Hyperrhiz 27

Sanctuary

Abby Grobbel

Citation: Grobbel, Abby. “Sanctuary.” Hyperrhiz: New Media Cultures, no. 27, 2024. doi:10.20415/hyp/027.a01

Abstract: Sanctuary delves into the realms of memory, forgiveness, and present contemplation through a four-phase journey into the past. Each segment intimately explores significant periods and memories, providing an external lens for reassessment. Employing collage illustrations for world-building and drawing inspiration from common gaming elements, such as an inventory system and interactive dialogue options, the artist reflects on themes of causality and the profound impact decisions make on our lives. This contemplation extends to the construction and dissolution of the foundations of our realities, mirroring the ebb and flow of our homes throughout different life phases. The reiteration of memories and contemplation of choices are seamlessly woven into the narrative through the lens of game mechanics, offering users the agency to shape their own version of the past. The immersive journey culminates in an envisioned 'sanctuary,' a symbolic space that mirrors the user’s unique disposition, encapsulating the essence of their inner world.

Keywords: cycle, sanctuary, memories, remembering, growing, mental health.

View Project: Sanctuary

Instructions for navigation: best viewed on desktop, using Chrome browser. Use the WASD keys to navigate, and the mouse to point direction/look around.

Artist Statement

There is as much reality in our minds as there is in the physical world, yet these realities are mostly opaque to everyone else besides ourselves. By collaging illustrations with software, I allow the viewer to interact with a portion of this inner reality in real time, where they can replay and augment it in new ways. As an imagined world takes shape from a collection of memories, I can simulate what it was like to have been in that place and time, and allow the viewer to engage with it in a way they never could have otherwise. Once it exists in this new context, it becomes something experiential and playable, and therefore closer to the reality we all share.

Screenshots