Graduate Student Will Johnston-Rutledge Debuts Art Solo Exhibit in Studio Art Building

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Flocking Patterns (on the wall @ SAB) is a site-specific immersive video installation by Will Johnston-Rutledge, and is inspired by the movements of birds, fish, and other collective species. The piece is an experiment in creating a digital simulated space that is a source of comfort and calmness. It exists in opposition to the overstimulation of modern platforms like TikTok and advertising landscapes like Times Square. The piece is intended for the winter season and makes use of the loss in sunlight caused by the end of daylight savings time on November 5th. For many people, the shorter days and lack of light can be hard, and I hope the piece comforts visitors to SAB by providing a light source of its own. As a simulation, it also reminds the viewer of the summer birds long after they have gone south. It serves as a hopeful reminder that the light will return and spring will come again.