KJ Films

– 2026 Collage and Assemblage –

Project #1 : Today I…

My first project titled “Today I…” is an interactive collage that walks viewers through my daily life. In my everyday life, I come in contact with a variety of objects that I would normally look over. This project made me re-analyze my day with a more curious approach. What was I eating, touching, hearing, smelling, etc. Throughout this exploration I was collecting things, and inevitably I had enough to make a 2ft circle collage. This intricate collage takes you through the begging, middle, and end of my day. I wake up, I go to school, I come home, I go to sleep. I used a variety of materials such as, fabric, paper, glue, cardboard, beads, cotton balls, pipe cleaners, old beauty products, food labels, etc. Literally anything I could get my hands on went into this collage. As a film/video student, working with physical materials like this is rare for me. I loved making this project, it was meditative and fun. It also gave me a greater appreciation for the things in my life that I use daily.

UPDATE 1 (1/29/2026) : This art piece will represent “a day in my life”. I will explore the overlooked details of my day to create a piece that showcases where I was, what I was doing, what I was eating, etc. Over the next week, I will collect anything and everything that I can. From there I will begin building/shaping my piece. Right now, I’m imagining a 12in or 15in circular shape that will resemble a clock. My normal creative process is digitally design piece, collect stuff, create, collect more stuff, etc. For now I have broken my day up into this “rubric so that I can easily track what I’m coming in contact with. Things such as receipts, foliage, fabric, labels, and more will be combined together. I’m hoping to utilize sight, touch, and potentially smell and sound to create an interactive ‘day in my life’.

UPDATE 2 (2/5/2026) : I made my base out of cardboard and then I sketched the “time” layout so that I know where to place my collage pieces. Throughout the week, I collected different objects that I come in contact with during my day. Things such as wrappers, cosmetics, train tickets, notes, etc. By laying everything out, I was able to see what space was left to fill. For the “sleeping” portion of the piece, I have collected magazine scraps that loosely resemble “dream-like” images. I’ll overlay them onto of each other to create a sort of “dream” sequence. I will inevitably cover up the cardboard with fabric to represent what i’m wearing / what I’m feeling and then the collage pieces will be either sewn or glued on top of that. This upcoming week, I will continue collecting things and begin assembling.

UPDATE 3 (2/12/2026) : I repurposed this clock to represent my “time” element. I had this clock laying around so I decided to take it apart and personalize it. I painted the glass with my fingerprints, the dial with glitter and finally I added tile stones to the rim. At the same time I also started deconstructing two tea cup lights that I had. I combined the lights to create a mega light and then I added that to my clock. I wanted the clock hours to be barely visible so you have to walk up close to the piece. You’re able to turn the light on and off while also moving the dial forwards/backwards.

I made these bead pieces out of pipe cleaners and glue. For now they represent traveling through dreams, or the whimsical nature of dreaming. (I will have a better explanation in the future).

I cut the circle out of the cardboard and then I started hand stitching the first bit of fabric. I also attached the clock to the circle base to it’s now one piece. Over this next week I will continue collecting and assembling the overall piece. My goal is to have different color fabrics per “activity” or “time”. I also would like to incorporate more interactive parts.

UPDATE 4 (2/19/2026) : I collected loose fabric and arranged it as if it was my “clothing”. The black fabric is a satin pillow case, it represents the sleep portion of my day. The red, blue, and white fabric breaks up my day into morning, noon, and night. For example, I wake up in a red shirt, so I change into a blue shirt. As I’m traveling, I realize…Hey! It’s cold!! I need a jacket! White fabric represents my outer layer (hoodie, jacket, etc). After I travel home, I’m back in my blue shirt until I go to sleep. Then the pattern repeats. The yellow fabric drapes over the beginning of my day because it represents the morning sun. The patterned white fabric represents the nighttime sky. Both the yellow and sheer white fabric act as a transitional tunnel from consciousness to sleep or vice versus.

UPDATE 5 (2/26/2026) : Assemble day!!!! Best day ever!! I would consider this the ISPY version of my daily life. The more time you spend looking at it, the more you discover! There are multiple bits that are interactive, such as : the notes can be opened and viewed, the little canvas has a paint marker attached for audience doodles, the pink fidget is fidget-able, the to-do list is un-rollable, the yellow and sheer white fabric is flexible for easy moving, and finally of course the clock light! This piece walks you through my day hour by hour. I go from sleeping, to getting ready, to commuting to school, to being in school, to commuting home from school, unwinding, eating, hobbies, etc. I very intentionally tried to showcase how busy/messy my day gets as it progresses. At the beginning of the day, my routine is clean and organized. The collage pieces barely touch, but as soon as I start commuting everything begins to overlap and become disorganized. I love this controlled chaos, it’s authentic.

