My model is a representation of Geliophobia, the fear of laughter. It is designed to present to the audience feeling threatened and mocked by people laughing. People with Geliophobia perceive all kinds of laughter – whether it has good intentions or not – as mocking.
The stage design is set up in a proscenium stage with an arch around the rims of the stage set. The arch works as a gateway to make one aware of the separation and to enter another domain. You can see on my model various features that stand out; an oversized smiley that looks menacing, a person figure folded like a womb on center stage that is overwhelmed by laughter all around them, a depiction of pointing fingers from all directions, and the floor filled with a text representation of laughter but all in caps.
The prominent colors used in the model were taken from images on the mood board. The colors are white, black, yellow, and red. Yellow was mostly found in creepy smiling emojis, so I used yellow only on the oversized smiley to cast emphasis, contrast, and capture the audience’s attention. Likewise, White was used on the pointing hands and texts, which not only portrayed contrast from the backdrop, but also the innocuous innocence of laughs. Adding on, Black was used in all spaces of the model. By using black, I wanted to portray the darkness and threats of this phobia that people experience. Similarly, Red, used in the backdrop of the stage, indicated the contrast and danger.
Next is the oversized smiley. I found many emojis expressing laughing faces, so I was inspired by multiple emojis to create this creepy smiling face. The oversized smiley is attached to a wire that allows it to shake abruptly. I intended this to give an eviler atmosphere overall. By making the smiley shake crazily, it works as a source to threaten the audience. The smiley, at the same time, is also expressive of derision, not joy or humor, which adds to the overall creepy effect.
The pointing hands were inspired by hand pointers that sometimes teachers use in schools and the theme of mocking. Mocking usually makes people think of pointing fingers and laughing or criticizing someone. I took this idea, and represented it on my model, with fingers pointing from various angles to one single subject – the person. I intentionally made the hands white to portray another level of eeriness to the model.
The text is written all over the stage floor, in varied sizes and dynamics. I wanted this feature to give a feeling of intimidation and present amplification of sound. I intended to write down the laughter so that even without sound effects, the viewers will experience how stressful the laughter sounds to people with Geliophobia.
Last but not least, the person figure is located on the center stage, and it is curled, covering its ears. I wanted to show the burden that people with Geliophobia experience. Also, by making the figure go in the center, and have all the other objects pointing directly to it, the idea of feeling mocked and pressurized is accentuated.
In conclusion, in this model, I intended to project a dark, perilous, and pressured atmosphere caused by the deriding figures of smiley and pointing fingers.