Beyond a Square
This project explores the relationship between familiarity and unfamiliarity in visual perception, particularly through the medium of a photo gallery. By curating an interactive and tangible representation of digital photo collections, the project challenges how individuals recognize and engage with images. Through the interplay of black-and-white photographs, mirrors, and transparent spaces, the composition invites viewers to experience nostalgia, curiosity, and self-reflection.
Assignment Brief.
The assignment required students to create a curated piece that conveys a strong conceptual message. The project needed to incorporate design elements that contribute to a deeper narrative, encouraging the audience to interact with the work. A significant focus was placed on how the arrangement of materials—such as photographs, transparency, and reflections—could alter perception and engagement.
Skills.
Sketching, Building, Refining.
The creation of this project was a journey of experimentation and refinement, guided by the interplay between familiarity and unfamiliarity. I began by collecting images from different people’s photo galleries, intentionally mixing and rearranging them to disrupt their original context. This layering of perspectives created a fragmented yet intriguing composition. I then explored materials, incorporating black-and-white photographs to enhance contrast and abstraction, transparent squares to introduce depth and light play, and mirrors to reflect the viewer’s own presence in the work. Each element was carefully tested and arranged, with the goal of encouraging curiosity—prompting viewers to move closer, investigate, and gradually uncover recognizable details. Through an iterative process of placement, material selection, and composition adjustments, the project evolved into an interactive experience that challenges perception and invites personal interpretation.
Final Curation.
The final curation is an immersive visual experience that transforms a digital photo gallery into a tangible and interactive installation. Suspended in space, the composition consists of black-and-white images interwoven with transparent squares and mirrors, forming a dynamic interplay of light, reflection, and perception. From a distance, the piece appears abstract and fragmented, sparking curiosity. As viewers step closer, familiar forms begin to emerge, bridging the gap between recognition and mystery. The mirrors capture the observer’s own reflection, integrating them into the artwork and reinforcing the idea that perception is deeply personal and ever-changing. This curation is not just a display—it is an invitation to engage, question, and reimagine how we see and connect with the images that surround us.
