Tasha WentlingFor her exhibition “Hotel Tempus,” graphic design student Tasha Wentling turned the Wilson K. Cadman Gallery into a time-travelers hotel, complete with a check-in desk and a cast of mysterious guests.
The exhibition is on view from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday in the Rhatigan Student Center gallery through April 12. A reception will take place from 6–8 p.m. on Friday, April 5.
“There was a hole in my heart that could only be filled by a photography project,” Wentling said. But she didn’t have the time to shoehorn a photo media class into her schedule during her final year at Wichita State.
Instead, Wentling submitted her idea to the Cadman, a gallery space in the heart of WSU’s student center. She worked on the project for months, sometimes sharing her progress on her Instagram account @tashajodesign.
The result is more than a photography show. Wentling used her graphic-design acumen to create a fully realized brand for the hotel. In order to get it all done, she incorporated the project into some of her classwork.
“In my Graphic Design Concepts class, we had to think about what we would do if we didn’t end up becoming graphic designers,” Wentling said. “I asked Jim Hellman if I could be a spooky hotelier, and he agreed.”
The exhibition includes many different design elements, including a menu for the hotel’s bar and a brochure for the hotel. Copy for the “Obscurum Bar” implores visitors to “enjoy respite from the nearby howling in our suspiciously quiet lounge.”
The exhibition photography features numerous hotel guests played by Wentling’s friends and family. She used the Wichita Scottish Rite Center as a backdrop for many of the photos and took others at home. The sometimes-ominous scenes “definitely build a narrative,” Wentling said.
Wentling took inspiration from films such as “The Shining” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” But she was particularly inspired by the Arctic Monkey’s album “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino,” about an establishment located on the moon.
“I realized the hotel concept has a lot of mileage in it, because anyone can stay there. And then if I make it a hotel for time travelers, it makes the options even broader,” Wentling said. “I wanted something weird and spooky and something I could make really beautiful.”
The busy student worked on the project in between going to class, coaching gymnastics, teaching graphic design at Mark Arts and her internship at Greteman Group. But she’s not ready to put “Hotel Tempus” to rest.
“This is definitely not the end of the exhibition—this is its debut,” Wentling said. “I have endless ideas for this project.”