Displaced: A 360-Degree Virtual Reality Narrative about Immigration-Related Trauma

Abstract

Displaced is a virtual reality narrative that highlights the emotional trauma triggered by immigration. The story revolves around a father and his daughter who are forced to flee their war-torn country, Palestine, in search of a new home. The viewer is swept along a narrative comprising four scenes. Each scene illustrates one of the major milestones of displacement: Fleeing, Journey, Foreign Land, and New Beginning. The viewer plays a passive role in the narrative, all the while bearing the responsibility of shadowing the characters from start to finish. The environments and characters are hyperbolically stylized and abstracted in virtual reality to elevate the sentiment associated with each milestone. The main objective is to create an intimate experience that builds an empathetic relationship between the viewer and the characters in each environment. Displaced is currently a work in progress and will be presented as a 360-degree narrative told through animated digital paintings