Project #5 Anti-Surveillance Tool / The Labyrinth

“The dream creates the reality of one another”

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Description

I wanted to concentrate on the subject of time and non-linear text. The inspiration for this project came from the novel by Milorad Pavic “Dictionary of Khazars.” At first, I wanted to recreate a maze of the text through the past, present, and future. However, I recreated some portions of texts that represent different characters from the book.

Design Process

The hidden message allows thinking about books as a united space but split into timelines as our perception of time in general. I wanted to illustrate that the idea of time is a united space, where some parts of it appear at a different time as well as events, we can reveal them at a specific time. I associate the non-linear timeline with the Möbius strip which I tried to imitate in my Anti-Surveillance Tool but focuses on the present state and excerpts from the book I found interesting. Sender and Receiver: I mostly trying to communicate with people who love literature and concepts of non-linear time. Also, people who search for new ways of communication through text and not only visuals. The book itself communicates with the reader by having some initial rules, and at the same time, it is not necessary to observe the rules. You can return to them when you ready. Initially, I wanted to create a game. The project is the visualization of the non-linear text in the virtual space. The basis of the project is a multi-level game. The structure of the dictionary is made up of three books, which are divided into articles. That makes it possible to read the story by fragments. One way of interpreting such nonlinear text is through the game. Moreover, the text of Milorad Pavic contains a lot of semantic connections, conceptual load, the interweaving of times, and characters. All these features allow improvising and focusing on selected aspects of the dictionary. Most of the characters and events in the book are fictional, as is the culture attributed to the Khazars. The author creates a new mythology, intertwining historical facts with fiction, enriching the novel with a layer of meanings, concepts, legends, and interpretations. The text is the portals to other levels. As you choose one text of a character you can enter their story.

After expierimenting with the game concept I tried to make a maze game with hidden objects. Rules: You are in the flow of time. You can travel in time, but you can not control your path. Be careful on your way. Try not to be stuck in limbo. • Create your path to the exit. • Collect artifacts on your way. You can collect artifacts and texts only while passing through them. • Reveal hidden objects by clicking on your path. • Try to create your individual story. • While entering the exit you appear in the new room. • Use WASD or arrow keys. • Press SHIFT to hide the array grid. Press SHIFT to reveal the maze pattern. • Some parts of the maze are hidden. Try to reveal the right path. • If the player gets the right order and collects all the artifacts then wins the game, and gets the full book in pdf as a reward.

Reflection

I wanted to concentrate on the subject of time and non-linear text. The hidden message allows thinking about books as a united space but split into timelines as our perception of time in general. I wanted to illustrate that the idea of time is a united space, where some parts of it appear at a different time as well as events, we can reveal them at a specific time. I associate the non-linear timeline with the Möbius strip, which I tried to imitate in the maze game but focuses on the present state and quotes from the book I found interesting.