Our work so far

So far there have been three group meetings where we have discussed on the theme and brainstormed together on different kinds of technology. This has been documented in multiple documents. A google drive was created to organize and put everything in the same place.

Summary

As a team we decided on the theme alone. We chose this theme because a huge amount of people can relate to feeling alone, as everyone feels alone sometimes. We also thought that the theme alone can generate a meaningful message and statement. Based on that we tried to think of different technologies through brainstorming. From there we all agreed on the technology space travel. It was a technology we all found intriguing, but unknown at the same time. Additionally, it is closely related to the theme alone which can be represented through darkness, distance and space. ****

So far, we have found a lot of art installations that show the vastness and beauty of space. There are also some art installations that criticize Nasa, but this is not something that our team would like to do. We want to create an immersive experience that primarily evokes three emotions.

Three emotions

Inadequacy - Being alone in space can make someone feel very insignificant and unworthy in such a huge universe. Our regular lives pale in comparison to the vastness of the universe, and looking down at the Earth at all the continents could make someone feel very insignificant, like everyone’s life on Earth “doesn’t actually matter” in the grand scheme of the universe, like we are just a grain of sand in a desert. The huge scale of the universe is daunting compared to just the Earth. If we are this small, does anything we do actually matter, what is our purpose? This can shift someone’s perspective on reality.

Admiration - Being in space alone could evoke a big feeling of admiration. The weightlessness that a person experiences, feeling the physics of space, that is way different from that of Earth, would certainly leave an individual in awe. Also, gazing upon the Earth could evoke feelings of admiration, in that one can appreciate the urge and have the feeling of wanting to preserve it. Lastly, having all the stars and planets around you could make you admire the universe, and make you want to explore the limitless universe, planets and stars, and maybe even make you wonder about extraterrestrial life.

Fear - Space can be terrifying, especially alone. Equipment can malfunction, objects like debris and asteroids can be flying everywhere, there is little to no oxygen and the air pressure is low. Many things could go wrong. In addition, there could be the fear of being unable to return to Earth. Lastly, humans cannot go long without social interaction before it starts to get draining[1], so there could also be the fear of going insane from being alone, especially in such a seemingly unending space.

Two possible statements

1. The concept of space travel is very terrifying.
2. Looking at the size of the universe, our lives are insignificant.
3. The universe is proof that nobody is alone.
4. Space shows a new perspective and a different kind of beauty.
5. The idea of space travel can evoke many emotions like: optimism, loneliness, admiration.
6. Space travel opens new possibilities we didn’t think were possible.

Describe which statement is more impactful

1. Space travel shows how alone and insignificant we are in comparison to the vastness of the universe.
2. Space travel shows us a new perspective on reality and a different kind of beauty within it, while proving that nobody is alone.

Sam: While I love both statements and don’t have a very strong preference, I personally like the second statement more. It’s very broad and gives us a lot of options to process emotions into the final art piece, as “perspective on reality” and “not being alone” can be both positive and negative.