Plastic Kingdom
VR Storytelling, 2018 (ongoing)
Plastic Kingdom aims to overlap a microscopic view of plastic materials with a daily-life perception of plastic wastes in our living environment. This VR worldmaking project is inspired by Jiuliang Wang’s documentary film Plastic China, which narrates the story of a Chinese family who lives next to a recycling plant, in huge mountains of plastic waste from Asia, Europe and the U.S. For this VR piece, I study how these micro-plastic particles flow in the air and ocean, and attempt to simulate the movements of such invisible objects. At the same time, I use these simulated plastic pieces to reconstruct different daily-life objects, such as architectures, furniture, consumer products, and even let them morph into living creatures and planets. By doing this, I wish my audience, who will be diving in a plastic world, can critically see how our world has been shaped and dominated by these powerful materials.
Technical Details
Development Platform: PC, HTC Vive
Software: Unity, Maya, 3Ds Max, Substance
Scripting Language: C#, C++ / HLSL
Relevant Concepts
Alternative Reality
Marginalized Society
Spectacle
Mass Production
Infrastructure