The Spring 2022 iteration of the ArtiFACT project focused on the places people care deeply about. When we travel to a new destination or an unfamiliar place, our senses are on high alert. We notice the different sights, sounds, smells, and movement as we take in our new surroundings. As we begin our third year of living through this global pandemic, for many of us, our opportunities to take in new places have been few and far between. For some, traveling home has become much more difficult. Regardless, we all
hold certain places near and dear to our hearts. But while traveling from one place to another can be more challenging, we can still explore our current environment through the eyes and ears of a traveler, simply by taking closer note of our surroundings. In ArtiFACT | PLACES, we invite you to participate in a series of creative placemaking workshops designed to foster dialogue, spark memories, and share stories and experiences as we build a multimedia exhibit to share small windows into each other’s lives through the places we care about.
Many people assisted with this project. My colleague Abe Reshad and his assistants printed the lithophanes. With support from Oberlin College, student research assistants Maya McCollum, Ivy Fu, Lily Lansdell, Gabe Baskin, Michael Gaspari, and volunteer Joshua Reiner helped with workshops, scanning, animation, assembly, and projection mapping, among other tasks. Members of the theater department's technical crew also assisted with assembly in the space. In addition, workshop participants shared the photographs and painted atop partner's photos using clear acetate sheets. These paintings were then projected onto 3D printed versions of the original photographs particiapnts shared.