Exposed

The purpose of our project was to enhance a community space and promote interaction using mirrors. We trusted that the mirrors’ ability to create illusions would be interesting to work with. Initially, we talked about placing a tripod of mirrors in the middle of a busy walkway. People walking towards the tripod would be able to see their faces but the body of another person. We were told that although this might be interesting for the individual on his or her own, it would not spark any kind of interaction.

After that, my partner and I decided that we would have to create a space using these mirrors that would draw people in and experience this space with others which could possibly lead to some interaction. We built three stands to hold a 4.5’ x 1’ mirror each where the mirrors would be placed at eye level (about 5’8” center). We then would orient these stands in a semi-enclosed formation. Standing in this space was rather interesting because one could see various angles of him/herself as well as that of the other people in the space. It became very surreal and almost confusing.

At a project review we were told that it was precisely the kind of interaction needed, except it lacked something that would make the participants want to stay and enjoy it a little bit longer. We briefly discussed the idea of building attached benches until we realized that it would be better to use bench areas around campus. Because students are already used to those community spaces, they are more likely to participate in the installation. Placing these stands around seating areas required that the mirrors be lowered to sitting eye level. This was carried out as well.

The installation was set up outside of the Greene Building at RPI in a grassy bench area. Some of the students sitting around at the time agreed to participate in our project. They rather enjoyed the effect of the mirrors in the space and all agreed that the more spaced out they were, the more inviting the space was from the outside. The photographs demonstrate how the space was used and the different angles that could be viewed by the participants. Unfortunately, the full effect of the space cannot be experienced through the photographs.

Exposed: Part II

One of the biggest criticisms of the first iteration was that my partner and I did not experiment enough with the different spaces that could be accomplished using the mirrors. In this iteration, we created two different settings.
The first setting was done using one bench and enclosing it with the three mirrors as tightly as possible. Passer byers actually wanted to see what it looked like from the inside. They openly admitted that it was a little uncomfortable being exposed from every angle to these strangers. However, I was impressed at the success of this setting in that these strangers came closer together and actually sat and chatted for a while.
The second setting was done using two benches situated at right angles from each other, and the three mirrors oriented in a way that would capture the reflection of another mirror. It was interesting to see how, even with the participants sitting at a comfortable space from each other, they still felt extremely close to one another because the mirrors made it impossible to not see each other.
This project was successful in heightening the experience of someone casually sitting and talking with people. It was interesting to see their reactions which can be see in the pictures below. All in all, we had a great time working on this project.