Ayisha Rahman

48 Hour Cultural Heritage XR Jam, 2023 Role : Project Director, Founder Event : XR Jam - 🥽 Venue : Zoom, Discord

DIVRSE ‘22 - Makyung in Metaverse [Talks + Masterclass], 2022

Role : Project Director, Founder

Event : Talks + Masterclass - 🎤🔌

Venue : Google Meet, Spatial.io

Founded DIVRSE '22 - Makyung in Metaverse -- powered by Faculty of Animation and Multimedia + Future Creative School (National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (ASWARA)), with the collaboration of The Traditional Performing Arts Centre (PuTRA) via the initiative support of BHEA ASWARA towards cultural heritage digitalisation effort of the institution.

The programme is aligned with the initiative of safeguarding UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity towards foreseeing the potential, issues and challenges of animation and digital games as the medium for cultural heritage dissemination between cross-disciplinary experts. In addition, this programme aims to increase collaborative relationships as well as provide discussion on the issues and challenges between cultural experts and practitioners involved in creative content based on Malaysian cultural heritage - specifically in metaverse context.

Mak Yong = Makyong = Makyung [ma/.yung] is a Malaysian ancient theatre that combines acting, vocal, gestures, accompanied by instrumental music and elaborate costumes. Popularly known to Northwest Malaysia specifically in Kelantan, Makyung is performed as a form of entertainment as well as mystical practice. (UNESCO, 2022).

"Makyung" is chosen as the central theme in more intimate sessions that include (01) Pre-Masterclass in the form of talks with speakers from animation and digital games that have implemented the theme of Makyung in their work, concurrently, (02) the finale of the programme features Adiguru (Master) Fatimah Abdullah - Makyung living legend of ASWARA who shall be demonstrating Makyung and the story of its movements in metaverse.

DIVRSE '22 - Extended Reality (XR) Diversity in Games and Animation [Webinar + Workshop], 2022

Role : Project Director, Founder + Web Dev

Event : Webinar + Workshop - 🎤🖥️

Venue : Facebook Live, Google Meet

Initiated an DIVRSE '22 as part of Faculty of Animation and Multimedia ASWARA’s event. DIVRSE '22 - Extended Reality (XR) Diversity in Games and Animation is powered by Faculty of Animation and Multimedia and Future Creative School, National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (ASWARA), Kuala Lumpur. This webinar focuses on the potentials of Augmented Reality (AR) / Virtual Reality (VR) / Mixed Reality (MR) = Extended Reality (XR), and diversity and representation within games and animation -- specifically narrowing down to dissect the potential of XR in the implementation of Malaysian culture and heritage.

The objectives of DIVRSE '22 are [1] To promote and nurture diversity, representation, and inclusion in creative XR development within games and animation [2] To provide space for discussion, exploration, and knowledge dissemination to aspiring creative technologists within the scope of youth [3] To explore the potentials of Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) from the perspective of technoculture and cultural heritage appreciation.

The intended outcome of the programme are [1] Continuous documentation within cultural heritage appreciation and technoculture niche, [2] Collaborative research and publication within XR community presence, and [3] Interdisciplinary intangible heritage expertise database. ✨

Wayang-ku Lit, 2022 (WIP)

Role : Snap Creator

Medium : Vector - 🖼️🎭

Tools of trade : AI, Lens Studio (AR)

Wayang-ku Lit (2022) is an ongoing interdisciplinary AR Lens specifically made for Spectacles 2021 that explores Wayang Kulit Melayu (Malay Shadow Puppetry), from the context of a Malaysian. As Wayang Kulit has several renditions in Southeast Asia, Wayang Kulit is one of the two remaining shadow play forms in Malaysia, as it is still practised specifically in northern peninsular part of Malaysia (E. Chiong, et. al, 2017). The Lens is for the public to experiment whilst learning about Wayang Kulit in an engaging, yet quirky way (hence the title that is a wordplay of “My Show is Lit [sic]” and “Wayang Kulit”). Camera will identify the user's profile where 2D Wayang Kulit character illustration is generated based on the shape of the profile, whilst having UI of text diagram that explains the Malaysian character design of Wayang Kulit, specifically Seri Rama (The Protagonist).

