Final project - ideas

[periode]

Write a short description of for two ideas about a culture, or knowledge field you will represent for your final project:

• what is it? what are the different lenses through which we can look at it?
• why is it important? why is it relevant? to you? to others?
• how are you going to represent it? what kind of media? what kinds of interaction?

[el-dah]

One idea: Ethio-/Eritrean art, beauty, and ritual
• exploration of cultural identity through Habesha (Ethiopian, Eritrean) art, beauty practices, and rituals
• focus on body adornment, ceremonial objects, and traditional practices
• highlights cultural resilience and challenges stereotypes
• relevant to me for building on existing work; offers others a deeper understanding of some indigenous expression
• multimedia digital installation with visual art, videos, interviews, and interactive digital elements

Other idea: minority representation in club culture

• focus on how women, queer, Black, and Brown people especially use nightlife for self-expression and activism
• examines club culture’s role in positive / affirmative identity formation as well as its limitations
• raises awareness about barriers marginalized groups face in and outside of nightlife (within a confined scope)
• relevant for discussing social justice and cultural expression; encourages dialogue on inclusivity
• immersive club style audiovisual installation with soundscapes, fashion displays, and archival footage.
• optional: incorporates interviews / oral histories

[Ristar-10]

two ideas for final project

Berlin Techno Music

• Berlin's influence on techno music, how it came to be so popular, evolution, how it's tied to Berlin's identity
• important part of Berlin and club culture here, could also examine club culture a bit and how it's become a space for self expression etc.
  -I can learn more about it as I've grown to appreciate the techno music while I've been here, relevant to others who are involved in the techno/club scene, looking to know more etc.
• represented though digital environments of club spaces, interacting to play music, displaying history and other information in a thematic way that fits with the rest

Magic the Gathering

• could focus on gameplay strategy and lore as well as the history behind it
• first trading card game, groundbreaking in a way
• relevant to me as a player, I can learn more about it while working on this project, relevant to other players in the community, people interested in card/game design.
• represented with a lot of colors and a magical/fantasy element with images and such like the game is, interaction through clicking to flip over cards to reveal information maybe
• archives of card/set releases, tournament information, different game formats, deck combinations, etc.

[jkaveh-dr]

1. Continuing working on Queer Utopias - i would continue building the site as a form of documentation. I would map the queer diaspora, between Berlin, NYC, and Sri Lanka, because these are the scenes I have personal experience. There would also be a specific focus on the trans narrative, highlighting radical trans spaces to provide information for those seeking that kind of safe and affirming space.

2. creating an interactive artwork where I use hypertext and prose as the medium - I was really inspired by the Hypertext as Subversive and would be interested in employing a similar ideology to convey my experiences of trans-ness and gender liberation.

3. I will be helping Marianna create her site focusing on Tijuana because her concept inspires me and I am excited to work on it :)

[Cate-Hackett]

Forgot to write the two ideas last week- here they are for reference!

1. PERSONAL COMMUNiCATION TECH ARCHIVE -
   The most influential personal (communication) technology devices - the ways they have changed through history, changed social behavior and society, and the different products, allowances, interactions with themselves they have elicited by shape shifting. (also super interesting because I’ve been to quite a few (international) tech museums and there are kind of different narratives for who built the first influential computers and what not, so it’d be interesting to figure out what could be a good low-level individual influence social personal tech archive

2. History, culture and shape shifting of GLASSES ! what they’ve looked like (maybe in different cultures, what they originally looked like)