This video projection features animated elements and surround sound that highlight compositional and narrative components in Thomas Cole’s five paintings in The Course of Empire series. These paintings feature the rise and fall of an unnamed civilization and contain hidden allusions, relations, and commentary; much of which is likely never observed with the naked eye.

I make use of digital and interactive media to reveal things that I have not or cannot see. Through making and play processes with digital tools, I can observe these paintings through a new lens to generate new inquiry surrounding the artworks’ narrative and compositional elements. With this method, I synthesize a deeper understanding of Cole's work.

This multisensory digital artifact is embedded with my process and understandings to provide an opportunity to engage with Cole's work in an unconventional way.