reflections

an individual look-back on the entire project and process

Neil Carder

Major positive points that I had noticed during the construction of the cosmic installation included the sense of play. The group was able to brainstorm concepts by having fun while being creative. For example, the initial concept of the installation occurred as a joke; the group suggested sea creatures could be battling over the sitting area of the club’s basement level. Ideas seem to move quickly when given a sense of humor.

One major problem that occurred during the installation project was the actual start-up of the installation’s construction. The group seemed exited when establishing a concept but separated and procrastinated when the idea of putting the project in motion was raised. This might have been because the group was unaware of how to start the project; the group was aware of the materials needed but did not want to figure out the details of assembly. Another reason could be because the group wanted to plan the end product. This, however, was not an efficient plan because we could not come to a conclusion on the appearance of the finished product.

Ranee Leung

The group inter-relations worked well and everyone collaborated efficiently. Each individual showed aspects of initiation, in terms of displaying their own strengths with presenting their own thoughts and concepts. The development of the final product was all due to process from the original idea of sea monsters, but it developed through several different inputs. The original concept of sea monsters stemmed into a tentacle canopy and after that… the group was stumped with the materiality of the installation but once we reached that stage, everyone pulled together and finished the product within several hours. I felt that there were points where people showed more initiation in creating the work,developing the concept or leading the group, but overall it seemed everyone at one point showed each characteristic to pull the group forward. Overall it was an enjoyable experience, not just in terms of installing and creating something out of the classroom, but learning about each of my classmates and  our strengths and weaknesses as a collective group.

Aileen Ling

I thought the whole process of this was quite interesting as our original idea, the sea monster battle turned into the styrofoam cup canopy.  Our brainstorming sessions had it’s up and downs and I think we just had some trouble being in the design mind set at first.  We also did have some trouble moving away from the planning to actual doing of the project.  In general our group worked very well together for most of the projects.  Everyone was pretty open and listening.  Mostly everything went alright, it would have been better if we organized meeting times where everyone would show up.  Setting up and actually making the canopy was pretty fun and a little repetitive.  It was quite exciting to see our installation after is was completely set-up and interfering with its environment.  Overall the whole experience was great for learning and getting to know everyone a bit better.

Darby Ace

I had the privilege of working with the Makeshift 22 team to build the Sea Monster inspired Styrofoam cup installation for Kosmic Interference 2011. Working on this project was a great experience. It gave me the opportunity to collaborate with a group of people with whom I may not have done so otherwise. I learned a lot about my peers and the dynamics of working in a group. From my point of view, the major benefit of working in a group is the combination of strengths and interests brought together by the individuals. Fortunately, the group of people that I worked with was great. Everyone contributed virtually equal amounts of effort in one form or another. It was interesting to note how group members responded to the different aspects of the project. Although everyone participated in all aspects, certain people stood out as being obviously more enthusiastic about one part over another. This fact was also very important to help motivate others to move forward and work more efficiently. As a whole, the project taught me many valuable skills and techniques that I will undoubtedly apply to both academic and “real” world projects in my future.

Arron Griffioen

Kosmic had its ups and downs, from the stresses of planning, finalizing, to the actual party itself. Each member of our group didn’t follow specific roles as we planned. No one was considered the visionary or the do-er we all kind of worked in places when and where it felt necessary. I think what made it most difficult was the countless hours discussing details instead of just sticking to a plan and executing. Once we decided on a material, we began playing with the materiality and that’s when I think we came to our major decisions on the final project. The process of playing with the material made it evident to us that if we had more time we would have been able to increase the scale of our installation, creating a more overwhelming atmosphere in our section. All in all I think we did a great job and we succeeded in creating and interference in the space yet it still was engaging enough for the viewer to have a relaxing place to sit down and have a drink.