— PROJECT NAME
Whispering Windows
— ROLE
Concept Development, Art Direction, Graphic Design, Illustration, Animation, Physical Computing
— TOOLS
Adobe Creative Suite, Unity, Arduino
Have you ever found yourself stuck in a cycle of recurring dreams or nightmares, wondering what they might mean? As someone who remembers most of their dreams and wishes to figure out what they mean, the stories and worlds my mind subconsciously builds have always mesmerized me. This exhibit serves as both a creative canvas and an interactive audio-visual archive of these experiences.
— PROJECT NAME
Whispering Windows
— ROLE
Concept Development, Art Direction, Graphic Design, Illustration, Animation, Physical Computing
— TOOLS
Adobe Creative Suite, Unity, Arduino
Have you ever found yourself stuck in a cycle of recurring dreams or nightmares, wondering what they might mean? As someone who remembers most of their dreams and wishes to figure out what they mean, the stories and worlds my mind subconsciously builds have always mesmerized me. This exhibit serves as both a creative canvas and an interactive audio-visual archive of these experiences.
I crafted a world filled with fictional characters, born from the fragments of my imagination, each living out the vivid stories from my dreams. One such character is the resident of Apartment 2A at 111 Dream Ave, an aging actress who was once among the brightest stars of the silver screen. This video gives you a peek into their story and their world.
So, how did it all begin? Well, last year, when I started the research process for my thesis, I realized that all my biggest inspirations for my work, whether it be film, animation, or design, always had one thing in common: the emotional value of colors. After reading books such as "The Interaction of Color," "Outside Lies Magic," and "Joyful," I realized I wanted to create a colorful, dreamy world that uses tangible elements to evoke intangible emotions.
When deciding what to make, I also looked back at my previous projects and saw some common themes: I always try to tell a story through my work and merge the physical world with digital experiences. So, one of my goals with this project was to build upon everything I’ve learned at ITP.
My biggest struggle throughout this process was figuring out which story to tell. As someone who loves children's storybooks, I wanted to capture their nostalgic, dreamy essence. As a massive fan of horror cinema, I also wanted to incorporate some of its elements to evoke a nightmarish, unsettling feeling.
Shown above is a small prototype I made earlier in the development process, where I used the story of “The Velveteen Rabbit” as the backdrop for this experience.
Finally, earlier this year, when I had another fascinating dream and woke up thinking it could be turned into a movie, I realized I could tell the stories I've lived with for most of my life: my own dreams and nightmares. An intricately crafted fictional world, where characters bring to life the tales from my subconscious, encompassing both the pleasant and the unsettling.
The next step was building the experience that's lived in my head for so long. I started by creating the physical canvas on which I wanted to paint these stories. On the left is the very first concept art I made for the project; in the middle is an earlier version that used the frame of the apartment building against a monitor. I didn't end up going with this version because I wanted the world of these stories to be more immersive, and telling entire stories in small areas of the screen wasn't as effective. On the right is an earlier prototype of the final form of the building, which acts as a small toy-like frame to control the digital stories.
Simultaneously, I started developing the digital world of the stories I wanted to tell. This process involved creating the characters, giving them a backstory, storyboarding, and then animating them. I created the artworks using Adobe Illustrator and ProCreate, colored them Adobe Photoshop, and animated them in After Effects. The exported animations and audio sequences were then transformed into an interactive experience within Unity.
Within the animation of each story, I also incorporated various details and visual metaphors that invite deeper inspection into the meanings of these stories. I also included some fascinating tidbits I discovered during my research. For example, I learned that you cannot read in your dreams, so I did not use any text in the dream sequences. I also learned that the word "nightmare" derives from the Old English "mare," a mythological goblin who torments others with frightening dreams. So, I created a visual representation of the Mare hidden in some form in all the stories.
Lastly, the bridge between the physical world and these digitally animated stories is this small hand-painted, framed building, where you can slide open the windows to experience the stories of its residents. Technically, each window has a magnet attached behind it, when it is lifted it triggers a magnet sensor connected to a microcontroller which simulates a key press. This key press then triggers the animations in Unity.
All of these elements came together in the form of an exhibit where I showcased my work in May 2024. The exhibit's user journey was divided into three stages: introduction, interaction, and interpretation.
In the introduction stage, you get a glimpse of what the project is about, and then you are introduced to the inhabitants of my fictional world.
I crafted objects and curated artifacts as if they belonged to these characters to help set the mood and invite viewers into each character's story. For example, on the right you can see a replica of Motion Picture magazine from the 1950’s with the resident of apartment 2A on its cover, an aging actress who was once among the brightest stars of the silver screen.
The central part of the exhibit was the interaction stage. The framed building was kept under a spotlight in a dark room, inviting you to open its windows and watch all its stories unfold.
The visuals were then projected on a large white surface to create a more immersive and cinematic atmosphere with the audio also being played through speakers in the same room.
The last stage was interpretation. Here, I invited viewers to write down their interpretations of these stories. I used this as both a way to collect feedback and also to see if people could relate to these stories on a similar level in their lives.
To my surprise, most of them could relate to these characters and stories in some way or another, and their interpretations of the stories reminded me of people and experiences in my own life. Some common themes included the loss of a loved one, the pains of adulthood, and the dilemmas of being an artist. It was great to see that I was able to convey the intended emotions through these stories.
I also designed custom limited edition postcards featuring key character illustrations from the stories to give out at 'Whispering Windows' showcases. They can be used as actual postcards and mailed, and they also had my contact information on the back. People really appreciated having a souvenir to take away from the experience.
Music and Sound Design: Spencer Harris
I want to extend a special thank you to Spencer; this project would have been incomplete without his incredible soundscape helping bring this fictional world to life.
I also want to thank my family, without whose emotional support I couldn't have made it this far.
Additionally, I extend my thanks to all my incredible friends, my exceptionally talented NYU ITP classmates, my supportive co-workers at NYU CMEP, and everyone who helped literally turn my dreams into reality.
-Anvay
