Project Team: Jiwon Park, Kelin Zhu, Helen Yang, Nellie Tonev, Tassi Tassi
Instructors: Mike Christel, John Dessler
Spring 2026
This project transforms the moments before a shared meal into a communal mixed-reality experience of connection, story, and anticipation. Before their first bites, players will be guided through a pre-meal ritual, a blend of physical props on the table with digital narratives, driven by gestures.
As the first ETC project to use the Snap Spectacles and the Lens Studio engine to create virtual experiences, the project explores the ways in which wearable augmented reality technology can facilitate cooperative group interactions.
The experience draws on emotions tied to sharing food with loved ones, investigating how technology can prepare people for authentic human interaction, rather than distract from it. When the ritual concludes, the AR fades and seamlessly transitions into the analog meal.