The St. Augustine Panoramic
Senior Thesis Exhibition
May 2008
Maryland Institute College of Art
Panoramic wallpapers depict grand and sweeping landscape vistas. Their popularity peaked in the midst of the Industrial Revolution when their exotic scenes transported viewers to far-off places that existing means of 19th century transportation could not. Often composite landscapes of iconic destinations, these wallpapers stimulated and simulated travel. In this way, the tourism industry and that of panoramic wallpaper share an intertwined history. It is the confluence of these histories that inspired me to create The St. Augustine Panoramic, a digitally printed textile installation depicting tourist attractions in St. Augustine, Florida, “the oldest city in the United States,” and my family’s oldest summer vacation destination. Collaged from antiquated postcards, The St. Augustine Panoramic explores notions of memory, fantasy, escapism, and spectacle as embodied by American tourism.
May 2008
Maryland Institute College of Art
Panoramic wallpapers depict grand and sweeping landscape vistas. Their popularity peaked in the midst of the Industrial Revolution when their exotic scenes transported viewers to far-off places that existing means of 19th century transportation could not. Often composite landscapes of iconic destinations, these wallpapers stimulated and simulated travel. In this way, the tourism industry and that of panoramic wallpaper share an intertwined history. It is the confluence of these histories that inspired me to create The St. Augustine Panoramic, a digitally printed textile installation depicting tourist attractions in St. Augustine, Florida, “the oldest city in the United States,” and my family’s oldest summer vacation destination. Collaged from antiquated postcards, The St. Augustine Panoramic explores notions of memory, fantasy, escapism, and spectacle as embodied by American tourism.
