Symbolic Manipulation

This project is an interactive 3D tool which explores the abstract forms and shapes of important religious and cultural symbols. Spanning as early as the invention of hieroglyphs up until the corporate symbols of today, this project allows the user to explore these forms in relation to one another. The user is encouraged to play with the boundaries of the symbols and the in between areas, investigating positive and negative space. The room in which the user can sculpt in is set up to look like an altar within an ephemeral space, with a view of the sculpture looking up, acting as a monument. (yet to be prototyped) The idea being that the object is supposed to inspire and be above the user. I utilize directional light and hard shadows as a way of allowing the symbols to combine and morph into each other. The user can choose a symbol, pick it up and place it so that it is projected onto the shadow board. They can also turn lights on and off and change their color in order to affect the ambiance.

The aim of this prototype was to explore how the meaning of symbols can be changed when different significant cultural symbols are synthesized together. The user becomes the architect, developing complex shapes to envelop the empty space on screen.