_Heavy Drag_ is comparative analysis of the concept of friction. Upon reentry a space vehicle is subjected to 1000's of degrees of heat and requires immense engineered protective insulation to survive the trip. This intense heat is generated through the high speed friction of our atmosphere, ironically an insulating layer itself to the planet, but is also the force that allows the vehicle to slow enough for safe landings. Comparatively, the emotional frictions of the human experience also produces heat within the soul through our toil and strife. These experiences of unrequited or lost love, fear in the face of the seemingly insurmountable, or depression in depths of despair often are the catalyst to personal growth, fiery rebirth and proliferation of artistic expression shown here through poems and music or literary references.

Heavy Drag

As humanity begins to colonize other moon and planets how will our bedding change? Without access to fields of cotton, flax how will we produce our new frontier linens? What are materials will they be made from just by existing at the intersection of wide applications and low manufacturing infrastructure? And will they be validated by their comfort alone or will they need to serve additional duties to maximize their utility?

  
This project conceptually explores the idea of a security blanket. With a Kevlar-Nomex backing this blanket provides real security in it's ability to be used as an emergency blanket with its cut proof, fire retardant, and water proof features. The Tyvek, with it's smooth soft touch, provides a different security—comfort. When stationed on a moon where everything is hostile to human life and you're separated from home, family, and the majority of all known life by a million miles or so, a comfortable blanket can make all the difference. This one just has some extra piece of mind...

Security Blanket

Information Paradox is an intellectual inquiry about the nature of information and the human concept of truth. Titled after the physics phenomenon discovered by Stephen Hawking upon observation of Hawking Radiation emitted from black holes, this piece explores the idea of the rigid binary of true of false information. It pits a more nuanced grayscale spectrum of validity through references and writing against the idea of absolute information often described as "black or white". The many names of black holes are inscribed on the surface serve as powerful representation of one side of that that binary, while also bringing to attention the potential validity that black holes might destroy information, a paradox only in that it breaks our current understanding of reality. This highlights how little truth we may actually possess about our universe despite our efforts to define in absolute structures.

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McKinley Smith