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Give me luck. Feed me hope.

Thesis Outline

INTRO

Maybe you don’t believe in any superstition. Me neither, not until I stepped out of my room after hearing a soft chirping sound from a house gecko.

On that day, I had to move into a long-term house after subletting a temporary room for almost two months in Rotterdam.

On the way to my new home, I got into a bike accident in front of our school, and a scar on my knee is still visible and itchy ever since.

Moving from one place to another can be risky. Imagine being a sailor on the open ocean, surrounded by deep, mysterious waters. How would you feel?

As I sat on my new couch sipping hot green tea, a memory of a chirping gecko- a warning I had completely ignored- flooded my mind.

Come closer. Let me tell you a story about the house gecko. It is a common belief in Thailand that if a house gecko greets you at the door just before you leave home, it's a sign to rethink your plans to go out.

So, next time, checking for chirping sounds before leaving my house shouldn't be much trouble.

For my thesis, I intend to write a narrative blended with a report on my research and practice, structured into three sections. This investigation seeks to deepen my understanding of my practice, the power of mockumentary, and the political connotation behind Thailand's deep-rooted superstitious beliefs, as well as to discuss the following questions.

How can I deconstruct Thailand’s deep-rooted superstitious beliefs through the medium of mockumentary?

What is the role of mockumentary film and unreliable narrator? How could they contribute to society? And how does this connect to my fascination with superstitious beliefs?

What drives my fascination with superstitions when I don't personally rely on them in my everyday life?

What does the audience gain from experiencing the convolution provoked by blending truth and lies?

How can people's collective memories be explored through media and pop culture?

How can humor be a powerful tool in addressing serious social issues?

Chapter 1: A Quest for The Meaningful Practice.

In the first chapter, I will examine the journey of my practice and theoretical framework, reflecting on the processes and construction methods involved in my previous works developed before and during this Master's program. I will point out how they have more or less affected my practice in developing “Welcome to My Motherland”, my graduation project.

i. The Holy Sponge (2023)

Propaganda/Politic
Capitalism
Fake Exhibition/Mockumentary
Unreliable Narrator

ii. Turning Tide and Cataract (2017)

Film Editing and Cinematography Techniques
Meta-Cinema
Female Victim Trope / Maiden Archetype

iii. Personal Odyssey (2019)

Reality and Fiction
Existential Nihilism

iv. Something that (2023)

Exquisite corpse
Capitalism
Consumerism
Ritual

Chapter 2: Haunted Ghosts and a Glimmer of Hope

In this chapter, I will provide an example of Thailand's deep-rooted superstitious beliefs and highlight how they offer hope to those who trust them. I want to interrogate inequality in various aspects of Thailand through the lens of these beliefs. Moreover, I will study the elements in films that inspire me, analyze the significance of media in pop culture, and point out how they impact my project.

i. Examine examples of Thailand's deep-rooted superstitious beliefs and rituals associated with the societal structure (e.g., capitalism, poverty, sexism)

ii. Analyze case studies of the superstitious belief, ghosts, and tropes that appeared in media (e.g., film/song/music video/TV show/news)

Chapter 3: Welcome To My Motherland

The final chapter of my thesis will focus on my reflections on the decision-making process, and references that influenced my development of the graduation project.

i. Superstitious beliefs.

ii. Mockumentary format.

iii. Unreliable narrator.

iv. Discovery.

