Unmute
Unmute
A VR Experience About Learning to Listen Again
People know someone thousands of miles away,
but not the neighbor next door.
I wanted to question this separation.
Could sound guide us back to awareness?
People know someone thousands of miles away,
but not the neighbor next door.
I wanted to question this separation.
Could sound guide us back to awareness?
People know someone thousands of miles away,
but not the neighbor next door.
I wanted to question this separation.
Could sound guide us back to awareness?
I used VR as a medium to design four progressive levels that guide players through attentive listening. As they follow sound to complete each task, they gradually become comfortable within the virtual space.
I used VR as a medium to design four progressive levels that guide players through attentive listening. As they follow sound to complete each task, they gradually become comfortable within the virtual space.
I used VR as a medium to design four progressive levels that guide players through attentive listening. As they follow sound to complete each task, they gradually become comfortable within the virtual space.
Before building the VR environment in Unity, I mapped the experience as a narrative sequence.
These storyboards translated abstract ideas about attention into playable stages.
Before building the VR environment in Unity, I mapped the experience as a narrative sequence.
These storyboards translated abstract ideas about attention into playable stages.
Each level became a stage of attunement:
Each level became a stage of attunement:
Level 1 — Find the Sound’s Source
Level 1 — Find the Sound’s Source
Players match a heard sound to its visual origin.
Simple and familiar, this level introduces focused listening—revealing how much we overlook in what we hear.
Players match a heard sound to its visual origin.
Simple and familiar, this level introduces focused listening—revealing how much we overlook in what we hear.
Players match a heard sound to its visual origin.
Simple and familiar, this level introduces focused listening—revealing how much we overlook in what we hear.
Level 2 — Similar Sound Matching
Level 2 — Similar Sound Matching
Sounds grow more ambiguous. Visually different clips share nearly identical audio, challenging assumptions about how sound and image align.
Confusion becomes part of the learning.
Sounds grow more ambiguous. Visually different clips share nearly identical audio, challenging assumptions about how sound and image align.
Confusion becomes part of the learning.
Sounds grow more ambiguous. Visually different clips share nearly identical audio, challenging assumptions about how sound and image align.
Confusion becomes part of the learning.
Level 3 — Dubbing Mini-Game
Level 3 — Dubbing Mini-Game
Listening shifts into making.
Players reconstruct silent footage using sound fragments, discovering how meaning changes when they shape the audio themselves.
Listening shifts into making.
Players reconstruct silent footage using sound fragments, discovering how meaning changes when they shape the audio themselves.
Listening shifts into making.
Players reconstruct silent footage using sound fragments, discovering how meaning changes when they shape the audio themselves.
Level 4 — Open Soundscape
Level 4 — Open Soundscape
Tasks disappear.
An open environment invites roaming, subtle perspective shifts, and quiet exploration—leaving space for awareness to continue beyond the game.
Tasks disappear.
An open environment invites roaming, subtle perspective shifts, and quiet exploration—leaving space for awareness to continue beyond the game.
Tasks disappear.
An open environment invites roaming, subtle perspective shifts, and quiet exploration—leaving space for awareness to continue beyond the game.
Challenge(s)
UNMUTE became a turning point in my practice. It pushed me to transform research into a functioning VR system, designing progression through game mechanics and building the experience independently in Unity. Beyond the technology, this project strengthened my ability to structure complex ideas into coherent, interactive journeys.
UNMUTE became a turning point in my practice. It pushed me to transform research into a functioning VR system, designing progression through game mechanics and building the experience independently in Unity. Beyond the technology, this project strengthened my ability to structure complex ideas into coherent, interactive journeys.
