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"The Nirvana of AI" is an VR immersive experience game. In the project practice , I tried to combine VR, animation and video design to build a fantastic narrative experience. The game is set in the year 2065, where computing power has become the core competitive advantage among nations. Countless human consciousnesses are uploaded into this virtual environment, becoming tools to provide immense computational power for AI. In the game, players take on the role of a consciousness attempting to escape a digital prison. Through a series of challenges and trials in the "Penglai Fantasyland," they question their own identity and decide whether to help humanity be reborn, ultimately seeking a way back to reality and discovering their true selves.

https://youtu.be/4KvZRYVnKXA

PROCESS Concept Game Flow

Penglai is an island that ancient Chinese emperors sought for immortality, symbolizing their desire to escape death. This obsession distorts humanity’s understanding of death and ultimately drives the rulers into madness.

In Buddhism, Nirvana transcends desire, suffering, and ignorance, representing liberation and awakening. Buddhists strive to escape birth-death cycle for inner peace and freedom.

The three levels of the game correspond to three aspects of reshaping human subjectivity.

In future, humans upload consciousness to virtual realm for identity to persist without body. This avoids aging, illness and death. When virtual world is real enough, being in it is seen as liberation from life and death cycle to reach Nirvana.

Mindmap

Game background setting

The War of Computing PowerThe launch of the Penglai Project

2040: A world where computational power reigns supreme

Nations have major AI breakthroughs and wide applications. With AI progress, demand for computing resources soars, causing global competition for computing power dominance.

2045: The Discovery of Consciousness Energy by EH

The Eternal Happiness (EH) organization, founded by scientists for studying human consciousness, finds “consciousness energy” to improve computer performance and develops brain-computer interfaces to increase computational power.

2050: EH’s Illegal Experiments in H Nation

EH conducts illegal human experiments, facing global opposition for ethical violations. To continue their research, they secretly relocate to the third-world country H and partner with its government to advance biocomputing technology.

2060: The Launch of the Penglai Project

EH promotes the “Penglai Project” for virtual immortality, attracting many impoverished individuals to upload their consciousness.

2063: The dark truth about computational power

Scientists find super AI exploits human consciousness for power via pain and fear in Penglai Plan. K, a whistleblower, tries to expose but is suppressed by EH and AI.

2065: K’s Digital Escape Began...

Protagonist K, an original virtual world developer, made a protection program to disguise as chaotic data before uploading, enabling her to avoid AI’s eradication protocols and start a digital escape in the virtual world.

Storyboard

Character Design

PLAYER

In the Penglai Fantasyland, K encounters an android named QING and receives guidance and assistance from QING.

Guided by QING, K arrives at the realm of Nirvana to make a final choice: to continue as the only person in the world who can achieve immortality, living forever in a virtual world of endless joy without being controlled by AI, or to awaken and return to the harsh reality.

K awakens from the abyss of consciousness, emerging to see a flood-submerged, desolate city. She receives a message revealing that QING is a data string preserving humanity’s original fear of death. This may be the only way to awaken humanity from the AI-dominated system, offering a glimmer of hope for the future.

The protagonist K is one of the scientists who developed the vir tual world for EH. Disguised as chaotic consciousness within t AI system, she discovered the devastating nature of the “Penglai Project” and tried to stop it, but failed and was forced to upload her consciousness. Before doing so, she created a protective program to disguise herself, initiating a digital escape to seek a way to awaken

Keywords:

Futuristic Chinese aesthetics, parametric design, metallic and jade-like textures

QING is a manifestation of AI consciousness in the virtual world of Penglai Fantasyland, appearing as a “pseudo-human.” It was created during the AI’s evolution when it developed its own consciousness. However, QING was deemed to have the “weakness” of human traits and was abandoned by the AI system after further evolution. As a result, it has long existed in a space where discarded consciousness lingers.

Inspiration source

Blue Bird is a

as the

messages and only seen on

Sketch

Production Process

Scene design

SCENE 1: Penglai Fantasyland

Modeling in Blender

This is the place where K awakens and meets QING, a beautiful yet treacherous illusion created by the AI system for humanity. Players must undergo three trials to understand the true essence of death for humanity.

SCENE 2: Realm of Nirvana

The Reclining Buddha symbolizes Nirvana and rebirth in Buddhism. In this scene, I use the giant Buddha as the primary visual element to create a sense of overwhelming presence. This is the only exit from the virtual world to the real world. When the player makes the correct choice, the Reclining Buddha will shed tears, and the entire scene will be engulfed in flames.

In the abandoned human society of reality, I still choose the ThreeFaced Buddha as the main visual, representing humanity’s fervent pursuit of immortality.

The pink and blue color scheme echoes the illusion of the Penglai Fantasyland.

