Residual Wonder: The Why

Residual Wonder (2026), Lightwell Gallery, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK.

Looking back, Residual Wonder became much more than an installation. It became a record of growth—not just as an artist, but as a person learning to embrace uncertainty. Every challenge, every material failure, every redesign, and every late-night realization became embedded in the work itself. The final installation is not a perfect realization of an original plan because, frankly, that original plan no longer existed by the end. What emerged instead was something far more honest: a work shaped by curiosity, collaboration, adaptation, and trust.

Perhaps what surprised me most was how deeply this project mirrored its own subject matter. Residual Wonder is about the space between childhood and adulthood, about holding onto imagination while learning to navigate reality. Throughout the making process, I found myself doing exactly that. I spent months solving practical problems while simultaneously allowing myself to dream big, play freely, and follow unexpected ideas. The installation became evidence that those two states—the responsible and the imaginative—do not have to exist in opposition.

When viewers entered the space, my hope was not that they would understand every reference or uncover some hidden meaning. Instead, I hoped they would allow themselves a brief moment of wonder. A moment to remember what it felt like to be curious without purpose, to play without expectation, and to imagine without limitation. If only for a few minutes, I wanted the installation to create permission for that experience.

As I continue developing my practice, I carry the lessons of this project with me. Accessibility is no longer an afterthought but a foundational consideration. Experimentation remains essential. Scale still excites me. And perhaps most importantly, I have learned that some of the most meaningful work happens when I allow myself to be flexible, to trust the process, and to embrace change rather than resist it.

Residual Wonder marks the beginning of a new chapter in my practice. It affirmed my love for immersive environments, reinforced my commitment to creating spaces that invite participation, and reminded me that wonder is not something we leave behind in childhood. Much of this work centers on exploring the past versions of selves we leave behind as we grow—the imagined futures, abandoned interests, and alternate paths that continue to shape who we become. Wonder lingers. It evolves. It remains with us in fragments, waiting for an opportunity to resurface.

And maybe that is what this work is really about: not reclaiming childhood, but recognizing that it never fully disappears.

-Aubrey Crilly Tizol