#HTE

Emergence: Anonymous Crowds React to a User-Controlled Character in an Open-World Environment



UK design studio Universal Everything (previously) is in the midst of crafting an experimental open-world environment called Emergence, available in a preview film. In Emergence, the glowing yellow user-controlled character is surrounded by crowds of anonymous people who react to the character’s movements. The scenes are set in a variety of abstracted but familiar environments like city streets and under water. Presumably, the viewer will be able to control the figure in a VR or immersive gallery setting. Universal Everything explains the experience on their Vimeo page:

Emergence is an open-world environment, expressing the primal feeling of maintaining your individual identity whilst being part of a crowd. As you immerse yourself in a crowd of thousands, shafts of light beckon you closer. As you touch the light, the environment – its atmosphere, its gravity and the choreography of the crowd – transform in powerful ways, continually challenging your perception.

Universal Everything was founded by Matt Pyke, who leads a variety of digital artists, animators, musicians, and developers in creating a wide variety of digital projects. Another notable project from the studio is a Sydney Opera House’s Living Mural collaboration, where digital murals from artists around the world were projected on to the Opera House’s iconic nesting rooflines. You can see more from Universal Everything on Vimeo and Instagram, and the studio also has a solo exhibition of their work on view until February 2019 at Borusan Contemporary in Istanbul. (via The Awesomer)

https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2018/09/emergence/