Date

2022.06 - 2022.08

Tools/Engine

Unity, Motion capture, photogrammetry

Roles

Game Designer, Developer, 

Sound engineer, Video Editor

Participated in the 2022 ARS ELECTRONICA, with an exhibition showcasing educational outcome

Ideas

<Talsoom> is a project inspired by the early days of the ‘탈춤 부흥운동’ (Talchum Revival Movement) that emerged in the 1970s-1990s in Korea. Although it may seem surprising now that Talchum, a Korean traditional mask dance is regarded as a disappearing heritage and can hardly be found on the streets, during that time, it garnered significant attention from the younger generation and was performed within the daily lives of the people. It even became a medium for protests, led by progressive artists and social activists.

Project <Talsoom> revives this spirit by reimagining Talchum in a virtual reality environment that replicates daily spaces such as subways, rooms, corridors, and tunnels, created using photogrammetry. In this immersive virtual space, participants become inheritors of Talchum, engaging with the dance in their own time and surroundings.

At its core, <Talsoom> explores how the body remembers and interacts with its storied past in an increasingly fast-paced world. The project poses questions about how we carry cultural memory and tradition, blending the physical and virtual, the ancient and modern, and the roles of performer and spectator. <Talsoom> creates a space for reflection on the persistence of cultural heritage in the digital age, offering new ways of understanding and engaging with this traditional art form.

Mechanics and Development

Guided by the traditional Tal mask, Audiences traverse common settings—subways, rooms, elevators, and playgrounds—guided by the traditional Korean mask, Tal. They encounter the lively movements of ancient Talchum performers in these environments. Gradually, these ordinary spaces dissolve, transitioning the audience into a virtual realm where the dance of the masters unfolds.

I captured multiple public spaces using photogrammetry, stitching the data together using blender and ultimately selecting six spaces for the final experience. I also studied basic motion capture technology, integrating both recorded and real-time data into Unity to enhance the immersive interaction.

Bringing motion capture data, photogrammetry scans, and recorded sounds into Unity, we integrated these elements into the <Talsoom> experience. This involved developing interaction mechanics and seamless transitions between the virtual spaces.