Tasha WentlingFor her exhibition 鈥淗otel Tempus,鈥� graphic design student Tasha Wentling turned the Wilson K. Cadman Gallery into a time-travelers hotel, complete with a check-in desk and a cast of mysterious guests.
The exhibition is on view from 9 a.m.鈥�5 p.m. Monday鈥揊riday in the Rhatigan Student Center gallery through April 12. A reception will take place from 6鈥�8 p.m. on Friday, April 5.
鈥淭here was a hole in my heart that could only be filled by a photography project,鈥� Wentling said. But she didn鈥檛 have the time to shoehorn a photo media class into her schedule during her final year at Wichita State.
Instead, Wentling submitted her idea to the Cadman, a gallery space in the heart of 黑洞社区鈥檚 student center. She worked on the project for months, sometimes sharing her progress on her Instagram account .
The result is more than a photography show. Wentling used her graphic-design acumen to create a fully realized brand for the hotel. In order to get it all done, she incorporated the project into some of her classwork.
鈥淚n my Graphic Design Concepts class, we had to think about what we would do if we didn鈥檛 end up becoming graphic designers,鈥� Wentling said. 鈥淚 asked Jim Hellman if I could be a spooky hotelier, and he agreed.鈥�
The exhibition includes many different design elements, including a menu for the hotel鈥檚 bar and a brochure for the hotel. Copy for the 鈥�Obscurum Bar鈥� implores visitors to 鈥渆njoy respite from the nearby howling in our suspiciously quiet lounge.鈥�
The exhibition photography features numerous hotel guests played by Wentling鈥檚 friends and family. She used the Wichita Scottish Rite Center as a backdrop for many of the photos and took others at home. The sometimes-ominous scenes 鈥渄efinitely build a narrative,鈥� Wentling said.
Wentling took inspiration from films such as 鈥淭he Shining鈥� and 鈥淭he Grand Budapest Hotel.鈥� But she was particularly inspired by the Arctic Monkey鈥檚 album 鈥淭ranquility Base Hotel & Casino,鈥� about an establishment located on the moon.
鈥�I realized the hotel concept has a lot of mileage in it, because anyone can stay there. And then if I make it a hotel for time travelers, it makes the options even broader,鈥� Wentling said. 鈥�I wanted something weird and spooky and something I could make really beautiful.鈥�
The busy student worked on the project in between going to class, coaching gymnastics, teaching graphic design at Mark Arts and her internship at Greteman Group. But she鈥檚 not ready to put 鈥淗otel Tempus鈥� to rest.
鈥淭his is definitely not the end of the exhibition鈥攖his is its debut,鈥� Wentling said. 鈥�I have endless ideas for this project.鈥