Capstone: No Turning Back Now
Introduction
Capstone feels as though it has been ramping up quite a bit lately. Some of you reading this are likely not up to speed on what “capstone” is, and specifically what my capstone project is, so here is the link to the list of all of the related posts. The name of this exhibit is “Lifting the Universal Veil.” Essentially, the goal of my capstone is to create an interactive museum exhibit that shows guests how fantastic fungi can be. When considering this as the subject for my project, I took into account the lack of knowledge amongst the general public about the various interesting processes that these organisms are capable of performing and thought that I could tackle this as though it was a design problem and show people a new size of fungi through interesting and engaging design.
My Project Statement
Now that “Lifting the Universal Veil” is in full swing, most of my class has a very clear image in mind of what their project is going to be and how they are going to go about making said project. This means that our “project statements” that we wrote earlier in the semester are ready to be refined and committed to. A project statement gives a clear direction for a designer to follow while also giving anyone that reads it a clear understanding of the idea being said project. For us students, it is also proof of the commitment my classmates and I have made and that the time for waffling on ideas has essentially ended. Looking back on my original project statement was pretty funny because I saw how far the concept for my project has come since then and wound up making quite a few adjustments. There are seven sections to the particular format of the project statement that my classmates and I were assigned to create.
1. Statement/Intent
Create an experience that will educate people in order to hopefully enhance the overall public perception of mushrooms and other forms of fungi.
2. Description
Little information on the scientific side of fungi and their importance is known to the general public. Instead of death and decay coming to mind, this exhibit will depict the hidden beauty in fungi through abstracted animations; comprised of brightly colored particles and various (similarly stylized) infographics.
3. Key Words
abstract, fractal, iridescent, enlightening, dynamic, hypnotic, particular, mycelium, energy, formal, scientific, sleek, dark, immersive, motion, distinct,
4. Problems to Solve
- What is the best layout/ground plan for this exhibit?
- How many informational things (places to stop and watch a video, read a fact, or look at a picture) should there be on the walls?
- Do I have a sufficient skill set to tackle such an animation-intensive exhibit?
- Render speeds and effective storyboarding is going to take up a lot of time.
- Time management must be perfect; I’m juggling a fair number of things right now, so one slip up, and I’m going to be hurting.
- The notion that mushrooms are a drug, and that is why I am interested in them, is not what I want; I just want to inform people of how much more interesting they are than people give them credit for.
5. Primary Targets
I am designing this exhibit for anyone of high school age and up.
6. Why Does This Matter to Me?
I have had a respect for fungi for a while now, and I knew that they could be colorful and came in all sorts of interesting shapes and sizes. However, I just recently found out how truly interesting they are thanks to the work of renowned mycologist Paul Stamets and the Netflix documentary Fantastic Fungi. In the documentary, part of what really captured my attention was the clever use of advanced animation and cinematography. After learning all of this new information, I realized that I could use my own clever design decisions to help others to see how awesome fungi can be. So, as sort of an homage to the work that Mr. Stamets has done, I thought I could use my skillsets in both graphic design and animation, to create a unique space that could teach others how truly remarkable these organisms are.
7. Output
- The exhibit portrays mushrooms and fungi as something that is pretty and appealing, as opposed to being gross and scary.
- There is a minimum of one extremely enticing animation that supports this exhibit.
- A series of posters act as one of the forms of advertising used for the exhibit.
- Wayfinding elements are present throughout in order to further develop the exhibit.
- Concept sketches of what the exhibit looks like in its earlier iterations provide the viewer with added context.
- Various infographics mesmerize the viewer while also providing valuable learning opportunities.
