You Are Beautiful (2019)
"You Are Beautiful" was a personal initiative of mine that I started in 2019 to bring awareness to the harmful effects that social media has on younger women. As a big brother myself, it is important to me that my little sister is confident inn who she is regardless of the pressure she feels like social media has placed on her. I decided to hold a sit down conversation with a few of my friends to get their feedback on their experiences with social media and how it has effected them. We premiered "You Are Beautiful" live in front of nearly 50 people. The full 30 minute conversation is posted on YouTube.
"Purgatory" (2022)
“Purgatory” is an abstract mind scape that i created for my senior thesis project my final year at Prairie View. Purgatory gives others a glimpse into how I feel on a daily basis with the hope that experiencing my project helps them become more aware of their own mental space. This project consisted of three parts: an interactive Generative Art piece, immersive Virtual Reality experience, & a Non Fungible Token.
The Generative Art function of my project will directly reflect how the user is feeling by exploring the correlation between heart rate and emotion. From the data gathered through a Pulse Sensor, the user will see a Perlin Noise Field that directly reflects their emotions, offering live feedback on their physical condition (heart rate) and how it is a result of their mental state. The Perlin Noise Flow Field was constructed using Processing and Arduino.
Purgatory is an immersive Virtual Reality experience that is a simulation designed to put the users in my shoes. I have a recurring dream where I’m floating and I can’t touch the ground despite my efforts. The ground is the place where I need to be, where I can create actual change but I float aimlessly the entire time. The simulation was created using the Unreal Engine and Adobe Dimension. Certain aspects like the door handles and posters were assembled in Dimension. Assets from Adobe stock were used as well.
The Purgatory NFT was created and rendered out using ZBrush. The NFT is composed of words that I either use to associate myself, or I feel others associate me with. This avatar is completely 3-Dimensional and was left intentionally hollow in the middle to further drive the theme of Purgatory. The negative words that make up the NFT are the words that swim through my head when I feel lost.
Generative Art
Virtual Reality
NFT
Graduation Photos (2023)
