Studio Journal: A New Cliche

This next project for Design III was called "A New Cliche." My class was assigned to refine a cliche that exists in our world. We then also had to find some way to distribute our "new cliche" to the public. To quote the assignment sheet, "This project is about the possibilities that lie in referencing shared knowledge; in altering meaning through repetition; and in knowing and
involving your audience." I wanted to create a piece that was not distributed but rather a performance piece in which when others interacted with myself, I create my "new cliche." I finally arrived at a graphic that I believe has much more gravity than people realize these days, and a graphic that is actually quite beautiful in itself. In illustrator I recreated the infamous Macintosh "Pinwheel of Death." For non-mac users, this is a little colorful pinwheel that your mouse morphs into during periods of computer overload and/or processing. I rigged an arm attachment to my constructed pinwheel, in a shield like fashion and bolted the wheel onto another piece of cardboard. The nut and bolt attachment enabled the pinwheel to really spin, which in turn enabled me to mimic the motion and aesthetic of the "Pinwheel of Death" in a large public setting. My idea was to appear in situations like a city street corner during rush hour, a place filled with congested people who are barely moving anywhere. When they see my wheel in action it triggers many emotions, but most likely gives them flash backs of a time when their computer was in a slow process like they are currently in. I felt the project was a success and the feedback I have gotten on and off the street was overwhelmingly positive. I have included a picture that I have taken on George Street during rush hour.