RIT Students Expose the Power of Zazmo

Super-powers are all the rage lately. While Spiderman spins an adventurous web at the box office, students at Rochester Institute of Technology are getting ready to remove the wraps from a heroic production of their own.

Zazmo, the 2002 ESPRIT project at RIT, will be officially unveiled during an opening celebration. The public’s first look at Zazmo will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22, at Tonic, 336 East Ave., Rochester. During the event, signed and framed images from the project will be available through a silent auction. Proceeds will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Western New York.

Zazmo is a publication that taps into the imagination of youngsters while showcasing RIT student excellence in photography, graphic design, printing, and information technology. Feedback from children, ages 5 to 10, about their super-power fantasies provided the inspiration for 14 scenarios, transformed into photographic illustrations. RIT student teams printed the images as a series of posters accompanied by a small book, which includes the photos and related text.

As the latest installment of ESPRIT (Electronic Still Photography at Rochester Institute of Technology), Zazmo is a cross-campus collaboration between printing, photography, design, information technology and liberal arts programs. Nearly 60 RIT students took part in its creation.

Admission to the opening celebration is $25. To attend the event, contact Deborah McKenzie Bristol at (585) 475-2128.

MEDIA NOTE: A special opening for children who participated in the creation of Zazmo will be Sunday, May 19, from 2 to 4 p.m. on the Greek Lawn-outside the residence halls on the east side of RIT’s Henrietta campus. Coverage is welcome and encouraged.