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First image | The final version of Seri Rama for Wayang-ku Lit which highlighted the distinctive visual components of Kelantanese Wayang Kulit that consist of kecopong (pinnacled crown), batang busar panah (long bow and arrows), dragon vehicle, and sayap sandang (winged-tail). The Wayang Kulit joints are referenced for 2D rig in Lens Studio.

Second image | Earlier version of Seri Rama without the core components.

𝕳𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖆 𝖂𝖔𝖗𝖑𝖉.

// Lord Chrys, 2021 (WIP)

Medium : Vector Illustration - 🖼️

Tools of trade : AI

Super stoked to be a part of the Spectacles Creator Programme! 👓🖌️ Spectacles is Snap Inc.'s (the creator of Snapchat⁠—Snap Camera and Lens Studio) first pair of immersive, human-centered AR eyewear—powered by Snap Spatial Engine, and meant to be adaptive to different lighting conditions. The latest eyewear is not yet available to mass public, and only made available to selected creators for content creation and inclusive experimentation. Can't wait for the Next Gen Spectacles to arrive in mail! ✨

48 Hour Folklore Game Jam, 2022

Role : Project Director, Founder

Event : Game Jam - 🎮

Venue : Zoom, Discord

Initiated an online 48 Hour Folklore Game Jam as part of Faculty of Animation and Multimedia ASWARA's event. The objective of the jam is to nurture brainstorming, designing, and networking within the local game dev's community⁠—with focus on culture and heritage. The keywords of the jam : Keep the narrative localised (no western-centric lores), yet diversely inclusive!

The sub-theme chosen for the game jam is (n: /sriː ’kandi/, “warrioress”). This sub-theme is chosen as initiative in nurturing localised cultural heritage appreciation and dissemination through digital games -- while empowering representation and inclusion of folktale storytelling beyond the existing widely-recognised folklore figures and heroes! 🔌⚔️🎭

Invited industry juries encompassed from I-Van Yee (Alchymy Creative, Games HQ), Saqina Latif (Persona Theory Games), Yi Wei P'ng (Kurechii), Artem Titov (Larian Studios), Amerz Chek (Larian Studios), and Ts. Jazmi Jamal (ASWARA). Pre-jam panels consisted of Farizshah Gaskin (Fariz Gaskin Technologies) and Fariz Azmir Ghazali (ASWARA).

Register as a jammer here. Read FAQs here. Poster credits to Husna Mokhtar. 48 Hour Folklore Game Jam covered in IGN SEA (below).

Integrated Design Showcase, 2022

Role : Project Lead, Curator

Event : Showcase - 🎭

Venue : Artsteps, itch.io

Integrated Design Showcase is a collection of ARtworks produced by first year students of Bachelor of Animation (Hons.) and Bachelor of Digital Games Art (Hons.) 2021/2022. The showcase is a sequel of my 14-week long Integrated Design Studio (AAM 4214) course - consisted of learning fundamentals of new media art and design in the scope of AR/VR/MR, as well as AR development in Lens Studio and Unity.

The objective of the jam is to extend collaboration between students that consist of aspiring artists, designers, and creative practitioners from animation and games' field in exploring, and disseminating thoughts on social issues via Augmented Reality. Concurrently, seeing perception of social issues through different lens = visions of reality.

The demo of the artworks created during the jam stage are debuted within on ArtSteps on 21st January 2022 (GMT+8).

Huminodun (Mimpi Act 2), 2018

// Tandak Mengalai, KLDiversecity

Showcase : Tandak Mengalai - The Exquisite Dances of Sabah and Sarawak (7 - 9 September 2018)

Medium : Video - 📽️

Tools of trade : AE

Worked from dance capture session, keying in AE to visualising the narrative imagery as visual for Mimpi Act 2 in Tandak Mengalai musical theatre performance. Huminodun (definition : “to sacrifice”), is a legend from The Land Below the Wind - Sabah, the daughter of Dewa Kinorohingan and Umunsumundu who has sacrificed herself for the fertility of the land to save humankind. I specifically have chosen rafflesia (which is also the state's official flower) as a symbolisation of karmic life, embodied by Fiza Thomas (the actress who played as Huminodun). An artistic collaboration with choreographer and contemporary dance lecturer, Faillul Adam.

