Dear You,

Dear You was a magnificent experience that gave me a reason to do two of my favorite things: dream big and collect stories. That is what this is all about, really; the mechanical movement and light and coding were all so that I could deliver these stories to you, and let you know that this journey, whatever your journey may be, is exactly what the world needs right now.

Sincerely, Audrey

Role: Design Lead | Timeframe: 6 weeks | Year: 2018

Problem: How might we create a compelling interactive exhibit to welcome freshman students to Pitt?

Approach: I was the design lead of Dear You, responsible for the original idea and overall aesthetic coordination of the exhibit. The project occurred over a period of six weeks and gave me an intense learning experience with the design process, quick deadlines, project management, and digital fabrication.

Solution: The end result was a kinetic sculpture exhibit that consisted of 48 flying swallows that responded to a series of buttons. The concept melds the competing themes of a bird flying solo for the first time and a flock navigating the skies together to represent the tension between a student getting their first taste of freedom at college and becoming part of their new university family. From left to right, the three interactive buttons illuminated the wooden lattice nest, set the flock of swallows flying faster, and printed an authentic piece of advice printed out for the viewer to take with them. A life-size pair of wooden lattice wings on the wall behind the user transforms them into “birds” in the mirror, welcoming them into their new flock. The heart of the exhibit lay in the pieces of advice that printed out when participants activated the third button in the lineup. These sixty two pieces of advice were curated from people of all ages and majors from across the country and programmed into a library of letters that the exhibit would pull from when the button was pressed (herein lies the origin of the title, Dear You). I was in charge of curating and programming the advice as well as stringing up the birds with tensioned wire.

Dear You is my proudest project to date. This experience taught me that I want to be a designer and work on interactive exhibits like this one that create meaningful experiences for others.

The user experience, demonstrated by me :)