Unfolding Space is 4d inspired interactive installation project by Julieta Aguilera complemented by an iPhone app developed in collaboration with Andy Johnson.

Unfolding Space is an interactive experience where the three dimensional shadow of a four dimensional textured grid is unfolded through gesture. Moving though this fluid grid seeks to evoke the experience of walking through a labyrinth that opens and closes its corridors at will, so the viewer is never trapped as long as he/she can master the form. In other words, “Unfolding Space” shows a structure that responds to motion as if the viewer was wearing space itself.

First presented in 2004 as a part of Electronic Visualization Laboratory, University of Illinois at Chicago, the project attempts to visualize natural environment experiences in a three dimensional grid that cycles through color and shadow. The installation uses a tracking system which reacts to the user position in space. The user can navigate the grid by two controllers and 3D glasses. As you engage with the virtual three dimensional space, the grid is expanded with structure that turns inside out as the grid is rotated in four dimensions. You can read more about the project thesis here.

iPhone application now available in the AppStore is the version of the project where the three dimensional shadow of a four dimensional textured grid is unfolded through touch controls. Arguably, the actual installation appears much more engaging that the iPhone application but it is nevertheless interesting port of the project now available for many to explore.

For more information on the project, see evl.uic.edu/julieta

Platform: iPhone
Version: 1.0.1
Cost: Free
Developer: Andy Johnson