Event 2

Picture of Artist Wiggins

This Thursday, May 18th, I went to the design media arts MFA show at the Wight Gallery in the Broad Arts Center. I chose to write about an exhibit called Grotto by Wiley Wiggins. The exhibit was fantastic. However, it initially seemed very confusing, and I didn’t understand it. The piece is a game displayed on a projector, a book, and a stand next to the projection with a doorknob on the side and multiple knobs on the top. The game consisted of a bunch of doors on the screen. There were three symbols on the bottom, a title label for the room, and a number at the top. Turning one of the big knobs on the top changed the view perspective shown on the screen. Turning the three smaller ones changed the symbols, and turning the doorknob opened the door being viewed. However, some doors were locked, and I assume they required a code to enter, but I did not know the code. 

 

Photo of Setup

After I talked with the artist, he told me that the piece was a digital genealogy game mapping out a large portion of his family tree. Each room represents someone in his family, filled with items representing that family member (Wiggins). After the conversation, the piece made much more sense to me, and I investigated the book accompanying the game more closely, finding that it contained additional information about the rooms/person of the family tree. 

 

Grotto Book

When I spoke with Wiley, he also mentioned during his research that he discovered his great-grandfather belonged to the Mormon church. Tracing relatives and ancestry is significant in the church. According to PBS, many Mormons believe it is necessary to find the names of ancestors who died without learning about the gospel (Jasanoff). These deceased relatives can then be baptized and saved (Genealogy & Mormon archives). These Mormon origins are common to many major genealogy sites (FamilySearch). Wiley told me that around half of the rooms in the game were the result of his research into his great-grandfather. Overall, the game is an awe-inspiring display of the union of technology, biology, and art. The game is a challenging feat to create, especially with unconventional input devices like the doorknob. The game is also a unique way to present a genealogical tree. 

Selfie at Wight Gallery

 References:

Galbraith, Colin. “Grotto Book.png.” 18 May. 2023. 

Galbraith, Colin. “Photo of Setup.png.” 18 May. 2023.

Galbraith, Colin. “Picture of Wiggins.png.” 18 May. 2023.

Galbraith, Colin. “Selfie at Wight Gallery.png.” 18 May. 2023. 

http://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. “FamilySearch Website.” 

Newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org, newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/background/familysearch-web-site#:~:text=FamilySearch.org%20is%20one%20of. Accessed 20 May 2023. 

Nast, Condé. “Our Obsession with Ancestry Has Some Twisted Roots.” 

The New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2022, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/05/09/our-obsession-with-ancestry-has-some-twisted-roots-maud-newton-ancestor-trouble. 

“The Mormons. Genealogy and the Mormon Archives | PBS.” 

Www.pbs.org,www.pbs.org/mormons/etc/genealogy.html#:~:text=Mormons%20trace%20their%20family%20trees. Accessed 20 May 2023. 

Wiggins, Wiley. Wileywiggins.com, 2023, wileywiggins.com/grotto.html. Accessed 20 May 2023.