Epilogue

I will write about the superstitious ritual I have established using the research and experiments I have gathered along the way.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-== Draft 08 NOV ==
+== Give me luck. Feed me hope. ==
-'''<u>Thesis Outline</u>'''[[File:Three color fabric tie with tree.jpg|center|thumb|584x584px]]'''INTRO'''
+'''<u>Thesis Outline</u>'''[[File:Three color fabric tie with tree.jpg|center|thumb|584x584px]]
-Maybe you don’t believe in any superstition. Me neither, not until the day that I stepped out of my room after a soft chirping sound from a house gecko. On that day, I had to move into a long-term house after subletting a temporary room for almost two months in Rotterdam. On the way to my new house, I got into a bike accident in front of our school, and a scar on my knee is still visible and itchy ever since.
-Moving from one place to another can be risky. Imagine being a sailor on the open ocean, surrounded by deep, mysterious waters. How would you feel?
+'''INTRO'''
-I sat on my new couch, and a memory of a chirping gecko flooded my mind, a warning I completely ignored.
-Come closer. Let me tell you a story of the house gecko. It is a common belief in Thailand that if a house gecko greets you at the door just before leaving your home, it's a sign to rethink your plans to go out.
-So, next time. I’ll check if there is no chirping sound before leaving my house.
-For my thesis, I intend to write a narrative blend with a report on my research and practice, structured into three sections. This investigation seeks to deepen my understanding of my practice, and the political connotation behind Thailand's deep-rooted superstitious beliefs as well as discuss the following questions.
-- Why does Thailand have rich superstitious beliefs? And what is their significance?
+''Maybe you don’t believe in any superstition. Me neither, not until I stepped out of my room after hearing a soft chirping sound from a house gecko.''
-- What lies behind Thailand's deep-rooted superstitious beliefs and rituals that may appear perplexing at first glance?
+''On that day, I had to move into a long-term house after subletting a temporary room for almost two months in Rotterdam.''
-- How do these beliefs impact the political landscape, particularly among marginalized segments of society?
+''On the way to my new home, I got into a bike accident in front of our school, and a scar on my knee is still visible and itchy ever since.''
-- What are the profound meanings of the symbols in these rituals?
+''Moving from one place to another can be risky. Imagine being a sailor on the open ocean, surrounded by deep, mysterious waters. How would you feel?''
-- How can the collective memories of the Thai people be explored through the medium of Thai media?
+''As I sat on my new couch sipping hot green tea, a memory of a chirping gecko- a warning I had completely ignored- flooded my mind.''
-- How can I construct a piece of work using collective memories?
+''Come closer. Let me tell you a story about the house gecko. It is a common belief in Thailand that if a house gecko greets you at the door just before you leave home, it's a sign to rethink your plans to go out.''
-- What can I achieve by using fake characters in my Mockumentary genre work, and how does this connect to my fascination with superstitious beliefs?
+''So, next time, checking for chirping sounds before leaving my house shouldn't be much trouble.''
-- What is my position? What drives my fascination with superstition, even though I don't personally rely on it in my everyday life?
-- How can I translate notions of superstitious belief into a Mockumentary?
-'''Chapter 1: Journey of my practice''' (A Spiritual quest on practice) / Previous work / Process / Translation / Ways to Constructing Work
-i. The Holy Sponge (2023)
-ii. Turning Tide and Cataract (2017)
-iii. Personal Odyssey (2019)
-iv. Something that (2023)
-'''Chapter 2: Conceptual and Theoretical Framework''' / Case Studies of Mockumentary Genre
-i. Superstitious Beliefs/Ritual
-ii. Injustice/ Sexism
-iii. Capitalism
-iv. Unreliable Narrator
-v. Exquisite corpse
-'''Chapter 3: A Glimpse of Hope''' / Field of Research: Thailand's deep-rooted superstitious beliefs
-I want to study superstitious beliefs as the first step to discussing inequality in various aspects of Thailand.
-i. Examples of Thailand's deep-rooted superstitious beliefs and rituals associated with societal structure.
-ii. What lies behind Thailand's deep-rooted superstitious beliefs and rituals that may appear perplexing at first glance?
-iii. Case studies of the superstitious belief/ trope that appeared in media (e.g. song/ TV show/ music video/news)
-iv. Objects and symbols used in the superstitious ritual.
-== ''Draft 23 Oct'' ==
-'''<u>Thesis Outline</u>'''
-[[File:Three color fabric tie with tree.jpg|center|thumb|584x584px]]
-'''INTRO'''
-<small>- The starting point of my graduation project.</small>
+For my thesis, I intend to write a narrative blended with a report on my research and practice, structured into three sections. This investigation seeks to deepen my understanding of my practice, the power of mockumentary, and the political connotation behind Thailand's deep-rooted superstitious beliefs, as well as to discuss the following questions.
-<small>- How can the thesis support/relate/expand/ intertwine with my graduation research?</small>
+''How can I deconstruct Thailand’s deep-rooted superstitious beliefs through the medium of mockumentary?''
-<small>- The questions I aim to discuss in the graduation project.</small>
+''What is the role of mockumentary film and unreliable narrator? How could they contribute to society? And how does this connect to my fascination with superstitious beliefs?''
-Since I was young, I wondered how far I could go from my hometown. My odyssey began in September last year when I moved from Thailand to the Netherlands for this Master. It’s pretty far, over 9,000 kilometers. Predictably, I have traversed great physical and cultural distances. Everything seemed new except the massive tree in front of the school. It would probably not have caught my attention if colored meshes didn’t wrap it. In Thailand, people believe that it is a symbol indicating that there is a guardian spirit inside. People worship these trees by praying and offering food and beverages to the guardian spirits. I don’t know exactly who is the first person who rubs their fingers with the tree bark. But it was believed that the lucky numbers would appear on the bark if you did that—a shortcut to potential wealth through lottery winnings. This superstition serves as a glimmer of hope, particularly for people in rural areas, offering a chance to secure their livelihoods without comprehensive government support. I never did that in Thailand. But isn’t it fun to try it here?
