Memory & Oblivion is a virtual reality audiovisual experience created by Christopher Ha as his Bachelor of Design (BDes.) undergraduate capstone at Toronto Metropolitan University. The project explores the concept of digital impermanence and the Japanese philosophy of mono no aware — the idea that beauty is transient and fleeting.
Ha challenges the permanence of digital media by creating a visual and aural representation of the decay of digital memories. Through the use of interactive spatial contexts and immersive sound design, Memory & Oblivion invites viewers to reflect on the impermanence of our digital existence and the nostalgia that arises from it.
Utilizing a range of techniques from game development to architectural design and sound production, Ha creates a multi-sensory experience that explores the interplay between memory and architecture in virtual spaces. Memory & Oblivion offers viewers a liminal space for reflection and exploration, ultimately asking them to question the transience of digital media and our place within it.
Technologies: Unity / C# / OpenXR
- Download and extract the game files from the zip folder.
- Install the necessary software for your VR headset. For example, the Oculus app for Oculus Quest 2, or SteamVR for HTC Vive and Valve Index.
Note: If you are using an Oculus Quest device, you may need to enable developer mode in the Oculus app for your headset to connect to your PC.
Plug your VR headset into your PC using a USB-C cable that supports 10Gbps transfer speeds. If you don't have one, consider buying the official Meta Quest Link Cable which also supports charging.
In the Oculus Quest 2 menu, select "Quest Link" on the right-hand side of the screen to connect to your PC.
If you don't have a Link Cable, you can use Air Link in Oculus Quest 2. Note that it's best to have high-speed 5G internet since you'll be streaming your computer to your headset.
To use Air Link, make sure the Oculus app is installed on your computer and run the setup in the "Device" tab. In the Oculus Quest 2 menu, select "AirLink" and follow the setup instructions to connect to your PC. Refer to Meta's official setup guide for more details.
Once your headset is connected, open "Memory_Oblivion.exe" to launch the game in Quest Link.
If you're using a different VR headset, you can run the game through SteamVR:
- In Steam's "Library" tab, click "Add a Game" and select "Add a Non-Steam Game."
- Choose "Memory_Oblivion.exe" from the extracted game files.
- Right-click the game in your Steam library and add it to your VR library.
- In your AirLink library, open SteamVR. The game should now be available in your Steam library.
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i5-4590 or AMD FX 8350, equivalent or better
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, AMD Radeon R9 290 or better
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 10 GB available space
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i7-9700K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600, equivalent or better
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 or AMD Radeon RX 580 or better
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 10 GB available space
- HTC Vive
- Oculus Quest 2
- Valve Index