Berlinverse is a hybrid art project combining archival “lost + found” photography with an immersive virtual reality investigation space set in 1950s Berlin.
The project originates from the extraction of anonymous portraits from flea-market negatives. These images form the basis of a fictional investigation into a machine whose inventor lost control, sending its subjects into another universe. The installation unfolds across two complementary forms: a physical display of photographic prints arranged like a police investigation board, and a first-person VR experience.
The VR component places the viewer in the role of an investigator, seated in a sparse post-war German office. From a first-person perspective, the user observes the desk, documents, walls, and a single window overlooking Berlin’s brick buildings and the Fernsehturm in the distance. The experience is contemplative, narrative-driven, and designed for seated immersion.
The virtual environment focuses on:
- Minimalist, historically grounded set design
- Readable spatial composition for VR comfort
- Subtle environmental storytelling through objects and materials
- Engine: Harfang3D
- Language: Python / Lua (depending on implementation)
- Target: Seated VR installation
Harfang3D is used for its low-level control, lightweight pipeline, and suitability for research-creation and installation-based VR projects.
Work in progress - concept art, environment prototyping, and interaction design currently under development.