Authenticity in Imagined Worlds
Endless Ocean at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi.
Essence is the individual, real, or ultimate nature of a thing, especially as opposed to its existence. Kent Grayson, an associate professor of marketing at Kellogg, explains essence as “an ineffable but important foundational quality of people and things that makes them what they are. It’s like DNA; it’s like a soul.” When designing an attraction for authenticity, we are often referring to the faithfulness in capturing and conveying the essential characteristics, spirit, or core elements of a given subject. We’re designing the soul of a place.
If an attraction is designed to replicate a historical period or a cultural theme, authenticity would involve accurately and genuinely reflecting the essential features that make that particular concept unique and staying true to the story. The closer the representation aligns with the true essence of the original idea, the more authentic it will feel. Essence is not limited to sites that actually exist. Fantasy worlds also have an essence and there are keys to ensure those fantasy worlds still feel authentic.
How real is your reality?
It will come as no surprise that when you ride a water slide called The Tsunami, you are not really experiencing a tide caused by the shifting of the earth’s crust. If you go to a dude ranch, you’re not eating moldy beans until the snow melts on the mountain pass, and you can make it to town to buy more vittles. But you can be made to feel as if you are in danger or roughing it on a trail with cowpokes. And when you walk through Seabase 4 at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, you’re not actually an underwater explorer. But the designers want you to feel that way.
Where does reality begin?
Start with the story, creating a full and lively story about a place and its people. A rich backstory allows designers to create a believable place, a place that feels so real that guests feel as if their actions today will shape the story’s future. "Creating museum experiences and building fantasy worlds both demand a compelling narrative. While keeping an eye on authenticity, we look for stories that resonate and evoke emotion. It's the nuanced decisions that shape the journey, impacting lives with every choice made along the way," explains Tom Owen, PGAV Vice President.
Guardrails
Any story-based attraction can feel real if it falls within a set of expected parameters. Subtly set up the parameters at the start of the experience, and the guests will follow your lead. Owen says, "Similar to historical fiction, specifics may be invented but are rooted in truth. Think of it as a guardrail for design—establishing the rules of the world. Staying true to these rules becomes the key to crafting a believable world. While some may assume designers don’t want rules, the reality is the opposite. We crave them; we might prefer to be the ones setting the rules, but we recognize the essential need for boundaries and parameters to provide structure and coherence—and then we can let our imaginations run wild.”
The fictional mining town of Glacier Run at Louisville Zoo took inspiration from the real town of Churchill, Canada.
It’s in the details.
Teague Peak, PGAV Architectural Designer, says, “Proportions are Architecture 101. There are ratios that occur in the natural world (extending to the human body) that we as people are hard-wired to recognize whether we realize it or not. Because the natural world builds with these systems, we as people view them in a way ‘that just makes sense.’ It’s also important to adhere to a proportion system so our assemblies don’t feel overdone or unnecessary. When creating new worlds, anything is technically fair game, but authenticity is best expressed when the members of a system are as they ought to be, not more or less, to support the complete assembly.”
Nope, a greeble isn't a rodent. Greebles are those little bits leftover from modeling kits that are added as detail elements to other models (see also: kitbashing). They're the pieces that bestowed the Millennium Falcon with its iconic detail. Han Solo's legendary blaster? Its base is an antique pistol adorned with greebles for a final effect. But greebles aren't exclusive to Star Wars, and the concept extends beyond plastic bits glued to an object. Details are often added to designs to enhance and make them feel more authentic.
Blurring boundaries
Details, details. Even when working with small models, weathering and aging help lend a realistic feel. Courtesy of Teague Peak.
Even imagined worlds need to have a bit of reality. Peak says, “In Seabase 4 at SeaWorld Yas Island Abu Dhabi, we acknowledge natural reality – water drips leaving a stain, rust patterns develop in a particular way and are always within a typical color range; even the skid marks in our maintenance bay are recognizable to most all guests as phenomena they may see every day. An easy example would be air vents. Their integration was necessary, and our solution was not to theme them as something entirely different or hide them but instead place them meaningfully and even identify them. Grilles read ‘SURFACE-AIR’ or ‘SUPPLY-FEED: DO NOT OBSTRUCT.’ The intentional inclusion tells guests these are a part of the system. It should be said that we were fortunate with our theming as an industrial, state-of-the-art research facility. On the other hand, there are conditions, such as rockwork, where hiding those elements IS paramount.”
Peak continues, “The embracing and utilization of real-world systems like air grilles, caution signs, and pipe valves bridge the span from recognizable reality into our created world. They provide a foothold in reality, which anchors the fantastic. Seabase 4 may be a work of fiction, but your time spent there is very much real.”
Endless Ocean at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi.
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