The Beach, 2022
The Beach was an immersive installation that converted a gallery and performance space into a beach. Using the Unity game engine I created a simulation of a full day/night on the beach. The sun rose and set, occasionally the moon came out and the waves endlessly crashed against the shore.
The goal of the project was to recreate a place that has always been one of introspection for me at a time (February) in a place (Iowa) where an ocean beach was inaccessible. The idea was to provide visitors the opportunity to introspect without demanding they do so. During the project run people used the beach as a beach. Kids played, adults read books, chatted, and just stared out at the waves. Many people came back daily to sit on the beach and one visitor reported that she made the decision to quit her job and re-evaluate what she was doing while on the beach. The images above also show a sample of special events and performances that took place on the beach.
