As big as the internet as small as a village

VR room installation.

The aim of the project is to give a different interpretation of how the classic dynamics of small towns and villages can also be found on the internet. With the substantial difference that the internet gives the possibility to individuals to reach large masses in a short time. This, which on one hand has a lot of positive potential, has also made the truthfulness of the facts much more fragile.

The space “as big as the internet, as small as a village” is divided into several islands which are fluctuating in an infinite void space. Every island is inhabited by villagers that are NPCs (non playable characters) which function as Bots. They will have a god-like appearance and when approached they communicate. All their messages are pre-recorded and can be either read or listened to. In this way the space is continuously filled with a sort of vociferous, sermon-like noise. The suggested avatar for the visitors looks exactly like the NPCs and can therefore be mistaken as inhabitants.

“Will the communication between real people defeats the Bots and help people increase their awareness about fake news and misleading information? Who are the leaders of our communication landscape?”