I first began this project by exploring the idea of emotions and researching how they form. I was interested in how one emotion can be shaped or influenced by others, whether through our environment or through the presence of another person. These influences can create both positive and negative effects, and I wanted to symbolize both sides in this artwork. To deepen the work, I interviewed people about how emotions shift through conversation and connection. When we interact with friends or family, even a negative feeling can soften into something neutral or manageable. That process the way human connection can heal or rebalance our inner emotions became a central focus of this piece.


  After developing the concept, I began thinking about how to translate it into a physical artwork. I explored different media, materials, and forms, and eventually decided to create a sculpture using only objects found in my own bedroom. Limiting myself to existing materials without buying anything new became part of the meaning. It reflected who I am as a person, and showed how constraints can still lead to something powerful.


The base was built from playing cards; the outer structure came from soda‑can boxes, printed school papers, and layers of paper‑glued forms. Together, they shaped a humanoid figure without hands or feet. I then added floating hands around the body to symbolize external emotional influences, LED lights to represent emotions in motion, and a ground layer to suggest a person’s aura. This became the final piece I exhibited, the result of an entire semester of building, refining, and fully hand‑crafting the sculpture.

   Originally, I planned to use an Arduino so the lights would react to people as they approached. But the lighting wasn’t bright enough for the exhibition space, and the interaction would have been unclear. I ultimately chose static LEDs to preserve the emotional clarity of the piece. Creating this sculpture through both the excitement and the struggle made me confront who I’ve become as a designer over four years of university. Every skill I’ve learned led to this moment, and I built it without relying on digital tools or internet media. In a time when AI is rapidly expanding and nothing seems to move backward, this work reminded me that the best thing I can do is embrace change while staying grounded in my own hands‑on process. Fun fact, I collected buisness cards at conventions and realized I could used that on my sculpture so I used it how it shows below within the body and the ground where I placed the sculpture on.

*This is my final presentation poster hanged within the end of the semester for everyone to see and yes this is actually real.*