Greetings and welcome to the 2021 Black Box Exhibition, the annual digital media based art exhibition by CSU East Bay students, and alumni. Selected students and their projects are eligible to receive an award or scholarship and will automatically be entered into our next show, the Rising Exhibition.
Our guest juror this year is Damon Packwood, co-founder and executive director of Gameheads Oakland, a youth program at United Roots’ Youth Impact Hub whose goal is to prepare youth (ages 15-24) for a career in the video game industry. The intention of the Gameheads program is to address the knowledge divide but to do so in a way that is focused on one arm of the tech field: electronic entertainment. Participants of Gameheads will learn how to create, code and design games, building skills across a variety of disciplines from visual art, creative writing, design, programming, sound design, animation, game theory and history.
Since 2014 this digital media based art show has served as an avenue for undergraduate and graduate students to have a space to exhibit and showcase their projects. The original title of the annual Black Box Exhibition was “In the Dark”, named after the necessity of a dark gallery space for proper viewing of screen and light based projects and artwork. Many of us have metaphorically felt like we have been “in the dark” during quarantine, but it is now time to let our light shine and let us not forget what Mahatma Gandhi once said,
“In the midst of darkness, light persists.”
This year has been a challenging year for many but mostly a year of reflecting on the past, focusing on the present, and looking towards the future as the famous painter Bob Ross once said,
“Put light against light-you have nothing. Put dark against dark-you have nothing. It is the contrast of light and dark that give the other one meaning.”
On that note, let’s watch some videos. Let’s unify, come together(virtually), and give each other meaning. Thank you for visiting our virtual exhibition.
Alex Capilla
Fantasy
Animation
2020
Tranquil scenery with a twist
Peter Chang
“Shoulder of Bugs”
Audio Art
2020
Soundscapes and music created using insect and insect eating human sounds
Kassidy Edeal
"Breathe In Uncertainty"
Animation Video
2020
My vision for this project was to create an animation/video that highlights the many ways our breathing has been impacted this year (and in many ways, for our whole lives) due to climate change and pollution, oppression and police brutality, and now a pandemic. While I thought it was important to keep these harsh realities at the forefront of our minds so that we can be motivated to strive for a better world, I wanted to convey the message in a way that is calm and meditative since we are already existing in such anxiety-inducing realities. At the end of the video, I wanted to provide a glimmer of hope by highlighting that we still have the ability to change our reality for the better. I wanted viewers to be left with the realization that love, and making policy that will support people we love, we still have hope for a brighter future where everyone can have clean air to breathe.
Simone Skintone
“Jungles: A Juxtaposition”
Creative Process Video
2020
A video that accentuates both the process of creativity (within my studio space) as well as the process of my mind (amidst a transition from Hawaii jungle to concrete jungle; Oakland, Sobrante Park)
Sahara Gomez
“Moonlight in the Dark”
Animation
2020
Software Used: Maya & Adobe Premiere Pro
Alyssa Contreras
“I'ah Venau”
Digital Painting
2020
Josefina V. Rocha
“Manifestation”
Animation
2021
The purpose of this piece is to give a visual on the manifestation of the characteristics that the tangible planes of the physical world can bring about into the intangibility of the virtual world. The mirror I have created in this sense represents a portal that is meant to create, reflect, and analyze, transporting those characteristics into different worlds and existence. We observe that that is reflected and examined. Though many questions still come about, like "What emotions or sensations can be translated through visual means digitally?" and "How does it look like living in a 'tangible" virtual world?". The clouds presented coming out from the mirror signify the creation and manifestation of what could be, but the viewer gets to decide what becomes. It gives it the sense of being something real and tangible that the audience can grasp on, even though the subject does not represent any concrete or familiar objects. This in essence symbolizes the numerous forms and identities that this piece can take on. A little bit of influence on any aspect can easily manipulate its outcome, emphasizing on the idea of fragility and malleability. There is no one right answer to how the tangibility of the real world can be translated into the intangibility of the virtual world, therefore it can look like anything. Now, eventually, that will be entirely up to you to ultimately decide on.
Peter Chang
“A Buzzy Pop song”
Audio
2019
Soundscapes and music created using insect and insect eating human sounds
Megan Golinveaux
“Anxi: A Game About Anxiety”
2020
Interactive Media/Video Game
Anxi: A Game About Anxiety is a 2D platformer game I made in Unreal meant to teach players about various extreme "anxiety thoughts" I personally learned about from attending Anxiety Toolbox workshops at the Student Health Center at CSUEB. The player plays as the character Anxi who must jump around platforms and face their fears by blasting them with a beam that will turn them friendly. Warning: platforming gameplay can be a little anxiety provoking, but it can also be fun! Any feedback welcome! Thank you.
Michael Yip
“Virus Kingdom”
Comic
2021
This is a ten page digital comic book including back and front covers that I illustrated in Adobe Fresco for my senior project. The story was inspired by the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic as it erupted in Wuhan and eventually, the rest of the world. I was also inspired by stories from movies and video games that have a similar plot to the real-life pandemic. The premise focuses on a Chinese American college student who is one of the only people who constantly monitors this fictional take on the coronavirus pandemic as control of it gets worse while the rest of the world fails to contain or pay more attention to it. The climax of this prologue eventually leads to an apocalypse where my protagonist takes desperate measures in order to survive a collapsing society and to especially avoid infection. In the future, I plan on continuing this original story as part of the post-apocalyptic genre so I can also explore deeper into themes about society, chaos, prejudice, and health/personal hygiene.
Nico Harriman - Alumni
“Forest”
Gif
2020
These are some sprite art tiles that I have been working on for a game I hope to create in the future.
Nico Harriman - Alumni
“Pond”
Gif
2021
These are some sprite art tiles that I have been working on for a game I hope to create in the future.
Connie Tang - Alumni
“Timeless Literary”
Animation
2021
Time passes by when you're reading so much. Illustrated with Clip Studio Paint, animated using Live2D.
Connie Tang - Alumni
“Drinking on the Red River”
Augmented Reality
2020
Eventually I drown in red wine. Illustrated with Clip Studio Paint, animated using DaVinci Resolve.
Ben Hawklyn - Alumni
“Modern Tarot”
2021
APP
Modern Tarot is an application I am making to make playing Tarot accessible to all without having to study all 70+ cards. Stretch goals are to make the app translated into Spanish, and to include other Tarot decks like The Modern Witch Tarot deck. Currently the app works with the most commonly used deck, The Rider Waite Smith deck.
Ben Hawklyn - Alumni
“A Year with Ben Hawklyn”
2020-2021
Video of many creations from 20-21
This project is a glimpse into the knowledge that I have learned throughout the past year. Not in chronological order. I had to cut out many works, as this is already a long video.