In a world where people, especially in the LGBTQIA+ community, continue to keep their guard up against society, how well will they react to something that gives them an opportunity to diminish the fear of judgement? Featuring Pepper, a live animated and fully customizable avatar that can capture their projected likeness, voice, and movement, and how the community can use it to tell the stories that they want the world to hear.
So many individual stories are never expressed or heard from people who have the innate fear of judgement. As a person who found her voice through the live animation platform, I aim to provide this same platform to many others out there who might be in need to burst out of the chains of silence and be heard. This project aims to give those individuals a chance to express themselves and tell their story in an eye-catching, unique fashion.
There’s always a different story for every person, even if they experience the exact same thing at the exact same time. These stories are best told by the person who experienced them. Pepper's goal is to capture a person’s story through their own telling; to provide a voice for the voiceless and a face for the faceless. The way they speak, laugh, cry, move, and react will be performed through an experimental film and presented live to preserve the raw expression that they may have hidden for so long. The storytellers are the users, and the users are also the viewers.
Pepper is a 2-dimensional digital avatar that uses motion capture via camera to detect the user’s actions and recreate it on the screen. The users are able to express themselves through the model’s avatar customization features. Not only will this give them a veil of anonymity that could free them from judgement and anxiety, but also provide them a platform to express their ideal selves even in a virtual setting. These avatar models will capture their movements live as they tell their story.
The name of the model is Pepper, a play of words for the Filipino slang for ‘closet gay’ as a way of counteracting the stigma surrounding the context. Paminta is a derogatory slur used in the Filipino language to describe the gay community, and Sukinichi aims to reclaim the word by steering away from the negative connotation onto a more positive one.
Here's what you'll need to be able to use Pepper:
- A webcam
- A Steam account and access to the Steam launcher (signup for free here)
- PrPrLive (download for free via Steam launcher here)
To get started, click the download button down below and open the README.txt file for further instructions on how to install the model as your webcam.
Please refer to this guide for the complete set of customization options. Please note that not all options can be layered on top of the other. Try to mix and match to see which combinations best fits your style!
Pepper is a passion project developed by Sukinichi during her residency in GlobalGrace AiR.
If you would like to support the project, feel free to send donations over via the button below.
Please remember that donations are not necessary and will not be refunded by any means. However, any and all forms of support is highly appreciated!
© 2021. GlobalGRACE Philippines