A Shape in Motion – Joanne Kwon

 

Accessibility

This piece includes an audio book version for people who prefer listening as opposed to reading braille or text.

 

Process Documentations

Inspired by the idea of taking something intangible and making it tangible, I wondered how color can be interpreted through touch and what narrative can be conveyed through that modality. I brainstormed and sketched multiple iterations of an interactive installation which showcases my interpretation of color, none of which had a strong enough narrative to leave the viewer with a meaningful message. 

I thought to myself – well, what do I want to leave the viewer with?

There’s a cliche quote I actually live by, which goes everything happens for a reason. I thought it would be interesting to embed this quote into this work, representing it with simple shapes, colors, and patterns. I recalled an image from a textbook I saw way-back-when which showed a square that transitions into a polygon to a circle as it moves down the slant it’s on top of. 

I appreciated the squares evolution as it rolled down the slant and thought I could integrate some personal life lessons into this idea as a narrative. I explored ways to personify shapes using various forms, colors, and patterns, while also writing a poetic low lexile narrative in braille and text to support the tactile visuals on the page.

The patterns inside the shapes also correlate with different emotions, both visually and tactilely conveying the shape’s feeling on the inside. For example, the square starts off with a polka dot pattern which evolves into a diamond pattern to relay the shape’s emotional state from happy/carefree to hurt/angry.

Below are answers from the artist to some specially curated questions:

What is the theme of the work? What is it you aim to express?

I aimed to interpret color through the modality of touch, a modality we’re typically unable to experience color with. This work was meant to express the unique intensity and hue of each shade of color using patterns and proximity. while also relaying the beauty of life’s journey using color, tactile patterns, audio, and symbolic narrative.

How is that theme particularly expressed through modalities? 

The beauty of life’s journey is conveyed through three different modalities, including sight, touch, and sound. Through the modalities of sight and touch, the audience is able to read the storybook while visualizing the square become a circle (and the various forms and colors it takes on in the process) as it makes its way down the hill. The modality of sound is used to supplement the storybook by reading the story out to the audience in the form of an audiobook to reminding the audience of where we’re going and how our challenges shape who we are.

Which elements of the work are beautifully/wonderfully/perfectly expressed through the modalities?

A piece of the storybook that I felt worked very cohesively was the correlation between color and pattern. As the square progresses in the story, it goes through a series of trials and tribulations, all of which elicit different feelings. I tried to represent those feelings with different colors and further interpreted those colors through patterns.

• Yellow = Excitement & Joy = Round dots
• Red = Anger & Frustration = Sharp diamonds
• Green = Sickly & Envy = Straight lines
• Blue = Calm & Content = Smooth (no pattern)

Which elements are lost or inexpressible through these modalities?

Because emotion is complex and can be fairly subjective, my interpretation of certain emotions, colors, or patterns may vastly differ from the audience’s interpretation and understanding of those qualities. Therefore, I would say it’s very tricky and somewhat inaccurate to make a simple one-to-one correlation between emotions and color/patterns. Emotions have a lot of depth that isn’t fully expressed through the simple visualizations as seen in the storybook. Instead, the tactile patterns hint at the possibility of there being an emotional correlation and leaves it up to the audience’s own interpretation.

Who does this project exclude? Who would not be able to interact with this work? Who are these modalities not accessible for?

This storybook includes modalities for sight, touch, and sound; therefore, making it inaccessible for those who solely rely on senses outside of those modalities (i.e. smell or taste).

What is one way you could remix this piece to include another population?

In a future iteration of this storybook, it would be interesting to explore how different scents can be used to elicit emotions which correlate with the progression of the narrative of the square. If I were to add on to the colors, emotions, and patterns above, the scent may be a little something like this.

• Yellow = Excitement & Joy = Round dots = Floral nodes
• Red = Anger & Frustration = Sharp diamonds = Woody nodes
• Green = Sickly & Envy = Straight lines = Oriental nodes
• Blue = Calm & Content = Smooth (no pattern) = Fresh nodes
  

 

About the artist

My work is an exploration of the interplay between color, emotion, and life, inviting people to resonate with the shapes in motion. I aim to convey how our unique paths in life are what make us who we are, encouraging people to look back and appreciate how far they’ve come.

Let’s connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-kwon/