Designing for Imagination
"Intersection of Cultures" Map
Role
Project Manager
Video Producer
Timeline
Spring 2021
Skills Exercised
Adobe Premiere Pro, Photoshop
The Challenge
Due to COVID-19, I took a virtual open-studio "study abroad" course with students from Purdue and two universities in Medellín, Colombia. My team— spanning visual arts, animation, game development, and web design— was challenged to create an art piece that expressed the cultural exchange between our campuses.
One idea came to mind: what if we merged our two cities into an explorable fantasy world that blended real geography with the shared experiences of students on both sides?
Pictured above: still shots of Medellín and Purdue
Explore my mind. The journey starts here.
Bridging Two Cities, Two Cultures
Working across continents, time zones, disciplines, and languages meant communication quickly became the foundation of the project. We met weekly over video calls, combining illustration, animation, coding, and storytelling into a collaborative piece that would be displayed in an art exhibition at Purdue.
To build a shared world, our team gathered maps, videos, and snapshots from both Medellín and West Lafayette. We compared landmarks, river systems, city layouts, and the cultural rhythms that shaped daily life in each place.
As we layered our experiences together, patterns emerged— street scenes, rivers, local routines, and movement added everyday texture to the world we were building. These overlaps gave our team a shared starting point and shaped the direction of the world we would create together.
Fig 1: Early sketch of map
Bringing the World to Life
We began by layering real maps of both cities, tracing where the Wabash River and the Medellín River could merge into a single continuous waterway. Streets, neighborhoods, and parks were blended until the imagined geography felt cohesive and plausible.
From there, we mimicked Google Maps by scattering "pinpoints" throughout the world. Each one opened a short profile about a team member and their reflections on cross-cultural collaboration— turning the map into both a place and a narrative.
Originally, we envisioned an interactive installation where exhibition visitors could explore the map themselves. But because of COVID-19, physical interaction was not allowed. So we pivoted to a guided video presentation, preserving the sense of discovery while working within the boundaries of a virtual studio.
Fig 2: More developed map including street names
Crafting the Final Experience
With the map designed, the next challenge was shaping how people would experience it as a video. We wanted it to feel light, uplifting, and imaginative.
I led the production efforts, recording scenes from around Purdue and incorporating clips shared by the Medellín students so both environments lived in the same visual language. I storyboarded the narrative, edited the footage, animated transitions, and added UI-style interactions and a voiceover to guide viewers through the hybrid world.
The end result was a piece that wasn't meant to simulate reality— but to celebrate connection, even during a global pandemic when connection felt physically impossible.
Fig 3: Developed map with opened pinpoint
Final Design
Outcomes
- I learned how to quickly adapt project requirements to unexpected restraints.
- I synthesized diverse media into a unified visual-narrative experience.
- I experienced cross-cultural collaboration (including language barriers) in an ambiguous virtual studio setting.