ACTLab: Ashley Arechiga's Index: Dream and Delirium: Project 2
The Actlab has been a place of open expression, growth, art, science, music, love, frienship, theatre, and community. We (Ashley and Rawan) wanted to give something back to the Actlab. We dedicate our collaboration to Sandy Stone, the Actlab, our classmates, and all the students that will enjoy Actlab in the future.
To watch this presentation, press play on the middle video then follow the instructions! ;o)
Our film incorporates all Actlab classes: The Uncanny, Extreme Freestyle Hacking, Trans, Weird Science, Dream/ Delirium, Postmodern Gothic, Death, Performance, When Cultures Collide, and Soundscapes. We intertwine stop-motion animation and filmed scenes to resemble “project day” in an Actlab class. Our characters are abstract representations of people in class presenting projects. We also portray the students in our Dream and Delirium class through Photoshoped face combinations.
Preparation
Our final project includes small skits that together represent the Actlab’s final day presentations through character depictions of students enrolled in the class. Below are summaries of our skits:
Weird Science:
We used whole milk, neon food coloring, regular food coloring, and liquid laundry detergent. When the milk and liquid laundry detergent mix, the milk begins to contract and expand. The food coloring makes these patterns more visible. The end result is a beautiful mix of art and science.
Extreme Freestyle Hacking:
We decided to perform a social hack for this part of our project. During finals week, we made a candy trail using Reese’s Pieces and Butterfinger Bars. The candy trail led to a note that said, “Don’t let your education get in the way of learning. Good luck on finals! Love, Actlab.” We filmed peoples’ reaction to the candy trail and their willingness to eat the chocolate.
Postmodern Gothic:
This scene shows a monster destroying a saloon and the people in it. Bebe, our main character, is Ashley’s beautiful black cat. In this project, she plays the role of an oversized monster. We filmed ourselves on green screen and later edited ourselves as characters in the scene. The saloon set is made out of balsa wood, and Styrofoam. Our characters have an old Hollywood feel.
The Uncanny:
To evoke an uncanny feeling, our scene combines the insinuation of foul smelling things and the taste of chocolate. For this project, we flashed images of gross things like Bad Body Odor, Bad Breath, Armpits, Sewage, Roadkill, Used Diapers, Sweaty Gym Socks, Feet, Garbage Dump, Earthworms, Wet Dog Hair… You get the picture. After suggesting all these disgusting facts of life, we offer the audience delicious brownies... Uncanny, huh?
When Cultures Collide:
For this scene we see two flash animated characters, a saltshaker and a cupcake fall in love. Although comical and lighthearted, this scene expresses acceptance for mixed race, mixed gender, mixed sex, mixed class, mixed anything love. (As long as there is concent.)
Trans:
Our Trans scene is based on a book by Kees Mo entitled, New at the Zoo: A Mix-and-Match Pop-up Book. We mix and match animals giving each a weird and distinct voice. Featured in this scene are animals such as a Zeger (Zebra+Tiger), Cakey (Camel+Monkey), and a Tipo (Tiger + Hippo).
Death:
For this scene we cut out catoon caracters from our childhood books such as Power Rangers, Dr. Suess, and Scooby Doo. We taped the characters standing up to a piece of poster board. The images overlap to create a story on the poster board. The scene is a fight between good and evil. In the end, we see the villains die in creative ways.
Soundscapes:
For soundscapes, we wanted to involve the audience in our project MAKING THEM the project. We made instruments for everyone in class that include small jingle bells, large jingle bells, kazoos, party favors, and Popsicle sticks. Pictures of each instrument flash on screen, and the audience plays the corresponding instrument in their goody bag. Together, we all make music.
Dream/Delirium:
The film in its entirety is our dream and delirium project. Actlab is like a dream, allowing students to explore their thoughts and ambitions openly. This Dream and Delirium project concludes the nostalgic reflection on Actlab.