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MFA Thesis

The Malenta Exhibit

The Malenta Exhibit acted as my MFA thesis project in the fall of 2024 at Texas Tech University.

It was a multidisciplinary and multimodal effort to expand a creative world-building project I had been writing since 2022 (Workplace Training Audio) into a set of realizable deliverables.

In this effort, this thesis was focused on 1) Finishing the story of WTA and 2) creating the next episode in the series, which was the introduction to an in-universe art gallery. Love and care was taken to do this next chapter justice. Once the video was complete, the next logical step was to make a physical gallery akin to the one spoken about in the episode.

This was by far the most successful self-directed project I have ever done, and this thesis marks a possible end to my relationship with this story. Even if I do not revisit Malenta again, I am deeply satisfied with the deliverables of this thesis project acting as a cliff-hanger. I encourage audiences to engage with this story as a multi-media experience: Malenta exists as a physical gallery, a series of videos online, and a closet screenplay. This unconventional and fractured delivery is fitting for an unorthodox world.

Scroll down to see the highlights from this 6-month-long self-directed thesis project.

Click to learn more about the world of WTA

Click for the link tree to all thesis deliverables

The Steps Of The Thesis:

1) Write a full script for Workplace Training Audio, telling a full story in this unusual world

2) Produce the next chapter of WTA. This new chapter involves creating pieces of art and discussing it in a fully animated youtube video.

3) Display the created art in a fully fledged art gallery, along with dramaturgical supplies to give a glimpse into the world of WTA

4) Host a watch party for the existing episodes of WTA, and discuss the efficacy of this method of storytelling

The Aguilar Collection

Item #2 Chlorophyll Industry (Translation)

The Script

“Workplace Training Audio is the story of Malenta, a small fictional town in Texas that has suffered multiple anomalous events. After an unprecedented accident, the student workers at Malenta University attempt to reveal the pain they are experiencing amidst censorship from their superiors. They are convinced that the recent tragedy has revealed something disturbing about the nature of art, identity, human beings, or the town itself.
They are more correct than they could ever imagine.”

The script of Workplace Training Audio represents the first step of this interdisciplinary thesis project. The story of WTA is told through a series of in-universe artifacts such as training videos, PSA’s and candid recordings. Additionally, as our characters are all involved in the arts or higher education, all science-fiction elements are explored through an artistic or academic lens. This leads to an obfuscated story audiences can pick through in order to find more traditional plot beats.

While this thesis process only began in May of 2024, the script for this fictional world began years before. After two years of being plagued with this story, I finally wrote it down from start to finish.

Workplace Training Audio Script (PDF)

Exclusionary Art

“The Exclusionary Art of Samara Aguilar is a video exhibit that introduces audiences to a fictional art gallery with a science-fiction twist. It presents itself in character and does not advertise the fact that it is fictional, leaving the audience to piece together clues for themselves. Throughout the 7 minute runtime, we explore an art collection from a town where light works differently, and see examples of how the art scene is affected.”

This video was the culmination of 4 months of work from 7 wonderful artists including myself. While it acts as the 6th installment of Workplace Training Audio, the primary function of this episode was to be a looping video displayed alongside the gallery.

Credits:

Director, Writer, Composer, Sound Designer: Oliver Loll

Video Editor: Sam Nissen

Vocal Talent: Amanda Baschnagel, Jimena Orozco

Visual Artists: Joshua Whitt, Abi Green, Austin Price, Mary Burt, Will Loconto, Cora Cahill, Oliver Loll

Lighting: John Conner

Wildlife photography: Sheryl Rodgers

Script Translation: Jimena Orozco

Check out the editor on youtube!

The Aguilar Collection Soundtrack

“The Aguilar collection is an art museum from the fictional town of Malenta, Texas. The unique properties of Malenta have led to the creation of art that is inaccessible to outside audiences. In order to compensate, this gallery has provided many additional materials to help the average viewer appreciate the art in this collection.
This album starts with the audio of the guide video, and ends with a small selection of background tracks to listen to while engaging with the art.”

Since the conception of the gallery, a soundtrack has always been in mind. These tracks were created alongside the script, bridging the aesthetics of WTA and the pretentious atmosphere of an overly self-serious art gallery. The result is a mix of lounge jazz, distorted synth music and more traditional instrument solos in order to build the unique atmosphere for the art collection.

The Dramaturgy

The Aguilar Collection was displayed alongside a series of posters, diagrams and infographics that provided valuable context about the town of Malenta, Texas.

In addition, some dramaturgical materials spoke about the thesis from an author’s perspective, to give an “out of universe” perspective on the project as a whole.

Behind The Scenes

The Malenta Exhibit was a 6-month long journey that taught me new skills, grew my network and challenged me to become a more well-rounded and self aware creator of art.