Background:
When I was a young child, my mom or dad would always tuck me into bed and read me a story. Growing up, I loved this ritual because I loved the stories that made me laugh or left me in wonder. Some of my favorite stories were pop up picture books.
Pop up picture books always filled me with an excitement and left me curious about how they worked and what was on the next page. I look back at the time I spent with my parents reading those stories as being moments when I was filled with a child-like sense of amazement and wonder. Those memories remind me of how amazing and wonderful it is to be in awe in a child-like state.
Now, at the ripe, mature age of 21, I find it to be harder to have those kinds of moments and instead often find myself worried about the work I have to finish today before I can go to sleep and then once I’m in bed, I worry about the work I’ll have to do tomorrow. But whenever I can put my stress and work aside and take some alone time to just enjoy a good book or movie, I’m struck with the importance of just being amazed by something. As author and speaker Rob Bell puts it, “We all want to be successful but what we really want is wonder and awe.”
Scientific research done primarily at UC Berkeley has started to realize the importance of the feeling for us and has linked feelings of awe to clearer thinking, better health, and having good relationships with others (Grotto Network).
In pursuit of being reminded of the importance of awe and in memory of story time as a child, I have decided to use Projection Mapping to bring a picture book to life.
The goal of the project will to be to create an intimate environment for any viewer of the piece, similar to the experience of reading a pop up picture book. The piece will have a small narrative, fairytale-esque story that is able to perfectly loop.
Elements of the Story:
- A young girl yells at her father in the house.
- She runs away and chases a butterfly.
- She finds herself in a place she doesn’t recognize and eats fruit from a tree.
- She is wrapped up and kidnapped by a snake.
- Her father goes looking for her, kills the snake, and takes her home.
Characters:
There are three significant characters: the daughter, the father, and the snake. All three will be black silhouettes.
Artistic Inspirations:
Matthew Reinhart – Pop Up Artist
Lotte Reinger – Silhouette Animator
Evan Wehmeyer 