a senior thesis by soleil paz.
U.S. immigration isn’t what it used to be...
Let’s tell the other side of the story.
Capstone Project
— turned —
Passion Project
December / 2017
Three sleep-deprived college roommates discuss immigration policies at roughly 1:30am the week before their capstone proposals are due. An idea is born.
April / 2018
The Other Side makes its debut at The College of Saint Rose Senior Art Show. The small-scale social experiment is met with large-scale success.
Right / NOW
With ambitions to continue educating, growing, and telling new stories in an ever-changing political climate, the journey is far from over.
How It Works
Step 2 / JUMP THROUGH HOOPS
Audience interaction came in the form of books with different-shaped cutouts on every page. Each book presented scenarios based on real immigration policies. Participants were prompted to place their pins in the cutouts, and turn pages to pass obstacles.
Participants at the project’s debut were given a choice of four pins of different shapes and sizes, and were encouraged to pick one without knowing its purpose.
Step 1 / GRAB A PIN
Refugee
Student
Worker
Fiancé(e)
For the project’s initial reveal, there were four books representing four routes into the country: refugee, student, worker, and fiancé(e).
Finalist / DESIGN AWARD OF EXCELLENCE, 2018
Purchased / OFFICE OF SPIRITUAL LIFE
Digital
— to —
Physical
Our next and most ambitious goal is to translate The Other Side into a website that serves two main inquiries: Curiosity and Aid
For / CURIOSITY
More human, more free-form, and reaching out to more audiences, those looking to learn about U.S. immigration are sure to find what they are looking for.
For / AID
With this new capability, those in need of accessible information for entering the country will be able to utilize The Other Side as a situation-specific database.
Our Mission
1 / THE MECHANICS
In its essence, this is an interactive journey that simulates immigration. Rooted in the concept of a square peg in a round hole, one may or may not be able to navigate the obstacles, through no fault of their own.
2 / THE GOAL
The project aims to educate its audience on the overwhelming difficulty of immigration, using a medium that can be understood quicker than words. It aims to tell the story today’s Americans have forgotten about their own heritage.
3 / THE IMPACT
Foreigners have no control over who they are and how they are born. In all cases, immigrants seek a better life than what is initially available to them. Under today’s laws, even some Americans would not be able to enter their own country.
Join the Journey
— how you can —
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Instigator
— meet the —
Soleil Paz is a recent BFA Graphic Design graduate from the College of Saint Rose. She and her parents immigrated to the United States when she was four years old. Seventeen years and one naturalization ceremony later, she currently resides in New York City.
Committed to reminding Americans of their own history, Soleil spent the two years creating artistic statements on immigration policy, finally arriving at the conquest that is The Other Side.
More of Soleil’s work:
Contact Soleil at: hello@dsoleil.design
Special thanks to:
Stefan G. Bucher
Ngân (Kim) Lê
Yotam Kellner
Christopher St. Cyr
Jacquelin Saucier
Nina Buonarota
Anne Hobday
Derick Noetzel
Danerick Peralta