These last two days have been the most eventful by far, as we finally set up the plinths for the exhibition, the posters and flyers, and the review system for the audience’s experience, among a few other things.
I played my part in the production side, acting on the risk assessment I’d wrote by taping down the seven projector plug cords with white duck tape, reducing the possibility of the audience being tripped over, as it cannot move and the tape is easy to see in the dark. I took responsibility in learning how to set up the haze machine by reading its manual on Friday the 15th, before having it set up on Saturday. The purpose of the haze later came to light, surprising us all, including Hannah herself. The effect really brought the experience to life.
I tried to maintain the conditions in the hall by having a fair amount of haze and keeping the entrance closed as often as possible, while the machine produced the gas intermittently. We later realised that it was getting too the cloudy inside, so cloudy we could faintly taste it, and turned it off – a lesson for another day. I had to problem solve with the team, when attempting to drape over the distracting features of the room, by contributing my ideas to everyone else’s. I even made attempts to get more viewers for the exhibition by giving out flyers to those in the area, which was new and nerve-racking, as randomly talking to strangers on the street has never been my strong suit.
All in all, this has been the most enjoyable and learning experience, as I’ve; put my D&T knowledge into practice, seeing its importance and effectiveness in real life situations first hand, improved my attitude and effectiveness in teams, learned how to operate a haze machine, a lesson I could later apply to my future (art) projects, and improved my confidence by pushing out of my comfort zone.
