An immersive art installation created by Comprehensive Design students in Max Fertik's 8-week studio, "Healing Commons." "The Changing Rooms" is a series of "healing portals" that have been transformed from dressing rooms in an abandoned Victoria's Secret store in the Bloomington College Mall (now occupied by Pillar Arts Alliance).
The studio began with a commission from MDWST FABLE to create an interactive installation that embodies healing, solace and restoration as a part of their SOLACE installation. Opening officially on April 18, SOLACE will probe the ways artists and the community seek solace and comfort amidst turbulent times. The exhibition will be on view April 18, 25, and 26 starting at 4 pm.
The comp design students began by studying all forms of healing spaces: from synagogues to hospitals, salt caves to all-ages venues, churches to zen gardens and everything in between. They then built their own full-scale model of a changing room in the woodshop to test out their ideas. They were then split into groups where they all played an integral role in the rapid execution of the commission.
Participating students include Katelyn Fry, Rebecca Ferdman, Cooper Smith, Dawson Clark, Emil Wiley Lippke, Michelle Do, Nicholas Keasey, Kennedi Bruns, Griffin Plaehn, and Victor Schultz.