In collaboration with students, staff, and faculty at Penn State Beaver, John Peña created an interactive artwork that is now installed centrally on campus with the primary goal of visualizing the interior emotional states of the campus community. This is achieved through a “forest” of about 70 temporary metal vertical uprights that are secured to the ground. Atop each upright is a colorful disc that can be easily removed and reattached. Each disc is painted a color that corresponds to a specific mood or feeling. Through visual signage, participants will learn about what each color signifies and they are invited to reflect on their current mood and place a disc on top of one of the uprights that best represents that mood. Over the course of the project, the color field will constantly change and we will get a glimpse of the previously invisible internal lives of the people at Penn State Beaver.

Peña is working with faculty to integrate sections of their curriculum into the project. Peña is also working with Penn State Beaver students, LaunchBox and the Maker Lab on the Beaver campus to assist in designing the color code, visual signage and explanatory information.