I, in Empathy

To refuge is to cross a border, an act of consuming the past to let rise to a new possible future. Refugee is a state of dual existence, two separate entities, rescuer and rescued. The selfless consciousness is consumed to pave the way for the dormant yearning self in total awareness. Alchemy’s magnum opus is the transmutation of base elements into the philosopher’s stone, the transcendence of the human soul into its divine form. The refugee is the dual-natured Ouroboros.

Being a refugee is a state of constant fragmentation that is not solely concerned with spatial limits; being never complete until one reaches home, and home being every destination in the journey. The pieces are the different consciousnesses that are also on the same path. Until every refugee gets home, the consciousness lies fragmented, yet connected by ties of empathy. To refuge and to love are not so different.

I, In Empathy is a meditative interactive virtual experience that reflects on unsettlement and the liminal state of constantly existing fragmented, yet interconnected by ties of empathy through occupying different narratives concurrently. Exploring the fickle space between the two sides of a refugee, and visualizing the erratic temporal span that takes place during the transition interpreted through symbols of spiritual alchemy.

I, in Empathy was developed during the "Digital Solitude" fellowship programme in Akademie Schloss Solitude.

Guidelines:

• Use the Mouse to look around, WASD to move, Space to jump, and Shift to sprint.
• Scenes have exploration elements, where further dialogue is revealed for approaching landmarks or objects.