Final Project Proposal

Okay, I know the general vibe and concept that I'm focused on, but I still have some questions about how to execute it that I would love some help on. Following the theme in "A Body That Reminds / A Thing That Remembers", I want to explore the way we are touched by people and places of importance in our lives, and how we carry them with us. The way I want to capture this is by blurring my body with the space I am installing in, covering both the space and my body in drawings, paintings, words, and other people-reminders I've collected. I'm going to "install" myself in the room, and "install" these objects on my body. 

I want to capture a similar feeling of my dorm room, shown in the pictures above, but more fully covered and without furniture, just the objects. I think rather than taking everything out of my room and moving it to the space, I would probably just use the objects in my people-reminder keepsake box, and then paint image/replicas of the rest of the objects currently on display in my room.

I also want to play with white space versus covered space. My instinct is to cover the room completely, but I know that I am so young, and I have not even met everyone I will love or be loved by yet, or been to all of the places that will move me. 

I'm also inspired by these other spaces in the homes of my family friends, my "uncle" Carl and my honorary second mother Amy. Carl built a shed in his backyard (some pictures on the right) that is filled with knickknacks, art, and objects collected over his many years of running estate sales, or being a "junk man" as we affectionately call him. Below is Amy's living room, pictured during her holiday sing-along party. Both of these spaces are nostalgic to me, they make me think of home, and family, and all of the love I've grown up surrounded by. 

Some more details about my installation: I want there to be an interactive aspect, something for the viewers to take home with them. I think maybe I want to have skin-safe painting and art supplies so that they can paint on themselves. Or perhaps I paint on them, like a temporary tattoo artist, giving them a physical manifestation of something that reminds them of the people and places they've loved. So that when they go home the next day they remember that they carry those people and places with them, physically, in their bodies. 

I've included below some assorted pictures from Pinterest that have a similar feel of what I'm going for. The idea of white space as seen in the one that makes a diagonal shape is interesting to me, but I think I want it to be less intentional and more random because I don't carve out perfectly shaped spaces in my life for future things/people, space opens and fills more organically. 

Some questions I have remaining: 

1. What space? I know I want it to feel cozy and inviting, not too sterile, and I want it to be big enough that people can walk around and immerse themselves, but small enough that I can easily fill it up. I think it will be easiest to just use the Mudd gallery because it is fairly neutral and I can fill it. But I do like the idea of having windows through which you can see trees and the earth and the sky, so maybe somewhere like Esch on the 2nd floor of Warch? Haven't decided. 
2. I think I want some way for viewers to also leave their mark on me/the space. Maybe inviting them to draw/write something on my body or on the walls. Is this too much? Instead of or in addition to the body painting on them, maybe letting them choose how they want to interact with my piece.
3. I think the space will feel empty if it's just me and the walls and no other large objects in the room. Agree/disagree? Some ideas to fill the physical space in addition to the wall space: 
1. Have like 2-3 other people/space/objects to be in the space with me as well, with their bodies similarly marked but with things/people/places significant to them. Then they can also be temporary tattoo artist/body painters with me, and help me paint on the viewers. 
2. Create giant replicas of some of my objects, like my necklace but with the coin the size of a dinner plate and the cord as thick as my arm that I can interact with in some way as I spend time in the space. 
4. The process of covering my body in objects/art/words before the performance/piece itself I think may also be fun/interesting. Should I take a video of that and project it into the space somehow? Is that too complicated? 

I welcome any and all possible answers to these questions! I think perhaps my project is also a little too ambitious, so if anyone has suggestions of how to pare down I would welcome that too.