Xia Garcia - myhappyhome
Project Description
myhappyhome is an interactive web project that uses random number generation and horror game tactics to introduce uncertainty into the assumed safety and predictability of a domestic space. Inspired by Xia’s personal experience and frustrations with rumination, intrusive thoughts, and paranoia within the home, myhappyhome serves as a reflection on and form of exposure to scenarios that constantly run through their mind (are there cockroaches in here? is there a tiger outside?). For Garcia, hypervigilance becomes a loop of nonsense, where the wrong answer might be the right answer. Visitors are invited to explore the various interactions and discover what surprises lurk throughout the retro-inspired, deep-fried 3D environment.
Perfect for fans of SSRIs, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Haunted PS1 games, or making art with Roblox.
Artist Bio
Xia Garcia is a new media artist based in Texas. Influenced by early internet ideology and aesthetics, contemporary digital ontology, and personal experiences with intense nightmares, their work explores the strangeness of the digital world. They engage with these themes by working across video, interaction, and installation. Their work has been exhibited and screened at AURORA Dallas, The Eclectika, New Media Contemporary, and Greater Denton Arts Council, among others. They hold a BFA in New Media Art from the University of North Texas.
Q&A with Xia Garcia
What tools, techniques, or skills did you use for this project?
I used a combination of Godot {with webgl export of course}, html/css, and other techniques like image gathering/editing to make textures, and my age ‘ol technique of using Roblox Studio to build the landscape before editing it and throwing it into Godot.
Is there anything you’d like visitors to take away from this or consider going in?
I would love to overall give visitors a glimpse into what intrusive thinking and hypervigilance has been like for me where oftentimes I understand that the scenario I have in mind might be something a bit trivial (tiger outside the door, cockroach claiming my living space as its territory), but I can’t help but contemplate what I could possible do in the situation that would have the best outcome. It’s like it’s a loop of nonsense, in which maybe the wrong answer is the right answer.
What inspired you to create this project?
My overall experience with being paranoid and having intrusive thoughts. For a long time it was something that caused me to stay inside a lot, but over a course of time I realized these were thoughts that were going to happen regardless and I ended up feeling like the one place I should call safe felt almost as unsafe as being outside. Nonetheless, I have found myself needing to remind myself that these thoughts are just silly and finding an odd sense of trivialization in my fears has influenced my artwork a lot in general in which I combine those two opposing vibes.
How does interactivity work for this site?
Definitely through interaction with navigating the “3D” space as well as with characters throughout the experience. In order to add to the anxiety of the piece I really wanted to make it relatively unclear as to all possible areas you could go to by only putting “signage” on doors and using mouse behaviors to indicate other areas you could explore (me in the corner, occasional guy in the window, turning the lamp in the room off etc.). There is quite a bit of RNG in the experience as well as to add another layer of interaction as if you could “collect” interactions in a way.
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