Visitors to Whoop-Up Days are immersing themselves in a whimsical train excursion thanks to the work of two Lethbridge College Multimedia Production students.
The projection mapping performance, created by Denise Camille Serrano and Aaren Agaton, is on display all week at La Galleria, a curated creative space for local artists in the Main Pavilion of Lethbridge and District Exhibition.
Complete with soothing sound effects, their exhibit involves colourful animated scenery projected onto a wall that gives visitors an idea of what they might see and hear if they were gazing out the window of a train.
“We initially had a different idea for this project,” says Agaton, “but when we saw the venue, we noticed a design feature on the wall that looked like a window, and we wanted to incorporate that.”
While standing in their space at La Galleria, visitors will see an amusement park passing by – a nod to Whoop-Up Days – as well as Lethbridge’s iconic High Level Bridge. The production also features an illustration of Chief Mountain, something Serrano and Agaton say they included because of the landmark’s cultural significance within the Blackfoot community.
“We had never done project mapping before, so we were a bit scared to take it on,” admits Serrano. “Fortunately, our curiosity and eagerness to learn were greater than our fears. Now I’m eager to show others what we’ve created.”
Lethbridge and District Exhibition approached the college in May, seeking Multimedia Production students who might be interested in contributing to La Galleria. According to Tyler Heaton, Virtual and Augmented Reality instructor, approaching Serrano and Agaton was an easy choice. “Denise and Aaren were two of my top design and media students from the class of 2022,” he says. “They’ve both worked extremely hard on this project and I’m happy they took advantage of the opportunity.”
“Lethbridge and District Exhibition is thrilled to support student artwork and collaborate with students from Lethbridge College for the La Galleria show at Whoop-Up Days,” says Mevisha Maistry, director, communications, marketing and event development. “There is no better way to share our community’s story than through the eyes of our next generation of young artists and leaders.”
Serrano and Agaton will graduate from the college’s Multimedia Production program during Fall Convocation in October.
Serrano is currently working as a media designer in Lethbridge College’s Centre for Teaching, Learning and Innovation but is exploring a potential career path in virtual and augmented reality. Agaton is focusing on conceptual art and would like to find work in character design.
Visitors to Whoop-Up Days can experience the work of Serrano and Agaton, and a variety of other local artists, at La Galleria until Saturday. The show is open 1 to 9 p.m. daily.