Authored Spaces: Old North Church – Coming Spring 2011

This interactive installation explores the impact of the historic Boston landmark on the neighborhood that surrounds it through pen-and-ink drawings and recorded audio to create a three-dimensional interactive environment. This fully navigable virtual space chronicles my everyday experiences as a resident of Boston’s historic North End.

This project is currently a work in progress and is being built using the game development tool Unity3D.

Trailer 1 is here!

I have lived in Boston’s North End for the past three years. I walk past the Old North Church on a daily basis, yet rarely engage directly with the church itself. My memories are filled with conversations overheard at the coffee shop across the street, two old men sitting on the street corner listening to music, and countless crowds of people jostling about vying for the ideal spot to take a photo. The historical significance of this space has helped give it meaning and has played a vital role in defining the lives of the residents and businesses that surround it. I aim to document my interactions and impressions of the people and spaces that the Old North Church reflects upon.

The project is designed as an immersive interactive environment with a non-linear narrative. The overall experience is dependant upon the user and the overall choices they make as they move throughout the space. S/he can spend as little or as much time investigating the environment as they choose. If the user leaves my apartment and heads straight for the Old North Church, they will miss out on smaller bits of information along the way. The user will form a unique experience based on the sequence of events they trigger, the duration of time spent in various spots, and their overall emotional response to the virtual environment.

All images created by Evan Leek