Grafik Intervention

An exhibition expressed through light and sound about the history of East Church Street, Anderson, SC.

Grafik Intervention in Anderson, SC

This past Spring Semester, the students of the Experience Design class were led by Professor Herb Vincent Peterson in creating a light project exhibition in downtown Anderson, South Carolina, in coordination with the nationally growing Grafik Intervention Movement. Unique in its medium of light, location, and immersivity this experience relied on projections across historic buildings to tell stories about one of our very own streets, East Church Street.

In the 1940s, East Church Street was a hot spot for African American culture. It teemed with life and vibrancy, with people filling the side walks at night and working their businesses during the day. Many people recounted how inspirational and influential this street was to them when they were younger, as it was commonly compared to Bourbon Street, Louisiana: busy and bustling with energy.

The class split into three separate teams and tackled a variety of aspects of this once vibrant area in an effort to bring the past back to life. Through intense research, students explored old media and newspapers at the local library and collected information to build out their light-projection display.

Throughout the process, it was crucial to test these projections due to the many different moving parts and varying factors. Students went out regularly to test their colors and projection sizes on the walls before the final exhibition.

Each projection was made to work as a system with their counterparts, by using the same basic elements, while still standing out as an individual piece. These displays focused on the culture, the architecture, and the stories that were all encapsulated in this one cultural hub.

The exhibition took place on what remains of that street, projected onto one of the few standing buildings from that time. The historic culture of the area was highlighted through the use of visuals and sound in an effort to address the current lack of knowledge around the importance of the location within the local community.

At the end of the event, all of the projections cut simultaneously and switched to the same message: one of compassion and understanding of how important these stories are, but also a warning against the risk of losing pieces of history like these to time and neglect.

Guests were encouraged to take and fill out a questionnaire for each projection, prompting them to think deeper about what they were seeing and learning. Along with the questions, guests were also given a few small pieces of ephemera to continue that process of deeper thinking and consideration of the world we live in.

A huge thank you to all of those who helped in the creation of this event through the providing of information or resources. Additionally, we’d like to thank Grafik Intervention for allowing Anderson University and their students to be a part of something so much bigger. None of this would be possible without our hard-working students or those who support them.

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