Virtual Martin Luther King, Jr. Project (vMLK)
360 recording of the simulation with various user viewpoints
Roles:
Designer, Programmer, Animator
Software:
Unity Engine
Duration:
May 2020 — May 2023
Additional Context:
From the time I joined, I worked as the primary developer within a larger team of people working on other components of this very large project
For more information about the vMLK project, click here to view the official project website.
Just days after the start of the Greensboro sit-ins in February 1960, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered what would become a widely influential speech titled, “A Creative Protest.” Despite the historical and rhetorical significance of what is commonly known as the “Fill Up the Jails” speech, no recordings exist. Here, for the first time, using advanced digital and audio technology, we provide an opportunity for scholars, students and citizens to experience and explore this important speech.
~From the Virtual Martin Luther King, Jr. Project website
As a member of the team at NCSU working on the Virtual Martin Luther King, Jr. Project (vMLK), I worked specifically on the virtual reality* recreation of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous speech titled, “A Creative Protest.” This recreation offers users the opportunity to experience what it may have been like to be in attendance during Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech.
Joining the team well into the project’s development, I was initially tasked with implementing new assets in order to upgrade the existing experience. I wrote scripts to handle animations, audio, player input, and character/camera behavior in the Unity Engine.
Later, my responsibilities shifted to prioritize expanding the methods of distribution to make the project more widely accessible. I ensured compatibility across PC, desktop VR platforms, and NC State University’s Cyma Rubin Visualization Gallery, and I created 360 videos for accessible online viewing on desktop, VR, and mobile devices.
* In this case, “virtual reality” does not exclusively refer to an experience involving a head-mounted display or motion-tracking. Instead, it refers to the experience created in the Unity Engine, regardless of the target hardware/medium.
