Through this project, my aim is to capture and share my experience as a university student, transitioning between China and New York from Ecuador. The central idea is to present, in an interactive manner, my story, anecdotes, and the challenges I have faced so far. Upon initiating the development of this project, I realized that my journey is unique and therefore offers an interesting perspective for those who will receive it in the future. My first step was to select a series of photographs from my personal collection that have left a significant mark on my university experience, both in New York and Shanghai. However, during a conversation with Professor Leon, the idea expanded to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic has also significantly shaped my experience.
Most interactions in “TransitTale” will be carried out through clicks. The project starts with a textual introduction that provides an overview of it. Upon clicking, the user will be directed to the next screen, where my first year of university will be summarized. In this part, the idea is to use p5.js to recreate my room in Ecuador. The interactive part of this interface will involve a constant transition between day and night, as during my online study period, I had classes at night, dawn, and early in the morning. The central focus will be a computer that accompanied me throughout the year, represented through a series of photographs. To progress in the story, the user can click on a right arrow.
The next interaction will present an airplane controlled by keyboard arrows, symbolizing my journey. The idea is to move the plane through the clouds without touching them until reaching New York.
When the plane collides with the Statue of Liberty, the story will continue on the next interface, which will show a map of New York. The background will consist of an image of a city map, on which I will draw different tourist spots such as the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, and Central Park. Clicking on each of these places will redirect the user to a photo album with a description or an interactive image of the place. The idea for the Shanghai part will be similar, where I will draw the Pearl Tower and Jing’an Temple, among other places.
Finally, at certain moments, rhetorical questions will randomly appear on the screen, inviting the user to reflect and compare the current state of society with what they see on the screen and in the photographs.
Proposal Presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1J9LijwTvaqPHX1Tq5FEgamFWU6Pc76tW7O0oMR4YVnI/edit