WELCOME
BEACON
The WELCOME BEACON is an interactive installation for Brooklyn based, BEAM center’s art summer camp. Every summer the campers participate in a three week project led by visiting artists around the world and cultivate hands-on skills while exploring innovative thinking, design and the creative process.
The 2023 project, WELCOME BEACON, will be a chance for the youth to explore notions of acceptance and unity by creating an interstellar welcome center for visiting aliens. It is a large “stained glass” structure with individual symbols of welcome created by the campers. Mounted inside the form are LEDs that the campers will program to interact with visitors. The physical side of the project will expose the campers to skills in wood working, welding, and plastic forming. The programming side will expose campers to work in electronics, C++, and lighting design.
OrcHASsTRA
Orch-Ass-Tra was a rapid prototype created during the incubator residency at Zoo Labs, Oakland. In two weeks the project went from ideation to presentation and was revealed during the music open house on the final day of the residency.
Inspired by electronic beat pads, we wanted to create a playful space to engage the audience and fully immerse the visitors in our installation. The room is filled with six brightly colored seats, each a button that play an individual music and video track. One seat played the drums, another a bass, another a melody, and so on. When participants sit, press, or jump on the seats they can arrange their own song.
The night was a wild success and made the insane schedule and late night problem solving sessions worth it. We created the experience but the users truly made it their own through experiment and play.
Digital
Visualization
Exploring concepts through renders, animations, and XR can not only be a useful visualization tool but can also solve many design issues before time and material resources are used. Quickly describing the mood or function of a space helps clients understand the vision and designers articulate the goals.
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3D modeling, lighting and rendering, post processing, and animation are all skills I've used to help communicate the mood and concept of a piece. Though often still images or simple animations, my next adventure is incorporating these skills into interactive experiences through game engines and XR platforms.
OPTICAL POPSICLE
​​Starting in 2009 as a DIY variety show in a co-op run music venue, Optical Popsicle quickly became an anticipated yearly installment in the Indianapolis art scene. Each year was bigger and better than the last featuring shadow puppets, dance, live music, comedy sketches, and an over arching narrative that drew everything together.
The vibe was whimsical, energetic, and inclusive as the materials and themes suggested that anyone, with enough creativity and ingenuity, could create spectacles just as engaging themselves. Props and puppets where made from scrap cardboard, bedsheets hosted overhead projector vignettes, and soundtracks were played live by friends.
Years after, the experience of creating the events have helped me realize the importance and power of creative community and has served as my internal compass for what is possible with good friends and a playful spirit.
mODELS &
PROTOTYPES
Modeling and prototyping is where my mad scientist comes out. Though proving a concept never goes as smoothly as it should it's the most valuable part of the design process. Pesky things such as physics and real world proportions have to be overcome and keeping the original concept intact despite the pull of reality can be hard. The best projects survive this limbo and wind up being better for it.
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I love using any scraps at hand to experiment with how something could work and combining technology and physical mechanisms often lead to surprising results.
