Picture books to virtual reality
Jimmy SPA Plus Co., Ltd. has long been working on transforming Jimmy Liao’s books by crossing disciplines—such as by turning them into movies and plays. In a similar vein, take the huge mural at the Nangang MRT station in Taipei or the “Happy Station” at Yilan’s train station. Both have turned scenes and characters from Jimmy’s books into large-scale installations, bringing a picture book’s imaginative flights of fancy into the reality of everyday life.
Last year smartphone maker HTC and Next Animation Studio collaborated to bring virtual reality to Jimmy’s book All My World Is You, moving what had existed on the two-dimensional surface of the page to the three dimensions of VR.
All My World Is You tells the story of a little girl who loses a puppy she loves dearly. Missing the puppy, she traipses through the rooms of an abandoned hotel formerly run by her family, trying to find memories of herself and the dog. Many different characters wander into the drama as she gradually accepts the little black dog’s death, eventually happily embracing her memories.
With a VR headset strapped on, the vivid illustrations from the book are turned before one’s eyes into imaginative three-dimensional spaces. This time one could choose among four separate segments spun off from the book: “The Gardener and the Big Fat Tree,” which discusses the idea of letting go; “The Monster and the Television, which expresses the value of cherishment; “The Mover and the Piano,” which interprets the importance of making new starts; and finally “The Wandering Woman’s Reminiscences,” which delves into forgetting.
As the little girl sits with a wandering woman on a boat being buffeted about by the dark sea, the VR controller becomes a flashlight that illuminates wherever the hand moves, lighting up the virtual scene and leading the players into the wandering woman’s memories. Eventually she ends up out in the middle of the sea, surrounded by colorful balloons as the crescent moon emerges from the water and the girl and the little dog happily wave goodbye.
Illustrated books are two-dimensional media, and to be experienced in VR, “You’ve got to extend the book’s story and provide 360-degree scenes,” says Lee Yusan, general manager of Jimmy SPA. “The graphics must be very detailed. Otherwise it’s easy to spot the flaws.” When you combine one of Jimmy’s picture books with VR, you not only have to create something entertaining and interactive, but it’s even more important that you produce something that conveys the original creative spirit of Jimmy’s illustrations.
HTC Vive’s VR experience “Jimmy Liao’s All of My World Is You” was a hit at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2016, and areas have been establised at both Taipei’s Syntrend Creative Park and Yilan’s Happy Station for people to try it out, breaking down the distance between Jimmy’s work and the public.
As the creative imagination found in these illustrations is brought to life, the lines between the real and the imaginary start to blur, and the power of imagination pierces everything.
The National Symphony Orchestra’s Kids’ Concert Series cultivates an aesthetic sensibility in children. (courtesy of the NSO)
The National Symphony Orchestra’s Kids’ Concert Series cultivates an aesthetic sensibility in children. (courtesy of the NSO)
Jimmy Liao’s books have been turned into large-scale installations, bringing their rich imagery into everyday life.
For virtual reality to be convincing, meticulous consideration must be given to the relative size of the characters. (courtesy of Jimmy SPA)
Wearing VR headsets brings people inside the landscapes created by Jimmy for his picture books.
A trip to Yilan’s “Happy Station” will give you a sense of the childlike innocence of Jimmy’s world.
Reinterpreting picture books across disciplines suffuses life with imaginative possibilities.