Imagining a different future with virtual reality
This project is a collaboration between Loughborough University’s School of Design and Creative Arts and All Saints Church in Loughborough.
Together, we envisaged a different image of the former Medieval church from how it looks today with its white, plastered walls that would once have been adorned with narrative pictures illustrating stories of the Bible. We wondered, ‘What would the church look like if it were painted again?‘
Rather than applying a fresh coat of paint and altering the look of the church, Dr. Karen Jiyun Sung created a virtual twin of it to try out this new possibility. In this way, we can examine a new version of All Saints with its interior brought up to date without affecting the building at all.
method: Building the church in VR
It’s no easy feat to build a virtual church – if only we were professional VR modellers! To overcome this, Karen invited an experienced modeller to help her make the basic structure of the building using photos and videos as a guide.
The modeller did a beautiful job, and Karen took many pictures of the church to add the finishing touches herself: the carpets, the stained glass windows and the hanging artwork.
Because of the nature of the web-based VR world, the model could not be as meticulous in its detail as Karen and Alison would have liked. But when they showed the VR world to the congregation, they exclaimed together a big “wow!” The model was specific and familiar enough for the churchgoers to recognise their own church.
There is always more that could be done to improve the look of VR, but they had created something good enough to move on with.
Collecting stories of the church
Karen and Alison thought that the church’s digital twin would not be complete without stories of the people who know the space well. With the help of the church community, they invited 18 people to share their stories about their relationship with the church.
Interestingly, the stories weren’t always about faith. Some had fond memories of the building, some had studied its history, and some had great stories to tell even though they don’t often attend services there. Their stories show how embedded the church is in the lives of the community around it, and these personal connections also needed to be archived in the digital twin and carried into the future.
So Karen has included these voices in the VR church. Each story is housed inside a golden column and when visitors step inside the columns, they hear stories of what All Saints Church means to the people who know it.
Listen to the stories here:
collaborating with students in the new design
Next, Karen invited four MA students in Graphics and Visualisation to think of modern and contemporary interpretations of the biblical stories that would appeal to the modern churchgoers. The students were interested in community-based projects and were interested in being involved as fellow resident of Loughborough.
We first met at the church so the students could see the physical building before delving into its VR twin. Roger, the church historian, has kindly shared his knowledge of the church and various saints who have influenced it over the years.
Then, the students and Karen met regularly over the span of three weeks to develop their visuals into reality. The students chose stories that Roger has suggested (The Dooms Painting, Seven Works of Mercy, St Christopher, St Catherine, St George, and St Nicolas) and made flat images that reflect them in some way. They had to think carefully about the composition, as it had to fit the peculiar shape of the walls above the columns and arches. During the three weeks, the students would come with sketches, I would project them onto the 3D model to show how they’d look, and the students took notes on what to adjust. We also had deep discussions about the saints and the stories, and what their lessons mean in the modern world. It was incredible to hear thoughts and ideas from these students, many of whom were not following the Christian faith.
The students often expressed how nervous they are about making this artwork. When I asked why, they said that it’s because they now know their audience. Unlike typical design jobs, where the work is discussed only with the art director and not the end audience, the students could imagine how Roger would react, or any of the church congregation whom they’ve met during their visit. It was a very different experience for these students to work directly with, and for, a community – especially a community that they belong to.
After three intensive weeks, the students have created the murals. Click on each of the artworks to see it in detail.
Sharing the new church with the congregation
After the students had finished their artwork, it was soon time to share! The church had an art exhibition that I was invited to participate in. The exhibition celebrated the arts that four local primary school students made about faith and inspiration, along with four beautiful paintings of different saints reimagined by a local painter. So, my work fit right in!
The exhibition was open for a weekend in mid-June, and close to 500 people visited the church. Not surprisingly, my VR exhibit was a huge hit! It was so popular with the children who’d come to look at their own artwork that there was a long queue of children waiting to try VR throughout the weekend. I had 4 VR headsets and helped each person put them on to minimise the time it takes to learn all the buttons and controls. I also had a computer set up with a joystick for anyone to see the world in case they were not able to try in VR (at the time, I was only thinking that a reason might be motion sickness… not because the experience would be so popular!).
I was VERY busy helping everyone with headsets, but it was such a fun and exciting weekend for everyone involved.
Look around the church
Ready to be immersed? Take a look for yourself below!
As you enter, you will see the paintings high above the nave. Look around and enjoy the images that the students have made to illuminate the space with stories.
In the church, you will also notice some columns of light. These columns contain the stories gathered by Karen and Alison Mott, a fellow storytelling researcher, from those who cherish the church today. They shared meaningful and personal stories of how the church means to them. Step into each of the columns and listen to the stories yourself.
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