Unreal Heritage : Virtual Reality Masterclass Development, 2019

Authors : Jazmi Jamal1, Ayisha Rahman1

Publication : ISBN 978-983-2538-45-5 (hardback) - 📔

Coffee table book that documented pitching to team project execution for Association of Southeast Asian Nations - Committee on Culture and Information (ASEAN-COCI) 2017 grant. The grant was then utilised to bring representatives from ASEAN countries to Malaysia in learning cultural heritage conservation via VR storytelling. The participants were exposed to week-long masterclass series on culture and heritage of pre-colonial Straits of Malacca circa 1511 as well as designing and technical skills in VR development on Unity by subject matter experts. Written, curated, edited, directed and oversees the VR development team in its art direction and publication. Cyberpunk-esque gender-neutral rendition of Hang Tuah warrior. Voila!—Cybertuah illustration by Putra Al Mu’izz and book design by Zaajel Ensemble.

Foreword by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sahar Sa'di Hashim (ASWARA) and Prof. Adrian David Cheok (Mixed Reality Lab). 

Digital Heritage Experience, 2021

Role : Panel Discussion

Event : International Webinar Flagships i-Entertainment 2.0 - Extended Reality 2.0 - 🎤

Organiser : Selayang Community College

Trends in Digital Games Culture, 2021

Role : Featured Speaker

Event : Symposium Talk - 🎤

Organiser : School of Creative Computing, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM)

Invited speaker in a two-hour talk on Trends in Digital Games Culture with staff and students of School of Creative Computing, Universiti Utara Malaysia. Session moderated by Ms. Noraziah Che Pa, UUM lecturer with specialisation in serious games. Dissected on 2021 digital game trends in terms of diversity, representation and inclusion, metaverse (and XR), ICO, cloud gaming and rise of co-op games adoption in midst and out of pandemic context.

MyCreativeOpinion (MCO 3.0) Webinar - Media Arts

Role : Project Lead, Co-Founder

Initiated webinar series in midst of Movement Control Order (MCO). Since the new norm in 2020, we have conducted two webinars under MCO series - MCO (Games and Animation) that specifically caters to the eclectic audience as well as engaging student-driven activities, as well as MCO 2.0 (Uplifted) that caters to upskilling initiatives in uplifting the creative community.

MCO 3.0 Webinar (Media Arts) focuses on Nusantara-scale collaboration targeted at educators, artists, students, and creative practitioners. The theme was Nusantara cultural appreciation in media arts and digital comics.

LuckyAI @ XR Brain Jam, 2021

Role : Designer-Developer, Researcher

Team : Ayisha R., Aylish T., Fabián G., Jan R., Paige D., Parnika S.

Showcase : Games for Change (G4C) Festival Expo

Medium : Standalone Prototype (PC, Oculus) - 🎮⌨️🖱️

Tools of trade : Unity

Thrilled to be a part of 2021 XR Brain Jam as a first-time brain jammer! Selected as education SME participant by G4C alongside Jan Reynolds for Group 13. Working and learning alongside diverse group of researchers, neuroscientists, developers, and others in exploring and prototyping immersive tech that can be used for social impact (that was a week long of witching hours - time zone difference - and daylight zombification!). 🔌🖤🧠

LuckyAI is a first person experiential-exploration game prototype that puts player into the shoes of a traveller to an enchanted land to find a young one who showcases and teaches humanity and compassion through gesture and verbal communication. The creation of the game is inspired by Rinpoche, a young one who lives in the Himalayas. The game was constructed to answer to verbal input that starts with "I feel ..." construct from keywords based from Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow, A.).

The project is remotely collaborative (separated by continents, we did not know one another prior to the jam), built within 48 hours over Discord and Zoom (God bless GitHub, for version control) - a prototype for the G4C's XR Brain Jam 2021. Built for Oculus and responds to voice input.