Creativity and excellence abound at 100 East End Avenue. On a Thursday afternoon in The Hayot Center for Innovation (HCI), Upper School French teacher Lauren Upadhyay gathered with her Advanced French V students who showcased their talents at the highest level. Tasked with creating interactive art installations, her students worked in the HCI for more than two weeks to build these pieces which sought (and succeeded!) to create physical representations of themes in the book Tout Bouge Autour de Moi or The World is Moving Around Me: A Memoir of the Haiti Earthquake by Dany Laferrière.
This memoir grapples with the earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010 and its devastating aftermath — something the author witnessed and experienced firsthand. Not only does Laferrière discuss the unfathomable destruction — and eventual reconstruction — of the island physically and emotionally, he shares his own survivors' guilt; deliberations over to whom this story belongs and his role within it; and the resilience and heroism of the Haitian community.
After the class studied how content is reflected in the structure of the book, Ms. Upadhyay asked students to create small-scale, interactive art installations that translate Laferrière’s narrative into a physical experience. Instead of reading the text linearly, viewers move through it — mirroring the earthquake and highlighting the rich culture and resilience of the Haitian people.
Drawing from the book, the student’s projects explored themes of misrepresentation in the media; facing discrimination; environmental crises and injustice; the resilience and strength found in community; ancestral heritage; and the importance of culture. Many students chose to illustrate their topics through metaphors — particularly those who contrasted nature and manmade materials.
A few students honed in on Laferrière’s attention to flowers in the wake of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake. As buildings made from materials like concrete and metal, which are known for their strength, crumbled and became devastating ruble, the author discovered a flower that had found a way to bloom in the aftermath. In the book, flowers and their persistence became a symbol which represented the resilience of the Haitian people.
To illustrate this metaphor, one pair of students constructed a box made from wood wrapped in aluminum foil with the flower blooming in its center. They cut out and removed pieces from the sides of the box to look like debris, with the intention that someone could attempt to reassemble the box using these pieces, but would find it impossible to restore perfectly. At the same time, any attempts at reconstruction would send the internal objects shaking, further scattering other fallen debris which rested on a floor suspended over coils. Through it all, the beautifully rendered flower remains in full bloom defying the destruction around it.
Another set of students created a box with the flower at its center, but rather than emphasizing the environmental impact of the earthquake on Haiti, they delved into the topic of discrimination in the media. The students researched articles that showcased discriminatory comments related to Haiti and adhered them to the outside of the box. Conversely they adorned the box’s inside with imagery and captions that highlighted the rich and vibrant culture of Haiti. To invite interaction from a viewer, the exterior required a wet sponge to reveal the words and images. On the inside, the flower is set atop a coil spring so that no matter what, it will withstand any movement. Above the flower and depictions of Haitian culture, the students created a set of artificial stars, too.
Two more students created a virtual landscape depicting the vibrant buildings of a typical Haitian street before the earthquake. While observing the street, the viewer sits in a chair the students designed to rock and bump. Another pair created a box within which miniature houses sit on a street. These small houses are attached to the ground with magnets and, when shaken, they detach and are almost impossible to put back — much like the reality of rebuilding the nation.
Creating a physically immersive experience was the driving force behind “Le Caribbean Market,” another student art installation. Two students wanted to build an artistic rendering of the disorientation that may have been felt in a market during the earthquake. They created a large wooden structure with clothing suspended bars and fruit baskets on shelves. The entire structure teetered from side to side when rocked during the demonstration. Walking inside of the structure while it moved meant colliding with clothing and fruit as it fell.
Making this even more impressive, each group of students delivered a detailed explanation of their creation and its deeper meaning in fluent French. With pride, Ms. Upadhyay shared that her students — almost all in Class 12 with one Class 11 student — are non-native fluent French speakers. Brava étudiantes!
