Run as part of the Smart Geometry 2014 conference in Hong Kong, the Fulldome Projection research cluster invited participants to map Hong Kong’s temporary urbanism in order to project and explore future urban scenarios within an immersive environment. The cluster was run by Nathan Melenbrink, Nathan King and Andrew Haas.
Introduction
Though now famous for its unparalleled verticality, Hong Kong also harbors a reputation for temporary and/or illegal structures, a generations-old byproduct of the city’s limited developable land and relentless upward expansion. As a sub-theme for this cluster, a sampling of these structures (especially in the areas of Sham Shui Po and Tai Kok Tsui) was explored, documented and digitally catalogued by participants using 3D cameras.
These spaces were then explored inside a fulldome stereoscopic projection environment. Being a temporary structure itself, an inflatable projection dome provided an appropriate venue for engaging with these spaces. These ephemeral urban structures were systematically parsed for their spatial qualities, and algorithmically extrapolated towards future urban projections within a participant-designed immersive interface.
