Summary
Home not only means a physical place; it can also be a state of mind. The feel of a fabric, the scent of a spice, or sound of a note can bring us back to a time and place. Whether good, or bad, a home base shapes the person we become.
Purpose
To implement a small exhibit that could be shown on a simple desktop computer.
Highlights
My submission explores the conceptual theme "Memories From The House" by reimagining "home" not as a physical space, but as the brain itself, a place where all our experiences, memories, and identity are stored. The experience begins with a welcoming screen that features Emily Dickinson's quote, "The brain is wider than the sky.". This line was chosen to suggest the vast, boundless nature of the human mind and to set the tone for the journey inward.
The screen then transitions to a second phase, where the texts "Memories located in Hippocampus" and "Access requested" appear, introducing the idea of memory retrieval and positioning the viewer as someone stepping into my own neural archive. In fact, a loading bar at the bottom progressively fills as images are loaded and rendered.
This leads into the third screen, where a ring of 54 artworks forms a museum-like interface at the centre of the scene, accompanied by a looping ambient soundtrack, which plays continuously to enhance the immersive atmosphere. They're grouped into three life stages: Childhood, Teenage, and Adulthood. Each section is clearly labelled, echoing the structure of a curated gallery. The artworks are displayed as framed 3D boxes, with plaques underneath showing their date. Clicking on a plaque reveals a personal description, just like reading a wall text in a real exhibition.
Furthermore, the background consists of slowly moving spheres, evocative of neurons firing across a network. However, their star-like appearance also ties back to the Dickinson quote, blurring the boundary between the sky and the mind. Users can navigate the space using arrow keys, simulating the physical act of walking through the museum.
Additionally, users can switch themes (white/blue) to change the colour of neurons and some other third screen assets, and reset the camera view and rotation by clicking the home icon.