A roundup of ideas and projects from around the Institute
During this past year of isolation and social distancing, Eliane Yeung reflected on a distinct feature of NYC—the bodega cat—which inspired the School of Continuing and Professional Studies student to create the video animation “Bodega Cats v. House Cats.” Watch it on the @PrattInstitute Instagram.
Phoebe Robinson, BFA Writing ’06, was the guest host for Jimmy Kimmel Live on July 14. A clip of Robinson interviewing Scripps National Spelling Bee winner Zaila Avant-garde is available to watch on YouTube.
In a capstone project shared by @prattgradcomd, Yuxi Liu, MS Packaging Design ’21, explored the potential for wearable technology in the travel industry with a jewelry-based smart device that includes gesture recognition and a language processor.
The Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment (GCPE) has a new Alumni Spotlight series highlighting recent graduates, kicking off with historic preservation alumna Sarah Eccles from the class of 2021: “My thesis was definitely a major project for me. I got to explore what is very important to me and I loved that. I think when we worked in the studios, particularly in Sunset Park, documenting Bush Terminal and examining how an industrial site can relate to a community and how it can become important to a community was a real turning point in how I looked at historic preservation and how it shapes people and communities.”
The Pratt Center for Community Development released its new report “Still Room for Improvement” examining the land use impacts of hotel development in New York City, including how the COVID-19 pandemic may shape future development. The report is available to read online.
Brooklyn Magazine featured the work of Allen Frame, adjunct professor-CCE of photography, whose new book FEVER includes his color photographs from the early 1980s just before the dawn of AIDS. Frame told the publication that the images capture “the irony of that year … the mood and palette of the pictures versus the impending pandemic.”
Visit the Pratt.edu news page for a roundup of seven murals from the Pratt community to visit this summer, including “Pop-Up Pool Party” by Melissa Dadourian, BFA ’91, that covers the Manhattan Park pool on Roosevelt Island with vibrant shapes.
Through August 8, Harvestworks on Governors Island is exhibiting “Scintillator,” an installation by Visiting Assistant Professor Joseph Morris with the help of Interim Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences Helio Takai. The work uses computer-controlled electromagnets to turn inverted wine glasses into sonic resonators, similar to running a finger along the rim of a glass, creating an immersive experience of sound and technology.
“Neighbors/Voisin.e.s” by Ken Aptekar, MFA ’75, is on view through August 1 in the Chapelle St-Aubin in Autun, France, as part of the Biennale Internationale Autun. The centerpiece of the installation is a series of six diptychs that reflect on religious tolerance, otherness, immigration, and community. His ongoing work on these issues through art was previously highlighted on Pratt.edu.
At Night All Blood Is Black by David Diop, which was translated by Anna Moschovakis, adjunct associate professor-CCE in the Writing Department, was included on Former President Barack Obama’s summer reading list. The book was recently awarded the 2021 International Booker Prize.
From Pratt Institute News
From Pratt Institute News
