Registration is required as limited seats are available.
Thinker Maker Space of CYENS presents “Wonderland’s Layers for Spatial Experience”, a workshop by resident artist Harry Varnavas.
In this workshop we blend the historical charm of the old city of Nicosia with digital creativity. Participants will explore the city on foot, capturing small, detailed pictures of its unique elements—both historical and modern. These images will serve as the foundation for creating personalized digital terrains using heightmaps within Unity 3D. Participants will leave the workshop with a deeper appreciation of the old city’s textures and stories, along with their own digitally crafted terrains to further explore or enhance for future projects. This workshop combines urban exploration, creativity, and technology, offering a memorable and innovative experience.
Audience:
Participants are required to bring with them:
A laptop with Unity 3D (game engine) pre-installed.
A smartphone or camera to capture images during the city walk.
Comfortable walking shoes are recommended as there will be a brief exploration of the old city.
Workshop Breakdown:
City Exploration:
Take a guided or independent walk within the old city of Nicosia to collect and capture small images of textures, patterns, or architectural details—such as worn bricks, decorative tiles, street signs, or natural elements.
Workshop Activities at the makerspace:
Bring your collected images back to the workshop.
Learn how to select a single image or part of it to use as a texture base.
Process the image to generate normal and specular maps, which will give your digital terrain depth and reflectivity.
Unity 3D Terrain Creation:
Using Unity 3D (pre-installed on your laptop), learn to apply the generated maps as layers to create a unique terrain.
Build and walk through your personalized terrain in a digital space, experiencing a blend of the physical and virtual worlds.
Harry Varnavas is an architect and artist whose practice explores the intersections of spatial perception, digital media, and immersive experiences. With a profound dedication to understanding and shaping how spacesevoke sensation and memory, his work spans architecture, VR/AR environments, and interactive installations. Educated at the Royal College of Art, London, Harry’s creative approach integrates his architectural expertise witha deep artistic sensitivity, creating environments that not only function but resonate emotionally.
His experience includes innovative exhibition spaces, high-rise urban explorations, and digital landscapes that challenge conventional ideas of space and materiality. From his involvement in large-scale international projectsto his VR and multi-sensory work for renowned firms like Zaha Hadid Architects, Harry’s work reimagines architecture as an experiential art form, inviting audiences to connect physically and viscerally with his creations. Hisartistic practice continues to investigate how digital and physical realms converge to shape a shared sensory experience, positioning his work at the forefront of experimental architecture and digital art.
WEBSITE | harry-varnavas.com
SOCIAL MEDIA | instagram/doncavaliere | linkedin/harry-varnavas-aad
