Rachel Ernisse's Collective Perception Reflection Paper

          Our installation, Collective Perception, was not only a learning experience, but also an enjoyable, cooperative experience. I enjoyed working alongside with my fellow classmates, collaborating and sharing our ideas, interviewing our subjects, and ultimately getting the chance to speak with Simon himself, the inspiration for our piece. The installation itself took up some time, but I believe it was all worth it. I didn’t expect this when signing up for Interactive Media and I’m very glad that I was able to be a part of something larger than myself.

            In the beginning we separated into groups and started brainstorming immediately. Here is when I first got to know some of the members of the class and discovered soon how creative and relatable we all were. Once we had our concept down, we easily came together to present the idea to the whole class, and ultimately through collaboration we were able to come together as a class to decide what the installation was going to be. I very much enjoyed this process because not only was I able to express my ideas, but my peers were also free to share theirs as well. Not one person tried taking control, yet we were able to accept some ideas and turn down others as a group. Once we had our plan we took to the streets to interview strangers, and to my surprise they reciprocated pretty well. Instead of being closed off and short, many people were eager to share their thoughts.  We had a couple of turndowns, but for the most part the public was willing and happy to participate. Our final installation turned out very simple yet insightful. I’m very happy with our outcome, and if I could change one thing that would be to make it on a larger scale, such as more participants and larger prints, however these are only minor things in comparison to the concept, which I think communicates the message perfectly with the viewer.

            I am very glad to have been apart of this project and to have shared the experience with the whole class. I wasn’t sure if we would all come together to be on the same page considering we all have our own perceptions, however not only were we able to come together to make this a reality but it was also an enjoyable process. I want to thank Simon for taking the time to speak with us and providing us with our inspiration, also Erika and Jaroslava for allowing us to use the space in the gallery and providing us with support. I also want to thank Martine and all of my peers for this enjoyable experience. I’m excited to tackle our next project!