../The FLesh of a moth
2024-2025../The Flesh of a Moth is composed of two individual works (../ and The Flesh of a Moth) developed for my 2 majors at NYU. The joint project aims to dissect our modern definition of memory through focusing on past, present, and future.
Skills
Photography, Interactive Media, Machine Learning, InstallationThe FLesh of a moth
Skills | Photography, Sculpture, Lighting, InstallationApprox. Dimensions | 41” x 38” x 77”The Flesh of a Moth critiques how we have distorted our relationship with reality by obsessing over nostalgia, transforming a rare natural emotion into a readily available form of self-medication. By fixating on the past, we diminish the value of our memories, cheapening them in the pursuit of comfort. This installation merges sculpture and photography to challenge viewers’ relationship with nostalgia and memory.
Concept & Sketches
I made this piece to explore my own perverse relationship to nostalgia that I see reflected in many others in my generation. I chose a cocoon because it aligned best as a metaphor for nostalgia, both must develop undisturbed to emerge beautifully. To inject a more twisted narrative, I wanted to trigger voyeuristic behavior and some physical distressing leading to my use of clear Worbla Thermoplastic (or Worbla for short).
Initial sketches & brainstorming
Production & Prototypes
Polaroids were the perfect candidate for physically embodied nostalgia. So, for the material inside the cocoon, I photographed as many locations with childhood memories as I (or my parents) could remember. These amounted to 160 polaroids.
Digital mockup of layered film transparencies
Distressed Film Transparency Printing Test
Drove me towards warping the plastic rather than the prints
Worbla & Film Transparency Combination
Confirmation I needed to use epoxy
Miniature Prototype
Aesthetic and skill check
Final Installation
Miscommunication with Tandon’s makerspace team forced me to build the sculpture in my own small, NYC apartment. Luckly, I had planned for the worst, and I had just enough space, though not without its inconveniences. Regardless, I completed the sculpture ahead of schedule for the exhibition.
Completed sculpture in my apartment
Sculpture installed in Tisch’s main hall
Close-up of the lantern texture
../
Skills | Interactive Design, Touch Designer, Projection Mapping, Machine Learning“../” is an interactive installation that explores how digital systems reshape memory, identity, and personal narrative. It investigates the psychology of image hierarchy and (un)willing digital curation—how tools like the Photos app structure our recollections and beliefs about the past. As we increasingly outsource our memories to devices, we also adopt the logic of their storage systems, which prioritize uniformity, categorization, and surface-level clarity.
Video artist statement
Concept & Sketches
This project was made to explore the gap in how we understand digital archives—not as neutral containers, but as active agents in shaping memory and identity.
What is lost in the curation of memory?
Does giving us methodical control over our archives harm our ability to be full, complex individuals?
Brainstorming
Sketches for visual functionality
Sketches for physical setup
Brainstorming & potential problems
Production & Prototypes
I quickly learned the feasible computational limits of what I wanted to do, causing me to change plans several times.
I had to pivot from:
-> Sorting images by light/dark values
-> Unsupervised machine learning model
-> Supervised machine learning model
Final Prototype
Triggers mapped to Teachable Machine
Triggers mapped to grid
Network inside each grid
Final Installation
Installation went well; however, I underestimated my ability to work with machine learning models, especially during my final semester of college. On a time crunch, I focused my attempts on communicating an aesthetic and vibe rather than technical prowess.
Initial State
Final State
Physical Set Up