Monday 10-10-16
This week started with a seminar by Sarah:
What happens when we turn a scenario into a set of instructions?
She showed us a few examples, like "The girl chewing gum" (1976) by John Smith.
A TV Programme called "Thank god you're here".
A YouTuber who is searching for the "end" of the Minecraft world. (it's really fun to see people creating their own stories in these type of open world games.)
And a participatory performance by Studio Moniker; People were divided into groups and each group had to follow a different set of instructions, which resulted in some sort of choreography. Some in our class saw a narrative in this but I couldn't really find one, I was more focused on what kind of instructions they were given. Nonetheless the idea did spark my interest. Because people see narratives in things that actually don't have a narrative.
This week started with a seminar by Sarah:
What happens when we turn a scenario into a set of instructions?
She showed us a few examples, like "The girl chewing gum" (1976) by John Smith.
A TV Programme called "Thank god you're here".
A YouTuber who is searching for the "end" of the Minecraft world. (it's really fun to see people creating their own stories in these type of open world games.)
And a participatory performance by Studio Moniker; People were divided into groups and each group had to follow a different set of instructions, which resulted in some sort of choreography. Some in our class saw a narrative in this but I couldn't really find one, I was more focused on what kind of instructions they were given. Nonetheless the idea did spark my interest. Because people see narratives in things that actually don't have a narrative.
After Sarah's presentation we all formed groups based on mediums we wanted to work with. The mediums we could choose from were literature, theatre, games, conditional design, film&animation. We were going to research how immersed the audience becomes (on a scale of looking at, being there and being it) when we give them an active, and a passive role, for every medium. The only conditions were that the story we use is based on a riddle, and has a dramatic structure, so we could effectively compare our results.
I decided to go with the Literature group. Because when I read, the words paint a picture in my head. And what's so beautiful is that I have all the freedom to imagine and visualize the story in whatever way I please. Like when a book describes a house, I always picture my own house and I can see myself being there, which makes me feel like I'm in the story. (But of course, that also depends on how good the story is.) But it is quite amazing that words can be so immersive, because they stimulate our imagination. Anyway, I formed a group with Rianne, Lois and Beatriz because we all wanted to use poetry, as it has the capacity to evoke images and convey feelings in a quicker way than a full story.
So we would test and evaluate how immersed our audience is when we let them read a poem on their own, or when we read it out loud to them (for example).
Actually, we haven't decided yet on what the "active" and "passive" role will entail.. To be continued....
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Tuesday 11-10-16
She talked about some of the projects she and her husband have worked/are working on, but the one that really stood out was "The Essential"; A collection of videoportraits.
For this project, she asked people from all over the world what the most important/valuable thing in their lives is, and the reason why. Basically asking them about "the essence"of their lives. This could be lifechanging experiences, for example.
It was quite amazing... I couldn't, or didn't, want to look away because the people in the videoportraits gave such personal answers, and they looked directly into the camera while doing so. I was really touched by this, some stories were incredibly raw but they were brave enough to share this, and I really admire it when people are honest and real, and show vulnerability. Personal stories with which I can empathize will always be immersive to me. Simply because it strikes a chord with me.
What also inspires me is the fact that the medium is really simple, it's just film. Something we are all familiar with... But the stories that were told were incredibly touching, so I forgot that I was looking at film, I did feel like they were actually talking to me at some point. Once the film was over, it was strange to "wake up", and return to the classroom.
For this project, she asked people from all over the world what the most important/valuable thing in their lives is, and the reason why. Basically asking them about "the essence"of their lives. This could be lifechanging experiences, for example.
It was quite amazing... I couldn't, or didn't, want to look away because the people in the videoportraits gave such personal answers, and they looked directly into the camera while doing so. I was really touched by this, some stories were incredibly raw but they were brave enough to share this, and I really admire it when people are honest and real, and show vulnerability. Personal stories with which I can empathize will always be immersive to me. Simply because it strikes a chord with me.
What also inspires me is the fact that the medium is really simple, it's just film. Something we are all familiar with... But the stories that were told were incredibly touching, so I forgot that I was looking at film, I did feel like they were actually talking to me at some point. Once the film was over, it was strange to "wake up", and return to the classroom.
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Friday 14-10-16
Today we did another sense experiment with Marcel & Wander. The main question was "How do we induce emotions through sensorial input and experiences?" We have physical responses to emotions. Can we use the physical response as designers, and enhance it to recreate these emotions? There are multiple ways to affect someone's state of mind; like changing someone's body posture, changing their facial expressions, using touch to communicate, tensing muscles, changing the rhythm of breathing....just to recreate internal emotions. Super interesting stuff!
We were shown one example; the artist Susanne Hertrich -> "Prostheses for instincts". This project sort of augments our natural "instincts", like giving the body goosebumps, which in turn creates an uneasy feeling.
So then we all divided into groups, and each group got an emotion to work with.
