Shay premiered three installations at the 2018 CalArts Expo, showcasing his ability to tell stories through direct, abstract, and spectacular methods.
The Demise of the Late, Great Earnest Everett
At the far end of the gallery stood a small hall-tree – but the surface of the furniture was moving. Approaching the wooden structure, guests were greeted by a spirit stuck inside of a dimension on the far side of the mirror: and he needed help. With his guidance, guests learn the story of Earnest Everett by placing some of his most powerful belongings on the pedestal of the tree – hopefully freeing the unfortunate on the other side.
Created in Premiere, After Effects, D3/Disguise and Touch Designer
Lanterns, Darkness
In this piece, Shay eschewed typical gamification to instead encourage guests to create their own meaning. Interaction was key but ultimately the philosophies communicated were better discussed than lectured. Meaning is better understood through interpretation.
Created in Premiere, After Effects, Touch Designer
Feather
Hung from the ceiling at the center of the Modular Theater, this free-floating sculpture featured projection mapped shows from several artists, including a piece by Shay Willard and Travis Moelter. Serving as a featured motif within the gallery, Feather invited guests into amazement while challenging their impressions of mankind’s effect on its own works of art.
Included here is also technical documentation prepared to exhibit projector position/blend for the sculpture.
Top down – Feather featured four Panasonic DW6300 projectors used to cover surfaces on both sides of the sculpture, placed on the second floor of the CalArts mod
This blend was handled almost entirely through Disguise and autocal. Seen here is an occlusion test with an average height individual – possibly by jumping could viewers cast shadows, otherwise it was a safe presentation.
One goal of the installation was to allow people to safely – and without blocking the projection – walk through and underneath the sculpture to see the performance on both sides.
Assuming a screen gain of 1, the projectors achieved a comfortable 34 FL for this show.
Created in Premiere, After Effects, D3/Disguise