Building environments that are visually stunning, engaging, and interactive requires an intense attention to detail. Not the sort of detail that dictates the fidelity of a simulation, but the kind that impacts how an environment makes you feel.
Immersing the audience requires the art of subtle manipulation — an intimate knowledge of space, color, light, and sound. It requires a level of awareness within the greater consciousness as to how the world around us universally affects our minds and bodies.
A world can be a character. A world can have a personality. You feel it before you see it.
\\LIMINAL_
LIMINAL is a 3-square-km desert full of things.
It is the Home of the Wanderer. Travelling to this desert is likened to stepping into a painting.
Into a Dream.
As Visitors travel through the LIMINAL desert, fragments of Will are left behind. The LIMINAL transforms these fragments into Wonders.
A grand structure — called the Atrium — houses a single sacred Tree.
The Wanderer observes it patiently.
"LIMINAL" is one of my largest and longest solo projects to-date.
LIMINAL is entirely a product of my creation. I built the 3D models, designed the materials, assembled the environment, developed the puzzles and interactions, and created the set pieces used in the multitude of live LIMINAL performances (which I also perform in as The Wanderer).
This has been my sole focus and main project since the pandemic. The experience has grown and developed over time, as the audience participates in the world and the world responds to the audience as a living, breathing place. It exists solely in VR, and randomly appears to the denizens of the Metaverse. The world builds upon audience interaction and involvement, and has grown a dedicated cult following.
LIMINAL's narrative will continue in my subsequent projects; however, in essence, LIMINAL itself is complete.
Nominated for BEST ART WORLD at RAINDANCE IMMERSIVE (2024)
Part of the OFFICIAL SELECTION at FIVARS (2024)
Nominated for MOST AMAZING WORKS (HUMAN HUMAN MACHINE) at A MAZE. BERLIN (2025)
\\HOMMAGE
HOMMAGE is a love letter to the work of Jean "Moebius" Giraud, Alejandro Jodorowsky, and René Laloux.
Nominated for BEST ART WORLD and BEST ART EXPERIENCE at RAINDANCE IMMERSIVE (2025)
"HOMMAGE" was a collaborative work by a group of artists with a shared passion for Moebius, Jodorowsky, Fantastic Planet, and Heavy Metal.
I helped build this world over several weeks under the directoral guidance of artist Nanotopia, performing a multitude of tasks. I assisted with environmental layout, materials, color correction, sculpting, lighting, and engineered the skybox full of stars.
I constructed a gigantic field of poppies (from a set of original poppy models I developed for LIMINAL) as part of the finale of the work.
\\rise_of_Atlantis
RISE OF ATLANTIS is a poetic adventure through the deep, primordial ocean and the remnants of a distant past.
Nominated for BEST IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE at RAINDANCE IMMERSIVE (2024)
"Rise of Atlantis" was a world originally built out for a Creator Jam Co. event. The entire environment was built out in less than 72 hours.
While dozens of people originally contributed to the world's conception, I led the Level Design and personally built out the majority of the environment. I created everything in terms of spatial architecture.
The world utilizes several strategic design elements, including a donut-shaped layout to allow for endless drifting, optical illusions to manipulate the audience's sense of scale and location, and cliffside reveals that embellish the ocean's depth.
I took care of several other tasks concerning this world, including lighting and atmospheric design.
When the world was complete, it was remastered into a poetic immersive experience.
\\the_Blackrooms
Somewhere beyond the LIMINAL desert is the Threshold.
The Threshold leads to the BLACKROOMS — a place that is everywhere, and everything, all at once.
It is a single room that is many rooms. It holds secrets that can only be uncovered by the most curious Visitors.
You must unravel the BLACKROOMS before the BLACKROOMS unravel you.
And remember — don't get lost.
"BLACKROOMS" is a bookend experience between INVERSION_ and LIMINAL.
"BLACKROOMS" is an enormous co-op horror ARG puzzle with multiple solvable sections. It is part of the live performance and can only be experienced while LIMINAL is open to the public.
I developed this puzzle over 2-3 weeks as a way to flesh out the narrative between INVERSION_ and LIMINAL. I needed an extra experience for the desert that built upon the information the audience gathered over the previous months. It was also used as a means to immerse the audience in the dark and heavy themes of LIMINAL, which would become more common as time went on.
The final section took 15 audience members working together over 2 hours to solve.
It took audience members 3 weeks to solve it in its entirety.
\\INVERSION_
PROJECT CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS >>
Gaspar Abello is a curious man who lives in a tiny Gastown apartment.
The year is 2020.
COVID-19 is keeping everyone inside.
Gaspar isn't concerned. I'm sure he'll find his way out.
\\crumb_County
An American mining town uncovers something deep beneath the earth.
It begins to spread through the community. It contaminates the water supply.
People begin to disappear while a plague infects the remaining townsfolk.
A train runs every hour on the hour — with nobody on board.
"Welcome to Crumb County" was a world built for the non-profit organization Creator Jam Co. for their annual Halloween Event in 2024.
I was the Artistic Director, Project Lead, and Narrative Lead for this Virtual Reality world built over a 2-week period. The team was composed of 12 - 14 volunteer creators with varying degrees of artistic and video game development experience.
Some of the assets are original creations; however, most of the assets are sourced, due to Creator Jam Co's policy on world creation (all content created by Creator Jam Co must have CC-0 or CC-BY/Attribution licensing). All of the assets can be freely used. The entire world can be remixed to encourage education in environment creation and expansion of the Metaverse.