2025.01-2027.04 | 2 Years Half
The Garden of Liberation
UConn MFA Thesis Work: Immersive Educational Interactive 3D Website
Project Overview
Project Summary
My Role
Responsibilities
Tools
Keywords
The Garden of Liberation is an immersive 3D educational website that explores the colonial history embedded in Korean plant names. Through interactive storytelling, users uncover how botanical naming became a site of cultural memory, imperial influence, and resistance during the Japanese colonial era. Following a young woman’s journey through a hidden garden, the project combines historical research, narrative design, and web technologies to transform overlooked histories into engaging and accessible learning experiences. It demonstrates how digital media can serve as a tool for cultural preservation, historical empathy, and postcolonial storytelling.
Researcher, Narrative Designer, Creative Developer
Historical & Archival Research, UX Research, Storyboarding & Narrative Development, Interactive Experience Design, 3D Environment Design, UI/UX Design, Web Development
Postcolonial Design · Cultural Memory · Digital Heritage · Interactive Storytelling · Immersive Media · UX Design · Educational Technology · Historical Empathy · Creative Coding · Web-Based Learning
Problem Statement
Problem Definition
Goal of this project
The project began with a personal discovery: while visiting Museum San in Korea, I learned that the Korean plum tree (Maehwa) is commonly referred to in English as "Japanese Apricot." This experience prompted me to investigate the historical origins of plant naming in Korea and revealed a largely overlooked history tied to Japanese colonial rule.
Through further research, I found that many Korean plant names and botanical classifications were shaped by colonial-era scientific practices and imperial systems of knowledge production. Despite their continued presence in plant names, these histories remain largely unknown to the public, including many Koreans. For international audiences, the topic is even less visible, as discussions of Korean colonial history often focus on political events while overlooking the role of science, taxonomy, and naming practices.
The Garden of Liberation aims to make overlooked histories accessible through immersive storytelling and interactive media. By combining historical research, narrative design, and web technology, the project encourages users to explore how naming practices shape cultural memory and invites reflection on identity, power, and historical representation.
The Project's Meaning
The Meaning of Title
The title, The Garden of Liberation, is inspired by Gwangbok ("restoration of light"),
the Korean term associated with liberation from Japanese colonial rule.
Just as Korea sought to reclaim its sovereignty and identity, the project imagines a symbolic liberation for Korean plants whose colonial traces remain embedded in their scientific names.
Research
Research Findings
User Research
Persona
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Colonial influence remains embedded in the scientific naming of Korean native plants.
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Botanical naming practices served as a cultural extension of imperial power.
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Korean botanists and local resistance efforts are often absent from mainstream historical narratives.
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Plant names can function as carriers of cultural memory and identity.
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Interactive storytelling can increase engagement with complex historical topics.
Target audiences include:
Korean Audiences
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Individuals interested in reconnecting with overlooked cultural heritage.
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Students and young adults seeking alternative approaches to learning history.
International Audiences
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Users unfamiliar with Korean colonial history.
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Learners interested in culture, history, and global perspectives.
Key insights indicated that many participants had little prior knowledge of colonial influences in botanical naming and preferred narrative-driven, visually engaging learning experiences over traditional educational formats.
Community discussions revealed a growing interest in learning about Korean history among international audiences.
Experience Design
User Flow
Narrative Design
User Experience in a 3D Environment
User Choice: The Meaning of Naming
Act I: The Empire's Eye
Introduces Nakai Takenoshin and examines how botanical science became intertwined with imperialism and colonial expansion.
Act II: The Local Voice
Highlights Korean botanist Chang Hyung Doo and his efforts to preserve Korean botanical identity against colonial naming practices.
Act III: The Meaning of a Name
Explores Mison-namu as a symbol of cultural memory, identity, and reclamation through Korean, Japanese, and scientific naming systems.
Users take on the role of Soyeon, a young Korean woman who embarks on a journey to uncover the hidden history behind Mison-namu, a plant native to Korea. Set within a mysterious and dreamlike garden, the experience is structured into three narrative acts that guide users through themes of colonialism, identity, and cultural memory. Through encounters with historical figures, interactive objects, motion graphics, and animated storytelling sequences, the project transforms historical research into an immersive and engaging learning experience rather than a passive presentation of information.
