Technology A — Pratt Grad ComD

The uploaded document contains the various assets developed throughout the project process: a story map created in the style of Kevin Lynch, three assets illustrating cause, action, and effect, and an illustrated written story.

Project Description

This project is based on El Jacho, a Puerto Rican folklore tale most closely tied to the coastal town of Salinas. The story follows a fisherman who, one stormy night, lost the light of his lantern while out at sea. In desperation, he set fire to the wooden cross he carried for protection, hoping it would guide him back to shore. This act of burning a sacred object brought a curse upon him. In some versions, the fisherman sickened and died soon after. In others, he never died at all but became a restless figure, doomed to wander the coast forever in search of the ashes of the cross he destroyed. People say that on certain nights a flickering light can be seen drifting along the shore, the ghostly presence of El Jacho. For my design response, I selected three artefacts that capture the story’s cycle of cause, action, and consequence. The lantern represents the fisherman’s failing source of light and the initial event that set the story in motion. The flame or match symbolizes the desperate act of burning the cross, an irreversible choice. The rope knot embodies the eternal binding of the curse and serves as a metaphor for being trapped in an endless fate. To analyze the narrative, I created a Lynch-style map that presents the two main characters, the fisherman and the entity that curses him, and traces the decisions that led to his fate. The first iteration of the installation was staged in a corner space as an experiment in material and atmosphere. Draped fabrics were used to test the amount needed to suggest the sea and surrounding environment. Corded string was arranged to represent scattered ashes or the burning embers of the cross. This prototype served as a base to explore how the story can be translated into space, and future versions will build on it with the introduction of the lantern, flame, and knot along with additional materials and interactions.

Credits

Utilized: W3 School online tutorials, Youtube as tutorial library.

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