Introduction
Upon entering the webpage, not much information is presented aside from the course title. Pink hexagons form a honeycomb pattern while soft piano music plays in the background, creating a very mysterious vibe. Clicking one of the blank hexagons leads to a poem…
The design of this exhibit focuses on the theme of secrecy found throughout the class readings. Regarding the layout, I chose Tumblr as the platform because users can submit their own questions and comments to this page. Considering the theme of secrecy, this exhibit can engage the audience by encouraging them to submit their own secrets. Also, pink is the main colour of the page because according to colour psychology, pink is a calming colour that suggests safety and vulnerability – something that could influence how the audience receives the exhibit and choses to participate. I also added a music player with Yiruma’s River Flows In You, because I believe that calming music would work with the colour psychology, creating a calm and “safe” environment which would fit the theme of secrecy. Overall, the goal of the design/layout of the exhibit is to provoke curiosity and encourage people to engage.
The content of this exhibit itself is about secrets. The form of the objects is representative of expression. To illustrate, all the “objects” share the form of poetry – a form of self-expression often used to tell stories or express emotions. Furthermore, the poems selected all refer to some sort of secret; for example, a nightmare, a secret universe, or even coming out. Although these poems are similar due to the theme, their content and meaning is completely different, thus relating to a wider audience. The poems are mostly text (2 are images), because it is impactful by solely focusing on the words and resonating strongly in the reader’s mind, rather than having an image to distract from the words. If the poems were in another format, such as an image or audio file, I believe that the meaning of the poems would change. For instance, an audio file would be spoken in a certain tone, taking away from how the audience perceives it. In text form, it is just the reader and the words, and their own interpretation.
Each poem selected is important to the story being told in this exhibit. For example, Rupi Kaur’s poem gives me the chills because it tells the truth, a secret that all humans hide – their true selves. This reminds me of a Japanese proverb: “You have three faces. The first face, you show to the world. The second face, you show to your close friends, and your family. The third face, you never show anyone.” This is the only poem in the exhibit with a drawing, because I feel as if the drawing enhances the impact of the poem. If I were to take away the drawing or my comment, it would change how my audience understood the poem.
The one poem that stands out the most is a poem by Pablo Neruda, possibly because it is the longest and it is in another language. Pablo Neruda is the first Latin poet I have known of, and Queda Prohibido is my favourite poem by him. It is not especially famous like his other poems, but it holds significant meaning to me because I would read this when I was going through difficult times, and it has become my go-to poem when I am trying to relax or motivate myself. I did not provide a translation because I did not want the meaning to get lost. Those who speak Spanish may understand it in a different way than those who translate it.
To summarize, this exhibit is representative of the theme of secrecy. Not only is the content about secrets, the design of the exhibit is meant to be secretive and produce curiosity. Furthermore, my goal is to have the audience engage in this exhibit by submitting their own secrets (anonymously, of course). When exploring this exhibit, keep an open mind and be prepared to immerse yourself in poetry.