Far, Far Away

A nostalgic virtual reality experience of a land far, far away

Inspired by our childhoods in Lithuania where me and Alena first met and infused with the turmoil of the war in Ukraine, Far, Far Away is a virtual experience of a dreamlike world that explores feelings of alienation, intrusion, and distance. The piece explores the illusion of purpose as part of the gameplay, and limit the viewer’s ability to interact with the objects directly, as if it was forcefully forbidden without their agency being taken away. The viewer roams in a safe and peaceful, yet unfamiliar space - the world is heavily inspired by Lithuania, specifically Vilnius and Neringa regions, the various public art that resides there, as well as Eastern European symbolism and iconography.

Timeline:

8 weeks

Role:

Art Direction
Motion and Interaction Design
Sound Design
Asset Design

For:

Passion project, exhibited at the New Wight Gallery in Los Angeles

With:

Alena Efstavyeva (Asset designer)

Overview

The VR Experience was developed over a period of 8 weeks in collaboration with Alena Evstafyeva and exhibited at the Senior Art Exhibition at the UCLA School of Art and Architecture.

Developed using Unity. 3D models made using Blender, Maya, ZBrush, Adobe Substance Painter.

My role

As the Art Director and Motion Designer, I led the visual development and creative direction of the project. I designed and built the game environment, modelling around half of the 3D assets in Blender. I used SpeedTree to generate detailed environmental elements, such as trees and foliage. In addition to visual design, I handled the sound design, sourcing and editing audio clips using Audacity to create an immersive sonic atmosphere. My role encompassed both the artistic vision and technical execution, ensuring a cohesive and engaging experience.