Awakening the Water Spirits

VR Experience

Interactive room-scale VR experience | 2025
Viewed on a tethered VR headset (HTC Vive Pro or Quest 3)
Directed by Benjamin Seide and Elke Reinhuber
Produced by Elke Reinhuber and Benjamin Seide
Sound Design by Ross Williams

UE5 artists: Benjamin Seide, Zhang Tianyi (Tony)

The essence of this engaging room-scale VR experience is Hong Kong’s Shek Kip Mei Park Fountain, an overlooked architectural gem reflecting the grandeur of public architecture in the recent past, which has fallen into disrepair and been recently demolished.

To preserve its legacy, a digital replica is being created using advanced techniques such as the promising new AI (machine-learning) process of Gaussian splatting (3DGS), but also established methods like 3D modelling, LiDAR scanning and photogrammetry.

The project aims to capture the fountain’s unique features and aesthetic appeal, blending realism with artistic expression. A suggestive narrative, fuelled by the atavistic myths of water creatures and their playgrounds brings the virtual environment to life, ensuring a strong sense of presence and engagement.

The goal is to share the fountain’s memory through our creative interpretation, even as the physical structure has been removed.

Watch the video documentation on YouTube

Proceedings of EVA London 2024 (EVA 2024)

Proceedings of ISEA2025 30th International Symposium on Electronic Art