One of the most impactful changes I made was adjusting the lighting. Instead of isolating color to certain areas, I expanded the lighting so that it washes over the entire room. The blend of reds, pinks, and blues created a more cohesive atmosphere while also casting dramatic, shifting shadows from the veins. These shadows became just as important as the physical structures themselves, extending the forms across the walls and making the space feel more alive and unstable.
To push the conceptual depth further, I introduced text into the shadows of the veins. Rather than placing words directly on the walls in an obvious way, I used the shadows to hold these phrases so that viewers have to move closer and engage more intentionally with the space to read them. The sentences included:
“My heart issues are burdening”
“Being in the hospital makes me anxious”
“My body is rejecting me”
“I feel like a liability”
“Everyone thinks I am fragile”
“I wish I was normal”
“My scars make me insecure”
“Taking these medications every day is overwhelming”
This addition helped anchor the installation more firmly in personal experience, making the emotional undercurrent of the work more visible while still maintaining a sense of discovery.
These changes made me think more carefully about how everything was placed and how the space functions overall. Instead of spreading the veins out evenly, I started creating areas where they cluster together and make the space feel tighter and more overwhelming, balanced with spots that feel a little more open so the viewer can breathe for a moment. Some veins stand out more and immediately catch your attention, while others fade into the background. I also pulled apart the yarn so its threads stretch across the walls, branching out like smaller veins. This helped connect parts of the installation and made it feel like the body was expanding beyond itself.
Looking at the final piece, I feel that it has moved closer to what I initially envisioned, an environment that is not just seen, but felt. The combination of lighting, shadow, text, and sculptural elements creates a space that reflects both the physical and emotional realities of living inside a body that feels unpredictable. It no longer feels like separate pieces on a wall, but instead like one continuous environment that the viewer steps into and experiences as a whole.
However, the rest of the week ended up being focused on moving, which took up most of my time and energy. Even though I wasn’t able to make as much progress as I had hoped, I still feel good about the work I was able to complete at the start of the break.
Madelynn,
It sounds like you made solid progress at the beginning of break, and the addition of more veins—especially varying scale and color—is helping build the environment. That variation is important. It keeps the space from feeling repetitive and starts to give it more depth.
The introduction of blue alongside red is a good move visually, but I want you to be careful here. If it becomes too literal (arteries vs. veins), it can shift from an immersive experience into something more diagrammatic. Make sure the color is serving the atmosphere, not just anatomical accuracy.
The sound element is doing important work. The irregular heartbeat is what grounds the piece conceptually. Keep it subtle. It should be felt as much as heard.
Moving forward, I want you to focus on density and spatial control.
Right now, you are adding elements, but think about how the room is behaving:
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Are the veins beginning to compress the space?
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Do they guide movement or interrupt it?
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Are there areas that feel too open compared to others?
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Does the viewer feel inside something, or just surrounded by things?
The success of this piece will come from how fully you commit to that immersion.
Also think about hierarchy:
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Are some veins more dominant than others?
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Are there moments of tension vs. moments of release?
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Where does the eye (and body) go first?
You’re close, but this is the stage where you need to push it further—not just add more, but place more intentionally.
This past week I continued working on Inside the Pulse by making more veins for the installation. I started adding blue veins to go along with the red ones that were already in the space. I wanted to include both colors because veins and arteries are realistically red and blue in anatomy, and I thought that visual contrast would help the room feel more like the inside of a living body. After finishing them, I installed the new veins on the gallery walls, which helped fill out the space and made the environment feel more immersive.
I also worked on the sound element for the installation. I chose a realistic (irregular sounding) heartbeat audio file and sent it to Ashley so it could be set up to play in the room. My goal with the sound is to add another layer to the experience. When viewers walk into the space, they will not only see the veins surrounding them but also hear the heartbeat, which helps create the feeling that they are stepping inside a living heart.
Overall, the piece is continuing to grow as I add more veins and bring together the visual and sound elements. Each change is helping the installation feel more complete and closer to the experience I originally imagined.
During the past week and over the weekend, I focused primarily on creating and gathering materials for my installation, Inside the Pulse. A large portion of this time was dedicated to making the veins that will eventually cover the walls of the space. Early in the week, I gave Broc (who has been helping me with the project) some materials so he could begin making veins as well. Throughout the week, both of us worked on producing a number of them.
On Tuesday, I reached out to my Lighting Professor, Jason Banks, to ask if I could borrow some lighting gels from the Theater Department. They have a much wider range of colors than what we had available in the Visual Arts Building, and I thought having more options would help me refine the atmosphere of the installation. The following day I visited the lighting room and looked through their collection. I ended up selecting multiple gels in oranges, reds, magentas, and blues that I felt would complement the environment I’m trying to create.
Later that day, Maggie also helped me continue making veins. Even though she was busy working with Delaney on another project, she still took the time to assist me, which I really appreciated. At this point, my main goal was simply to produce as many veins as possible so that I could begin installing them on the walls while also experimenting with the lighting colors I had gathered.
