May 15 – June 19, 2020
Featuring work by Braeden Glen, Connor Smith, Elisabetta Paiano, Katelyn Kerr, Maraiah Tantalo, Ronan Donnelly, Tayiah Goertzen
Factory Media Centre is pleased to present the McMaster Multimedia 2020 Thesis Exhibition. This online showcase features multidisciplinary works by seven creators of all conceptual practices.
Every Spring, FMC partners with the graduates of the McMaster Multimedia program to celebrate the end of their studies with a final exhibition of their thesis projects. This show often serves as Hamilton’s first look at fresh new media talent and ideas. Due to the worldwide effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we are celebrating the students’ achievements online this year.
Grab a warm drink, get settled, and take some time to review the 2020 Graduate projects featuring children’s books, clothing designs, interactive sculpture and video, photography and posters. On behalf of FMC: Congratulations, we can’t wait to see what you do next!
Braeden Glen
The main goal of my artwork was to create an urban feel to the Pop Art style. As pop-art is focused on experiences and objects in daily life I tried to mix that notion with modern society in a vibrant and eye-catching art style.
I am a recent graduate of the Multimedia program as McMaster. For the last 6 years I have had my own clothing brand where I have designed and created all of the graphics for my brand. My experience with my company has sparked my love for media art, with my focus on graphic design, photography and video.
Instagram: @_kastra Facebook: Braeden Kastra
Connor Smith
Jared the Mud Monster and Suzie the Gnat is an illustrated children’s book about learning to be yourself. The main goal of the illustrations were to enhance what the text offered. I tried to mix two different styles with my foreground and background assets to make it easier for a younger audience to know what are the important parts to look at. Jared discovers throughout his journey that it doesn’t matter what you look like, you just have to be you. Click here to read Jared the Mud Monster and Suzie the Gnat.
I am a new graduate from the Communications and Multimedia program. I am passionate about graphic design and illustration, as well as story telling through images and videos. Illustrating was my first media passion so I found it fitting to relate my thesis accordingly. However throughout the duration of the program I have found myself creating work across all multiple mediums including videography, photography and photo manipulation and audio pieces.
Instagram/Vimeo: @designedbyconnor
Elisabetta Paiano
Touch is a large-scale installation project consisting of tapestries, yarn, various fabrics and electronics. The focal point of the piece is a tapestry with multiple sound-reactive LED lights attacehd to it. The intention is to draw the viewer to make the connection between old forms of technology and new forms. The loom in this project was made to serve it’s purpose in the most rudimentary way; however, looms have advanced throughout the years and it was the Jacquard Loom; which used punch cards to inform the machine how to weave, that inspired binary code which as we know has lead to the development of modern day computers. All the different materials used in the project in conjunction with the reactive lights call the viewer to think about the history of materials and just like a tapestry grows and blossoms one string at a time, technology continues to advance everyday, right before our eyes.
I have recently graduated from McMaster University with a Combined degree in Honours Multimedia and Sociology. I plan on continuing my practice with textiles and technology as a way of broadening conceptions of what ‘multimedia’ really can be.
Instagram: @elisabettapaiano
Katelyn Kerr
Green Gene was a photo series highlighting the regrowth and almost a rebirth that occurs at springtime. With the current situation of the coronavirus, I wanted to make a time-based piece that shows the reclamation that the earth is experiencing with less human traffic.
I am a graduate of the Honours Communications and Multimedia program at McMaster University. I have a passion for the outdoors, as well as plants of all kinds. Growing up, I have always been surrounded by nature and greenery, and as a result this is where I feel most at peace. I hope my work evokes a similar feeling in the viewer.
Maraiah Tantalo
Pierre’s Difficult Day is a children’s story I wrote and illustrated to promote mental health awareness. The story is about a pink seal named Pierre and the troubles he is facing with his mother. His mother has depression but Pierre does not understand why she does and why she is acting in such a manner.
The reason I made this book is to create a story that is easy for kids and parents to read about depression. Depression is a difficult topic to discuss and it’s become more important for me to vocalize this topic in a way that may help people better understand it. I love illustrating and making cute images for people to enjoy and with this project it holds more meaning behind it. Thank you for taking the time to look at my book! Click here to read Pierre’s Difficult Day.
I recently graduated from McMaster University majoring in Communications and Multimedia. I really enjoy graphic design and illustrating. Lately, I have been developing my skills and design style through small personal projects. I hope to pursue a career where I can utilize my skills and develop more illustrations on a larger scale. Working on this project allowed me to refine my skills as an illustrator while helping me discover my own original style.
Instagram: @designsbymaraiah
Ronan Donnelly
The Beauty of the Artificial is a performative, generative, and interactive piece. It is a series of forty procedually-generated poems, visualized through a slideshow of GAN images. The resulting imagery coincides directly with the poetry, as the images are rendered based on the words being read. Each time a user presses the designated key, “Q”, a new poem will begin to play. Viewers are encouraged to listen closely to the words and attempt to associate the images with what they’re hearing. The purpose of the piece is to experiment with generative media, as well as to study the quality of the generated imagery. Some stills seem to have no correlation, while some seem to present definite examples of the words in the poem. Regardless, it is up to audience to try and connect the dots! This piece is meant to be interactive and fun. I hope you enjoy! Special thanks to: Dr. David Harris Smith, Zak Ristivojevic, & Braeden Glen.
As of the completion of this project, I am now a McMaster Communications & Multimedia graduate! Although my interests in the artistic field seem to span across the board, I am particularly interested in generative media, digital audio, advertising copywriting, and installation art. My favourite artists include; Refik Anadol, Olafur Eliasson, & Hans Zimmer. As I now have some time off in quarantine, I hope to develop personal skills and try out new ideas in the meantime. I am looking to spend some time in Germany, Ireland, and Austria this year before pursuing a master’s degree in 2021!
Tayiah Goertzen
I have created a series of 8 promotional posters for a Hamilton animal shelter called Animal Adoptions of Flamborough. I wanted to remind people how these shelter animals need a home too, and should not be forgotten about. To make the posters, I illustrated everything besides the text by hand on Adobe Illustrator, and I put each poster together using Adobe InDesign. Each illustration has been created based on real photos of the pets. I tried to capture the animal’s actual colouring and the space that they are in has been carefully thought out based on the description of the animals on the website and each animal’s unique personality. I have sent these posters to Animal Adoptions of Flamborough so that they can use the posters to promote themselves, by putting them up around the city, in their shelter, and posting them on their website and social media. My ultimate goal with this project is to help create awareness about the shelter and about adopting in general, so that these animals will not be forgotten, and that they can find the forever homes that they deserve!
I am a recent graduate of McMaster University, with a major in Multimedia, and a specialized minor in Commerce. I am interested in pursuing a career in graphic design and advertising since I have found a passion in creating illustrations, logos, posters and more. Since I currently have a lot of free time on my hands, I have been building my own personal portfolio and working on developing my Adobe After Effects Skills. I am always looking for new opportunities to gain experience and share my creative ideas with others!
Instagram: @tayiah_designs Website: tayiah.com
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