Celebration of Life is a digital media showcase featuring projects by Media & Performance Production (MAPP) 400 students. MAPP is a program co-coordinated by the Department of Film & Media and the DAN School of Drama & Music at Queen's University in Kingston, Canada. The Media and Performance Production Major Project (MAPP 400 / Fall 2023 & Winter 2024) is a practice-based capstone course supervised by Dr. Sojung Bahng, allowing students to explore and produce various digital media projects that intersect audiovisual productions and live arts through interactive, augmented, and immersive media. In this showcase, students honor the legacies of their cherished family members and connections, celebrate cultural traditions, and explore community engagement dynamics. They also navigate personal struggles with mental health, striving to reconcile their authentic selves with societal expectations.
SHOWCASE TITLE: Celebration of Life
LOCATION: (Black Box) Studio Theatre 104, Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
DATES: March 23, Saturday
SHOWCASE HOURS: 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm
OPENING CEREMONY AND PERFORANCE: 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
ARTISTS: Baiqing Audrey Chen, Julia Dasilva-Lee, Taylor Dunfield, Olivia Farquhar, Sophia Galbraith, Juan Huerta Galicia, Rita Jiang, Jiyuan Liu, Murphy Liu Mengxi, Katarina Lopez, Griffen Penney, Michaela Van Der Hoeven, Sadie Williams, Qingsong Xu
PROJECT SUPERVISOR & SHOWCASE DIRECTOR: Sojung Bahng
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR & THEATRE TECHNICAL SUPERVISOR: Brian Frommer
CURATORIAL MANAGER & VIDEOGRAPHER: Jung-Ah Kim
PEER ADVISOR & ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Chutong Yu
SUPPORTED by Department of Film & Media and DAN School of Drama & Music, Queen's University
Projects
You’re Invited, 2024, Mixed Media Installation & Interactive Performance
Katarina Lopez, Julia Dasilva-Lee, Sophia Galbraith, Olivia Farquhar
You're Invited is a mixed-media installation and interactive performance that invites viewers to explore the diverse layers and dimensions of the university party experience, encompassing joy, connection, loneliness, and madness.
MASQUERADE, 2024, Digital Performance
Rita Jiang, Michaela Van Der Hoeven
Masquerade is a digital performance art piece exploring the pressure to conform and the quest for acceptance by presenting different versions of ourselves to fit in. It reflects on societal expectations, emphasizing the importance of embracing one's true self.
COME AND GO, 2024, Music Performance
Sadie Williams
Come and Go is a music performance that celebrates the beauty and transience of human connections. Through music and visuals, it explores the ebb and flow of relationships with family, friends, self, nature, and spirituality, highlighting the profound beauty found in these fleeting moments
Beyond Labels, 2024, Digital Performance
Qingsong Xu
Beyond Labels is a digital performance that challenges the notion of categorizing personalities within specific frameworks, such as the MBTI personality tests. This solo show explores our innate desire to break free from this social labelling and connect with our deeper selves.
Taylor’s Eras House, 2024, Mixed Media Installation
Circular Seasons, 2024, Augmented Reality (AR)
Baiqing Audrey Chen
Taylor's Eras House is an intimate exhibition that delves into Taylor Swift's musical journey and cultural impact. It features installations that bring Swift's albums to life through animations and thematic elements, providing insights into her influence on culture and music.
Dive into the heart of each season with Circular Seasons (Vinyl), an unparalleled sensory expedition, a unique auditory and visual journey where each vinyl embodies the soul of a season. This collection weaves the whispers of nature into a captivating cycle, where every note, petal and leaf reveals nature's timeless dance.
Day of the Dead, 2024, Media Installation & Augmented Reality (AR)
Juan Huerta Galicia
Day of the Dead is a multimedia and augmented reality (AR) installation that offers a poetic representation of Mexican tradition and culture. It serves as a commemoration of deceased loved ones, blending reverence for the past with a celebration of life.
LEGACY BADER LANE, 2024, Media Installation & Documentary
Griffen Penney
Legacy Bader Lane is a documentary focused on the inception and functioning of a campus club, emphasizing its significance within the community. The production includes behind-the-scenes footage to highlight the club's connection to individual films and features interviews with club members to provide insight into their experiences.
How it works inside, 2024, Mixed Media Installation
New Isabel, 2024, 3D Interactive Installation
Murphy Liu Mengxi
How it works inside is a multimedia installation that portrays the emotional highs of hypomania and the lows of depression, illustrating the concept of bipolar disorder. The installation takes viewers on an emotional rollercoaster, utilizing 2D & 3D structures as projection screens to visualize the inner emotions associated with the disorder.
New Isabel is an interactive art installation created by the artist Mengxi, offering a virtual exploration of the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts. This work allows viewers to immerse themselves in Mengxi's imaginary world within the Isabel.
Gamble, 2024, Media Installation & Augmented Reality (AR)
Jiyuan Liu
Gamble is a media installation that utilizes AR technology to explore profound philosophical themes inspired by Buddhism, such as the meaning of life and death. The installation creatively incorporates elements of gambling and tarot cards to provide viewers with an interactive and playful experience.
Whispers of a Willow, 2024, Mixed Media Installation
Taylor Dunfield
Whispers of a Willow is an installation featuring a handmade willow tree that plays conversations and stories through old, repurposed wired phones. The installation highlights the value of spending time with loved ones while we can.
