Here is the idea:

The metaphor is Life. Life is an abstract thing that people have failed to come to a comprehensive agreement upon. Exactly what is it? Exactly why does it happen. What is our purpose? Who knows. No one really does. But one thing is for certain. Everyone has life, and everyone’s life is different and everybody is effected by each others life no matter how minimal and nominal.

I plan on making an interactive art display that responds to certain inputs, as well as other sensing in order to change what is essentially an abstraction in the center. Think of it like a painting that changes because you were here. The plan is to use buttons, potentiometers, and other sensors in order to translate any minimal interaction with the “painting”, either visual, auditory or other into some kind of change in the “painting” or image that is seen on the screen. Similarly how any interaction with a person no matter how small will effect how your life and your outlook.

The full tie to the metaphor is more related to the conceptual idea of Sonder. Sonder is defined as the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. In this sense the painting in itself is that person that has a vivid and complex history. Every interaction that someone has with it changes it in some way shape or form. After each interaction with a person, the next person who interacts with it will experience the piece as it was last left , with each accumulated interaction. Similar to the experience of sonder where you won’t know the history of the individual necessarily but your interaction with them is a snapshot of that vivid and complex background, and your interaction contributes to that as well.