Erika Liao
Walk/Waltz
Class of: 2028
Major: Communication Design BFA
Medium: Interactive installation
Faculty: Barbara Friedman
Prompt: In this project students will take a walk, probably several, in an outdoor public space exploring walking as a political, social, and aesthetic act; walking as an experience and not a destination. Using media (example: rubbings, collage, drawing, painting or photography where something is done to the photos without filters) to explore their environment, thoughts, and what becomes of those thoughts when placed into a form that simulates the experience of that walk. They will then share it, inviting the viewer to walk with them as form + content create a relived experience. Form as an engagement and presentation tool is explored.
Walk/Waltz imagines empathy as something that comes from the body — this interactive installation piece consists of a choreographer’s step diagram, with 9 gestures that reproduce the experience of a walk in central park. Every selected gesture ( Squint, Shake, Brace, Shrug, Swell, Pace, Float, Press, Break) suggests something about the atmosphere, environment, or mood of the walk by replicating its physical conditions. As participants carry out each action, they perform a version of the walk that is hyper-realistic, experiencing only the human reaction that results from external stimuli.
