Planetarium shows, or full dome videos, are a way that I can combine my interest in immersive physical environments with my video, animation, and sound work. Editing in a circular format, when video is projected on the dome the edges of the circle become the horizon line, small movements are blown up to massive scale, and distortion of straight and curved lines add interesting dimensions to video. I began working in full dome for a planetarium concert in early 2020, and have completed several short films and music videos since then, as well as an interactive show that involved live performance an audience participation.
​Aqueous Dissolve is an essay film and audience-engaged performance that probes the various states of water and human relationships, from the scientific to the erotic. Two narrators—Solvent, who is live in the theater, and Conductor, who appears on screen—impersonate guides from educational films and planetarium presentations. The immersive video is a layered wash of clips that capture bodies of water from across the country, dotted with animation and textiles. A soundscape of watery field recordings accompanies the narration while the audience is asked to engage through repeating wet words in unison, generating liquid noises with their mouths, and participating in a guided meditation. The experience is framed by references including hydrofeminist scholar Astrida Neimanis, spiritual teacher Malidoma Somé, and experimental musician Pauline Oliveros.
What is a Ghost? This inquiry leans away from the paranormal when considering ghost as concept through tangental research and personal story. Edited for full dome, this six-minute short is an abbreviated version of a long form video installation, accompanied by an eight page zine.
Concerts Under the Stars is an ongoing series of concerts that take place in the planetarium at the Grand Rapids Public Museum during the winter months. Local bands play a live set with an intermission, and for each show an artist creates original visuals for the dome. I worked with the band Lazy Genius and made eleven videos for their hour-long set. The videos are timed to each song and collaged together hand-drawn and stop-motion animation, captured nature footage, and patchwork fabric art from my archive. During the concerts I ran the live projections as well as added lighting effects on the dome.