MEHopper / Worlds
M. E. Hopper creates “worlds” to serve as visual interfaces to various types of content.
She has just released a guide to her “relatively” recent worlds.
Web Worlds Wall: A Guide to M.E.Hopper’s Pantheon of Web Worlds!
Touch the pictures to explore the worlds!
Web Worlds Wall is best experienced full screen.
You can also see it directly on the 360° photo sharing service Kuula …
The gallery above includes just some examples of Hopper’s most recent experiments with creating 3D interfaces to content. She first conceptualized making these types of interfaces while playing with a “Star Trek” like game on PLATO in the mid-1970s. The first functional prototype was created with Apple’s HyperCard that ran in color on an Apple IIGS with ProDOS in the 1980s. There have been many others since then, and they have been used by over a million people across time and platform.
This is a timeline of the evolution of interfaces.
PLATO (1976-1980)
HyperCard (1987 – 1994)
Director (1988 – 1990)
PowerPoint (1990 – 1991)
HyperStudio (1991 – 2005)
AthenaMuse 2 (1995 – 1996)
MicroWorlds (1995 – 2005)
SecondLife (2006 – Present)
Unity 3D (2015 – 2017)
RoundMe (2017 – 2022)
Kuula (2022 – Present)
There’s an extensive description of these on the Worlds Challenge page.
The rest of this page is a more extensive tour of Hopper’s worlds grouped by context and arranged chronologically.
Mary E. Hopper creates both traditional and new media art, and “most” of her art is intertwined with her love of beaches.
The galleries below showcase her photography.
This 360° image is a Toy World. It is a diorama created with dollhouse furniture and miniature toys that are photographed with a RICOH THETA S 360° Camera. The resulting 360° image is posted on the Kuula 360° photo sharing service in order to add links to content on the Web.
Touch the 360° image to explore it, touch objects to find out about them, and touch door knobs to visit other Toy worlds.
If you can’t see it, you can also explore it on Kuula.
There is a version in the virtual world SecondLife. Touch the image below to explore it.
These are the adventures featured in the gallery.
From Sand to Sand@Revere
Kite Menagerie@Nahant
Butterfly Zoo@Indy
The Surfer@Santa Cruz
360° Beach Views@Revere&Nahant
Beach Bubble@Revere
Here’s another version of the M. E. Hopper Gallery.
Touch the 360° image to explore it, touch the art to find out the story behind it, and touch the door to enter the Sand Sculpture Sanctuary.
If you can’t see it, you can also explore it on Kuula.
Here is world that was created to showcase a photo expedition that emerged while walking around beach towns north of Boston.
If you can’t see it, you can also explore it on Kuula.
Rainbow Posie Party (Post)
Rainbow Posie Party@Kuula (Primitive)
Posie Place@Kuula (Navigation)
Here is a version of M. E. Hopper Gallery with access to the above exhibit.
Touch the 360° image to explore it, art to find out about it and doors to go to exhibits.
If you can’t see it, you can also explore it on Kuula.
Here is a fun series of three “beach worlds.”
You can read the backstory about them here.
My Enchanted Beach Houses (Post)
This is an imaginary hut on Waikiki Beach.
Touch 360° image to explore it, and just touch the doorway to take a stroll on the beach!
If you can’t see it, you can also explore it on Kuula.
Here’s a beach shack with more doors — enjoy!
If you can’t see it, you can also explore it on Kuula.
Finally, here’s the Enchanted Beach House!
If you can’t see it, you can also explore it on Kuula.
The Enchanted Beach House inspired this version of the M.E. Hopper Gallery.
Touch the 360° image to explore it, art to learn about it and doorways to enter experiences.
If you can’t see it, you can also explore it on Kuula.
Read more about the above world here.
My New Beach Gallery (Post)
Find out more about M. E. Hopper’s Art …
Here is a world based on the slideshows in the From Sand to Sand@Revere post.
Touch the 360° image to explore it, and touch the art to see multimedia slideshows.
If you can’t see it, you can also explore it on Kuula.
Read more about the above world here.
