2D
Our mural, titled “All Work All Play,” visually represents the Department of Education and Psychology slogan, “be an architect of human potential,” and examines ideas of exploration and growth. We achieved this by juxtaposing construction imagery with childhood toys. The construction landscape relates to the use of “architect” in the slogan but is also a metaphor for adulthood. The large, industrial equipment of the construction scene represents the adult realm while the toys represent the childhood realm. Merging and juxtaposing the two realms in this way is intended to illustrate the transformation from childhood to adulthood that is at the core of education and psychology. The paper airplanes, balloons, and legos represent exploration and discovery as they are a child’s first experiences with construction and attempting to defy gravity and physical laws. The ambiguity of scale that results from pairing the mechanic excavator next to a toy dump truck and surrounding the two with seemingly large toys poses a logical conundrum for the viewer. Are the toys in the scene larger than life or do they exist in a miniature, shrunk-down construction site? This ambiguity and whimsical approach to portraying this surreal landscape is intended to convey the importance of youthfulness in adulthood.