Incertidumbre
VR Development · Lead Developer · Interactive Narrative
Summary
Incertidumbre is a virtual reality narrative experience created for the Art in Odd Places festival. The project explores themes of gentrification, displacement, and cultural loss through firsthand interviews conducted with Brooklyn residents whose lives were affected by rising rents, housing insecurity, and neighborhood restructuring.
I joined the project as the Lead Developer, responsible for rebuilding the experience for Google Daydream, creating new VR-friendly scenes, implementing mobile-ready interaction logic, and preparing the project for public exhibition in Union Square Park. Although I had never used Google Daydream before, I taught myself the platform and completed the VR rebuild within just a few weeks. My work transformed Ricardo Miranda Zúñiga’s artistic vision and interviews into a fully interactive, immersive experience.
Main Website (Ambriente)
Project Overview
Incertidumbre (“Uncertainty”) began as a PC-based Unity prototype created by artist and professor Ricardo Miranda Zúñiga (Ambriente). Ricardo conducted, edited, and curated the interviews that form the emotional core of the experience — personal accounts from community members facing displacement, financial pressure, and cultural erosion. These testimonies were provided to me as video and audio assets, along with environmental artwork and references for tone.
However, the original build:
was structured for desktop, not VR
contained large 4K textures unsuitable for mobile hardware
had no VR input model or interaction systems
required new scenes and pacing to effectively present the interviews
needed to be rebuilt to run smoothly on Google Daydream
I was responsible for bringing the interviews into a VR format, designing the narrative flow, and rebuilding the entire technical foundation for mobile VR. The final experience was presented publicly as a free VR installation in Union Square Park during Art in Odd Places.
My Contributions
As the sole developer on the rebuild, I:
Taught myself Google Daydream development, learning the SDK, input model, and mobile VR constraints from scratch
Rebuilt the entire project architecture for Daydream, including new scenes and interaction logic
Implemented movement, interaction triggers, narrative sequencing, and environmental transitions
Ensured stable performance, clarity, and comfort on mobile VR hardware
Completed the Daydream conversion and project rebuild in a few weeks to meet the festival deadline
Asset Optimization & Performance Rework
The original art was built for PC and required significant optimization:
Converted, resized, and optimized 4K textures for mobile use
Reauthored lighting, materials, and scene composition for VR clarity
Reduced memory load and improved frame stability
Reconstructed scenes for efficient mobile VR rendering
Narrative Integration (Interviews to VR)
Ricardo provided the interviews and narrative content; I:
Integrated video and audio recordings into interactive VR sequences
Designed scene progression to highlight each story’s emotional tone
Synced narrative triggers to player movement and spatial transitions
Ensured the interviews remained the central emotional focus of the experience
Environmental Design & Scene Assembly
Using the assets Ricardo provided, I:
Created new VR-friendly environmental layouts
Organized spaces that supported pacing and emotional flow
Designed lighting, scene clarity, and navigational structure for VR
Crafted a progression that encouraged reflection and narrative absorption
Public Exhibition Support
At Art in Odd Places:
Prepared the final build for outdoor public use
Troubleshot VR hardware and performance challenges onsite
Guided first-time VR users through the installation
Ensured stable, repeatable playthroughs throughout the event
What I Learned
This project strengthened my ability to:
Quickly learn and adapt to new technology under tight deadlines
Rebuild a desktop Unity prototype into a fully functional mobile VR experience
Structure and implement emotionally driven narrative design
Balance artistic vision with technical performance constraints
Create VR environments that support clarity, pacing, and emotional engagement
Prepare interactive work for public exhibition, not just traditional playtesting
Working closely with Ricardo also reinforced the value of thoughtful collaboration. He was impressed with the quality and speed of the work I delivered, and later introduced me to a contact whose recommendation helped lead me toward my career at Rockstar Games.
