Field Work I

1. Narrative: The story, the back or pre story, the other or hidden story, the message

It poses an interesting question. Where does happiness come from? I was aware people find their happiness in different things, but I never thought about the happiness having many definitions.

2. Aesthetic: The appeal (what pulls you in?), the reward or take away, the skill/mastery of the artist on display, the new/different/unusual

I noticed the color theme being two shades of blue, yellow, and orange at the entrance: the ceiling decoration, and the visitor selfie display.

At first I didn’t put much thought of the selections of this color scheme and thought they were pleasing combinations, then I realize the purpose of them when I got to the area, “HAPPINESS IS FLEETING*,” where dials can be used to indicate how certain things make one happy or unhappy; orange indicates the happiest, the dark blue indicates the unhappiest, and the shades of those colors in between. 

3. Mechanical: Technique, Form/structure, Methods, Symbolism

It piques viewers' curiosity with a series of interesting questions in comparison of human's experience with other creatures, and it highlights an opposite perspective by contrasting with *.

This exhibit allowed many opportunities for the public to participate in and experience activities. For example, the happiness indicator board allowed the public to participate in creating a display. There were different color tags with slightly different questions of what “made me happy,” “makes me happy,” and “will make me happy,” prompting people to consider their happiness experience of their past, present, and future. "Feelings in color" area enabled people experience the feeling in a visual form.

4. Dynamic: Surprise, Tension, Emotion and Movement

I never thought that the actual words that get translated to happiness may have different meanings, so this concept was very intriguing. At first I thought it was odd that this exhibit displayed different happy words in drawers instead of displaying in an open space. But I found that the activity of pulling each drawer out somehow made me feel curious and excited as if I am secretly checking out the content of some stranger’s dresser. 

5. Connections: To other works (in and out of the medium/genre), to history, to oneself, to the designer’s other works, your discipline.