UNHUMAN: A James "Yaya" Hough Exhibition

James "Yaya" Hough is a formerly incarcerated illustrator. His work reflects his personal experience in prison and his main goal is to spark conversation about the oppressive US prison system by use of jarring symbolism.

Bringing Yaya's artistic symbols out into a physical space that educates visitors about the dehumanization he experienced in prison. Meaningful motifs include lightbulbs, single file lines, holes, missing facial features, cameras, and the colors pink and yellow.

Brainstorming engaging, educational interactions, and designing the exhibition space with intention.

Learning not just about a single artist, but the larger message he seeks to send as you walk through this series of interactive environments.

Visualizing the space in scaled, physical form.

As someone with a fine arts background, I had mostly created work that was purely visual and not iterative. This project taught me that designing an experience within a physical environment takes endless rounds of ideating, prototyping, and presentations. I learned skills such as scaling type, 3D modeling, giving and receiving feedback, and empathizing with hypothetical guests. Thank you to Daphne for guiding me through this experience and providing me with resources!