Installation Art

“The story of the jingling collar of the dog in the Helena office - (formerly an apartment) immediately reminded me of my parent’s dog’s behavior after my own lil doggo’s death…

We brought Gus home from the vet to prepare him for burial on the land he grew up on. The preparation happened on the kitchen floor and for months my parent’s dog would not go through the kitchen unless coaxed and absolutely necessary. And even then, he did so with extreme haste, fearfully looking at something not there then to us as if to say ‘don’t you see him?! He’s right there, but not his normal self.’

He still does this on occasion. We’re all convinced Gus’ ghost or spirit or whatever you want to name it visits and Scooter (parent’s dog) sees him.”

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“Oh yay-er!

What an awesome experience you’ve created. It’s like being inside a podcast. But more 3-dimensional. When I first got in, I sat in the chair in the corner and read a few of the stories. Then I did the puzzle and listened to the stories with all the music and effects added to them and could really appreciate the contrast and the richness it added to the stories. All the work you put into the audio and all the care you took in selecting the audio and visual pieces is really evident.

Well done, Mr. Slaw.

Love you so much”

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“Fantastic! Makes me want to hit some new ghost towns to see what / who is there to encounter.

Love the traveling sound - makes you feel like you’re surrounded by the entities in the stories.

Strange - have a huge craving for some Double Front Chicken 🙂

Well done - great start to Halloween Week!!!”

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“The synth music background fits really well!

To me the stories can be calming but when you add scary music my anxiety starts to come out.

The speaker panning is really cool.

The stories are really interesting.

I liked the reader’s alley story, I’m from Helena and I never knew this story.

Cool piece”

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“I hate going into the women’s bathroom - no more pool playing for me down below the Golden Rose!

Great music, SFX, and ‘speaker panning’ if that’s the correct term…

Liked looking at the photos and portraits of people while listening - added a(n) interesting element.

I have not seen a ghost and do not want to but you have added to my belief in ghost - that said, I still do not believe in Bigfoot!

Great job Cole!

10/29/2024”

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“Big Sky, MT

Winter ’14 - ’15

Black Bear Bar & Grill

After closing the bar with my bar back Bobby Wren, we had flipped chairs and got ready to vacuum. Bobby plugged in the vacuum, and I called him up to the bar to have a shift shot & beer. The vacuum was approximately 30 ft away towards the back of the bar by the pool table. As we were sitting and chatting about the night, the vacuum turned on and ‘walked’ about 15 ft across the bar. It came to a stop and continued to operate for about 8 - 10 seconds before it turned off. We had not moved from our seats.”

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“👻👻👻

I really like the option to create art or play games while listening. Throughout the experience, I felt my heart lighten & my brain light up w/ ideas.

I’ve never been a believer in ghost stories, but something about hearing these intense, true tellings from real everyday people; it just makes me feel eerie.

Great exhibit, you’ve reminded me why I like art in the first place.”

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“Thanks!

Strangely, I felt comforted listening to these stories. Like we can feel that the fabric of reality is filled with these spirits and most of them simply want to remain in some way with us.”

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“Creepy and so interesting! I’m grateful that the sun is shining through the windows as we listen to these stories :). I love listening to these voices and I love not having my own story to share :). I know lots of people who have stories like these but I’ve been lucky enough to not have experienced anything like this first-hand.

Thank you for the opportunity to just sit and listen to these lovely voices. I have this weird feeling of being calm and freaked out at the same time.”

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“Very cool. I too have had experiences I cannot explain. Loved the podcast vibe and rummaging around the items. With the puzzle it was very meditative, time went quickly.”

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“Wow! Great job! So creepy and so well put together. We were on the edge of our seats the whole time!”

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“10/30/24

You’ve created I’ve never been that feels like home. I have felt lost for a while this semester, and something about this space makes me feel safe and loved. It feels like my soul can rest in here, it feels like love and comfort.

The stories feel like ghost stories around a campfire, so I think your title is perfect ❤️

Your editing, SFX, and transitions are flawless. I am truly amazed from a technical standpoint. You’ve made such an immersive experience seem so effortless and natural, phenomenal work! ❤️ Thank you for being here and creating ❤️”

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“10/31/24

I looked at the porcelain angel on the top shelf. Her hands in the prayer position. She opened her eyes.

It was snowing at night. A woman of 7 or 8 feet glided through an empty parking lot. She was in a long white dress and tall bun. I saw no legs. I went home.

I was in my living room. The front window is 15 feet tall. She walked across the window, about as tall as the halfway pane. I closed the blinds and all the doors to the room. I watched the lamp from my grandmother slide across the table.

I was 5. We were at a funeral. I didn’t yet understand death. I played with a boy in a tuxedo. He was around 7 or 8 years old. I handed him a flower. My mom came and asked who I was talking to. No one was there. I was at a young boy’s grave.

The crystal ball of my famous fortune telling ancestor was in the closet. My mom would hear “Here, kitty kitty kitty” and the garden hose would be coiled on the staircase, outside the door. Later, my father shot the crystal ball with a shotgun. I come from a long line of cat ladies. There is only one patriarch left in my family. It isn’t my father.”


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“10/31 2p

Such a cool experience to sit and listen to these expertly produced stories! Loved the sound-bounce and all the panning choices! Fantastic scoring - just enough to induce emotions in the stories & separate chapters. I love that my appreciation doesn’t need to hinge on belief - these people believe and tell their own stories. Where this concept started and where it ended up in this cool space with these mixes of stories and music -> WOW!!

So awesome, Cole Grant. What else will you do with this production?

Let’s chat!

