Activations
Bringing things alive for audiences is another art form for me. This design work intersects entertainment, fine art, education, and technology. Most of the work examples on this site already appear on the project page, but this list will help explain how you might see the immersive strategy is baked into each by design. The PINK LINK will take you to the project page.
Activations began with my first gallery show of paintings when I designed and directed costumed characters to walk among the gallery patrons adding an activation of "world-building." The effect made people giddy. I fell in love with my potential to spark imaginations like this. Since that first experience, I always try to recreate feelings that stir inside my audience.
A variety of examples...
In the musical parade "Waking", in the final scene, the audiences is greeted by a giant, towering jellyfish. Inside the jelly our hero, who is a DJ, is revealed and the jelly is her DJ booth which is above the crowd. This activation which includes dance is designed to create muscle memory so that the story and it's message is internalized by the body. (Category: Theatrical)
The "Obama Gown," is a hand-painted gown with patriotic images. The gown is a beacon to create a public huddle of discussion about the illustrations that appear on the dress. (Category: Illustration)
In the activation of the digital interactive "Eyes of Ballston", participants converse digitally with a tree of spirits and "wake up" their eyes made of programmed LED's. (Category: Exhibits/Public Art/Technology)
At the outdoor event "Festi-belle," I activated guests in a circular space, allowing them to hasten their play experience and become a family through treasured immediacy as they might in Burning Man. They rode art bikes, played with giant bubble wands, dressed up and sang karaoke. (Category: Festival)
In the festival and parade "Bloom," I designed and programmed a reboot of the National Cherry Blossom Festival; the traditional experience transforms a celebration of history into a canvas of progressive art by artists that live in DC now. It features a juried artisan parade and flotilla, open art studios and art classes. (Category: Festival)
In the "40 Years iphone app" for Meridian International Center, I pitched and directed the creation of a phone app that allowed people to explore a diplomacy exhibit as they discovered hidden games that augmented the exhibit information.
(Category: Exhibits/Technology)
In Lola's Lab and Left Noodle - Right Noodle (LNRN), Both children's programs I created activated imaginations around thematic content. LNRN allowed children to explore cultural diplomacy through personalization of art, movement and drama. Lola's Lab, in particular, was akin to a LARP (Live Action Role Play) adventure in learning with live characters, plot twists, and break-out maker labs that gamified participation in an original story experience. I wrote and directed these stories. (Category: Education)