Last semester, I had a Studio and Seminar combined project for Bridge 2, which was to create a body-extension that was supposed to exaggerate or intensify one of the five human senses, such as either smell, touch, vision, etc. I remember that we had to work with a partner and combine both our extensions to focus on one particular sense. My partner decided on doing a paper-mâché heart that would play musical sounds of a heartbeat by turning a rod, while I decided on making a closed headpiece that sits on top of the head and was supposed to amplify the person’s heartbeat while wearing it, however it did not succeed and I had to change my whole concept and amplify the person’s footsteps instead.

In the beginning of the whole Bridge 2 project, when I first starting mapping out my ideas, I knew this was going to be a tough assignment. I’ve never worked on something as large and complex as creating a body extension with a whole concept that I had to create. I started planning initially with many crafty materials, such as cardboard, plastic, etc. However, later on I knew I had to dive into more complex materials that I have never worked with, such as using a steel bucket, and figuring out how it would comfortably rest on the person’s shoulders and create a closed off environment. I bought a stethoscope, microphones and speakers, casually thinking that all my elements would all work together, since a stethoscope amplifies the heartbeat, and speakers would play them out loud. However, I didn’t realize until I had placed everything together that nothing would work out the way I wanted to, the microphones (which I wish I had further researched on) would not pick up the sounds of the stethoscope, leading to my whole extension and concept not working out at all. I tried to convince myself many times that it wasn’t a failure, but I would panic and it was only after I had informed my professor that I truly realized that everything had failed. I had such high expectations for my piece, from working with new materials and being proud of my concept, I didn’t realize how many things were not thought through. The disappointment was hard to deal with, and without the support of my professor, she helped me experiment with what materials I had left. With more research being done, as well as many tests and trials, I finally discovered another idea for my extension, as well as changing my concept, not too much but enough to make the whole extension work. I had instead come up with amplifying the noise of the person’s footsteps instead of a heartbeat, using the microphones on the feet instead, and fortunately it had worked. Although I had to go through many obstacles that shifted and hindered my ideas, my exhibition worked out the way I wanted to and seemed successful in the end. It taught me that making mistakes is a part of growing and learning.