When looking into what exactly I wanted from my project, I found that I really wanted to work with 3 main elements: Light, Color, and Participation. I gained a lot of inspiration from those nostalgia-esque edits of childhood that are always floating around in ‘2000s kids remember’ type of videos.
The original idea I had came from thinking of a “pocket installation”. My mind instantly went to kaleidoscopes and how although those don't exactly count as an installation (YET), there has to be some light, beads, and the participation of an audience member (or a single hand moving the lens).
With this I was thinking about what exactly it is about Kaleidoscopes that make me want to blow the images up onto a wall and show everyone. I only found an answer when a disk labeled “rainbow peephole” helped push forward my journey into what my installation is about.
However, although the original plan had some footing with this new tool, I still didn’t know what I was doing. I aimlessly took photos of everywhere light was its brightest. I tried to take as many photos in the daytime, but especially at night. When it was night time, and I was on my final walk home from watch, I took a quick photo of the main hall. This is where my purpose revealed itself to me.
The definition of fractured here is: "split or fragment so as to no longer exist or function". This definition seems more fitting rather than a word like shattered because this photograph still feels like a whole image. The only major difference is what I've captured with my disk is not sustainable without it. I am able to create something new, but have no proof except this photo.
I don’t really have another photograph similar to this, all my other photos are of a singular light source that is open rather than against another subject. These two photos were my favorite of the day because they are polar opposites. One is the sun, the other is man-made.
Despite the main elements I want incorporated, and the concept surrounding these images, the kaleidoscope keeps calling back to me. In order to make the fractured idea work I would need several of these disks, and a decent sunny day to take out our group to use them, but I want to incorporate the Kaleidoscope because that idea feels much better to execute.
I imagine a dark room, with light very dim and only really strong through the kaleidoscope that is projected onto a wall. From there there are chairs to sit and look at the projected images, however the audience can change the lens position themselves, and keep changing it based on what they feel in the present moment. In how I think of installations, I want participation to be key in how people express and interpret one another.
I want something that feels awkward at first, that begs the question of who feels what in the present moment, and yet at some point in the process someone would be willing to answer the question, even if briefly.
This idea is still on the chalkboard, but here are some questions I had when I was drafting ideas before writing my proposal.
Questions:
Are the photos revealing something, manipulating it, or both?
Are emotions able to be captured with something as simple as light and beads?
Should the space be open and light, or concentrated and dark?
Love this idea. The concept of pocket installations is super interesting. I think the set up for the dark room would be difficult yet achievable. Think about what technology you might need. Also I like that each person interprets the images for the installation is different ways. Do you hear music with it?
ReplyDeleteI love this idea!! These photos looks sooooo cool, and makes me want to get a rainbow peephole too. I think playing with light maybe a good idea. You maybe can use some fluorescent paint, and give audience a rainbow peephole to look at your fluorescent paint.
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