My group (Rianne, Tijmen and I) got "SUBMISSION"...So what could we do to the body to evoke the feeling of submission? It was quite hard because submission is not really an emotion but more a state of mind. A mix between admiration and terror. Trust and fear. Acceptance and apprehension.
Submission is accepting that someone/something has control over you. If you fight against this someone/something, you are not submissive. Only once you give up the fight, give up your control, and accept the situation you're in, do you become submissive.
So we tried to recreate this state of mind.
At first we did this by tying people up and blindfolding them. Turning them into human puppets, whose bodies we could control. (it was more or less like bondage..) We also tried evoking fear with a little drill, which made a really annoying sound, and we sort of threatened to touch their skin with it.
But we noticed that people automatically became sort of submissive, when they agreed to take part in our experiment. People were willing to "give up" their control for the sake of our experiment. So there was no struggle to begin with, not even while we tied them up.
So, then we stuck tape to people's faces which they would hopefully try to get off, but because they are bound they would not be able to do so, so they would have to give up and submit to their situation. But this wasn't really effective either.
So for our homework we would have to look for more ways to evoke the feeling of submission, and then think of suitable contexts/stories for this emotion..
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Research
Wednesday 12-10-16
Wednesday 12-10-16
Today we started working on our own design model which we can use as a step-by-step plan during the final project of this minor.
Nienke first showed us her own strategy, a "design check", that she uses for Hackastory, which is mainly used for interactive projects.
The design check consists of 4 parts. Feel, action, story, shape. The focus lies on "Feel", what are the users supposed to feel? The action, story and shape are the building blocks that support and add to the feeling that the project has to convey.
Feel: What do you want your users to FEEL?
Action: what do you want your users to DO?
Story: which POINT OF VIEW do you want your users to have?
Shape: Which MEDIUM do you want your users to use?
So we had to fill this design check in with a project we made before.
I used the project I made during the first workshop. My main problem with the design check is that I feel like it would actually inhibit my creative process, but I do think it is a good tool to reflect on your project, once it's finished. Maybe if feel, action, story and shape weren't in seperate boxes, and the questions were formulated differently, it wouldn't feel like a closed checklist?
So here is my "design model", which is more or less how I usually work during my process. It probably looks like a mess, but I get it.
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Then we had a research tutoring session with Nienke and Quirijn.
The initial questions I took with me to this session were:
- How do I create an immersive story/experience with the least amount of tools possible? Or the least amount of information?
- Can I create an immersive experience that lets the audience create their own narrative? leaves room open for interpretation? What kind of stories will emerge from this?
- How can I use my audience's imagination for an immersive project?
- How do I stimulate the audience's imagination?
“The storytelling mind is allergic to uncertainty, randomness, and coincidence. It is addicted to meaning. If the storytelling mind cannot find meaningful patterns in the world, it will try to impose them. In short, the storytelling mind is a factory that churns out true stories when it can, but will manufacture lies when it can’t.” ― Jonathan Gottschall, The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human
While I don't entirely agree that we are "allergic" to uncertainty, randomness, and coincidence, I do know that we indeed try to impose meaning on almost everything, even the most abstract, nonsensical things, all thanks to the power of our imagination. And I find that really interesting. Can I do something with this fact?
So to me, one of the things that makes a project/story immersive, is when I get to use my own imagination, when some things are left to my imagination, when I can fill in the gaps... because it makes me stop and think. It makes me question things. It simply engages me, mentally.
But.. my questions seem a bit vague to me at the moment. I have to do more research on the human imagination, so I can actually formulate better questions.
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Week 8 (17-10 / 21-10)
Week 8 wasn't that eventful, only a continuation of Sarah, Marcel and Wander's assignment, and our research for the final project.
The initial questions I took with me to this session were:
- How do I create an immersive story/experience with the least amount of tools possible? Or the least amount of information?
- Can I create an immersive experience that lets the audience create their own narrative? leaves room open for interpretation? What kind of stories will emerge from this?
- How can I use my audience's imagination for an immersive project?
- How do I stimulate the audience's imagination?
“The storytelling mind is allergic to uncertainty, randomness, and coincidence. It is addicted to meaning. If the storytelling mind cannot find meaningful patterns in the world, it will try to impose them. In short, the storytelling mind is a factory that churns out true stories when it can, but will manufacture lies when it can’t.” ― Jonathan Gottschall, The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human
While I don't entirely agree that we are "allergic" to uncertainty, randomness, and coincidence, I do know that we indeed try to impose meaning on almost everything, even the most abstract, nonsensical things, all thanks to the power of our imagination. And I find that really interesting. Can I do something with this fact?
So to me, one of the things that makes a project/story immersive, is when I get to use my own imagination, when some things are left to my imagination, when I can fill in the gaps... because it makes me stop and think. It makes me question things. It simply engages me, mentally.
But.. my questions seem a bit vague to me at the moment. I have to do more research on the human imagination, so I can actually formulate better questions.
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Week 8 (17-10 / 21-10)
Week 8 wasn't that eventful, only a continuation of Sarah, Marcel and Wander's assignment, and our research for the final project.
