Klara is a conceptual interactive VR environment designed as a gentle companion for moments of introspection, calm, and self-connection. Rooted in artistic research and personal experience, the project explores how virtual space can support mental well-being without requiring clinical frameworks or traditional therapy.
In Klara, users interact with a non-sentient AI assistent who listens and responds to their voice, creating the feeling of being heard – without judgment, diagnosis, or pressure.
This project draws deep inspiration from pioneering works – primarily Osmose by Canadian contemporary artist Char Davies, as well as other immersive VR pieces that utilize light, sound, and organic movement to evoke inner stillness and presence. Like these influential works, Klara centers on atmosphere, slowed time, gentle textures, and natural rhythms that guide users into a meditative state.
Unlike VR therapies developed for clinical use, Klara is not designed to diagnose or treat. It’s not a finalized product or a therapeutic tool in the medical sense. Instead, it’s a creative experiment – an open exploration of how immersive digital environments might offer space for emotional rest.
KLARA IS MADE OUT OF TWO KEY INGREDIENTS:
2 Interaction with the abstract entity
The ambient atmosphere of the space
Initial spawn point beneath the tree
Interaction with the entity
At this stage, Klara remains a prototype – developed as part of my graduate project at Scholastika. It was shaped by personal experience and thoughtfully executed artistic research, with the intention to gently test how virtual presence, sound, light, and overall atmosphere can support a sense of calm within an overstimulated mind.