HRH

The Archer (2018)

This is a VR game/cinematic experience with an Oculus Rift created at Indiana University. It was developed in Unity and uses 360-degree imagery with two-dimensional videos and photos.

The story follows the player in a detective role trying to solve a possible suicide or murder mystery. Following the clues and subtle hints throughout the house, the player must then choose carefully the ending of the story.

Game Technicians: Haley Hatfield & Josh Jordan; Writer: Layn Pieratt; Producer: Claire Soisson; Audio Engineer: Deonna Weatherly

LSU Augmented reality App (2018)

See and hear LSU researchers talk about their work to solve some of today’s most pressing challenges. LSU AR content coincides with the articles on coastal land loss, environmental health, natural disaster resilience, smart cities, and economic impact featured in the LSU Research magazine. (discontinued in 2020)

Urban illusions (2017)

Urban Illusions is an immersive and interactive documentary experience that curates moments of reality in virtual environments to educate and expose viewers to a string of social and political issues that have been exposed in Baton Rouge. These moments also reflect a transformative time across the United States. The research and exhibition experiments with 360-degree videos and virtual reality to document issues occurring from racial tension stemming from prejudicial police violence and residual segregation that is still present in Baton Rouge. The intent of this work is to establish a methodology benefiting from modern technology in order to document real life through virtual space to inform the viewer about social problems in the everyday experience of disadvantaged groups across America. The methodology framework used for Urban Illusions has the potential to be utilized by other digital artists and collaborators to engage and educate the viewers about a multitude of contemporary concepts.

Urban illusions vr & 360 Apps (2017)

I developed Urban Illusions as two iOS apps using Unity, Google VR, and Xcode. Now anyone around the world with an iPhone or iPad can experience Baton Rouge, Louisiana during the summer of 2016. One app uses Google VR and is compatible with iPhones only. This one can be used in any portable VR headset that can fit an iPhone. The other app is standard 360-degree interaction and can be downloaded on an iPhone or iPad. Google Play Store coming soon!

GENTRIFICATION (2016)

With this project I began to take a closer look on how the city of New Orleans had changed since Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. I interviewed three New Orleans natives that were living there before and after the storm. I then experimented with projecting these residents' stories throughout the city. One location was at the city park where l projected onto the live oaks that have been there for hundreds of years. I wanted to use the trees as a symbol of the people of New Orleans. Another location was at the Grand Theater in New Orleans East that has been left abandoned since Katrina. A couple years ago local artist, Brandan Odums, painted the "Wall of Peace" mural to bring attention to the cities growing crime problem. 

97 Years of Riots (2016)

Using found footage from several riots throughout American history, I juxtaposed clips from four major cities that had had more than one riot sparked from racial injustice within the last 100 years. The cities I studied were Chicago (1919 & 1968), Detroit (1943 & 1967), Los Angeles (1965 & 1992), and Baltimore (1968 & 2015). What I found within this piece was a disturbing reality that not much had changed in nearly 100 years - which is certainly the truth now more than ever with the newest administration. 

reality news (2015)

This piece started to take form when I started to realize my political views did not align with that of my family. I started studying the difference of how race was portrayed in the media from various major news networks as well as satire programs. I primarily focused on the evening shows that were known for the higher audience ratings. 

The way this piece is to be viewed is by wearing either blue or red colored lens glasses. There are also two separate audio tracks played through two sets of headphones that correspond with the lens colors. Example: If the user wears the red glasses and headphones, then all they see and hear is the blue track - and vise versa. 

reality news: What’s the focus (2015) -experimental

I continued to experiment with how different news outlets and media covered the death of Eric Garner on July 17, 2014.

recovery or regression? (2015)

This project began after I came across an article about how segregated New Orleans public schools were. As a public school educated person myself, this bothered me because I knew growing up in a small town in Kansas our schools were not very diverse (but neither is the racial demographics as compared to New Orleans). Upon further investigation, I discovered some disturbing corruption that took place around the time of Hurricane Katrina and I studied how it related to the racial demographics of the city.  

The series below includes a performance piece where I can be seen spray painting a black student over with a white student. I did this because in my research I found evidence that white [and private] education was more of a priority. I also researched what is referred to as the "white teapot" of New Orleans which is home to many of the more prominent [white] families within the Garden District and the only area where the usual "white flight" didn't occur. I followed this piece with a more active approach to the community. I painted signs that stated "American schools are now more segregated than they were in 1968" and started a blog that reported my findings. I placed these around the city and at the Robert E. Lee statue in Lee Circle which has since been removed.