New approaches to Art and visual culture
CHArt Nineteenth Annual Conference
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CONVERGENT PRACTICES New approaches to Art and visual culture |
Marja-Leena Ikkala, Certes, Computer Arts Centre at Espoo, Finland
Virtual WeeGee: Architectural and Local History Through an Interactive 3-D Model
The WeeGee building in Tapiola (Espoo, Finland) is to be the home of three museums and other visual and material culture institutions. The building, now owned by City of Espoo, is a former printing works designed by Aarno Ruusuvuori in the 1960s. It is a hallmark of Finnish industrial architecture and 1960s Constructivism.
Virtual WeeGee comprises a 3-D model of the building and an interactive game created by Max Payne. The model includes old photographs of WeeGee, Tapiola and Espoo and includes a story about a fictional former worker in the printing works.
The intention is to make visible the architecture and history of the building. Young people are the target audience, but older people are also offered the opportunity to become involved in game culture.
In a game-like production it is possible to combine fact and fiction. The question of reality, especially historical reality is also raised, for example: how events happened and how they could have happened.
The nature of spatial experience is an interesting aspect of a 3-D world as are other themes such as virtuality as a philosophical concept, and the challenge to photography presented by 3-D.
Virtual WeeGee was released in april 2003 and is in Espoo City Museum in WeeGee. Renovation of WeeGee will be completed in 2005.