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 through exploring the role of repetition in the creation of biases, 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.
Keywords: Dynamic nominalism, repetition bias, interactivity, intentionality. Associations, metaphors, counter-mapping, the dialectical space as a dynamic, contextuality.
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) Four songs, 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 sources of pride and empowerment, maybe through a series of playful advertisements. I would like to include image in the project and hopefully combine it with the notion of empowerment through the subverting of derogatory characterizations. Advertisements can be a good vehicle towards this purpose. I am considering either videos or posters/paintings.
Timetable
I will try to have everything ready or brought to a very good point by the end of February, and then fine-tune.
(1) The book is already there as a prototype, I need to make more (and different) copies. Hopefully I can present it during the public moment.
(2) I have the interviews that I need to process for this part. And I need to get inspired for the music. Probably the most time-consuming part of the project as a whole will be getting the vinyl pressed and this is why I consider the end of February a safe estimation.
(3) The midi device is also there, I have presented it during the colloquium and got feedback on it, I need to make some changes (include more voices, decide on a sound methodology so that I can justify my choices). I will also create a Web API version and decide between the two. This is something that will hopefully also be presented during the public moment.
(4) The last part is the most underdeveloped at the moment, also conceptually, so I need to get started asap.
I will ideally also have the first good draft of the thesis ready by then.
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 who can help
Probably no one. I am doomed. Joking. Maybe some insights into vinyl pressing and web API's vs python scripts could be useful.
Relation to previous practice
Relation to a larger context