EXHIBITION STATEMENT

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Introduction

How often do you express gratitude in your daily life? For most, the answer is pretty infrequently. I wanted to find a way to create a piece that not only helped me to express gratitude in a creative way, but provides an immersive environment for the viewer to reflect on what they themselves are grateful for. As a result, my capstone is a cardboard projection dome, containing 360-projected kaleidoscope animation. Each layer is created using a soundwave of me reading thank you letters to people I love. Visitors will enter the projection space I have built, and hopefully take time to reflect on their own gratitude.

Literature Review

I was influenced by the immersive artists Claire B and Adrien M, specifically their piece Hakanaï. They created projections centered around an individual dancer, who influences the projections as she moves. (Adrien) While I decided to not make my projective component interactive, I love the concept of having moving projections surrounding an individual, which ultimately became the basis of my project. I will however have an interactive component on the outside of my structure, inviting visitors to leave a note on the dome of who or what they are grateful for.

I additionally looked at my topic, the expression of gratitude, from a more scholarly perspective. A study titled “Thankfulness: America’s Saving Grace” showed that increased levels of optimism were a result of increased practicing of gratitude. This then appeared medically and psychologically, as “optimism is inversely related to perceived levels of distress and rapid disease progression and is directly correlated with improved survival rates in persons with HIV, in some forms of cancer, in college students adapting to their initial semester, in pregnant women, and in elderly people” (Alspach). By presenting gratitude visually through animation, this project will hopefully encourage others to find their own way to express gratitude to those they care about, improving their lives in the long run.

Methods

As an Immersive Media Design Major, my coursework the past 3 semesters prepared me with the skills I needed to make this capstone possible. Through my 3D art fundamentals class, I have experience building large installations out of cardboard, which prepares me to create the physical piece of my project– a large geodesic dome. I additionally have had the opportunity to work with hardware including projectors, which will allow me to implement the technical set up required for 360 projection. Finally, I have taken digital art courses which helped me become familiar with the Adobe Create Cloud software, providing me a solid foundation to build off of in order to use After Effects to create my final video. 

Audience & Impact  

This capstone is designed to be enjoyed by everyone, because everyone can benefit from a space to reflect and be grateful. By limiting the audience to viewing it one at a time, and providing headphones, I hope that each person will be able to leave my exhibit with their own perspective, most likely different from the person who experienced it before them. Overall, completing this capstone has helped me to realize that I am much more capable than I think, and often underestimate my abilities. In future projects, I will strive to be more ambitious and push myself even more. 

References

Adrien. “Hakanaï.” Adrien M & Claire B, Adrien M & Claire B, 2013, 

          www.am-cb.net/projets/http-www-am-cb-net-projets-hkn. Accessed 8 Apr. 2022.

Alspach, Grif. “Extending the Tradition of Giving Thanks Recognizing the Health Benefits

          of Gratitude.” Critical Care Nurse, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 1              Dec. 2009, https://aacnjournals.org/ccnonline/article/29/6/12/13569/Extending-                the-Tradition-of-Giving-Thanks. 

bealsscience. “Make Your Own Cardboard Planetarium and Projector.” YouTube, YouTube,

          4 Apr. 2016,

           https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9XxVt1llPA&ab_channel=BealsScience.

“Day/Dream (Long Noon Excerpt).” Alex Bainter, Alex Bainter, 16 June 2019,

          alexbainter.bandcamp.com/track/day-dream-long-noon-excerpt. Accessed 8 Apr.              2022.

Krieger, John. “A Digital Home Planetarium.” Astronomy for Thinkers, 2020, 

          www.astronomyforthinkers.com/articles/digital-home-planetarium/. Accessed 8 Apr.            2022.

Memon, Masooma. “The Science behind the Pomodoro Technique and How It Helps 

          Supercharge Your Productivity.” Focus Booster Blog, focus booster blog, 2 Apr. 

          2019, www.focusboosterapp.com/blog/the-science-behind-the-pomodoro- 

          technique/. Accessed 11 Apr. 2022.

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Acknowledgements 

I would like to thank Harold Burgess and Heather Bremenstuhl for their guidance throughout this process. I would also like to thank the Immersive Media Design department for their support and providing me with a space to prototype my structure and access to the technology I needed to make this a reality. Additionally I would like to thank my roommates, Annalia, Madison, Alisha, and Jihee, for allowing me to use our dorm as an art studio and storage area for the past few months, while cutting out panels for this project. Finally I would like to thank Ciara Donegan, Christine Zhou, and Nina St Hillaire, for their help in constructing and transporting my final structure.