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VR project “Fulfillment: a field guide to the logistical city”
Researchers: Daria Tsoupikova
The VR project Fulfillment: a field guide to the logistical city, is a multi-year research project developed at the Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) in collaboration with the Anthropology Department at the University of Chicago. The project was enabled through a unique collaboration between anthropologists, designers, and other social scientists from several research institutions spanning the U.S., Europe, and Asia, with support from the National Science Foundation. This proposal is for a public exhibition of the Fulfillment project in the CAVE2 VR Environment as part of the Demos and Exhibitions track during the ACM Hypertext 2025 Conference in Chicago to be held September 15-18. Project Fulfillment brings VR technology to the forefront of anthropological research to engage participants in guided first-hand observation of the hidden aspects of logistics and the behind-the-scenes effects of supply chain capitalism on ecology, labor and socio-economic well-being. This immersive experience unfolds the increasingly pervasive yet often obscured ways in which the infrastructural and operative dimensions of commercial logistics are reshaping the way we work, live, and relate to each other and to our environments. Participants enter a virtual narrative environment by initially selecting an object of “fulfillmentrdquo; from an online graphic display (GUI) of everyday consumer items - such as a teddy bear, stationery, or a healthcare product. The selection of the item serves as an entry point into a deeper exploration of the hidden costs and consequences of commercial logistics. Using a button-equipped wand in the immersive CAVE2 VR system, participants navigate through ten interconnected scenes - including a cityscape, data center, warehouse zones, modern cemetery, prairie land, and military ruins - each revealing layers of ecological, social, historical, and economic entanglements that shape global supply chains. Interactive objects embedded within each scene act like hyperlinks: when activated, they visually tear open the environment to expose new narratives and landscapes connected to the selected item, inviting participants to reflect on the often-invisible infrastructures and labor that sustain contemporary consumer worlds. This immersive system transforms data-driven insights from fieldwork and archival research into ethnographic spatial storytelling, giving multi-sensorial form to complex systems and fostering critical reflection on the ethics and impacts of global commerce. Through this project, we seek to illuminate the hidden dimensions of global supply chain infrastructures - tracing their profound effects on labor, consumption, well-being, and ecological systems. By leveraging the immersive power of virtual reality, Fulfillment not only expands the methodological toolkit of anthropological fieldwork but also enhances public engagement with complex, often obscured, socio-technical systems. This work catalyzes interdisciplinary collaboration across anthropology, design, science, and engineering, while fostering novel multi-modal pathways for educating emerging scholars and engaging broader public beyond academia. Ultimately, the project lays the groundwork for a more inclusive and sensorially rich future for anthropological research, its collaborative possibilities, broader impact, and accessibility. Date: September 15, 2025 - September 18, 2025 |
