Traces

Projection (1:15)

This animation is a representation of personal and physical growth as the passage of time allows for societal expectations for young women to morph. The first half is set in my childhood bedroom - the pink and green stripes mimicking the brushstrokes that my parents and grandparents once made on the tilted attic walls. The second half of the animation is set in my college apartment - the wallpaper pattern integrating a tartan motif that was revived in popular culture during the 1980s. The multi-color stripes of varying widths in both patterns, reminiscent of two distinct social and economic time periods in the United States, bridge the gap between my own personal growth and the way that the choices of the people who have come before me have impacted my life.

The idea of growth is depicted through the movement of white droplets of water, which slowly warp and crawl across the animation’s projected surface. I created this effect by filming black droplets of paraffin wax on a white plastic panel, brought to life with spritzes of mist from a spray bottle. In my childhood bedroom, the wax looks like mold spreading, but is transformed into roots when contextualized by hand-drawn, bell-shaped flowers in bloom.

Initially shown as part of a larger body of work, this piece was projected onto the Caliza at the 2024 Digital Graffiti Projection Mapping Festival in Alys Beach, Florida, alongside other ASH Scholars and Digital Storytelling students from the University of Missouri. These projections were over 250 feet long and required three professionally rigged projectors.