







Samantha Nye: My Heart’s in a Whirl, on view 06.12–10.31.21, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Design and fabrication of environmental graphics for contemporary video artist, Samantha Nye.
The neon title, with hand-drawn fonts and swirly heart logo, references a 1950s lesbian bar sign for “Mona’s Candle Light.” In the corner of the gallery, an interactive music video graphic depicts a 1960s Scoptione jukebox, created with vinyl layering and a backlit panel. To produce the Scopitone, I designed a production method that was inspired by a reduction woodcut style of printing. Using vector files and a vinyl cutter, and lots of testing, I layered swaths of vinyl with unique cutouts to create depths of color and light to achieve the final image.
A heart-shaped porthole using translucent pink tinting on the entrance door, allows for accessibility and also reveals a sneak peak of the neon title within. The entrance floor is decorated with a massive hot pink heart and the doors are flanked with neon graphics of the artist’s name.
Informational panels consist of overlayed vinyl cutouts to produce glowing text. Because a linoleum checkerboard floor was over-budget, I designed the production of a fascimile that used handcut squares adhered one by one.
Exhibition featured in The Boston Globe, Bomb Magazine, The Brooklyn Rail, and NBC News
In progress installation of carpet and floor

Lighting and window display references

Iterations of a title design that reflected the artist's reference images

First iteration of title design

"Mona's Candle Light" Neon and lighting references

Final iteration of title design to reference "Mona's Candle Light" sign

Artist drawing and image inspiration

My rendering of neon panel and light-up introduction text

In progress neon sign in the studio

Installing the neon sign

First iteration of entrance graphics

Final iteration of entrance graphics

In progress installation shot

Scopitone images

Interactive juke box references for Scopitone graphic

First illustration for Scopitone graphic

Second rendering of Scopitone graphic and title

In progress install of light-up graphic

Test-size vinyl construction of Scopitone

Final construction of Scopitone