Lauren R.

12. Viral Intervention: Final Artifact

For our final project, my group and I displayed eight moon phases with drawings which people in the public had contributed to. Originally, we wanted to hang them in a circle from the ceiling, but we put them in a circle on the wall instead. The order of the phases shows a progression from calm to anxiousness, forming an "Emotional Eclipse" cycle. This arrangement represents the continuous cycle of emotions. This setup allowed us to showcase the interactions people had with our project, even those not physically present. It captures different emotions and interpretations from those passing by, which demonstrates how complex it is to understand others' feelings. The drawings reveal a range of perceptions and realities associated with each emotion.

For our final project, we set up outside a busy Target store during peak hours. We displayed eight cardboard moons, each representing different emotions, and provided mica powder for people to draw on them. We observed how the public interacted with the artwork, aiming to see how they expressed emotions through their drawings. Many people saw the project as an installation and admired it without interacting. To encourage participation, we made a sign and spoke to individuals about the purpose of our project. Some people then drew on the moons, while others colored them entirely with mica powder. We occasionally got looks, but in the process also received various reactions from the public, from funny looks to active engagement. This project allowed the audience to physically engage with the artwork by using their hands to draw with mica powder. This physical and emotional engagement made the experience more personal for the audience.

For our final proposal, we'll create eight moons representing different emotions, starting from stillness and ending in anxiety. Each moon will have a face showing a progression of emotions like happy, excited, scared, and worried. We'll assign colors to each emotion and lay them out for the public to see. During our presentation, people can use mica powder to draw on the moons. We'll observe how they interact with each emotion. We chose mica powder for its natural texture, resembling the dusty surface of the moon. Our goal is to understand how people express themselves through art and emotions, creating a unique experience for both us and the audience alike.

Here is the video that we made for the project. We decided to go by the astroscience center since we thought it would be somewhat fitting for what our statement was. What we did was pretty much hold up the sign in an attempt to make passerbys stop and watch as we held up our statement. What I thought was interesting is that there happened to be an eclipse on that day, and that we picked an on site location that related somewhat to our statement (keyword: eclipse.) We are still finalizing what our initial idea would be, but it will probably have something to do with the different moon phases surrounding the eclipse in order to represent the various stages plus play around with various shapes and color in order to create intensity of emotions (primarily anxiety) and somewhat depict that in a sculpture or something that can be interactive with the public.

18. Readymade Color: In the World

Here is my object in various environments. The first three pictures are my object in an associative situation, while the last three are my object in a contradictory environment. I am absolutely in love with the first image I took of my object since it really captures the essence of my object and the colors surrounding it. The other two on the top were also fun to take. I decided to play around with filters and have fun so that viewers can make an association to color and its environment. The last three are more contradictory as shown, with the first image by the curtain, the second one next to the black and white furniture, and the last one surrounded by greenery. I can now see how environment can truly change the context of an object.

And here is the final result! I am honestly pleased to see how much the lighting changed the way my object looks. For the images I took, I wanted to experiment more with color and how color can change the way an object is presented. I also took a few more images in a more neutral environment to show the contrast in an environment with not much activity in comparison to the other in which it feels like there are too many things going on at once. There was a lot of trial and error in the process of this project since I had to originally dump my other idea, but an attempt at this once more really helped shape my view on color and the importance of it in the world. It looks almost as if this array of colors really brings life to this object.

Prooocesss time! Here, I began to cover up the item I chose to use which was a luggage. I decided to use colored construction paper to cover it up. I also wanted to go for a rainbow theme since I was inspired by the artist Jim Lambie and their work in which they use vinyl tape on the floor. It was interesting to see the variety of colors in contrast to the environment, and seeing how color can change context makes it much more intriguing. I feel like this process was overall very messy, and I wouldn't say it is my best work, but it was an experience. As an artist who is constantly going out of their comfort zone and trying new things, this was definitely one of them.