[sofaCONNECT]:2017

Columbus College of Art & Design
MFA in Visual Arts: New Projects
Columbus, OH

FACULTY ADVISORS:
Molly Jo Burke, Assistant Professor, Assistant Director of Graduate Studies
John Cairns, Lecturer

STUDENT TEAM MEMBERS:
Hannah Watters
Zane Miller
Katheryn Fisher (aka) ¡Katie B Funk!
Young-Mi Lee
Yae Reem Lee
Yajim Amadu

THEME: “What happens when the beaches are gone?”

We created a futuristic beach environment, centering around an apocalyptic, pseudo-nostalgia were there to be no beaches left in the future. With global warming and imminent climate change on the horizon - “beaches” as we know them to be will shift and transform. We created a seating area to be inviting, engaging, and energizing overall, with an emphasis that participants might put into consideration how radically different this type of environment will become. Additional elements used throughout the installation to influence memory and incite the sensation of both summer and the outdoors, all while housed within an interior space.

Our seating is interactive, using pressure-sensitive conductive sheets attached to arduinos, inviting interactive play. We used a combination of seating components - playing on the “futuristic/nostalgic” theme, stalagmite and stalactite structures will be constructed in combination with fabricated chaise lounge chairs for the seating.

Chairs are fabricated using steel tubing covered in pool noodles and inflated rafts. we also created a dome like structure utilizing umbrellas and beach themed items, as well as projection and sound that further emphasize the idea of the beach. By creating a sensory seating environment that utilizes both light and sound, our exhibit blurs the line between high and low art, allowing SOFA guests to reflect and ponder a new environment while considering their own impact on the environment.