Sand Sculpture Sanctuary (Post)
Here is a world based on the pictures in the Surrounded by Sun Angels post.
Touch the 360° image to explore it, and touch the art to see the backstory behind it.
If you can’t see it, you can also explore it on Kuula.
Read more about the above world here.
Surrounded by Sun Angels (Post)
Cosma enables spatial “Knowledge Navigation” of Knowledge Resources inventory hosted on the Web site. The project is founded upon the premise that when knowledge is well organized, and presented in a spatial format, everyone can master it. That is why the Website features Worlds for exploring it.
Here are links about the context and the long history of the worlds that Hopper made for Cosma in the virtual world SecondLife.
Knowledge Worlds
Knowledge Objects (K-Objects)
Knowledge Places@SecondLife (Page@Cosma)
Knowledge Gates@SecondLife (Page@Cosma)
Knowledge Palace@SecondLife (Page@Cosma)
Knowledge Paradise@SecondLife (Page@Cosma)
Knowledge Park in Maryport@SecondLife
Knowledge Park@SecondLife (YouTube Demo)
Hopper shifted her focus to using Toy Worlds for navigation in Cosma in 2018.
This 360° image is one of many Toy Worlds that now serve as 3D interfaces to Cosma.
Touch the 360° image to explore it, touch objects to find out about them, and touch door knobs to visit other Toy worlds.
If you can’t see it, you can also explore it on Kuula.
Find out more about Toy Worlds at Cosma here.
Toy Worlds@Cosma (Post@Cosma)
Toy Worlds (Page@Cosma)
Here are links to the many Toy Worlds on the Web site, and notice that there are also often links to parallel locations that still exist in SecondLife.
Cosma Welcome Area Toy World@Kuula
Cosma Welcome Area in Alston@SecondLife
Solar Extremes Toy World@Kuula
Solar Extremes in Alston@SecondLife
Gaia’s Menagerie Toy World@Kuula
Gaia’s Greenhouse Toy World@Kuula
Gaia’s Greenhouse in Alston@SecondLife
Magic Fishbowl Toy World@Kuula
World Travel Lounge Toy World@Kuula
World Travel Lounge in Alston@SecondLife
Walk-in-Art Gallery Toy World@Kuula
Walk-in-Art Gallery in Alston@SecondLife
Muse’s Playroom Toy World@Kuula
Muse’s Playroom in Alston@SecondLife
Athena’s Office Toy World@Kuula
Athena’s Office in Alston@SecondLife
Cosma also features Web Worlds. They are made by creating spaces in the virtual world SecondLife, capturing 360° photos of those spaces and uploading them to the 360° image sharing service Kuula to overlay links to Cosma pages and great 360° and 3D immersive experiences on the Web.
They are currently the main type of 3D interface that you will find on Cosma.
This is Cosma’s Welcome Area were you can start your journey into knowledge!
Touch posters and objects to find out about them or visit other worlds.
You can also explore it on Kuula.
If you click on the (not very well hidden) trap door, you will find yourself in this Web World that is an exhibit about Cosma’s history.
You can also explore it on Kuula.
There are many Web Worlds on the Cosma Web site, and this is a special one with links to the others. Click on objects to see sample experiences, and click doorways to go to other Web Worlds which also have objects and doorways that link to experiences on other sites.
If you can’t see it, you can also explore it on Kuula.
Find out more about Web Worlds at Cosma here.
Hike, Wander & Walk-in the Web! (Post@Cosma)
Here are links to the many Web Worlds and posts about them on Cosma.
Little, Big, Old, Spooky Libraries (Post@Cosma)
The Great Libraries Antechamber@Kuula
Walk-in-Art & Museums (Post@Cosma)
Walk-in-Art & Museums@Kuula
Computer Museums Lobby (Post@New Media Museum)
Computer Museums Lobby@Kuula
Hike the Web (Post@Cosma)
Nature Center Welcome Area@Kuula
Hiking Trails Hall@Kuula
Botanical Gardens Orangery@Kuula
Natural History Museums@Kuula
Critter’s Hollow Refuge@Kuula
Enchanted Beach Houses (Post@Cosma)
Wanderlust Magic Travel Villa@Kuula
Americas@Kuula
Europe@Kuula
Africa@Kuula
Asia@Kuula
Oceania@Kuula
Antarctica@Kuula
Finally, Hopper has experimented with using Unity 3D to make worlds to serve as 3D interfaces to Cosma. The experiments were deemed unsuccessful because they could not function well on the Web site, but here is a YouTube video demo of one of the worlds.
