork.
Computer software such as Google’s Tilt Brush︎ allows users to create art in high-end VR hardware whilst also allowing them to showcase their work in VR for lower-end VR hardware such as mobile devices paired with Google Cardboard and similar setups.
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Computer software such as Google’s Tilt Brush︎ allows users to create art in high-end VR hardware whilst also allowing them to showcase their work in VR for lower-end VR hardware such as mobile devices paired with Google Cardboard and similar setups.
Solution Development
Project Drivers
The problem framing processes that I performed earlier helped me narrowed down a few areas that I wanted my potential solution to be driven by.
-
Enable different forms of art to be showcased.
-
Allow artists to direct the flow of information in a much
better way.
-
Lighting, scale, and time can be toyed with.
Digital spaces aren’t real spaces.
- Let the artwork hold a tangible precense in the world. Make it feel like it can be touched.
Solution Defining
Thus, Remnants was conceived. Remnants would be an art exhibition that would offer an immersive way to view art. It would combine my artwork with audio and spatial elements. An attempt to make art more intimate in a digital space.
I wanted to be sure that what I was creating was a moving and emotional experience and not a simple tech demo. It was paramount that people responded well to Remnants.
Development
I start developing Remnants using Unity︎, a real-time graphics engine.
The project was quickly prototyped and tested using a smaller-scale. This would would allow me to evaluate my proof of concept and learn how to use the Unity toolset in conjunction with virtual reality. This was a stress-free way to test out concepts, without over-developing them.
The project was quickly prototyped and tested using a smaller-scale. This would would allow me to evaluate my proof of concept and learn how to use the Unity toolset in conjunction with virtual reality. This was a stress-free way to test out concepts, without over-developing them.
The positive user feedback that I received gave me the confidence to begin building Remnants for real.
User-testing was a key tool in making sure the experience felt “right” for users. I was able to gauge various areas of the gallery such as the “wow” factor, and wayfinding.
User-testing was a key tool in making sure the experience felt “right” for users. I was able to gauge various areas of the gallery such as the “wow” factor, and wayfinding.
The look of Remnants evolved over time
Takeaways
The major goal behind Remnants was to make art in digital spaces be more immersive. I wanted people to spend more time looking at the art that’s on display, to appreciate it, and I’m positive Remnants delivered on that. From VR enthusiasts to first-timers, everyone took a little something away from it.
Remnants is the most honest I have been with my work, and it allowed me to use my different strengths to create an experience that was truly representative of myself.