+''What drives my fascination with superstitions when I don't personally rely on them in my everyday life?''
-I could move country, but I can’t never be Thai.
+''What does the audience gain from experiencing the convolution provoked by blending truth and lies?''
-My fascination with mystical tales from my country ignited me to take this encounter as the starting point of my last year's project, which will develop into the graduation project.
+''How can people's collective memories be explored through media and pop culture?''
-……
+''How can humor be a powerful tool in addressing serious social issues?''
-For my thesis, I intend to write a narrative blend with a report on my research and practice, structured into three sections. This investigation seeks to deepen my understanding of the political connotation behind Thailand's deep-rooted superstitious beliefs and archetypes as well as discuss the following questions.
-* Why does Thailand have rich superstitious beliefs? And what is their significance?
+'''Chapter 1: A Quest for The Meaningful Practice.'''
-* What lies behind Thailand's deep-rooted superstitious beliefs and rituals that may appear perplexing at first glance?
-* How do these beliefs impact the political landscape, particularly among marginalized segments of society?
-* What are the profound meanings of the symbols in these rituals?
-* How can the collective memories of the Thai people be explored through the medium of Thai media?
-* How can I construct a piece of work using collective memories?
-* What can I achieve by using fake characters in my Mockumentary genre work, and how does this connect to my fascination with superstitious beliefs?
+In the first chapter, I will examine the journey of my practice and theoretical framework, reflecting on the processes and construction methods involved in my previous works developed before and during this Master's program. I will point out how they have more or less affected my practice in developing “Welcome to My Motherland”, my graduation project.
-'''Chapter 1: Framework/Field of Research: Thailand's deep-rooted superstitious beliefs'''
+<u>i. The Holy Sponge (2023)</u>
-I want to use superstitious belief as the first door to discuss inequality in various aspects of Thailand.
+# Propaganda/Politic
+# Capitalism
+# Fake Exhibition/Mockumentary
+# Unreliable Narrator
-.1 Examples of Thailand's deep-rooted superstitious beliefs and rituals associated with societal structure.
-.2 What lies behind Thailand's deep-rooted superstitious beliefs and rituals that may appear perplexing at first glance?
+<u>ii. Turning Tide and Cataract (2017)</u>
-.3 The impact of political connotation? Especially on marginalized people in society.
+# Film Editing and Cinematography Techniques
+# Meta-Cinema
+# Female Victim Trope / Maiden Archetype
-.4 Mundane objects and symbols used in the superstitious ritual.
-.5 Relation between superstition belief and nature.
+<u>iii. Personal Odyssey (2019)</u>
+# Reality and Fiction
+# Existential Nihilism
-'''Chapter 2: Research on case studies of the media'''
-.1 Examples of songs, music videos, films, TV shows, and news that reveal a value associated with superstitious beliefs.
+<u>iv. Something that (2023)</u>
-.2 Examples of character archetypes in Thai and non-Thai films, especially American films. (Even though Thailand has never been officially colonized by any country. But during the Vietnam War, Thailand became a US Military base. American pop culture also became Thai mainstream culture in the 1970s ever since.)
+# Exquisite corpse
+# Capitalism
+# Consumerism
+# Ritual
-'''Chapter 3: My practice / Process / Translation / Constructing work / Mockumentary Genre'''
+'''Chapter 2: Haunted Ghosts and a Glimmer of Hope'''
-.1 How can I translate notions of superstitious belief into a Mockumentary?
+In this chapter, I will provide an example of Thailand's deep-rooted superstitious beliefs and highlight how they offer hope to those who trust them. I want to interrogate inequality in various aspects of Thailand through the lens of these beliefs. Moreover, I will study the elements in films that inspire me, analyze the significance of media in pop culture, and point out how they impact my project.
-.2 How can I create the subversive fairy tale/myth based on/using superstition as a theme?
+<u>i. Examine examples of Thailand's deep-rooted superstitious beliefs and rituals associated with the societal structure (e.g., capitalism, poverty, sexism)</u>
-.3 What opportunities arise when I employ the 'unreliable narrator' technique in constructing my storyline within the Mockumentary genre?
+<u>ii. Analyze case studies of the superstitious belief, ghosts, and tropes that appeared in media (e.g., film/song/music video/TV show/news)</u>
-.4 What is my position? What drives my fascination with superstition, even though I don't personally rely on them in my everyday life?
+'''Chapter 3: Welcome To My Motherland'''
-'''Reference'''
+The final chapter of my thesis will focus on my reflections on the decision-making process, and references that influenced my development of the graduation project.
-Cornwel-Smith, P. (2014) Very Thai: Everyday popular culture. Bangkok: River Books.
+<u>i. Superstitious beliefs.</u>
-Paramaditha, I. (2019) Apple and Knife. London: Vintage Publishing.
+<u>ii. Mockumentary format.</u>
-Murch, W. (2001a) In the blink of an eye: A perspective on Film editing. 2nd edn. Los Angeles: Silman-James Press.
+<u>iii. Unreliable narrator.</u>
-The Mock Doc Film Series: History of the Mockumentary Film, Victoria Napolitano
+<u>iv. Discovery.</u>
-F Is for Phony: Fake Documentary and Truth’s Undoing, 2006, Alexandra Juhasz and Jesse Lerner, editors.
-Fisher, M. and Ambrose, D. (2018) K-Punk: The collected and unpublished writings of Mark Fisher (2004-2016). London: Repeater Books.
+'''Epilogue'''
-Reconstructing Reality, Alice Wong
+I will write about the superstitious ritual I have established using the research and experiments I have gathered along the way.