As the Y2K media frenzy and
millennium celebrations reached a fever pitch in late 1999, the finishing touches were
being put on the design of one of the most ambitious VRML projects on the internet today.
With the assistance of modellers, animators and programmers at the Bell Centre for
Creative Communications (Centennial College, Toronto), and funded in part by the Canada
Council for the Arts, Millennium Arts Fund, the first incarnation of this project titled: THE LIBRARY, was publicly launched online, on January 1,
2000. The beautiful rotunda of the Canadian
Library of Parliament was the inspiration for this 3D environment. While preserving the
integrity of the basic layout and design, I endeavoured to create a metaphorical
interpretation of a building selected for its' architectural and cultural significance.
This presented challenging conceptual and technical obstacles. Numerous Digital Library
initiatives have largely neglected the humanities and 'soft' sciences. However, 3D
represents an opportunity to transform books from linear stories into dynamic narrative
experiences. Exploring new means of collecting, storing, retrieving and distributing
information, creative approaches to navigation and wayfinding emerged as guiding themes as
this project progressed. Photographs, secured with the cooperation of
the Librarians and Archivists at Parliament Hill, became the texture files. Three stairways
were added to the interior of the building, and additional points of access were provided
to the upper levels. In the centre of the Library I placed a world globe, the texture a
constantly updating satellite image of the earth retrieved (every 5 minutes) from the NASA
website and wrapped around a rotating sphere. Inside the upper dome of the Library, I
placed an animated aurory, illustrating the pathways of the planets. In all, six
interactive 3D objects and sculptures were strategically placed throughout the Library for
the online viewer to discover as they navigated throughout the space using a VRML-enabled
browser. In mid 2000, I took up the position of
Visiting Artist at the School of Communication Arts, Seneca@York University (Toronto). I
was provided with access to an ORAD Virtual Studio in order to further develop this
project: THE LIBRARY 2. ORAD is the world
leader in virtual sets for the broadcast and post-production markets, specializing in
camera and object tracking technologies, 3D graphics and Electro-Optics. With the
assistance of ORAD technicians and the support of LorTech (their distributor in Canada),
the fully optimized 3D Library environment was ported to the CyberSet M, enabling the
seamless integration of people and computer-generated imagery. A system of infrared
transmitters makes it possible for the viewer to see themselves in the LIBRARY
environment. On a wall size screen opposite the blue screen CyberSet, viewers can watch
themselves moving around and behind 3D objects such as the world globe.
Utilizing THE LIBRARY 3D environment, a current research project is titled MULTI: Multiple User Laser Texture Interface (system to support collaborative interactive). This collaborative educational tool supporting multiple simultaneous users, explores the relationship between creativity and synesthesia.
Nancy Paterson |
