Projecting memory: An experiment in layering, silhouette and projected light

It was an interesting change to work alone on a larger piece, something that I haven't done in awhile. On the one hand, it was kind of a relief to be in charge and not have to make compromises based on other people's visions. On the other hand, I really missed the give and take of collaboration, especially since it was such a frustrating ordeal to come up with a concept and technique that worked. I was feeling really discouraged on Wednesday, and almost felt like my fixation on using cut-outs with projection was preventing me from exploring other ways of using light that could have been "illuminating." (Clearly the possibilities were endless-- and I was really blown away by the other projects that we saw today). At the same time, I felt intuitively that there was a way to make something interesting come out of this specific combination-- I was thinking a lot about the William Kentridge exhibit I saw last month, and Kara Walker, and puppet shows and the idea of play. I think the whole piece came together when I remembered the audio recording I have of my godson singing "Puff the Magic DragoN", and also when the overhead fan turned on and the pieces started swaying-- that was when I stopped concentrating on squaring up the three screens, and decided let their relationship to the projector and each other change as people moved through the piece.

I see this work as a sketch-- I think the idea would work better in a larger space that could facilitate more interaction. Also, I'm not totally satisfied with the craftsmanship (i.e. sloppy frames, knotted fishing line), but this is definitely an idea and a vocabulary that I want to explore more.

From the outside looking in (with Aston/Jake's projected stripes otuside:

At the entrance:

From the entrance looking back (the mechanics):

From the projector looking forward (more mechanics)

Playing with the hung cut-outs:

The end.

Besides "Puff the Magic Dragon," the other song from my childhood that I have stuck in my head this afternoon, as I remember it:

Nobody likes me, everybody hates me
I guess I'll go eat worms
Big fat juicy ones
Little baby skinny ones
I guess I'll go eat worms, worms, worms