Of Past and Present

This project was awarded the Perry Family Award, given to one student out of the senior exhibition in recognition of their efforts.

Of Past and Present explores the historical and cultural impact of ancient artifacts through the convergence of graphic design, archaeology, and art history. This discovery is approached through the creation of letterforms and illustrations based on the material culture of four civilizations: Mesopotamia, Indus Valley, Mesoamerica, and South America.

Objects in the collection were selected based on their historical impact and value in relation to their individual culture. Once establishing the original sources, the letterforms were created from the formal qualities presented in each artifact.

Artifacts and Augmented Reality

To display the collection, I mixed the artifacts and illustrations together to create a message for visitors to decipher with the augmented reality app, Artivive.

After placing their phone or iPad over the individual illustrations, animations played to display the corresponding civilization and period that the artifact was created in.

Each civilization was given a color in correspondence to different values in their society. For example, Mesoamerica was given teal to show the value of jade while Indus Valley was given a bright green to display the importance of agriculture.

The noise texture of the illustrations is inspired by the effects of ancient stamp seals on materials such as clay, while the grain filter is inspired by historical photography in archaeological excavations.

Exhibition Side Elements

The installation was accompanied by a catalog of the artifacts for visitors to flip through along with stickers to take home.

The book is divided into each civilization with a brief description of common themes, motifs, and iconography within the culture’s art style. Viewers are then able to learn more about each artifact and its significance within its culture and the entire collection.

To view the entire publication visit: Of Past and Present Catalog

Process Video

This video shows an insight into the process of this capstone exhibition. The semester-long project began with initial research and various experiments to test the extraction of forms.

Overall, the message reveals “More Alike than Different” representing the commonalities of today with that of the past.