Installation & Poster Design
This semester-long archival project challenged me to create exploratory collage posters, a mini-exhibition, and a mailer based on a collection of found and repurposed objects. The collection, dubbed “Modern–Day Magic,” seeks to remind viewers that interesting objects with unique stories can be found in overlooked places. Connecting these stories to rich mythological traditions and humanity’s fixation on narrative storytelling, “Modern–Day Magic” posits that an object’s mundanity is assigned rather than intrinsic.
The Collection
The Modern–Day Magic archive is centered around by five collected objects, each with its own story to tell. The objects are:
•A "wand-like" stick
•A pair of blue denim jeans
•A woven heart-shaped trinket
•A pressed azalea flower
•Fragments from a dried rose
The Mailer
To promote the archive and exhibition of my exploratory works, I designed a mailer. The mailer detailed the purpose of the collection, displayed the included objects, and gave information on the date, location, and time of the exhibition.
After designing the front and back, I printed the mailer with blue and pink ink using a risograph; this process resulted in an appealing halftone effect.
After archiving the collection and creating the promotional mailer, I began work on the final deliverables for the project: five exploratory collage posters. The posters incorporate scans of the five collected objects in addition to images and text assembled from various vintage magazines. Each poster is interpretive, inviting viewers to make emotional judgements and assign meanings to the stories contained within.
I found, cut, and categorized many images from vintage National Geographic magazines, before pairing the images with my five collected objects. I considered my own archetypal interpretations of the objects, creating an appropriate visual narrative for each. I then scanned the collages and printed them in bright duotone hues with the risograph. The final scans were enlarged into posters and put up in a hallway as a mini-exhibition.
