Vis-a-thon 2026
Submersion
Authors
Kylie Pasternak Graduate, University of Rhode Island, Ocean Engineering
COLLABORATOR Cristy Falcone MLA, Rhode Island School of Design, Landscape Architecture
Critic
Rafael Attias
This project reconfigures the raw materials of underwater acoustic data study to convey the human experience of research. The participant and collaborator found there was a great deal of overlap in the emotional processes of art, design, and scientific research and sought to represent these via a multimedia presentation. Processed audio, video, and layered images were combined to highlight the aesthetic qualities of the acoustic research and set them in a new context outside of the limitations of research.
INITIAL PROPOSAL NOTECARD
"Walking into day 1, Cristy had created two audio recordings and a video from the Matlab derived data. The conversations inspiring the project to this point had been centered around trying to have fun when you don’t know what you’re doing, a familiar struggle for artists and scientists alike. We were hoping to create something perceptively confusing, overwhelming, and playful, but we started the day without a clear idea for what the main visual component would be."
—Kylie
Cristy, to Kylie: “go home and sketch.” Kylie: “OK!” …… pause …….. “like, sketch what?” Cristy: “whatever you want this to turn out as, see what comes to mind”
"The idea for the projector was that we would project the video on the prints but the effect in real life was different from what we anticipated. We had competing problems. The movie looked best in low light while the prints looked best in direct light. We scrapped the projector in favor of a television screen and shined a spotlight on the prints."
—Kylie
FINAL OUTCOME IMAGES
Tools Used in the Project
Acetate Printing Audio Recording Sound Equipment
Copyright
© Submersion, 2026
This material is based upon work supported in part by the National Science Foundation under EPSCoR Cooperative Agreement #OIA-1655221.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.