Thesis week four: Adventures in 360, production schedule freak out, and other thoughts

February 25, 2019 Thesis

So, it’s been a bit of a week. My thesis proposal was accepted, and while that was a relief, figuring out how I’m going to be able to execute it, has been a bit of a struggle. I feel pretty strongly about doing this project in VR, but have some concerns of being able to pull it off in nine weeks. A one on one with Nancy, reminded me that I could do it using sound. While it wouldn’t beRead More

Context Paper

February 19, 2019 Thesis

So far, my research has been a combination of looking at similar projects, visiting a handful of art galleries, looking up storytelling resources, and working through my reading list.   Times, The New York. “Video: Southern Slavery, Unsanitized.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000005512273/whitney-plantation-louisiana-slavery.html This was one of the first 360 videos I looked at that began to give me an idea of what I could do with 360 video.  Going this route would require finding a location, cast, and writing aRead More

Production Schedule

February 19, 2019 Thesis

As with everything, I’m expecting this schedule to change as needed. Design, Development, Prototyping: Weeks 4-9: Class 4: 2/19 Small groups, feedback, etcWeek 2/17 – 2/23– Work in Unity -> check out MSI from ER for a week– Build rough prototype from tutorial– Work w/ idea of using google cardboard– goal: Have something running on google cardboard this week. Class 5: 2/26 Midterm Prep, small group critiquesWeek 2/24 – 3/2– continue prototyping– iterate on google cardboard example– midterm prep– goal:Read More

Thesis Statement

February 15, 2019 Thesis

Part I: What are you investigatingI’m investigating the experiences black children and young adults have as they learn to navigate their world. Specifically dealing with the talk, police brutality, and situations dealing with authority figures. Part II: Why? Personal StatementIn 2003, I was in Norfolk, VA for my fraternity’s national convention.  It was late, and to get some air, two of my fraternity brothers and I grabbed hoodies, and took a walk in the city.  We’d hoped to find someplaceRead More

Thesis Week 2: Brainstorming

February 10, 2019 Thesis

This week, I’ve added two books to my reading list (Target Practice, Target Practice EP, and Citizen: an American Lyric), made a list of museum exhibits I want to go see, and tried to nail down how I want to execute my concept/question. It’s been a bit of mess, really, because the more I research, the more I find that interests me. It’s a good problem to have, I suppose. I started with (what I thought) was a pretty concreteRead More

Thesis – Week One Research, and thoughts on the next steps

February 3, 2019 Thesis

Thesis Concept: Exploring the experiences black children and young adults have as they learn to navigate their world. Specifically dealing with the talk, police brutality, and situations dealing with authority figures. Who’s it for: My initial thought, is that this project is for non-Black POCs/Caucasian people. The goal being to help others understand the black experience through our eyes. And not just for Conservatives, but also for those who consider themselves to be Liberal. There’s plenty of folks on theRead More

Design for Discomfort: Final Project

December 19, 2018 Design for Discomfort

In preparing for my final project, I ended up adding a component that I hoped would strengthen the project. While I still like the idea of having an interactive web based memorial that (I feel) would reach the most people, while allowing me to convey the most information, I also wanted something that would have a big visual impact. Something that could quickly and clearly show the person I’m memorializing, convey the public’s disgust with the system, and create aRead More

Design for Discomfort: Reading Response #4

December 19, 2018 Design for Discomfort

I find that lately I’m really interested in storytelling, discussing privilege, and helping people to tell their own stories.  Or at the very least, telling stories that allow people to see themselves reflected in them.   While I wasn’t familiar with Sam Durant’s “Scaffolding” installation, I was amazed that the artist hadn’t (at least from what I could tell), considered the fact that replicating gallows that were used in government sanctioned executions, would be traumatic for some people. What didn’t surpriseRead More

Design for Discomfort: Reading Response #3

December 18, 2018 Design for Discomfort

The Limits of Virtual Reality: Debugging the Empathy Machine was an interesting read for me.  Through discussions I’ve had in my Socially Engaged Art  & Digital Practice class, I’ve become increasingly interested in using vr to engender empathy in the user.  To share lived experiences.   I wasn’t aware that empathetic feelings fell into two categories. Emotional, occurs immediately, without conscious thought.  When we see the commercial about abandoned animals, with the sad Sarah McLachlan song, for example.  And “conceptual empathy” whereRead More

Talking & Storytelling: Final Presentation

December 12, 2018 Talking and Storytelling

Talking & Storytelling has been one of the most helpful classes I’ve had this semester. It’s been really good for helping me to organize my thoughts into a cohesive concept for my thesis project, making the thesis application process that much easier.   My final presentation got off to a rocky start. I had problems getting the presenter notes on my laptop while displaying our slides on the tv behind me, and once I got it going, had problems getting myRead More