Date

April 9, 2023.

Programs Used

Adobe Illustrator.

For the Project

My place and displacement project focuses on the theme of feeling out of place in a culture that is not my own. I explored the culture of growing up in the town where you attend college. In the bubble is a girl, who looks a bit discouraged, standing next to her house in the rolling hills of Pullman. Outside of the bubble is an array of Washington State University staples and college activities. There is football, objects to cheer with, a WSU flag, Bryan Hall, a group of studying students, and music notes around some kind of drink. Every picture outside of the bubble is a fun or social activity that a student can participate in or go to while they are students. They are aspects of college culture. The girl in the bubble is unable to reach out and join in.  

My place and displacement project was inspired by Banksy’s graffiti pieces. A lot of Banksy’s outside pieces are painted on dingy, rundown buildings. They are adding life to otherwise lifeless walls and areas. In the “We’re all in the same boat” graffiti piece, the area surrounding the wall is murky and filthy. The graffiti brings a sense of unity, and it brings a little life to a dark place. The graffiti art of the dancing couple does the same in this industrial area.  

My place and displacement project addresses the Element of Color. The college culture pieces of my project to be brighter, livelier, and full of color. The layers in the bubble are more muted and grayer in color. The bubble represents struggle in the midst of aspiring for change. It is a hope that I can reach out and be a part of college more, join in the crazy instead of admiring it from afar. 

Every single layer of this piece was created by using the rectangle tool, ellipse tool, star tool, line segment tool, or paint brush tool. I would use the pen tool and direct selection tool to manipulate the points, arrows, and line segments. The color of the bubble is at 45% opacity. If I needed to copy a shape, I would click, hold, press option, and drag the shape. The background, clock face, and sunset were all created using the gradient tool. I added texture to hair, Bryan Hall, the field, the house roof, and the bush by using various effects in the effects gallery. I used the flag warp effect on the flag and cougar head to make it look like the flag was waving in the wind.  

Banksy. “Outside.” Banksy, https://www.banksy.co.uk/out.html.