Ijiam: Augmented Reality Technologies for the Adaptation of Ecuadorian Intangible Cultural Heritage
About the Project:
Ijiam is an interactive installation which I developed for my Master Degree thesis project at OCAD University. The project explores the use of motion sensing technologies and computer generated visuals for the development of an immersive storytelling experience based on indigenous ancestral knowledge.
The Research
This project uses digital technologies to create critical adaptations of ancestral wisdom from the Shuar indigenous community of the Ecuadorian Amazon, transposing relevant concepts of their cosmovision into a new digital storytelling experience. Following a post-colonial ethnographic research approach, this thesis employs decolonizing methods to analyze the complex knowledge system of the Shuar culture, engaging the community through a communication protocol of reciprocity and fair exchange of knowledge.
The Installation
The outcome of this project is an interactive digital installation that allows participants in the Shuar community and elsewhere to embody an audiovisual experience based on Shuar ancestral wisdom.
The narrative for this project involves adapting concepts from the Shuar cosmovision through the elements of the Uwi Ijiamtamu or Fiesta de la chonta celebration which required an analysis that balanced elements from the traditional stories and the main components of the ritual into an audiovisual experience.
The Setup
To create the illusion of a giant mirror, I projected the interactive sequence in a 9 ft. per 10 ft. wide screen and incorporated a Microsoft Kinect sensor to tract the movement of visitors within a 3 ft. radius. To make the experience more immersive, a number of speakers were place in the front and back of the installation surrounding the area of interaction.
Digital particle systems were developed using Unity 3D and Kinect SDK to track a participant’s motion with the visual abstractions to recreate a visual representation of the Uwi Ijiamtamu ritual. Sounds of rainforest environments, musical instruments such as guitars and pan flutes were used as ambient sounds, while specific chants and narrations on Shuar language were incorporated at specific times during the interaction.
This exhibit was part of "Current" the Digital Futures 2017 Graduate Exhibition, and OCAD University's Gradex 2017. Feel free to take a look at my full research here.