Special Edition Blog: Edyta Stepien's "Non-Phenomena"

This exhibition consisted of large-scale video projections on the walls of SXU's Art Gallery. When I first stepped in, there was a striking impact as if I had been transported to an entirely different environment, Stepien opened her presentation  by allowing the viewers to ask her questions about her piece. The first topic of concern was how the piece was made. She stated that the video clips were taken by pointing a micro-lens camera at a fish tank filled with water, with natural substances such as plants and sand while also including man-made objects such as wire, glitter, and bits of paper. To create a tumultuous atmosphere in this small setting, she created ripples in the water with a blow dryer and moving the water physically to created a disturbance into the items in the tank. The sound was also a component in this multimedia exhibit. Stepien stated that the sounds came from field recordings of pitches from hurricanes and storms.

Another topic was what she wanted to communicate with this piece. Stepien's inspiration for this piece came from the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina. Stepien stated that she wanted to explore the relationship between the natural and mechanical by making this simulation of a violent storm that transported us as the viewers to the center of the chaos. She explored how even natural objects have man-made components.I believe that this was successful in the way the entire gallery space was transformed to envelop the viewer in constant motion and dimness. 

This exhibition is different from any other exhibition I have attended in that it made me pay attention to both space and sound. I enjoyed how more than one sense was required to interpret  what was happening in the composition. Even though I knew I was inside of a building, the walls no longer felt like walls because of the depth and scale of the projection. While my eyes were visually interested, my ears were audibly interested in the ominous sounds of wind whistling and high pitched, resonating bells that provoked a certain emptiness or muffled sound as if I really was underwater, immersed in chaos.

Week 5:Game Board Draft

Craft:  I created this game board using Adobe Illustrator. The overall construction of the board consisted of copying and pasting multiple rectangles and arranging them in a snake-like pattern. The structure consisted of several layers with a rectangular blue fill for the background, a dark blue background with stars to emulate outer space. Most of the illustrated images were made by tracing images found on the internet, ordering the components of the image into different layers, and coloring each separate layer. These different components were then grouped together to fit onto the squares.
Concept: The object of the game is to guide the hero "Super Fatty" through a location in space to safety. On his road to safety, there are both power-ups to guide him along and  traps set by an evil villain.

Composition: I chose colors that would work well together based off of early, 8-bit style or game graphics. The color yellow played an important role in straightforwardly letting the player know when a power-up or trap has been landed on.

Week 4: Goose/Game Board Illustrations

Craft: The images were made using the Pen Tool, Direct Selection, and Curve Tool in Adobe Illustrator. I chose images off of the Internet to trace, ordering different components of the image into different layers. This enabled me to change certain colors in a particular area of the image, such as changes different colors of the goose's feathers.

Concept: While the goose was practice for getting used to using the Pen Tool, Direct Selection, and Curve Tool, the other symbols were images I could use in my game board, such as the main character who is the hero of the game.

Week 6 : Game Board: Space Adventure

Craft:  I created this game board using Adobe Illustrator. The overall construction of the board consisted of copying and pasting multiple rectangles and arranging them in a snake-like pattern. The structure consisted of several layers with a rectangular blue fill for the background, a dark blue background with stars to emulate outer space. Most of the illustrated images were made by tracing images found on the internet, ordering the components of the image into different layers, and coloring each separate layer. These different components were then grouped together to fit onto the squares.

Concept: The gameplay is based off a video game where the object of the game is to guide the hero to the exit while surpassing the traps set by the evil villain, Dr. Bones. The game board consists both traps that send the hero a specific amount of squares or power-ups that advance him a certain amount of spaces. The blackhole sends the hero back to the beginning of the board. Once the hero reaches the flag, he can be transported to safety.

Composition: I chose colors that would work well together based off of early, 8-bit style or game graphics. The color yellow played an important role in straightforwardly letting the player know when a power-up or trap has been landed on. In the next revision, I hope to add more space- like qualities by adding a safe planet in the middle of the composition and making the board larger.