Surrounded
Interactive Painting Series
This painting series reflects on the people who have shaped my life, who have been affected by disabilities, and how those connections led me to my research. Each portrait carries its own presence through color; sometimes restless, sometimes calm, sometimes shifting in unexpected ways. Projection mapping adds motion and light, filling in what paint leaves open and revealing names as viewers step closer. Together, it became the point where my personal story and research purpose first met.
Project Contribution
01
Painting and visual composition
02
Concept development and narrative framing
03
Creative coding and projection mapping
04
Interaction design through proximity
05
Documentation and installation setup
Context &
conceptual approach
The series began as a way to process relationships, memory, and identity through portraiture. Rather than depicting likeness alone, each painting explores emotional states through color and abstraction, allowing presence to be felt rather than explained.
The work is intentionally incomplete until activated by the viewer. Movement, distance, and proximity become part of the piece, reinforcing the idea that meaning emerges through interaction and presence, not passive observation.
Interaction
through projection
Projection mapping adds a temporal layer to the paintings, introducing light, motion, and subtle animation that responds to the viewer’s position. As someone approaches, names are revealed, momentarily surfacing before fading again.
This interaction was designed to feel quiet and intimate, emphasizing closeness and attention rather than spectacle.
Designing for reflection
Surrounded is less about interactivity as novelty and more about creating space for reflection. By combining static painting with responsive projection, the work explores how meaning can exist between what is shown and what is withheld.
The series marks a moment where my personal history and research questions began to converge, shaping how I now approach design, storytelling, and inclusion.