Cosma Welcome Area@Unity 3D (YouTube Demo)
There is a far, far more extensive description of the goals and outcomes of Hopper’s work on creating worlds to serve as interfaces to Cosma on the Worlds Challenge page.
Find out more about Cosma …
Hopper has experimented with making virtual museums for the New Media Museum.
The New Media Museum is experimenting with creating a virtual museum — the goal of the this is threefold.
First, it is an exercise in envisioning what a “real” museum will look like.
Second, it will stand on its own as a valuable educational experience.
Finally, third, the experiments will determine the best platform for the future.
Here are descriptions of the experiments done so far …
Unity 3D
The New Media Museum’s last predecessor, the NEW Computer Museum, had an virtual museum created with Unity 3D. The obvious problem was that there was no way to publish a version of that on a Web page. It required a download and installation that was, and still is, deemed unacceptable for typical users.
The video below shows a walk-through of that application to give you a sense of what a “Virtual New Media Museum” might look like.
Notice that the posters and almost all of the objects link to content and interactive activities. The “title poster” in each exhibit links to the relevant page on this site, while other posters and objects link elsewhere. There was a high overlap between content in the application and and the content in the “Guide” that was posted on the NEW Computer Museum Web site.
Here are links to the Guide and Gallery pages on this the NEW Computer Muesum Web site.
NEW Computer Museum Guide
Earliest Computers
Pioneers Posters & Videos
“Big Iron”
Supercomputing Clubhouse
Dec & Friends
Micros Zone
Public Lab & Library
Learning & Computing
Game Arcade
Immersive Experiences
SecondLife
There is an extensive version of the New Media Museum in the virtual world SecondLife. Click the images below to explore it.
Toy World
Toy Worlds are fun “3D interfaces” for navigating the Web.
They are literally “toy worlds” because they are dioramas created with dollhouse furniture and other miniature toys that are photographed with a RICOH THETA S 360° Camera. The resulting 360° photos are posted on the Kuula 360° photo sharing service in order to overlay links to YouTube videos and Web pages.
They are also figuratively “toy worlds” in that they are only intended to be prototypes that serve as placeholders for more sophisticated “worlds” made with advanced software such as Unity 3D. The reason those worlds have not been created and posted so far is because there is no way to embed sophisticated 3D worlds directly on Web pages yet.
Here is the New Media Museum Toy World!
Touch the interactive 360° image to explore it. Click on objects to find out about them, and use the menu in the lower left or door knobs to visit other related Toy Worlds that were also created by M. E. Hopper (Worlds, Studio and Cosma).
You can find out about Toy Worlds and their backstory on this post.
Web Worlds
Web Worlds are the newest approach to making virtual museums, and they serve as interfaces to content on the New Media Museum’s Web site. They are scenes created in the virtual world SecondLife and then photographed with the built in 360° image capture function. The resulting 360° photos are posted on the Kuula 360° photo sharing service in order to overlay links to the Web.
New Media Museum Welcome Center
Step in and explore the New Media Museum!
Touch the interactive 360° image to explore it. Click on objects to find out about them.
If you can’t see it, or it isn’t working, you can also see it on Kuula.
Computer Museums Lobby
Here is a companion to the New Media Museum Welcome Center above. It is a virtual field trip to the best (virtual) computer museums in the world!
Touch the 360° image to begin exploring, objects to learn about them, “i”s to learn about the museums, and doors to enter the virtual museums.
If you can’t see it, or it isn’t working, you can also see it on Kuula.
See this post for the backstory and a scavenger hunt!
Here is a fun little annex to the New Media Museum.
Touch the 360° image to begin exploring.
If you can’t see it, you can also see it on Kuula.
Find out more about New Media Museum …