Price of dreaming

Kate Adams is an artist and a photographer currently working toward her bachelor’s in fine arts at Chico State. For her thesis project she’s created something to help you daydream: the “Mobile Dream Unit” (built by her under the title Serenity Manufacturing), a box projector that casts still images (of beaches, mountains) on blank walls. So far, Adams has had some trouble getting the units to work effectively using the limited tools she has on hand, so she’s turned to Kickstarter—the online fundraising site—to raise some money to build another 10 units using more sophisticated parts. You can view (and support) Adams’ project at www.kickstarter.com (search “mobile dream units”), and see it in person at her culminating show in November at Chico’s State’s B-SO Space (in Ayres 105). Further information is available at her website, www.kkadams.com, and on her blog, www.serenitymfg.com, where Adams will be chronicling her project’s journey.

What exactly is a Mobile Dream Unit?

It’s a static projector, [one that displays] a still image. I’ve been prototyping them with a flashlight, a slide, and a magnifying glass. At this point, they’re not powerful enough to be producing a bright image that can be seen well in public spaces. That’s why I went to Kickstarter to get funding so I can purchase better parts.

Where did you get the idea?

I had this epiphany one day. I try to meditate to make myself take a break from the day, to center myself and focus on the rest of my day. I thought, “How can I make something that would help me find peace throughout my day?” I’ve found that I rely on consuming things to be happy, so I wanted it to seem like a product, to poke fun at that idea.

Is there a target audience?

The average person who’s going to wonder what it is and how it interacts with them. I love having interactions with the public, bringing my art to other people and not having to have it in a high-end gallery setting. I want it to offer a brief glimpse of escape from reality, a relief from the day.

Have you tested it anywhere?

On the Chico State campus. With the dream units, I’m going to be traveling to New York, San Francisco and L.A. I’m going to have a show [at Chico State] in November, and [the Mobile Dream Unit] is the thesis of that show.