Soft Dissolve is a diffused and enveloping virtual reality environment that invites the viewer to experience a sensation of dissociation — an environmental uncanny valley, a mixture of the familiar and the eerie. Both relaxing and alien, it evokes a therapeutic version of dissociation: the slowly spreading uneasiness of drifting between presence and absence.
Interaction is entirely passive, triggered by seated position. Users are invited to sit down. The body releases control and sinks into the space. There is nothing to do and nowhere to go — only the experience of being somewhere that feels almost like somewhere you know.
The environment was built in Unity using 3D assets modeled in Maya, with a spatialized soundscape composed in GarageBand. Developed in two versions: first for Gear VR at the Gray Area Incubator Showcase, then rebuilt for HTC Vive with upgraded visuals, full room-scale support, and a body-triggered sit-to-start interaction that deepened the sense of surrender.
