Exclusive Oasisview

An interactive VR installation for VRenice Beach III – DESERT FEEL / REEL ESTATE
by Leon Möhring & Paul Kundt, Supervised by Prof. Nina Juric

When you think of a desert you picture this lonely and untouched vastness and a very peaceful atmosphere. Quite the opposite is the atmosphere of a city. Loud, noisy, busy and overstimulating. The emptiness of deserts exists mainly because of the climate and the lack of water. If there was more water, sooner or later the place would become civilized. Besides that, there are still places like Las Vegas, which are located in the middle of the desert and consume vast amounts of water to have green front gardens.

In our installation “Exclusive Oasisview” we intentionally exaggerate the contrasts between deserts and cities to emphasize the environmental impact and the disruption of peaceful places by cityscapes. Not only Las Vegas has a water crisis going on. Also, a lot of other cities worldwide face this issue. An example that evoked our interest is the water crisis in Cape Town where citizens already have limited supply. Here campaigns were supposed to draw attention to the issue to reduce water consumption. We took headlines and posters as foundation for elements used in the scene.

The user is given the choice to change the environment. He can just walk around and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. But what would happen if he picked up the watering can and tilts it?

Reflection

The result is a highly interactive VR installation. The interaction was tested with a few participants, which can also be seen in the video above. All of them enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of the oasis and were amazed by the interaction with the watering can. Since we had to give hints to the users at some point there are still some things to improve regarding the user experience. Some of these aspects were already implemented, like the arrow pointing at the watering can suggesting to pick it up.