Componente Studio Digital Design and New Media Studio

CRISTALINO

Date: Jun 2024

Cristalino

Do we really think something is beautiful or have we just been constantly told throughout our lives that this is how it should be perceived?

Alejandro Lobo led the development of this project, exploring the idea of beauty and perception.

His aim is to uncover beauty in the unexpected—in the awkward, the unsettling—and to show that people are inherently drawn to what challenges and rejects them. He achieved this vision through an interactive, real-time rendering experience that transforms an empty space into a portal to a strange and surreal world. In this space, the overwhelming sense of meaninglessness becomes both captivating and beautiful.

Through Cristalino, Lobo seeks a balance that invites users to engage with discomfort rather than shun it. The project pushes participants out of their comfort zones, encouraging them to interact with the monstrous, the deformed, and the random, deriving a sense of pleasure from the experience. By introducing uncertainty and subverting expectations, Cristalino challenges the user's ability to adapt, fostering awareness, contemplation, and aesthetic pleasure through participation and interaction.

Character Design

The project conveys discomfort through the character's design, emphasizing aging, imperfections, illness, and blind, staring eyes. The meaning behind the old man is intentionally subjective, allowing each person to interpret him through their own experiences, yet he evokes strong emotions that consistently push viewers out of their comfort zones.

Two rigs were developed for the character: one for motion capture and another for IK keyframe animation, both seamlessly integrated to be game-ready for Unreal Engine.

The texturing process focused on capturing the subdermal layers and imperfections, with particular attention to details such as baggy eyes and wrinkles, enhancing the character’s unsettling and realistic appearance.

Interactive Design

Upon entering the room, participants are confronted with a transparent cubic object, which serves as a medium to communicate with the monstrous old men. As users move the cube around, they uncover new ways to interact with it, revealing hidden layers of engagement.

Each time an interaction is completed, the cubic body expels a black liquid—not as a form of reward, but as an act of rejection. This release of accumulated tension offers no congratulations, but instead heightens the discomfort. The cube acts as a performative stage, drawing the audience in and encouraging them to engage with the other actors in the space.

The tracking and communication of the cubic object are facilitated by HTC Vive sensors and TouchDesigner, using the OSC protocol. This setup allows the experience to be adapted to different room sizes, ensuring it functions seamlessly in varying spatial environments.

Documentation

Digital Design and New Media