A Reflection of Us - An Immersive Art Installation
“A Reflection of Us” is an audio visual immersive experience inspired by the stories and emotions of people within the Mesa community. This project transforms memories into a compelling narrative that explores the meaning of the human experience by creating relationships with those in the community and gathering stories first-hand.
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Create an immersive art installation narrative that will be projected onto a 15ft tall dodecahedron in the Enhanced Immersion Studio @ the MIX Center in Mesa, AZ.
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August 2024 - December 2024
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Pixera
TouchDesigner
AfterEffects
Ableton
Reaper
Pro Tools
The story
The project was conducted over the duration of the Fall 2024 semester as a part of the AME 594/THP 494 (Bridging Digital and Physical Realities) course and was realized on December 4, 2024, in the MIX Center’s Enhanced Immersion Studio (EIS).
The team was motivated to speak to the Mesa community and understand their stories, experiences, advice, and why they choose to live in Mesa.
Project specs:
We interviewed 12 community members
We asked everyone the same list of 10 questions
We recorded their audio in order to use snippets of stories for the final showcase in the EIS using sound localization
We created visuals (both concrete and abstract) to represent and tell their stories
The video depicts the final run through prior to opening
The team
CREATIVE DIRECTION BY Julianna Piechowicz
PRODUCTION/ ENGINEERING BY Doster Chastain
SOUND ENGINEERING BY JoAnn Lujan
CONTENT CREATION BY Marisa Costagliola
SOUND DESIGN BY Michael Shaughnessy
SOUND DESIGN BY Ethan Hall
SOUND DESIGN BY Tiffany Pletting
SOUND DESIGN BY Steven Pedroza
SOUND DESIGN BY Gabriel Wallace
How it was created
A team of 4 students (Julianna Piechowicz, Doster Chastain, JoAnn Lujan, and Marisa Costagliola) set out to interview 12 community members and ask them 10 predetermined questions. The audio from each interview was recorded, post-processed, and analyzed for memory selection. After the stories were selected, the content creation team used Touchdesigner and After Effects to create both abstract and concrete visuals to match the audio narratives. The team worked with a group of 5 sound designers (Michael Shaughnessy, Ethan Hall, Tiffany Pletting, Steven Pedroza, Gabriel Wallace) who worked in Ableton, Logic, Reaper, and Pro Tools to make the soundscape come to life. Using projection mapping, the content was displayed on the chosen object (a 15 foot tall dodecahedron) and the community was invited to enter the space and experience the narrative which ended in a confetti finale.
Planning
A special thanks
Nothing great is ever achieved alone. We owe immense thanks to:
Sven Ortel, our instructor, for enabling and mentoring us throughout this experience
Johanna Richards for outreach assistance
Arianna Huerta-Crummey for scheduling and location assistance
Paul Amendola for EIS technical expertise
Michael Armstrong for set creation
Rodrigo Meirelles for sound expertise
Daniel Ocanto for sound expertise
Julian Silva for print expertise
Michael Searle for print expertise
Yosi Wolchansky for print expertise
And of course, the Mesa Community, for bringing us into their worlds and sharing their stories
Images of the experience
