Abstract
Elysian Gateway is a multimedia Alternate Reality Game, or ARG. It tells the story of Alfons Micella, a scientist working for the company Elysian Gateway to develop a means to download and store memories past the point of death. During his research, he is diagnosed with a fatal disease, and told he doesn’t have long to live. He changes his work, and augments his design to upload his consciousness onto the internet, where he finds digital existence to be agony. The player of the game works to uncover this story, and put Alfons to rest. They do so by initially discovering Elysian Gateway through one of 2 posters in the real world. These posters lead them to the Elysian Gateway website, where they learn that Alfons is missing, and more about the company. They must find the password to the Archive page hidden in a video, where they will discover more information about what’s going on with this company. In the Archives, they must find the password for Alfons’s personal files to further the story. Once they do, they uncover the truth about Alfons’s work, a final message from him, and they dissolve his consciousness and complete the ARG. The project uses many forms of graphic design to tell the story: branding, website design, poster design, video production, experimental imagemaking, medical documents, and research reports. It combines technical design skills with storytelling to comment on escapism and avoidance, all while re-telling one of the oldest myths: a human’s attempt to cheat death.
Artist Statement
My name is Adam Boin, and I’m a graphic designer currently based in Portland, OR. Born and raised in Chicago, I moved to Oregon in 2016 to pursue graphic design at Pacific Northwest College of Art. Over my time in undergrad, I’ve had the privilege to explore graphic design as an art form, and discover what I truly enjoy. What I’ve found is a love for the juxtaposition between formal and experimental work. I love designing systems where there’s more than meets the eye. I love being able to implement my own interests into my work, be it mythology, transhumanism, or surreal horror. I love exploring the space between art and design, solving problems while expressing emotion. I’ve had the pleasure of learning from immensely talented designers, and working with like-minded peers. Outside of design, most of my time is dedicated to Pukulan Kuntao Silat, an Indonesian martial art. I’ve been training for four and a half years now, and it has become a focal point of my life. With how much time I spend in front of my computer for design work, I find it essential to have a physical outlet to get out of my own head. Looking forward, I'm most excited for pursuing design passion projects in my free time, such as expanding on my ARG. I think that’s where I make my best work, where I can fully immerse myself with an idea.
