I prepared for the final exam by setting up two spaces where I would present my project to the censors: the gallery and a dark room where a demo of Stardust could be experienced by them. At this point in my process, Stardust was almost finished, and I needed to tweak a couple of things, but would do so before the final exhibition/end of year show.
The main presentation about my process and project took place in a gallery space at Khio. I arranged my work and displayed visual essays and booklets about each stage of my research.
For the second space, I transformed a meeting room into a dark space where the censors could experience Stardust. I did some previous testing using a big screen just to get the set-up right (projector distance, angles, etc.).
The meeting room that was transformed into a dark space for the installation.
Testing the angle of where the mirror should be (I ended up using plexi mirror plates).
After testing the set-up, I decided to use big mirrors and get rid of the screen (the stardust would be on the participant’s body). There was an inconvenience on the day of my exam though. All these tests I have done at night, but my exam was scheduled at 9 am. In the Norwegian summer, this means that it is very, very bright outside, and the light came through the glass wall in that room. I needed to black out the room entirely. I asked for some theater curtains (great for absorbing light) from the theater department, and me and my friend Vibeke blacked out the room completely.
I presented for the external and internal censors. The 25 minutes went extremely fast, and after a couple of weeks I got the deliberation and grade. I was very happy to hear I got an A and that although the installation was a working prototype (needed details to be finished) the process and research (dissertation) were satisfactory. I got great written feedback from them as well!
What was left was set-up for the end of year show.
