Sankofa: A virtual Exploration of the Besease Shrine

dc.contributor.authorBaah, Emmanuelen
dc.contributor.committeechairTucker, Thomas Jamesen
dc.contributor.committeememberElgewely, Eiman Mohamed Ahmeden
dc.contributor.committeememberDrum, Meredithen
dc.contributor.departmentArt and Art Historyen
dc.date.accessioned2025-06-03T08:07:56Zen
dc.date.available2025-06-03T08:07:56Zen
dc.date.issued2025-06-02en
dc.description.abstractAs a teenager growing up in Ghana, whenever I traveled to my hometown, I saw old, abandoned traditional buildings made of earth and timber frames. I have always wanted to know why old traditional buildings look so unique and different from our present-day buildings. They usually appear to be weak as rain erodes some portions of them. While most have been abandoned, some have been preserved to serve their purpose. This ignited my curiosity as an artist to use visual forms to learn more about these buildings. In this project, I use virtual reality to explore the purpose and importance of these buildings in their prime. The Besease Shrine, located in Ejisu Besease, which has been serving as a spiritual ground since the 19th century, is being used as a case study and reimagined in a virtual space to learn about the architectural forms and motifs of these buildings. Virtual reality is an artistic medium that can visualize historic sites and places remotely to give a firsthand perspective and appreciation. The paper further discusses how virtual reality can be used to preserve and document these historical places.en
dc.description.abstractgeneralWith the rise of modern emerging technologies, you can be close to distant places that seem far from you. With VR technology, I invite participants to feel like they are in the presence of the Besease Shrine without having to travel to its location in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The project uses Maya 3D, Adobe Substance Painter, ZBrush, MakeHuman, and Unity Game Engine to give life to old traditional buildings that have existed for years. Eventually, the experience will be made available on Steam and built for the web, allowing others to download and explore it from anywhere in the world.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Fine Artsen
dc.format.mediumETDen
dc.identifier.othervt_gsexam:43905en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10919/135008en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectShrineen
dc.subjectTraditionalen
dc.subjectBuildingen
dc.subjectAdinkra Symbolsen
dc.subjectVRen
dc.subjectUnity Engineen
dc.subjectAshantien
dc.subjectTwien
dc.subjectAkanen
dc.subjectFetish Priesten
dc.subjectDeityen
dc.subjectKingdomen
dc.subjectEjisu-Beseaseen
dc.subjectKumasien
dc.subjectDrumsen
dc.subjectSankofaen
dc.subjectEmerging Technologiesen
dc.subjectVirtual Realityen
dc.subjectExperienceen
dc.subject3D Modelingen
dc.subjectUser Interface.en
dc.titleSankofa: A virtual Exploration of the Besease Shrineen
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineCreative Technologiesen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Fine Artsen

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