Spatial Storytelling II

How can I use the research of spatial principles to communicate specific concepts?

An applied investigation of experiential communication in spatial design.

Architectural space, often perceived as a mere backdrop to all kinds of human activity, also

possesses profound narrative qualities that transcend verbal communication. Storytelling

spaces are written by the materials of its construction, the rhythms of its use, the arrangement of its form, also the play between light and shadow, textures that invite touch,

sounds that echo across space and time.

What happens when we begin to examine closely the spaces around us? When we attune ourselves to the slight curve of a wall, the rhythms created by doorways opening and closing, or the way light shines through our windows and across our floors over the course of a day? How do these ordinary, often unnoticed, elements come together to form a narrative?

This research encourages an embodied understanding of an architecture that’s a storyteller in its own right – space that’s capable of shaping memory, creating conversation, and guiding its users bodily and mentally through journeys.

Research

Initial Sketches

VR Application

Outcomes

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Method to the Madness

Everything begins with a goal. My goal: applying the research I collected, designing a space that communicates something specific through its experiential qualities.

• 5 principles (Abstraction, Context, Promenade, Simultaneity, Stopping Points)

• 5 parts to a story (Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution)

• 5 spaces to design and test

I started considering the spaces I know the best: the spaces of my childhood home.

Principle	Space
Abstraction	Backyard
Context	Front Porch
Promenade	Neighborhood
Simultaniety	Bedroom
Stopping Points	Kitchen

The next step was assigning something each space should be communicating.

Principle	Space	Communicate
Abstraction	Backyard	Freedom
Context	Front Porch	Transition
Promenade	Neighborhood	Wander
Simultaniety	Bedroom	Growth
Stopping Points	Kitchen	Gather

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Initial Sketches

(top) Front Porch (bottom) Bedroom

Neighborhood

Bedroom

Backyard

Kitchen Initial Sketch

Bedroom Initial Sketch

Backyard Initial Sketch

Front Porch Initial Sketch

Neighborhood Initial Sketch

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VR Application

Working through each space required quickly producing several iterations, adjusting small details which pack a huge punch. For this reason, I began working in Unreal Engine, creating digital spaces that people could experience with their senses.

Front Porch

Bedroom

Kitchen

Neighborhood

Another reason for using VR as a medium is the ability to experiment with non-linear planning. Users of my VR experience could move from the bedroom to the front porch to the backyard or begin from the kitchen going to the the bedroom to the neighborhood respectively. Take Faraneh's experience for example-

Backyard -- Neighborhood -- Bedroom -- Kitchen -- Front Porch

Recorded gameplay for Faraneh's VR experience

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Outcomes

The non-linearity of the VR experience allowed participants to move through each space in various orders, crafting sometimes completely different stories. However, if you look at the stories side-by-side, comparing the interpretations of each room, you'll find the concepts I was trying to communicate are present pretty consistently... Take a look at some of the illustrated participant stories and more gameplay movies here.