P.S. the girl in the yellow dress! Lee’s grandparents both say they saw a girl in a yellow dress shortly before they died. Weird coincidence?”

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“10/31 14:57

The urge to look through every drawer and box and cabinet in a stranger’s house is fulfilled by this space. I love the interactivity. This is such a comfortable and interesting space. I finally have enough time to listen to all of the stories. Though I don’t believe in ghosts, these local, personal accounts are hard to deny. I love it.

I looked through just about everything I could think to look through. I love every detail. Does the key in the jewelry box go to anything? I couldn’t figure it out.

The puzzle is finished but there is one piece missing. I wonder if that is on purpose. Seems like the odd detail that would have been intentionally placed here.

I wish this was up for longer, I thoroughly enjoy being here.

(an audio media enjoyer & personal item explorer)”

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“10/31/2024

One time around 2010 - 2011 my friend and I were in Billings, MT. We had decided we were going to sleep out on the trampoline. We initially started outside on the trampoline. At some point around 1 am, we both couldn’t sleep. We both had a really strange feeling and it was unsettling. The weather was decent, but for whatever reason neither of us could sleep. We ended up going inside the house and slept the rest of the night inside. When we looked outside in the morning the trampoline was no longer in the same spot. It was around 40 yards away from where it had been. The trampoline frame was beat in all different ways. It looked like a big machine had crumpled the trampoline up. We knew the wind had been fairly mild and when we talked to our neighbors, they agreed it would’ve taken extreme wind to destroy the trampoline and toss it across the yard. We also don’t believe a bear or another animal would’ve been able to destroy it and we didn’t hear Amy noise coming from the yard. To this day, we don’t know why we both felt like we were supposed to go inside and what force destroyed the trampoline. We are glad we weren’t on it when it happened.”

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“10/31/24

Ever since I was very young I have always been familiar with the other side. My mother & grandmother have this experience as well. They used to tell me that the lord has blessed us with a special gift. I have seen and felt many supernatural experiences. I lived in a haunted house for a while. For a long time this entity would only bother me. My bathroom shower would turn on in the middle of the night and I would hear my shampoo bottles being knocked into the tub. Every time, I would drag my parents out of bed to see, the shower would turn off. I could feel this energy follow me around my house every day. My bedroom door would regularly slam itself shut and sometimes the doorknob would jiggle. One time I was doing laundry in the basement. I turned into the hallway to walk up the stairs, but out of the corner of my eye I saw someone running up behind me. It chased me all the way up the stairs and then disappeared. I had never been so scared. I have a lot more stories if you ever need more ghost stories.

(Email address omitted for privacy)”

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“Halloween 2024

Cole,

I love the way the sound bounces around the room, & the way the music elements are atmospheric & ethereal. NICE WORK!

I drew tarot cards (3) that felt pretty apt or relevant to my life lately, which is cool because the cards are in the space w/ lots of other vibes. Good vibes.

I love hearing people’s real stories, experiences.

My sister has experienced multiple visits from spirits & I believe her. One of them my uncle Bob who sadly took his own life at age 47.

For me I did once feel a presence while sleeping alone in my friend’s yurt. I got sleep paralysis & saw a figure but felt stuck. I was ok at the end :)

Thank you”

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“11/01/24

I was a pediatric / pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for 25 years. We had a PICU room, which when empty, at night when you walked by (occasionally) you would catch a glimpse of a figure standing in the room. But when you looked again, there was no one there.”

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“11-01-2024

The reality we perceive is but a fraction of the actual universe around us. These experiential stories show a glimpse of the possible doorways of perception available to us if we are willing to explore.”

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“11-1-24

So impressed with the ability it took for you to get these people to share their experiences with you. That is a quality you have that leads people to trust you to share their stories. This is not something everyone can do. The way you put the audio and the visual together is very interesting, and certainly shows a unique perspective. Great job!”

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“To think the energy we place into the world completely disappears is easy when one applies science as we know it. However, there is no denying there can be a place where our instruments are not capable of measuring. Giving space to memory and humility to things we cannot reach should be taught. We are not done ever learning and it’s fooling believing we have achieved our apex. I don’t believe the past is remembered in ways that allow for humanity to lives before us.”

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“11-1-24

I had to slowly acclimate to the space - find the string of the story, walking around the room, peering at each object, feeling each speaker. I slowly paced & paced until I found myself ready to listen. The music complimented the stories entirely. The stories, plus the arrangement of objects in the room, had me thinking about the unknown lines of both people & things. I often think while in the woods, has anyone ever stood in this exact place? This exhibition reminds me of this feeling.

THANK YOU COLE!!! Love to you!”

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“01 Nov 2024

Some relatable stories, some downright terrifying, but all thoroughly enjoyable. Thanks for letting me know about it! Who knew Montana was so haunted?”

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“11.1.24

Very cool to experience a space with such excellent stories I’d never head before. Love the bookshelf + collection of books. The ceramic bust facing out the window. Puzzle time! Side table drawer surprises. Comfy places to sit for humans who are alive…and maybe not! Very cool space and I’m so glad to experience it all just in time. Congrats!”

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“Hi this is a fantastic installation. I have had ghost apparitions on this university myself. One day in Rankin Hall I was sitting with person in the mezzanine area. And there was a picture on the wall. While we were talking there came a whap on the picture. The whaps became more, and louder until the pictures started to move. The person that I was with look at me and I look at him and, said “what the hell.” Because there was nothing to make these sounds and movement.

(Illegible signature)

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“Very cool, creepy, and cozy - love your speaker array mix interlooped with SFX’s and loops!”