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Embracing unpredictability and physical process in immersive art with Georgie Friedman

In this podcast, discover how physical prototyping, water systems, and shifting sound and light bring Georgie Friedman’s installations to life.

In this interview, Georgie Friedman explores the creative process behind Dissolution, an immersive installation blending spatial sound, projection-mapped video and dripping water to evoke a dark, cave-like stillness. The work was installed at Gallery A2, part of Artisans Asylum, a collaborative makerspace in Boston.

Georgie is a Boston-based interdisciplinary media artist and educator. Her background in film, sculpture and digital media informs a practice rooted in physical experimentation, environmental phenomena and spatial design.

Listen to this podcast to learn about:

Why physical prototyping is essential for immersive media work
Creating installations that incorporate live water
How projection mapping changes when your surfaces sway, drip and shift

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Chapters

(00:00:00) Introduction to the Dissolution
(00:00:33) Podcast introduction and acknowledgements
(00:01:14) Interview with Georgie Friedman begins
(00:01:35) Exploring the installation Dissolution
(00:03:06) Concept and inspiration behind the piece
(00:05:46) Technical aspects and challenges
(00:09:42) Projection mapping and unexpected outcomes
(00:16:24) Reflections and future projects
(00:17:42) Advice for aspiring artists and conclusion

About Georgie Friedman

Georgie Friedman is a Boston-based interdisciplinary media artist whose immersive installations explore psychological and societal relationships to natural phenomena. Her work integrates large-scale video projection, sculptural forms, spatial sound and physical elements like water to create contemplative, sensory-rich environments. Drawing on site-based research and footage, she reflects on themes of climate, transformation and human fragility. Georgie holds an MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, where she currently teaches. Her projects have been exhibited internationally and commissioned for public spaces

Takeaways from this interview with Georgie Friedman

In this episode, Georgie Friedman discusses the making of Dissolution, a sculptural video installation using projected light, sound and water systems to create a slow, cave-like atmosphere.

Working with unpredictable materials

“There was this beautiful moment where the water changed the projection in a way I didn’t expect. I realised I had to let it do its thing.”

Georgie describes learning to work with water not as a controlled element, but as an active, shifting part of the installation. Drips caused light to scatter, reflections to move and the sculptures to subtly shift. What began as a challenge became central to the work’s mood and meaning.

Composing spaces

“The idea was that the space would feel like a cave, quiet, immersive, but not completely still.”

Georgie’s approach blends projected video, physical materials and sound to create an environment that feels alive but subtle, more like weather than narrative. Her intention isn’t to tell a story, but to guide how people feel in space.

Creating a space for slowness

“I wanted people to slow down, to feel like the space was separate from the outside world.”

The installation is structured to change at a glacial pace. Drips fall irregularly, light pulses softly and sound is spacious and layered. This slowness encourages a bodily shift in the viewer, creating an inward, contemplative focus.

Projection mapping in motion

“I realised the projection spill actually made the space feel more fluid. The imperfections became part of the aesthetic.”

Unlike many projection setups that rely on rigid precision, Dissolution embraced movement. Lightweight sculptural forms swayed as people passed through, and the projection moved with them. Instead of correcting for spill, Georgie integrated it, adding an ambient softness and a feeling of motion that aligned with the work’s themes.

Prototyping and testing

“I needed to test how the water would behave. I couldn’t just imagine it—I had to see it.”

To develop Dissolution, Georgie built a full-size cardboard model in her studio. She projected video and sound into the space to test how scale, movement and material interacted. For her, prototyping wasn’t about miniatures or diagrams; it was about feeling how the space worked with the body.

Advice

“Don’t be afraid to make the rough version. If you can’t feel anything from the prototype, neither will anyone else.”

Links from this podcast with Georgie Friedman

Posted 12-07-2025