Create your own dystopian theater box! use the mouse to select the figures and the arrow keys to change them.

I was listening to the album “Fun Activities in My Bedroom” by Tenebris while designing it.

Statement
With a black box containing cut out papers from a magazine, the project aims to illustrate some of my most important artistic values in theater. When it comes to performance, my biggest goal is to always evoke powerful emotions within the audience, whether it is disgust, fear, or fascination. The more diverse and strong the aroused feelings are, the better. Moreover, the project also depicts my interest in the unknown and the surreal, and the importance of aesthetics and fun in my projects.

Process
The process of conceptualizing the box was intuitive, with me deciding to immediately start cutting up a magazine after having the idea of depicting a small world inside of the box. For most of the time, I was not strictly concerned with sending a message or a political statement, even though it could be interpreted in this way. I was actually completely immersed in the process, just cutting paper and having fun. However, I do know that in the middle of it I could have been under the influence of several subscious ideas. For instance, one of the ways that I interpret the box is through a political lens, with the clothed cricket in the middle representing the elite, pointed out by the cutout message behind: “Every bite counts, save our resources”. Additionally, I could also take the same view and interpret it in a spiritual way, but the last thing that I wanted to do was to be pretentious and try to make a big critique when I was more concerned with the weird visuals.


Reflections
Before presenting it, I was actually a bit hesitant that people would find it way too weird, but after seeing so much fascination by the audience, I was very satisfied. More importantly, the feedback provided by the Professor will be essential for my artistic progression in the field of surrealism, which is an art form that I have always been drawn to, but never formally researched. Overall, I am delighted with the final product, the reception, and the process that it took to build the box.


Physical box emanated from the class "Making Theater" with Joanna Settle. Digital version made for the class "Creative Robotics and Tech" with Merritt Moore.