Degrading Agency
The experience runs on a continuous loop divided into five distinct 20-second stages. A core mechanical design of the installation is the gradual reduction of user agency; interactivity is highly responsive in the first stage and degrades entirely to zero by the final stage.
Stage 1: Molecules
A fluid sea of molecules where the directional flow of the particles is heavily influenced by the users moving forward, backward, left, or right.
Stage 2: Microbes
A microscopic visual environment where user movement drives real-time distortion effects applied to the imagery.
Stage 3: Earth
A spinning globe surrounded by a responsive particle system. Specific, larger particles isolate and track the exact physical locations of the participants standing in the dome.
Stage 4: Stars
An immersive starfield that still reacts to user movement, but with a significantly dampened level of responsiveness, signaling the loss of control.
Stage 5: Black Hole
Interactivity is completely stripped away. A black hole visually approaches with an accompanying audio climax, "swallowing" the users and seamlessly looping the system back to the first molecular stage.
