The next step was fleshing out this portal room and showing off the idea of a man leaving behind the dark world to escape into a better world he had chosen for his oasis. 

I wanted the space to feel dark, mechanical, and cold. Through the portal would be this hopeful bright, and calming nature scene. 

For the portal, I imagined this alien-like tech that also looks like it has been pieced together by some rusty parts and loose wires giving the feel that it is a bit unstable. To the right would have a digital display showing the customers choices for their world that they are being transferred to. 
In this case for me it would be:

- A world where money does not exist and is replaced by trade and helping each other
- Technology as we know it today does not exist in this world
- Weather is all seasons
- Environment is Fields, mountains, forests and rivers
- Violence does not exist

To explore this concept further, I used a mixture of sketching out ideas and blocking out in 3d as I find this a far quicker process at times for exploring how parts could fit together and how this portal could be structured within a room. 

It occurred to me that my idea of an oasis is a pretty simple one that goes back to the basics of living and being surrounded by nature, community, and living off the land. Ideally without the pressures of the modern world and what feels like the trap we have created for ourselves, we are always focused on money and consuming more stuff. 

So I started to explore the idea of a future world where Oasis has become the leading mega power of the world and controls so much of how the world runs. But it also gives people in this dark and gritty world the opportunity to escape to a world they get to choose. With the help of some tech that suddenly is discovered on earth, people for the first time get to choose their world. 

Sign up, fill out a few forms, and enter a portal to your chosen destination with your rules. For now, in this alternative reality, it works but no one really knows how.

This idea felt strong for me and got me questioning a lot about society, the state of the planet, and the human race. 

Why can't we choose what, where, and how we live our lives?

I started to think more about what environments put me at peace and I guess what is towards my own personal oasis. This led to a few environmental studies and exploring more on the idea of a cabin in the woods but in the future where we live amongst nature. 

I felt good about this idea but didn't feel like it was a strong concept to really show off this idea of an Oasis...

When reading the brief for this competition the first thing that came to mind was my love for the forest and a simpler way of living. A small hut or treehouse nestled away in a forest or surrounded by fields and nature. While sketching these initial ideas out, my mind started to wonder about the more interesting possibilities of a future world of blended technology and more sustainable living amongst nature.