I. CONCEPT

Narrative Architecture

dream-homeland reimagines the concept of home as a subjective emotional construct rather than a spatial constant. Built in Unity, this virtual environment unfolds a personal narrative through surreal materiality and symbolic space, using dream logic to subvert familiar notions of domesticity.

Embodied Alterity

Within the space, characters fly, speak with radical honesty, and exist without constraint. These interactions foster poetic agency and emotional resonance. The goal is not to simulate reality, but to explore interiority and ambiguity. The user navigates a space that evokes disorientation, curiosity, and reflection on belonging.

II. PROCESS

Design Priorities

- Develop a distinct visual language
- Center user experience around openness and discovery
- Translate personal memory through spatial metaphor
- Encourage emotional immersion through surreal aesthetics

III. EXPERIENCE

User Journey

The experience begins underwater. Users land on a submerged bed surrounded by static televisions and satellite debris. Movement is open and unconstrained. As users explore, they transition to a dreamlike cityscape that tilts against gravity. Videos embedded within objects activate through proximity, generating audiovisual fragments that shift perception and mood.

Observations

- The visual aesthetic is cohesive and emotionally expressive
- The juxtaposition of oceanic and architectural elements heightens narrative tension
- Some users experienced disorientation due to lack of navigation cues
- Simultaneous use of mouse and keyboard was noted as a usability challenge

IV. OUTPUT

Rendered Environment

Visual Stills

V. REFLECTION

Speculation as Shelter

Home is not a fixed space. It is a site of memory, vulnerability, and transformation. dream homeland proposes a speculative alternative to domestic architecture, shaped by emotion, contradiction, and the surreal. It explores what it means to feel at home within discomfort, and how dreams coexist with unresolved histories. This work reclaims digital space as both a poetic and critical medium for emotional world-making.