Bringing a virtual experience into a physical space…

Ama's Momento was a multimedia exhibition that took guests on a journey through AR/VR, physical installation, and projection mapping to tell the life story of art collector Yoko Kung. This project was a chance to explore the expressive capabilities of different technologies, and understand how the latent qualities of these hybrid environments can be leveraged for narrative use.

Role: Exhibition designer. Responsible for the narrative layout and experience flow of the overall exhibition, and also served as the creative lead of the projection mapping exhibit. Worked with a team of 11 designers and engineers.

Tools used: Adobe AfterEffects, TouchDesigner, Unity (C#)

Timeline: 4 months from concept to first showing at Japanese American National Museum

Background

The experience tells the life story of Yoko Kung (who goes by “Ama”), a renowned Taiwanese art collector.

Ama's Momento was originally a standalone VR experience of Ama's virtual museum. When we were given the opportunity to showcase this at the Japanese American National Museum (JANM), we wanted to take a more macro-level approach to this entire story, and focus on the context surrounding the virtual museum. It's not just about Ama's art collection-- it's also about the how technology has removed the barriers that previously existed.

Through a series of exhibits, guests learn about Ama's art collection, her dream of opening a museum, and the obstacles that have kept her from doing so. At the end of the exhibition, guests can explore a virtual build of Ama's museum in VR, which has allowed her to finally share her art with the world

Exhibition Layout + Narrative Flow

I designed the exhibition flow with the overarching narrative in mind. A key theme in this story is the tension between physical and virtual, and how Ama's dream was realized in the shift towards the latter.

I wanted to reflect that shift in my design of the exhibition's layout. My goal was to take guests across the reality-virtuality continuum as they went through the experience. We start in physical reality (Photo Gallery), before moving to augmented reality (Ama's Journey, AR-t Gallery, Projected Dreams), and then finally ending in immersive virtual reality (Virtual Museum). The medium of each exhibit reflects the narrative that it conveys. So, as we get closer to seeing her dreams fulfilled, the degree of virtuality increases.

I also worked with the project director and exhibit leads to ensure that their exhibits adhered to their respective mediums.

Outcome

Ama's Momento was originally on display at the Japanese American National Museum, it has since been featured at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival, Tainan Art Museum, IndieCade, and Infinity Festival.

Labeled as "heart-achingly thoughtful" by the LA Times, I believe this project was a resounding success in cross-platform storytelling. Each exhibit was augmented by a different form of technology, and these hybrid spaces possessed unique expressive capabilities that we were able to leverage. It was also a particularly insightful experience for me, as it gave me a macro-view of how different environments can come together in one experience.

The most compelling aspect of this exhibition, however, lies in its real-world impact. After its showcase at the Tainan Art Museum in Taiwan, local culture officials reached out to Ama to reignite her plans for a museum. With Ama's proposal finally approved by the Taiwanese government, her dream is finally coming to fruition.