Keyi Liu                                                                                                                                                          Project   About  Instagram

Heavenly  

‘Heavenly’ is an interactive experience that employs trans-media storytelling by combining three-dimensional narrative films and Virtual Reality (VR) to create an out-of-body experience for its users. 

‘Heavenly’ speculates on a future world within the context of out-of-body cyborgs and virtual worship rituals. Set in 2084, the story revolves around a virtual community named Heavenly. The community falsely claims to be a utopia for healing mental trauma and convinces people to abandon their physical bodies in favour of a life as out-of-body cyborgs. However, Heavenly is the deceptive creation of the company known as Digital Immortality. Those who join, lose their physical bodies and their autonomy and become enslaved by the company in a never-ending digital existence.

Heavenly" discusses the potential risks of out-of-body cyborgs, an unknown form of life, and seeks to remind people of the importance of maintaining a balance between the spiritual and physical in the digital age.




🕯 Previewed video





🕯 3D Animation to show the Heavenly world







🕯 world view of the project



In 2084, people began to move their lives and entertainment into virtual space. At the same time, virtual worship became popular in an attempt to heal the people’s trauma caused by real society, but this new form of wordship also brought potential dangers.

In the same year, digital immortality company was estabulished and launched an out-of-body community called Heavenly. Heavenly describes itself as a utopia, judging physical bodies to be evil and they limit people’s ability to make them have to suffer the pain that society brings. Residents who want to live in the HEAVENLY community must show their loyalty by participating in a sacrifice ritual and sactificing their physical bodies to the Three-eyes God(the one in charge in the HEAVENLY community, which has infinite power because it has no limitations of the physical body).


However, people do not know that Heavenly is just a scam created by the digital immortality campany. By giving up their physical bodies to become data in the virtual world, people also give up the right to make their own decisions and eventually become slaves trapped in this endless darkness. 

🕯 Process of the project





🕯 Project Film







🕯 Exhibition of ‘Heavenly’

'Heavenly' has been presented at the London Festival of Architecture, ARS ELECTRONICA Festival for Art and The Bartlett Fifteen Show since 2023 in London and Linz. The viewer kneels on an artist-made kneeler, puts on a VR headset and handle to make sacrifices to the god of the immortal world through gesture determination, and ultimately enters this endless out-of-body world.