By Lauren Smith & Rola Zyada

Project Description

Boombox is an interactive installation that invites participants to express and externalize the
multitude of emotions that they carry. By providing a punching bag that has a position sensor
inside, the participant is invited to punch the bag. With each punch and shift of position,
originally composed vocalizations are triggered. This allows for the participant, in a public
space, to compose with their emotions, turning even their most dark or taboo feelings into a
creative act. By doing so, the intention is to spark a conversation of how we can use the many
depths of our emotional landscape in more creative and productive ways.

Bio

Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, Lauren Smith is a multimedia artist who mixes video, audio composition, animation and performance, attempting to capture the daily experiences of her community. Inspired by the diverse and dynamic spirit of NY and its residents, she strives to leave people with a visceral and emotional understanding of the subjects she explores. What are the energetic imprints that people and places leave behind? What do we remember the most about each other? What are the details that we use to describe the essence of the people we meet and situations we encounter? Using a nonlinear storytelling approach, Lauren invites her audience to bask in the small yet meaningful moments that leave the most lasting impressions.

Rola Zyada is a Cairo born artist exploring new media, video and sound art. In 2013,  Rola moved to New York, she attended SUNY Purchase and received a BFA in sculpture in the winter of 2015. Rola is now pursuing her MFA in Integrated Media Arts at Hunter College, and continues to work between New York and Cairo, making  works that explore technology and the modern identity. Motivated by the politics of  being an Arab woman, her work is an investigation of stories by seeking refuge in  the media.