Auguria is a fictional country that was devised to address a real problem,
visa restrictions. For most European travellers, such problem is hardly
recognized, however, for billions around the world, the places where they
are born decide where they can go.
The interactive experience “Beyond Borders”, a thesis project at
Hochschule Darmstadt's Expanded Media Master’s Program, introduces
Auguria as an island nation that lies in the Atlantic Ocean, with its own
founding story, flag, national anthem, and even newspaper.
Travellers are invited to visit the idyllic country through “Visit Auguria”
tourism campaign, which features an advertisement as well as a website
that tells the story of the country. The campaign however serves as a bait,
since in order to obtain a visa and visit Auguria, travellers are first required
to go through a visa interview, the core part of the experience.
The interview takes place as an online call, which can be accessed via
any desktop browser, made possible through a voice-activated interactive
video built specifically for that purpose. The call features a border-control
immigration officer who asks questions, which travellers have to answer by
speaking through their microphones. The interactive experience makes
travellers uncomfortable by giving them a taste of what it’s like to be in a
real visa interview, as they receive different reactions from the officer
depending on the answers they give, and even get rejected altogether.
Beyond the prototype which was developed for the experience, an expanded,
text-based version is available in an Interactive Fiction format:
Upon the launch of “Beyond Borders”, users were surveyed to assess
their emotional response. The experience proved effective as survey
respondents reported a heightened awareness of visa restrictions
as well as sympathy with visa interviewees.
Concept, Writing, and Directing: Abdallah Abdelwahab
Project Management and Music: Lilly Huynh
Programming: Mohamed Mahrous
Production Assistance: Mohim Naim
Graphic Design: Nashif Rakin
Cinematography and Editing: Florian Stratenwerth
*Thanks to Katharina Wagner for helping with this project's layout design.
