Entoptic
Entoptic is a collaborative project that beautifully merges two of my greatest passions: dance and design. Over the course of three semesters, I had the privilege of contributing to Kait Schnorbus' photography thesis as a movement director and choreographer, shaping the dynamic expression of her work. Spending months in the studio with a talented team, we developed a project that explores the entoptic phenomenon through still images and a short film.
In the fall of 2024, I took the reins to design a book that served as both a conclusion to the scientific research behind Entoptic and a showcase of the final creations we had developed together over the previous year. This project reflects the seamless integration of motion, imagery, and thoughtful design to tell a compelling, multidisciplinary story.
PROJECT
Photography, film, and book designDELIVERABLES
Still images, short film, artists book cover, slip case & interior spreadsINSTRUCTOR
Paul KeppleYEAR
Fall of 2023—Fall of 2024-
The project began when I was connected to photographer Kait Schnorbus through our mutual professor, Sam Fritch. Kait shared her bold vision for her photography thesis—capturing the Entoptic Phenomenon through still and moving images—and we quickly bonded over shared creative enthusiasm. With my background in dance and design, I joined the project as choreographer and movement director.
Our early studio sessions were entirely experimental, just the two of us exploring ideas, with me stepping in as a stand-in dancer while Kait worked through the technical aspects of her photography. As the project developed, so did our team: I brought in dancer Leyla Marusa, and Kait gathered a talented crew to support the production. With a full team in place, I was able to focus entirely on developing and directing the movement. By the end of our test days, I had built a vocabulary of poses and movements that made communication seamless—between Kait and me, and from me to Leyla.
The final stage of the project was choreographing a three-minute narrative short film. It was a new challenge that required precision, timing, and integration with props. Watching it all come together on set—seeing Leyla bring the choreography to life and the visuals unfold in real time—was incredibly rewarding.
After production was complete, I was inspired to design a book as a conclusion to all of our hard work. Kait happily agreed, and in the Fall of 2024, we sat down to discuss. Through this, I was able to interview Kait to narrow down the essence of the project and what purpose the book could serve.
We narrowed down to 3 main goals:
Showcase the pain and beauty of Entoptic through visual storytelling
Narratively display the scientific research
Highlight the production side of the project
This book was hand-bound by Kait and I, with a cloth-wrapped cover and heat-press vinyl details.
