DEVELOPMENT:

With my initial idea of distorting images by projecting onto balloons, and then revealing them by allowing for audiences to pop them, I have done a few tests.

I had technical difficulty working with the projector (because my laptop is a mac and I couldn’t figure out the settings) and so was stuck with an image of a landscape (not intentional). However, during the mishap, I realized that initial idea of projecting onto multiple coloured balloons would most likely not work because it was difficult to see colours on top of more colour. Also, images of a larger view such as a landscape were too easily recognized.

When I finally was able to borrow another laptop to work with, I googled and image of a black and white photo of a close up face, and the results vastly improved. However, the photo was still to recognizable unless looking from another angle.    

However, the photo was still to recognizable unless looking from another angle. I tried again on white coloured balloons, but once again I had technological difficulties. But I was still able to see some things that were helpful.

The colours were far clearer on the white balloons, and they blended better with the white pin board and so there wasn’t such a distinction and disruption in the flow of balloons. Another accident with the projector led me to think that using words could also be an interesting subject to project. The balloons didn’t necessarily distort the words, but made the sentence difficult to read. With the idea of having an image distorted and then a big reveal once balloons are popped, it could be interesting to have a phrase that is more meaningful projected onto the balloons. It could come across as insightful, especially if the phrase once the balloons were popped was not the phrase you initially thought was being projected. I think it would also be an area to explore because the audience participation would have somewhat changed. The relationship between the balloons and people would have changed, as instead of being an obstacle to reveal the real image, they could potentially become a lesson or symbolic of something depending on the phrase.

Over all, the canvas-like quality of the white balloons made me favour them over the red ones because of the versatility and the cleaner look of them. The white is quieter and easier for people to have their own interpretations and project their own ideas/thoughts/feelings onto as well as the literal projection.