On Saturday, I helped Megan take down her installation. This ended up being a really valuable learning experience because I was able to see how to properly remove screws and nails from the walls and organize materials so they can be easily transported and reused. I also enjoyed the opportunity to talk more with Megan and learn about her process.
Later that day, I traveled to Rawlins with several of my pre-made veins that still needed to be wrapped in yarn. My plan was to recruit some extra help from my family, and thankfully my sister Iyanna and our friend Ivy agreed to help. After spending some time together, we sat down and wrapped the veins with yarn. They did a great job, and I think their help actually improved the variety and texture of the veins.
That evening we traveled back, and the next day I began installing my piece in the Visual Arts building’s gallery spaces. Originally, I had planned to install the work in the “This” room, but Delaney needed access to the upper grid for her installation, so we ended up trading spaces. I didn’t initially realize that the “This” room only had six lights compared to the eight lights available in the “That” room, so I had to adjust and work around that limitation.
My fiancé helped me install the lighting gels, and once that was finished Broc arrived to help me begin pinning the veins onto the walls. This part of the process was especially enjoyable. Having multiple people looking at the space and helping physically shape the installation made the process much more collaborative and allowed the environment to develop more naturally.
Now that the initial installation is in place, I’ve asked Broc (and possibly Maggie if she’s still interested) to continue helping me make more veins. My goal is for the piece to gradually evolve over time as more veins are added to the space. Over the next few days, I will also begin searching for and editing irregular heartbeat sounds to play within the room. The goal is for visitors to not only see the interior of the heart but also hear it. I want the installation to create the sensation that viewers are stepping inside my body (specifically my heart) through both the visual environment and the soundscape.
I also documented the installation by taking lots of photographs and sent my finalized title and poster image to Ashley.
Overall, I’m incredibly grateful for the help and support I’ve received throughout this process. I’ve already learned a lot about installation work, collaboration, and adapting to unexpected changes, and I’m excited to see how the piece continues to develop over the next two weeks. Ultimately, my goal is for Inside the Pulse to create an immersive moment where viewers become aware of their own bodies and rhythms while experiencing what it feels like to stand inside the vulnerable, unstable space of a living heart.
3/1/26
This weekend, I gathered all my supplies and dove into creating what can be called the “architectural” veins. I’m experimenting with a mix of materials, different colors of fabric, various threads and yarns in reds, blues, and magentas, and floral wire. The process actually began on Friday, when I went to Keely, Megan, and Amelia’s installation opening. I was especially drawn to Keely’s work, I wanted to understand how she created some of the organ-like textures in her piece. When I asked her, she explained it was wrapped fabric with string coiled around it. That little insight sparked a new direction for me. I realized I could use a similar technique for my veins: wrapping fabric with string to create physical structures that feel “architectural,” while still leaving room to paint most of the veins onto the surface.
It’s exciting to think about the balance between physical and painted veins, how some can stand out in three dimensions, while others will remain subtle, flowing across the walls. This weekend was all about experimenting with materials and thinking about texture, form, and color. I can already see how this approach will give the veins a sense of life and structure that painting alone might not achieve.
After reading the feedback on Tuesday, I decided to continue developing Idea #2 because it feels more personal and emotionally grounded than my other concepts. Since this installation connects to my experience with anxiety and having a pacemaker, I think it has the strongest potential to create a meaningful atmosphere rather than just an abstract visual space. After talking through ideas with Ashley today, I refined the concept into two related installation possibilities.
The first idea is transforming the entire room into the inside of a heart. The walls would be covered in clear tarp or skin toned fabric with veins painted across them so the space feels organic and immersive. Some of the veins may include visible wires to reference my pacemaker and the mechanical support connected to the body. The lighting would saturate the room in red (possibly with subtle blue tones), and the sound design would include an irregular heartbeat to reinforce the emotional tension and physical awareness of the body.
The second idea builds on this environment but adds a physical focal point. In the center of the room would be a small podium holding a felt heart. Wires would extend from the heart outward into the vein-covered walls, visually connecting the central object to the surrounding “body.” This option emphasizes the relationship between the organic and the artificial, and it makes the pacemaker reference more literal. The irregular heartbeat sound would continue to shape the emotional atmosphere.
Based on the feedback about restraint, I am starting to think more about limiting the elements to focus on what actually drives the emotional experience. The central emotional mechanism is the feeling of internal awareness, being inside the body while also being aware that something is slightly off or unstable. More specifically, the piece explores the tension between loss of control and stabilization, represented by the contrast between a natural irregular heartbeat and the presence of a pacemaker helping regulate it. The irregular heartbeat and saturated lighting would physically affect how the viewer experiences the space, encouraging them to slow down and become conscious of their own body.
