User:Mxrwho/The Final Project/The what, the why, the how

The what

A series of projects on different media placed close to each other, creating a circle. The visitor sits in the circle and interacts with each project in order to experience processes and results that occur naturally in societal interactions. This seating of the visitor in the center of the circle adds a performative dimension to the work and creates a visual analogy with the positioning of the individual in relation to nominalism. [The purpose of this design isn't to intimidate but to empower, showing exactly that there is agency for the (re-)formation, or indeed retainment, of identity and norms in our ability to think and interact with others, even when the setting is overwhelming.]

The work as a whole is unfolding by focusing on repetition and biases: The role of repetition in the creation of bias, the formation of habit, the process of overturning biases, again through repetition. Each work will contribute to the narrative in a different manner, although repetition will be central in all of them.

Starting points: A frequent walk on the same route, the spreading of an opinion, an obsessive thought. Repetition and nominalism. Repetition as variation. Repetition as progress. The narrative value of repetition. Repetition and performativity.

The why

We are shaped by how others see us, to a degree that we often disregard. I want to explore the effect of other people's words, of the standards and values imposed on us by existing beliefs (and by the consumerist culture), and how the power of words shifts through action.

The how

The power and the many faces of repetition will be explored through different media:

(1) A photo book of the same beach with poetic text on repetition. Different printed versions of the book stress the point that repetition doesn't necessarily produce the same results.

(2) (At least) a song, hopefully printed on vinyl, based on interviews with various people about their experience with biases. Since much of nominalism is distributed as spoken word, the auditory element is important. The music will also include loops and repeated phrases, showing again how repetition can lead to novelty.

(3) A virtual midi device, where each key produces a derogatory characterization. It invites people to feel overwhelmed by what is thrown at them.

(4) The transformation of words that used to have bad connotations to positive ones, maybe through a series of playful advertisements.