OLIVIA CASTIGLIONE
Special to the Leader
Poster by EMILY PAYNE | Special to The Leader
On the second floor of Rockefeller Arts Center, Emmet Christian Gallery hosts “An Ecosystem of Ideas,” an exhibit featuring students of the Graphic Design 4 course.
The concept of the exhibition was to choose a consequential invention of their choosing and display that through graphic design.
Once they chose their invention, they also were challenged to display their art by focusing on how they want gallery visitors to experience each of their pieces rather than just hanging up their art as posters.
This resulted in extremely creative and, of course, innovative pieces that anyone available should see.
Emily Payne created a piece called, “This Poster Does Not Exist.”
This piece dives into the complexity of computer code and how prevalent code is in our everyday lives.
The interactive aspect of this is shown through a mock-studio set up with coded objects like a printer.
Lauren Weil’s piece, “Dolled Up” is a huge paper doll where visitors get to dress up with paper outfits hung on a clothing rack.
The outfits are adorable, and the experience of dressing up the doll is nostalgic.
The poster on the clothes rack explains more of the history of dolls, as well as the importance of children playing with dolls of different races, and how children playing in groups with dolls promote social skills.
Other pieces that I enjoyed were Brodie Atkinson’s “The Heart of the Cards,” which plays (literally) with the idea of playing cards and how they are used for a variety of skill levels, from playing go-fish as a kid to gambling away all of your money through games such as poker.
Below the poster, a green velvet table displays a deck of cards, and the poster is her own version of a playing card, which, upon closer look, has more messages within the blocks of color on the card.
Lydia Shaw’s “Blowing Smoke” was a creative and interesting way to show how e-cigarettes are an invention created within the tobacco industry and were initially used to help tobacco users stop or smoke less.
However, this has changed; it is now a massive moneymaker for the tobacco industry.
There was a small device in a makeshift vape made by Shaw emitting smoke that permeated the poster, which looked especially cool.
Another interactive piece reminds us that “Everyone is Always Watching.”
Lauren Carroll showed how the camera in phones is what documents people the most.
A hidden camera shows the viewer projected onto the poster itself, an eerie example of how, yes, you are always being watched.
Other featured artists in this exhibition are Jacob Allert with “No Strings On Me,” Alexis Barron with “Paper Trails,” Sydney McClelland with “Seeing Clearly,” Jameson McCooey with “Get Hooked” and Vinny Wall with “Bread Circuses.”
Poster by ALEXIS BARRON | Special to The Leader
Truly, going to see this in person is the best way to experience this exhibition, and my explanations of what I saw only scrape the surface of how cool the exhibit actually is.
On the exhibition’s Instagram, @ecosystemofideas_exhibition, the bio is a website link that shows each student’s poster with an excerpt from each student about what invention each chose, giving further insight into everyone’s work.
Though the gallery is on the smaller side, you can tell the thought and care put in by the students is immense. Walking through the gallery is interesting at every step, and not just a rectangular room with pieces lining the walls.
This exhibition is open until Wednesday, April 1.