The experience culminates in a branching decision where users choose what to call Mison-namu after learning about its Korean, Japanese, and scientific names. This final interaction encourages users to reflect on the historical implications of naming, including questions of imperialism, identity, and cultural memory. Rather than remaining passive recipients of information, users actively participate in the interpretive process, transforming historical knowledge into personal reflection. By making a choice, they are invited to consider not only what a name means, but also who has the power to name and how naming shapes collective memory and cultural identity.
Design Process
3D Modeling
Web Optimization
(Technical implication & Iterations)
3D Website Development (Step-by-Step)
Technical Implications
(Draco & GLTFJSX)
To improve web performance and accessibility, 3D assets were optimized using Draco compression and GLTFJSX conversion. These techniques significantly reduced file sizes while preserving visual quality, enabling complex 3D environments to run efficiently in a browser-based experience. The optimization process reduced the primary palace model from 218 MB to 22.55 MB through Draco compression, and further streamlined asset loading through GLTFJSX integration.
Design Components
Logo Design (Favicon)
Typography Design
Mison-Namu Typography
Inspired by the four-petaled flower of Mison-namu and the graceful curves of traditional Korean roof tiles, the logo combines botanical and cultural symbolism in a minimalist form. The design reflects the project's themes of heritage, memory, and cultural identity.
Pre-Production
Character Design Sheets
Storyboards
Scene Development
Act III: The Meaning of a Name
Act I: The Empire's Eye
Act II: The Local Voice
Act III: The Meaning of a Name
Act I: The Empire's Eye
Act II: The Local Voice
Production
Character UI Standing Illust
Mison-namu Illust
UI Components
Webcomic
Outro
Soyeon
Mother
Nakai (Japanese Botanist)
Chang Hyung-Doo (Korean Botanist)
Intro
Final Design
Prototype
Demo Video
A web-based interactive educational experience that combines 3D environments, storytelling, and user-driven exploration to uncover colonial histories embedded within Korean plant names.
Website Link (In-Progress)
References
Academic Papers
Books
Archives
Vibe Nielsen (2023). The colonial roots of botany – legacies of empire in the botanic
gardens of Oxford and Kew, Museum Management and Curatorship, 38:6, 696-712,
DOI: 10.1080/09647775.2023.2269222
Lee, J. (2012). Contested Botanizing in colonial Korea (1910–1945): Conflicting
Visions of Modernity Emerging through Colonial Interactions between Korean and
Japanese researchers [Doctoral dissertation, Seoul National University].
Interdisciplinary Program in History and Philosophy of Science.
Cho, M., Lee, W., & Choi, S. (2018). The Origin of Korean Plant Common Names,
Seen through an Examination of the “Determination Principles” of Joseon singmul
hyangmyeongjip. The Korean Journal for the History of Science, 40(3), 551-607.
Chang, C.-S., H. Kim, & K.S. Chang. (2015). Botanical Gazetteer for Korean
Peninsula Flora. Designpost, Goyang-si (in Korean).
Schiebinger, L. (2004). Plants and Empire: Colonial Bioprospecting in the AtlanticWorld. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvk12qdh
Korean historical Book: Notable Figures of Manguri Park
This book highlights the life of Chang Hyung Doo, portraying him as a botanist and nationalist who contributed to Korean botany and supported the formation of The Joseon Museum Research Society.
Botanical Book: Where Plant Names Come From
This book traces the origins of Korean plant names through historical records, scholarly research, and author’s field explorations.
Botanical Book: Origin of Korean Plant Common Names: Annotated Joseon sigmul hyangmyeongjip
This book is the result of seven years of research by modern scholars, comprehensively compiling and systematizing the national and scientific names of Korean plants based on Joseon Sigmul Hyangmyeongjip, a historical botanical source.
Korean historical Book: Korea’s Place in the Sun Recommended by a history professor, this book provides an overview of Korean history from a foreign scholar’s viewpoint. Chapter 3 specifically addresses the Japanese colonial period.
How Did the Korean Endemic Diamond Bluebell Become the Japanese Name
“Hanabusaya Nakai”? (YouTube
documentary). https://youtu.be/RwMutrWoNyk?si=O6N1Q9AdyuB0DxFl
• Chang Hyung Doo and Our Native Plants (YouTube
documentary). https://youtu.be/qRuUOstrr5U?si=gRPTzP087f-G57Os
Future Research
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Usability Testing
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User Experience Evaluation
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Audience Engagement Analysis
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HCI Research Publication
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Conference Presentation