V-ESPACE: Virtual Early Modern Spectacles and Publics, Active and Collaborative Environment
FAIN: HAA-255998-17
Louisiana State University and A&M College (Baton Rouge, LA 70803-0001)
Jeffrey M. Leichman (Project Director: January 2017 to November 2019)
Françoise Rubellin (Co Project Director: May 2017 to November 2019)
The early-stage development of a virtual reality environment that re-creates an 18th century theater at the Paris Fair. The environment is intended to provide users with an immersive experience that will allow them to learn about social and political issues, discourse, and status during the time of the Enlightenment.
The V-ESPACE project consists of devising and implementing an interactive and explorable virtual reality video game of an evening at the eighteenth-century Paris Fair theater. Players select avatars with distinct goals to complete, keyed to the play on stage and their social status, as they navigate the virtual theater space alongside other users and non-player characters. Game play accommodates a range of linguistic ability, making this an inclusive learning tool for undergraduates studying French, theater, or early modern history. During this grant period, we will establish (1) the floor plan and architectural features of an historically accurate virtual Fair theater space; (2) the text(s) that will comprise the theatrical entertainment, as well as modalities for digital capture of a live performance; (3) avatar profiles, story lines, and characteristics, integrating historical research with computerized behavioral modeling; and (4) detailed roadmaps for continued research and implementation.