My project depicts the foreign world of post-earthquake Port-au-Prince through the eyes of Elaine Lee, a young Asian-American doctor who just arrived in Haiti as a part of an international aide group.

[Warning: this post includes a disturbing image.]

The Foundation: A Real City

Port-au-Prince is the capital of Haiti, located on the Gulf of Gonâve. On Junuary 12, 2010, Port-au-Prince was hit by a disastrous 7.0 earthquake, followed by at least 52 aftershocks. Most infrastructures, including the habour and airports, were destroyed, and the government estimated a death toll of 316,000.

The city of Haiti is divided into multiple communes with different economic dynamics. For instance, Pétionville on the southeast of the city is populated with wealthy citizens, while Cité Soleil is notorious for its poverty and criminal activities. The process of modernizing the urban environment is still ongoing in Haiti.

The weather of Port-au-Prince features a topical wet and dry climate. The dry season runs December through February, and maintains warm and humid weather.

The Manifestation: A Semi-Fictional City

In my project, the city of Port-au-Prince will maintain the same characteristics for its realist approach. However, as much as it depicts the actual consequences of the Earthquake, I want to add an additional layer of the psychological, supernatural space.

First of all, the intended experience is to create a foreign, upside-down-world seen through the eyes of the protagonist, Elaine Lee. Despite her being a highly accomplished young doctor, the real objective of Elaine is to investigate the disappearance of her sister years ago, ultimately to come to terms with herself. She has little knowledge of the reality of Port-au-Prince, nor has dedicated her life to aid people in Third World countries, just like most of us in the First World. Almost anything that she encounters in the game is foreign and needs to be recognised and registered.

In the beginning, the world will appear as a foggy, blurred one until the player navigates and learns about the surroundings.

Secondly, post-earthquake Port-au-Prince, with so many dead bodies on the street, is also a world that crosses the boundaries of the living and the dead. As I intend to create an experience that also tells the past of Elaine and her internal conflict, this apocalyptic world will serve as the present, surrounding world and occasionally as a canvas to reflect and manifest the past history and the psychological status of the protagonist, without turning it into a fantasy world.

[A street of Port-au-Prince]

[In 8 1/2, the physical space triggers recollection of the past and transcends into a realm of memories]

At last, this fictional world will also re-weave some elements of real events. The aftershocks will serve as a framing device for the overall narrative experience. In addition, some lesser known real efforts made to help the victims of the Earthquake will also be part of the player experience.

[ Paper Emergency Shelter Designed by Japanese Architect Shigeru Ban ]