Over time, the experience could shift through subtle changes in sound or lighting intensity, moving from calm to more irregular patterns to reflect anxiety building.
Right now, I am leaning toward combining painted vein walls and sound as the main elements, with the central heart object as a possible addition if it strengthens the focus rather than overcrowding the space.
Maddie,
This is a strong refinement. You’ve moved from “immersive mood” into a clearly defined emotional mechanism — internal awareness and the tension between instability and regulation. That’s the right shift.
The heart-as-room concept works because it is embodied, not symbolic. The key now is restraint and clarity.
A few things to consider:
1. The Room as Body
If you transform the entire room into the inside of a heart, commit to that fully. The veins should not read decorative. They should feel structural — almost architectural. Think about scale and placement carefully so the viewer feels inside something, not just surrounded by painted lines.
2. Wires and Pacemaker Reference
The visible wires are conceptually strong, but be careful they don’t become illustrative. They should feel integrated, not attached. Subtlety will make the mechanical/organic tension more powerful.
3. Central Heart Object
Right now, the room-as-heart may be enough. The felt heart on a podium risks becoming literal or pulling attention away from the immersive experience. Ask yourself: does the space need a focal object, or does that reduce the viewer’s bodily awareness?
You may find that removing the central object strengthens the work.
4. Sound + Light
The irregular heartbeat is doing the conceptual work. Keep it restrained. Avoid dramatic volume shifts. Subtle irregularity will be more unsettling than obvious spikes.
With lighting, saturation is fine — but test how much red becomes overwhelming rather than immersive.
5. Shifts Over Time
Subtle changes are stronger than theatrical transitions. Anxiety builds gradually. Let the sound and light reflect that.
The strongest sentence in your post is this:
The piece explores the tension between loss of control and stabilization.
Stay with that. Every decision should support that tension.
Right now, I would encourage you to simplify:
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Painted/veined walls
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Subtle red lighting
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Irregular heartbeat
Add the central heart only if the space feels incomplete without it.
You’re very close to something focused and embodied. Keep editing. Proud of you!!
Idea #1 - Emotional Response Room
For my first idea, I designed an Emotional Response Room based on my reaction to the Epstein files and the public response surrounding them. After reading some of the released emails and documents, I felt a strong sense of anger, disgust, and frustration. It also feels like the topic has been pushed aside or emotionally numbed over time. I want this installation to explore that emotional cycle… how outrage can slowly turn into overwhelm and then into numbness.
I was heavily inspired by the installation work of Olafur Eliasson and James Turrell, especially their use of light and atmosphere to shape how a viewer physically experiences space.
The room would use fog and strong lighting to create a slightly claustrophobic environment. The lighting sequence would move from red (anger, chaos, exposure) into blue (sadness, emotional fatigue, numbness), followed by a blackout, and then repeated. This looping structure represents how public attention and emotional response often cycle and fade.
I am also considering projecting or painting short phrases or words into the space using opposite-color lighting. For example:
- During red lighting: phrases like “pending,” “under review,” “no comment,” and “insufficient evidence.”
- During blue lighting: phrases like “remember,” “pay attention,” and “this still matters.”
Sound and projections may also be layered to increase the sense of emotional overwhelming.
Idea #2 - Internal Anxiety / Heart Space
For my second idea, I wanted to explore something more personal by focusing on my own experiences with having a heart condition. Unlike a temporary illness, it is something that is always present, even when it is not visible. This installation would explore the constant background feeling of anxiety and physical awareness that comes with that. This idea is very similar to Project 1, “Small World.”
I was inspired by the sculptural material work of Eva Hesse and again by the atmospheric lighting environments of Olafur Eliasson. I am interested in combining soft materials such as yarn or string with fog and lighting to create a chaotic and slightly claustrophobic environment.
The yarn would hang throughout the space, creating layered visual tension and forcing the audience to physically navigate through it. A heartbeat sound would play continuously, possibly shifting tempo to reflect anxiety or irregular rhythm. Lighting would pulse subtly with the sound to reinforce the connection between the body and the environment.
This piece would focus on the idea that internal experiences, especially medical or emotional ones, can be invisible but still deeply present.
Idea #3 - Fabric Reflection Room
For my third idea, I am considering a quieter and more reflective installation space that still connects to emotional and bodily awareness. I was inspired by the immersive fabric environments created by Ann Hamilton along with the lighting and texture-based environments of Olafur Eliasson.
This installation would use hanging red fabric to surround the viewer and create a soft, enclosed environment. A beanbag chair placed in the center would encourage the viewer to sit and physically settle into the space, making the experience slower and more personal.
Fog, soft lighting, and sound would be used to create an immersive atmosphere. Depending on the final direction, the room could function either as:
- a reflective emotional space
- a symbolic internal body space connected again to heart awareness
Sound could include low ambient tones or a subtle heartbeat to reinforce the sense of presence and connection to the body.
Okay, Madalyn, breathe deeply in and out right now.
