MFA Graduate Research Project | Kirk Demarais, Ghostland

Kirk Demarais was a professional designer, artist, and author for a couple of decades before rolling an adjunct teaching gig into a full-time career. This move required an MFA, and Kutztown had everything he was looking for in a Master’s program. Kirk likes to do dad and husband things. He also likes to nourish his mind and spirit and have fun in the process. He has many hobbies, all flavored with history and nostalgia. He likes to collect things that inspire him to create things. He’s discovered that meaningless objects can often lead to meaningful experiences and relationships.

Ghostland is a live multimedia experience based on his thesis paper “Designs of the American Road Trip” in which he explores numerous designs that have contributed to tourism since before the dawn of cars. He covered the histories of familiar vacation staples like travel brochures, souvenirs, and famous tourist traps. He also outlined the design principles and techniques unique to each format.

Inspired by his findings, he created a fictional roadside attraction called Ghostland, a tourist trap on Route 66 that claimed to be the only place where people could find “a real ghost in captivity.” It opened in 1968 but was abandoned in 1984 because of a series of unexplained occurrences. He wrote a history of the attraction that ties into local legends that surround the real town of Avilla, MO, where the mythical destination resides.

The Ghostland event was framed as an open house sponsored by a Real Estate agency that was trying to unload the property, despite some potentially dangerous paranormal activity. Guests were entertained by live dramatic elements and were shown a “vintage” souvenir videotape before entering the Ghostland premises. The tour ended when the ghost revealed itself.

The goal was to create an experience that immersed visitors in an original story using video, scripted performances, and environmental design components like sound design, illusions, themed aromas, theatrical effects, and loads of historically inspired designs. These included era-specific branding, objects, ephemera, souvenirs, and more.