FIVARS loves experimentation with the immersive medium maybe more than anything else. Experimental doesn’t need to mean inaccessible or abstract, as in the case of Shadow Mend from Christine Ingaldson – a fascinating, personal, and whimsical VR work whose production workflow is most definitely of the modern age. Check out our interview below!
What led to the creation of this piece?
Before committing to an idea, I enjoy experimenting and creating quick prototypes in Unity. One weekend, I thought it’d be fun to recreate Neo, one of Chicago’s oldest and most iconic nightclubs that I used to frequent in the late 90s. Neo lost its lease in 2015 after over 30 years at its original location. This got me thinking about memory, friendship, and the ephemeral nature of places and moments that shape us. However, I didn’t want this to be purely autobiographical. Instead, I relied on metaphor to tell a more universal story.
What was the production process for you and your team? What did you learn?
After that weekend in November 2022, I didn’t pick up the project again until June 2023. One of my friends came for a visit, and I joked that I put Neo into VR. He had never tried VR before but, as a former patron of the club, wanted to check it out. I saw the fun he was having and knew I wanted to build a story around it. I became obsessed and worked on Shadow Mend whenever I had free time and didn’t have a freelance gig, which sometimes meant working on it full-time.
At the start of the process, I didn’t consider myself a developer because I had only foundational knowledge of C#. My coding abilities improved a lot since I was creating this by myself. ChatGPT and Claude became my friends as I struggled through bugs. Seeing myself starting to speak to them as team members was interesting. I realized that it might not be good to be so isolated. When I had a playable walkthrough of the story, I reached out to friends and other VR devs for feedback. I learned how to keep going and that I could complete a VR story game despite limitations as a solo dev.
How did you become an immersive media content creator and why?
For years, I performed music and searched for ways to make the stage show more interesting. That’s when I found light art and projection mapping. TouchDesigner was the first program I played with to learn how to make audio-reactive visuals. Since LBE falls under the larger XR umbrella, I soon discovered that VR had become accessible.
I registered for XR Terra’s bootcamp and started learning Unity for XR design. At first, I thought I would focus on AR until I walked into my first VR environment. Once I experienced being fully immersed in the world of my creation, I got excited about bringing my film knowledge to a virtual 3D space. VR turned into a new art medium for me.
What is the VR/AR industry like in your region?
VRAR Chicago is a group near me since I’m located in Southeast Wisconsin, but I haven’t made it to a meetup yet! I’m not aware of anything or anyone closer. If you are, please reach out. On November 8th, I’ll be in Madison, Wisconsin, for the MDEV (The Midwest Game Industry Conference). I hope to meet some local folks there. What I love about this industry is the VR friends that I’ve made all over the world—my dearest ones being in Canada and Australia.
What do you have planned for the future?
Shadow Mend marks the beginning of my vision for a series of short, thought-provoking narrative experiences akin to classic fables – designed to be savored in a single sitting. One would enter a home base library, where you can relax and pull a book off the shelf to start a story. Next, I will be working on that home base and determining if this will be multiplayer. It might be nice to visit friends in their libraries. Ultimately, my vision is to find unique ways to experience a story in VR by embodying a character within it, as if you were dropped into a great film.
What would you like to share with fellow content creators and the industry?
I would like to encourage people to never give up on their vision. And not to give up on VR. There are still so many creative opportunities to explore. For artists, tech and AI can often appear as the enemy, and I understand. I’ve lived through dramatic shifts in music and graphic design that often left me discouraged. Instead of falling into despair, I look at how I can maintain my humanity and connection with others in an increasingly tech-driven world.
I intentionally infused personal touches into Shadow Mend, like my sketches revealed on club walls and my singing voice at the end. These human flourishes ground the experience amid robots and AI-generated skies, posing questions to think about.
Do you think VR festivals like FIVARS are important?
FIVARS is critical for showcasing virtual and augmented reality stories by indie creators like me! Throughout the process, I’ve doubted my work because there aren’t many narrative-driven experiences highlighted on the Meta store or by the press. Often, traditional genres are promoted, making it hard to know where to fit in. Being a part of this festival has encouraged me to pursue my larger VR idea. Thank you, FIVARS, for shining a spotlight on the importance of storytelling in VRAR!
Shadow Mend plays at FIVARS 2024 Festival October 3rd through October 8th.