Imagine Trees Like These — A Virtual Reality Narrative Concerning Forests, Futurity, and Ephemerality

A narrative is often shaped by the medium it occupies. We understand this somewhat intuitively as we watch popular works cross forms: books may turn into movies, some movies inspire video games, and the experience of each piece is wholly unique even though their texts may be identical. New technology presents new questions for what is possible with narratives in this respect — in other words, what their visuals, capacity for interactivity, or unique properties hold for storytelling. Virtual reality is one such new technology and this project attempts to explore how its immersiveness can help us navigate a complex and abstract narrative. The piece draws on a wide range of influences including interactive websites, augmented and virtual reality art pieces, graphic novels, and generative text-based games. Using the web programming framework A-Frame, 3D sculpting and rendering software, and 360° photography, Imagine Trees Like These is at once a command and an invitation for exploration