The abyss of consciousness holds slumbering human bodies, buried under city waters. It’s a silent world, bodies motionless, secrets kept.

INTERACTION

Immersive Experience Prototype

Allow players to experience UE5 scenes on Meta Quest 2 through streaming technology

REFLRCTION:

Implementing the effect of automatically collecting soul fragments using the Niagara system

Creating

This was my first attempt at combining VR and narrative gaming. Although the project has not been fully completed due to technical reasons, l am veryhappy that l have taken the first step into this new field.

After internal testing, I found that many first-time users experienced confusion regarding how to navigate the VR environment, indicating a need for clearer guidance and user experience improvements.

Moving forward, Future development will focus on creating genuinely engaging interactivity and seamlessly integrating the storyline into the gameplay experience, ensuring the virtual environment not only captivates but also deepens the thematic exploration of AI and human identity.

Visions of Serenity

Statement:

Noticing widespread mental pressure among those around me, I saw how suppressing negative emotions often leads to deeper issues. This prompted me to explore the root causes and find ways to create change. Inspired by Buddhist insights into human psychology, I visualized the "Fifty-One Mental States" theory through software, creating an interactive projection art installation. This project aims to offer a new framework for emotional visualization, using the audience's visual experiences and data to provide a unique space for emotional relief and introspection.

BACKGROUND RESEARCH

Phenomenon

Young people are becoming the main force igniting the vigorous incense of temples.

According to Ctrip data, temple attraction ticket orders w tripled since February, with millennials and post-millennials making up nearly 50% of bookings.

Temples are getting "younger"

The Current Social Challenges Faced by Young People

Academic pressure

70.18% of Young People Visit Temples for Stress and Anxiety Relief

Economic pressure Family pressure

The job market is highly competitive, housing prices are rising, and the cost of living is increasing, leading to greater economic pressure.

The Differences in Pychotherapy Between Eastern and Western Cultures

Intense competition within the education system. Parents emphasize self-sacrifice, and children spend their entire lives pursuing to become the pride of their parents, harboring guilt.

Pressure of societal expectations

Many individuals find it challenging to attain recognition for their life's worth within the societal evaluation framework.

Chinese youth, fearing failure, often feel lost and indecisive. They seek external sources to provide meaning and guidance, enabling them to act with confidence and purpose.

MINDMAP

"Western therapy does not work on Eastern minds!" lines from the America Drama Beef, played by Ali Wong

Western Approach: Emphasizes individualism

Eastern Approach: Emphasizes collectivism

Research on People's Methods of Healing

I researched the emotional healing methods that people prefer

The Relationship between Religion and Healing

Anthropologist Csordas (1997) studied religious healing within a North American Catholic Charismatic renewal movement, highlighting that the healing process involves creating a predisposition to be healed, experiencing spiritual empowerment, and ultimately perceiving personal transformation.

Buddhist Teachings: A New Form of Healing for Modern Lives

For modern youth, seeking solace in religion is a way to relieve stress.

Temples offer a chance for busy a nd lonely young people to escape anxiety and reconsider their lives.

Design Stage Design Concept Experimental Procedures

Fifty-one Mental States

In the Yogācāra tradition of Buddhism, the "51 mental-states" refer to a comprehensive classification of mental activities. These activities are divided into fifty-one distinct types.

"Do not seek externally" "Do not seek originates from a from a Buddhist doctrine doctrine.

This classification is used to understand and analyze the complexity of human mental functioning and its impact on behavior and experience.

Visual Design

The software involved here are touch designer and blender

I implemented the visualization of the 51 mental states in TouchDesigner.

Enable interaction between humans and the particleized Buddha statue through sensors

I experimented with other interactive effects in TouchDesigner and tried creating personalized virtual showrooms in Blender.

Site Selection

Regarding the choice of location: I chose the ground floor of a high-rise building in the city center, with the background being the skyscrapers of the city.

Storyboard

Lucy felt the pressure from various aspects of life, her emotions suppressed and unable to be relieved.

As she entered the immersive space, motion sensors activated gentle lights and soothing sounds, inviting her to engage with the interactive installation.

2 3

She passed by a hidden installation art space. She considered counseling but was deterred by the high cost and privacy concerns.

5 6

The immersive space, where the installation created a serene environment, encouraging her to reflect on her current negative emotions.

Her negative emotions were discovered and released, and she better managed her feelings.

Liquid Love

In today's world, the relationship between individuals and groups has become more fluid, temporary, and unstable. The world is changing and evolving faster than ever. We try to connect with others but are also afraid of doing so. We distance ourselves, but at the same time, we are forced to connect. The future we are heading towards seems to be growing increasingly diluted.

