Entomologik project was made in partnership with the Nantes Natural History Museum for the Nantes Digital Week during the Local Heritage Days. The theme was to work on biomimicry to find new modalities of use and interaction in virtual reality inspired by insects. We did an VR experience to put the user in the skin of an insect on a microscopic scale. We also presented the Entomologik Project at Les Utopiales, at La Nuit Blanche des Chercheurs of Nantes and we were selected for the ReVolution #Students contest of Laval Virtual. I worked in team with a scenography designer [Mélodie Brugiès].

Process

We chose to work on a popular insect by selecting the dragonfly, in order to heightened participants’ interest and help them projecting themselves into the universe. To break the prejudices on this insect, though to be calm and composed, we wanted to work on its impressive and physical metamorphosis. However, we selected only three stages of metamorphosis to prevent motion sickness because of some very acrobatic movements of the dragonfly. We transcribed this feeling of effort and difficulty by putting movements inspired by stretching and yoga. We programmed our VR experience on Unity, modeled elements such as the larva and lotus on 3ds Max and Substance Painter.

Concept

"Renaissance" is a VR project to experience the metamorphosis of a dragonfly. It consists of two parts. The first is contemplative. The user is a dragonfly larva resting on a reed waiting for the beginning of its metamorphosis. The user is invited to take the time to discover the pond and the different details around him. In the second part, the metamorphosis begins. The user has to make gestures with the joysticks, to succeed in breaking his larva body and bring out his dragonfly body. The user starts by extricating his dragonfly head, then his tail and finally the wings which release a buzzing sound in the end.