Desiderium
Created by Casserley Grace & Hanabi Copon
2022
An ardent desire or longing especially :
a feeling of loss or grief for something lost.
Desiderium is an interactive experience that can most similarly be compared to an escape room or an invisible play. It tells the story of two lovers named Sam and Parker and takes guests through the stages of their romance. The experience is guided by deep-contrasted lighting, a running voice-over narration, detailed set design, and is fit for a curious mind. The party will separate and branch off in half to learn about the relationship between our main characters, Sam and Parker.
Characters
Throughout the entire experience of Desiderium, dialogue and full diegetic sounds run in each scene to create an immersive atmosphere. Depending on what path you are placed on, you will hear slightly different dialogue being performed by both Sam and Parker.
Influences
There were many influences that Hanabi and I were drawn to when writing this story. We knew we wanted to tell a story that began very grounded but took a surreal or abstract tone towards the end. Both Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Her feature incredibly real emotions in an unexpected setting. From a production design standpoint, both movies are grounded, with Eternal Sunshine becoming stranger through their set choices as the movie progresses, and with Her depicting an aesthetically curated future. We knew we wanted both of those concepts in our design.
