JENNA RODRIGUEZ

For the past 6 months I have been working on my thesis project called “Running Thoughts.”

Running Thoughts” is an interdisciplinary art installation in which commuters on public transportation answer, the question “Why are you going?” I have transformed the material I collected, which includes recordings, interviews, conversations and written surveys, into a layered soundscape that is synced with a motion graphic wall projection and accompanied by a handmade book.  “Running Thoughts” offers an insight into the public and private thoughts of Chicago commuters.  The work will be installed in the Center for Book and Paper Arts gallery on April 26^th for six weeks.

When riding public transportation you are in a small public space with strangers. Silence is the norm with small gestures of acknowledgement or avoidance, while meaningful interaction is the exception. However, beneath these spaces there is a primordial soup of humanness: Each of us has our own worries, triumphs, annoyances, jokes and insights that ultimately are similar. I will access them; bring them to the public in a tangible form—and seek to connect the randomness of our passings: those brief moments we inhabit the same physical space and connect the mental space briefly. The aim of my projects is to increase awareness, shed light on our passing thoughts and emphasizing our commonality­—expose the spark of life behind our eyes and form a lasting connection between us all. Ultimately, “Running Thoughts” will reveal a certain aspect of humanity and open a window into our traveling companion’s being.

Here is my first sketch of the installation

Stay tuned for more sneak peeks…