Captain’s Log
Star Date: 02.23.2023
“The greatest teacher failure is” – Yoda
I’m usually pretty great at problem solving and making things work. Sometimes I just need a mindset shift after some things don’t go to plan and I figure it’s good enough and communicates enough of what the outcome was supposed to be.
This was the case for an installation I did recently for an event. The outcome was not what I was hoping for, but it was fine… it was enough and did the job.
For event installations, the design is usually only up for one night and you only get a certain amount of time to install the night of the event. The installation also needs to be transportable.
This last installation involved 2 pieces (was originally going to be 3, but couldn’t install one because the sound people were taking up the area that I was going to use)… one of the pieces was pretty successful for the most part and did its job and was the most memorable. The second piece was the most time consuming to install and the end result was… fine… but that could just me being hard on myself.
There were a lot of factors that changed during the event (lighting, fixtures shifting from use, etc.) that affected the overall effect of the installation, but while installing, it made me realize how much under-developed my concept was in regards to the physical installation. Also, the take down of the installation made me realize how unsustainable it was (a lot of the elements were thrown away).
What I learned: go into an endeavor with a more simplified concept that will have a greater impact. And try to use more sustainable/reusable materials as much as possible; it’ll cut down on the cost and may help other installations in the future if you’re able to 1. get better with the same materials, and 2. some of the materials are already ready to install.