From Border to Border

This experience is best viewed through a VR headset, but may also be viewed as a 360 video in browser.

When I was younger, everything was bigger. In my dreams, bigger still. I dreamt of a world of endless space, endless time, and limitless possibility. It was a place I dreamt of growing into. But as I got older, I only grew smaller.

An Image of Childhood

At first, there was only sand. It was soft and cold and comforting. I couldn’t see the sea, but I could smell it, and sand stretched for miles in every direction, only ending where it met the sky. Under the right conditions, sand holds life. These lives crawl out of every crack and crevice to dance silently under the cover of night. During the day, everything is different. The sun heats the sand so heavily that life must bury itself back into the ground. In the light, I realize what once seemed endless is only a box. The smell of the sea has rotted in the morning heat and I am surrounded by the smell of dead fish hidden somewhere in the sand. I dare not leave the borders of my box for the land beyond is harsh and abrasive, and so I spend my days waiting for the smell of the sea.

A Lesson in Growth

In my mind, the city only exists at night. But here the night is different. It is loud and explosive and full. Life does not crawl out from under the floor; it floats freely in the air. Its neon tendrils line every building and street. When I lay back and only look up, the buildings stretch so far above the clouds, I think they must be tethered to the heavens and not anchored to the earth. But when I look straight ahead, I see paper folded into the shape of cement and steel, held up not by life but by the desire for it. Every door is glued shut and every window shows only a silhouette, and I think about how coldness used to mean something different. Now, I long for the sun and the borders of a box. There is a river that cuts through the city and smells like smog. I know the longer I walk along it; the closer I will be to the smell of salt. I find myself walking through a diorama of a city and wondering where its borders are.

A Beginning and an End

It is midday and I am floating in the middle of the open water. In my dreams, the water is calm and the weather pleasant. Here, the sky is grey and the sun is hidden behind the clouds. The rocking of the waves do not comfort but engulf. And at times, I find myself completely submerged in the sea. The water stings so much that it is hard to keep my eyes open. I swim but go nowhere. The smell of salt sickens me. I try to remember how it used to smell. As another wave engulfs me, I force my eyes open but let myself sink. Deeper and deeper, I go, until my toes touch sand. Feet buried at the bottom of the sea, the sand is endless.

From Border to Border is an immersive Virtual Reality experience that explores nostalgia, growing up, and being ensnared by the past. The experience takes the form of a journey in three parts: The Sandbox, The City, and The Sea. Throughout this journey, the visitor is both propelled forward by a vision of the sea and called back by an idealistic picture of the sand. In the end, the visitor finds the sea and realizes it was not what they envisioned. They are adrift and helpless, with only one way out.

The process of creating this project can be broken down into three sections: ideation, in which I began looking at works that inspired me and forming the concepts that would guide this piece; design, in which I laid out my initial plans for each location and the broader framework of the experience; and, finally, construction, in which I began building and compiling the final product.

Throughout this project I encountered several setbacks, most of which were due to the Covid-19 Pandemic and uncertainties in my living situation. Eventually, these setbacks became springboards into new avenues of storytelling that pushed this project into its final form.

To read my artist statement in its entirety, please follow this link: Artist Statement.

This project would not have been possible without the help of many people. I would first like to thank my Capstone advisor Professor Margaret Minsky. Although this semester was unprecedented, Professor Minsky's door was always open whenever I ran into issues or needed feedback. She allowed me the flexibility to create, but gave me a structure to succeed within.

I would also like to thank Professor Ken Perlin and, Entrepeneur in Residence, Michael Gold of the NYU Future Reality Lab for their support in the construction of my project. They were gracious enough to not only lend me their equipment, but also their time, and I am very grateful for both.

Additionally, I would like to acknowledge the Google TiltBrush community and the community of creators on Google Poly who made their work available for collaboration. Throughout my time as a member of this community, I have been consistently amazed by not only the sheer artistry, but also the amount of support offered. A full list of third party assets I remixed can be found here: List of Assets.

Finally, I must express my very profound gratitude to my friends and family who supported me throughout this process and beyond. Most importantly, I would like to thank my father for providing me with unfailing support and continuous encouragment throughout my years of study. I love you, Baba.

Thank you all for making this idea come to life.

Programmer, Filmmaker and Digital Artist.
sarahtahir.com

From Border to Border

Narrative Transcript

I. The Sandbox

II. The City

III. The Sea

Abstract

Acknowledgements

Sarah Tahir