Within the nighttime dream sequence, we see a picture of a woman walking up a staircase, surrounded by cats. I collaged this image to represent my CONSTANT cat nightmares. For some very odd reason, I have repetitive nightmares about finding too many cats. I’ll be in a random location and suddenly there will be 20 cats. I love cats. My whole being is controlled by my three cats. Obviously, I must save all the cats. BUT in this evil nightmare, I can’t! As I collect them, more come! It’s very strange, but I can only assume it’s a subconscious fear of me misplacing my cats?? I have no clue, but it felt necessary to add. The beaded portions are made with curved pipe-cleaners (+beads). They represent this sort of “dream rollercoaster”; going up and down, overlapping just like my consciousness while sleeping.

My next steps are…projection mapping!!!! WOohoooo!! As a film/video student, it feels necessary to add in a digital element! I have always loved to collage using physical materials, but I only recently started collaging in my video work. I think combining the two mediums would be very satisfying. I would like to incorporate different audios and visuals to further push my “Day in the life” concept.

PART TWO

March 12th – 19th UPDATE: I am continuing to collect visuals and audio for my digital collage projection! I will assemble the visual elements first and then I will create a dynamic soundscape. I want the projection to move as if it was following me throughout my day. I plan on having a variety of Epson projectors and speakers to create a interactive environment.

March 26th UPDATE: I have completed the visual aspect of the digital collage! Now I just need to finish editing the audio. I also plan on getting a projector to test how things are working so far! My goal in April is to reserve the DMC studio space for people to come visit and see it project in person.

April 2nd UPDATE: Audio and visuals are done! 🙂 I also collected documentation for our class to view via zoom so that they can experience the projection.

–> Link to documentation video : https://drive.google.com/file/d/17GFABYWuLBnaMNDt3wZhm8tzQ358ug0v/view?usp=sharing

Project #2 : Divine Mother

Originally when I started brainstorming for this project I googled Divine symbols. Through this search I repeatedly was seeing signs of femininity, nature, religion, spirituality, etc. When I thought of the word “Divine”, I imagined mother nature. I think that mother nature is a culmination of femininity, nature, and spirituality. I feel a deep connection with nature because of the energy that radiates from it. I believe that is the energy of Mother Nature, and that is what I hope to replicate with my project. I want to use materials from nature, like plants or rocks, to create a physical version of Mother Nature. I want to say thank you and I want to honor her.

April 16th UPDATE: For this project, I plan on collaging a statue-esk figure of mother nature. I’ve started collecting foliage, rocks, dirt, sticks, flowers, etc. Over the next week I will start creating my figure out of a clay/dirt mixture. I’m hoping to make my own clay out of cornstarch, baking soda, vinegar, and flour. I will then decorate her with the found materials. I’m contemplating making an earth for her to hold, but I still need to brainstorm that more!

April 23rd UPDATE: I have made the base and the Mother Nature figure. I formed the base out of paper scraps and then I used duct tape to lock in the finalized shape. I used a concoction of clay and dirt to cover that layer so that I could start decorating while it was wet. To decorate, I used moss, rocks, dirt, sticks, leaves, grass, pretty much anything I could find outside. I wanted it to feel like I was bringing a piece of the outside environment, inside. Once the base was done I started working on my figure. I used the sticks I had collected and started to play around. To shape the “body”, I used string because I felt like it was important to let her remain completely natural. After the figure model was complete, I started decorating her with leaves, herbs, and flowers. Within this next week, I will figure out how to combine both elements so that they are one whole statue.

April 30th UPDATE: I have successfully combined the figure with the base! I used toothpicks to secure the feet so that it could balance on the mound. Overall, It ended up being about 2 feet tall. I documented the sculpture in my kitchen and then I left it outside overnight to see how the world would weather it. It rained! The sculpture survived under the safety of a tree and is still doing good in it’s dedicated location outside. It was interesting to see how the base changed, there were more leaves and twigs. It felt like my figure of mother nature was literally being changed by Mother Nature. As time goes on, I’m excited to watch it continue to change. I think she’ll really thrive in the summer when the suns out is shining down on her. For now, I am really happy with it; I’m thrilled it’s remained intact and I was happy to honor the divinity that I find in Mother Nature.