Game Engines and the Gesamtkunstwerk

Spatial Expansions

The following documentation of Spatial Expansions (2021) includes various videos, drawings, and images of the conception and final installation of the work. The work consisted of a single channel of looping game engine animation, 25 minutes in duration, and displayed on a 10 x 4.5m LED Screen in Studio 110 at QUT. It included eight individual game engine worlds created using the Game Engine Merz process as discussed in the exegesis. The two videos below showcase additional documentation of the work, including the full version of the original video exhibited.

Lobwein, G. (2021). Spatial Expansions. [Excerpt of single channel installation, 4k video on 10 x 4.5m LED panel display, stereo-sound, infinite loop, multi-media]. Installation view.

Lobwein, G. (2021). Spatial Expansions. [Single channel installation, 4k video on10 x 4.5m LED panel display, stereo-sound, infinite loop, multi-media]. Installation view.

Spatial Expansions Drawings

The drawings below depict the installation diagrams created during the conception of Spatial Expansions. They illustrate how the work was first realised through drawings, before I began the construction of the game engine worlds. Here, I initially conceptualised the work with a performative component, but later decided against including it. Instead, I decided to focus the work on the flow of game engine worlds, embedding characters within them using motion capture, and thinking more about how I could immerse viewers in the installation of the work, before returning to the performance in The Mirror Sphere (2022).

(2021). Performance using the Studio 110 LED Screen. [Pen and ink on paper]. 297 x 420 mm.

(2021). Spatial Expansions installation design I. [Pen and ink on paper]. 297 x 420 mm.

(2021). Spatial Expansions installation design II. [Pen and ink on paper]. 297 x 420 mm.

(2021). Spatial Expansions installation design with performance. [Watercolour on paper]. 297 x 420 mm.

Various drawings of the installation plan for Spatial Expansions.

Spatial Expansions Proposal

The two images below, and the video clip, depict the proposal render for Spatial Expansions. These renders were used to obtain approval for the exhibition, and also to further refine the installation I had conceptualised in the previous drawings.

(2021). Spatial Expansions proposal render I. [Game engine render].

(2021). Spatial Expansions proposal render II. [Game engine render].

Visual proposal for Spatial Expansions.

Lobwein, G. (2021). Spatial Expansions proposal render. [Game engine render, 01:14 runtime].

Spatial Expansions World Drawings

These drawings showcase some of the illustrations used to conceptualise the worlds for Spatial Expansions. Here I am thinking about what forms and designs could symbolise the kind of discourses surrounding virtual spaces that I discuss at length in the exegesis. Among these drawings is an example of how I plan the flow of the worlds. Here, it depicts the camera path of the 360 camera, where it travels through various worlds, including time codes. This has proved to be an invaluable method to conceptualising the flow of game engine worlds.

(2021). Lada's castle I. [Pen and ink on paper]. 210 × 297 mm.

(2021). Lada's castle II. [Pen and ink on paper]. 210 × 297 mm.

(2021). Floating Head World I. [Pen and ink on paper]. 210 × 297 mm.

(2021). Floating Head World II. [Pen and ink on paper]. 210 × 297 mm.

(2021). Siberian world. [Pen and ink on paper]. 297 x 420 mm.

(2021). Spatial Expansions world transitions plan. [Pen and ink on paper]. 297 x 420 mm.

Various drawings of the worlds for Spatial Expansions.

(2021). Spatial Expansions, Shoe World. [Game engine render].

(2021). Spatial Expansions, Oil World. [Game engine render].

(2021). Spatial Expansions, Bone World. [Game engine render].

(2021). Spatial Expansions, Black Hole World. [Game engine render].

(2021). Spatial Expansions, Siberia World. [Game engine render].

(2021). Spatial Expansions, Lada's Castle World. [Game engine render].

(2021). Spatial Expansions, Dune World. [Game engine render].

(2021). Spatial Expansions, Sira's Prayer World. [Game engine render].

Game Engine Worlds of Spatial Expansions.

Spatial Expansions Characters

The following drawings are early depictions of the characters that would later be included in the culminating performance of this project, The Mirror Sphere. As I was designing Spatial Expansions, I had begun writing The Mirror Sphere, where I was imagining how the worlds, these characters, and the choreographed dance, could blend together into a cohesive experience for audiences. As such, after creating these drawings and then rendering the characters, I invited professional choreographer Tamara Zurvas to perform the mocap for these characters.

(2021). Lada performing in their castle. [Pen and ink on paper]. 210 × 297 mm.

(2021). Sketch of Sira. [Pen and ink on paper]. 210 × 297 mm.

Drawings of the characters in Spatial Expansions.

Lobwein, G. (2021). Tamara Zurvas performing motion capture for Lada in Spatial Expansions. [Video, game engine simulation, mo-cap suit, 00:29 runtime].

(2021). Lada performing, Lada's Castle World. [Video still].

(2021). Sira performing, Sira's Prayer World. [Video still].

Renders of the characters in the worlds.

Spatial Expansions Poster

This is the poster for the final exhibition, which occured on the 10th of November, 2021.

Lobwein, G. (2021). Poster for Spatial Expansions. [Game engine render].