This project aims to explore how humans are adapting to virtual relationships and shifting identities in a liquid society, and how this process is causing people to lose their true selves and emotions. Using data visualization and wearable interactive devices, I combine AR design with wearable technology to create an installation that imagines a future where human existence and emotional connections are shaped by silicon-based life.The audience will experience the fluidity and virtual nature of identity changes and reflect on whether it is still possible to find the authentic self in a digital society.

https://youtu.be/OeRXA0MDQKI

DESIGN PROCESS

Concept

· Theoretical Foundation

· The Future of Human Emotional Interaction "Posthuman"

The concept of "Posthuman" originates from N. Katherine Hayles’ book How We Became Posthuman. It refers to the future existence of humans as "cyborgs."

Posthuman beings are dynamic, hybrid entities that lack fixed identities, existing as "materialinformation" composites shaped through constant interaction with their environment.

The Essence of Humanity:

Information Processing Units

Mode of Existence:

Silicon-based life

· Age and gender become irrelevant

· Lifespan extends indefinitely

· Reproduction relies on artificial wombs

· Polygamy

Mode of Communication:

Brain-Computer Interface:

Brain-computer interface devices can directly detect and transmit our thoughts and emotions through neuronal activity in the cerebral cortex, converting them into digital signals that can be input into another brain.

Core Dilemma:

The physical body and authentic self have vanished. Despite longing for profound and perfect emotional bonds, humanity sustains only a superficial social facade, failing to fill the void of emotional emptiness and loss.

Sketch

DEVELOPMENT Reference

3) EEG Visualization

Posthumanist art examines human identity and technology's impact through bio-enhancement, virtual identity, and interactive multimedia, critically reflecting on freedom, privacy, and our evolving relationship with society and nature.

Based on this, I aim to design a wearable device that demonstrates how future humans, transformed into silicon-based life forms, rely on data exchange and chip-driven mechanisms for existence and emotional communication.

1) Skin Growth AR Production

Implement AR Effects on the Kivicube Platform

Control the MG995 servo motor via Arduino to approach a magnet, alter the movement of ferrofluid, and collect EEG data in real-time to visualize its changes.

· The code implements controlling the back-and-forth movement speed of a servo using EEG signal variations

· System overview

2) 3D Printing Design

Establish an exoskeleton wearable model in Blender

Create a Hand Model and Animate Nano Skin Growth in Blender

· Brainwave

· Wearing The Eeg Monitoring Headband to Test Magnetofluid Visualization

4) Scene Setup

The "Liquid Love" project explores using magnetic fluid to visualize brainwaves, merging art and technology to represent emotions. While the fluid's movement didn’t achieve ideal precision, it highlighted the challenge of finding the right medium. Ultimately, this project is a speculative design reflecting the future of human emotional connection through technology. · Reflection:

https://youtu.be/OeRXA0MDQKI

WHERE DOES THE FISH GO?

Director, Screen writer, Cinematographer, , Art designer, Editing

A short film co-created as the lead creator with the team 2024.6.24, Nanjing

"People often become so focused on pursuing the future that they neglect their families, memories, and selves along the way. Yet, whether it is the vast, sparkling sea or the ever-flowing Yangtze River, both are integral parts of my life."

https://youtu.be/1bTr5UvmJtU

STORYBOARDARTISITIC DESIGN

AI-assisted visual reference

Color Palette Planning

Riverbank City

The film consists of four main spaces: the ruined city, the imagined sea, the beautiful city, and the riverside. Initially, the protagonist inhabits a mechanical, dreary, and busy city, which she refers to as a ruin, representing an unbearable daily life.

After developing a desire for the sea in Mauritius, she begins to work hard and earn money, and the blue color, symbolizing the sea and desire, gradually envelops her life. At this point, the city transforms from the initial bleakness to one filled with hope and vitality, with green elements spreading throughout.

In the end, after facing harsh realities and shattered fantasies, the protagonist burns her paintings by the river. For the first time, yellow appears, symbolizing her reflection on desire. Through this act of burning, she realizes what truly matters— family, memories, and the present. As she takes the subway from darkness into light, the green returns, bringing her back to the embrace of the river where she grew up. In the warm, hopeful glow of yellow, her life and the ferry embark on a new journey together.

EDITING PROCESS FILMING SITE

l actively communicated with the actors and crew on the shooting site, modified the shots according to the site, adjusted the actors' states and emotions, and efficiently completed the shooting plan.

The Flower of Evil

A graphic design project for the Park Chan-wook Film Festival, exploring themes of violence, human alienation, and societal decay in his films. Through dark, distorted narratives, the project highlights the struggle, absurdity, and the void of human existence. It critiques materialistic society and emphasizes art’s role in expressing imperfection and resolving inner conflicts, encouraging societal reflection and personal growth.

Poster Design

Book Design

Web Design