Narratives is inspired by the rich history of Johnson County and the fact that libraries are heavily used by younger and older demographics. Permanent yet ever changing, Narratives is composed of a large array of images from the Johnson County Historical Archive that are projected in random combinations and durations to create spontaneous stories and visual connections. Narratives is illustrated below, sited in the library’s atrium. By using translucent scrims, the piece maintains the lightness of the space.
Realization consists of three components:
- Three or more suspended translucent scrims, each with a dedicated projector
- A bank of images selected from the Johnson County Historical Archive, and potentially other sources
- A computer program designed to randomly select images for projection and assign a variable duration
Narratives includes an interface for library visitors to create their own narratives and to learn more about the images: Using the interface, visitors browse and select images to be projected. This could be accomplished via a dedicated terminal in the library, a web-based interface that allows people who are remote from the library to interact with the artwork, or a mobile app that allows visitors within the library to interface with the artwork from their mobile devices.