Project:
a change of boundaries

Background

“Changing of boundaries” is part of the gestalt cycle of experience. The type of therapy I do is called gestalt therapy and full disclosure my therapist has been talking to me about some of the theory behind it. This part of the cycle of experience, the change of boundaries, is when you expand “beyond yourself” in order to effect the world. That is what you’ll be doing with this assignment. Also I wanted to call this assignment something like, “change the world” which felt a little bit, presumptuous.

Objectives

Completing and a presenting a finalized idea or “pitch.”
Gain facility with conceiving of ideas and their relationship to the dynamic in which you live.

Requirements

An identified condition that you experience in your daily life or witness and wish to change. More than likely you may view this as an issue or “problem.”
An identified way in which your agency will change the condition. You might view this as a “solution.”
A presentation, where you discuss the condition and your proposed change, regardless of the technological difficulty therein. Think of this as a “pitch” like you might do to a venture capitalist, in a meeting at a studio, or on a show like Shark Tank or Dragon’s Den. This may involve a demonstration, proof of concept or prototype.

Final Submission

Your presentation. This could be a PowerPoint, Keynote or Google Slides presentation, a video file, or a recording of an in-class performance. Whatever it is, it must be viewable during class.
A folder containing all notes, sketches, ideation, research, and past iterations.

Considerations

It doesn’t need to “work” ︎︎︎This project is about the presentation. I don’t like the transactional nature of the word “selling” but think of how your presentation can “convince” someone viewing it; through design, language, the presenter, music, the strength of the idea itself, etc.
Technologies that are “hot” ︎︎︎There isn’t real funding attached to this but funding, in “real life” money will often go to emerging technological spaces for speculative reasons. Technologies like AI, LIDAR and Unreal Engine are “cool” and might be a good place to start if you are without an initial idea.
It is okay to not present yourself ︎︎︎If you are worried you presenting will be bad, you have anxiety around this, or perhaps you simply don’t want to for some other valid reason I can’t think of, exercise your creativity. Hire someone on fiverr to read it, record yourself reading it and make a video, have someone else come to class to present for you, use Adobe Character Creator to have your OC read it, talk to someone you know in Theatre, etc.
Don’t overthink things ︎︎︎ Don’t let conceiving of the idea or condition you want to change stop you from making things. For example, the “elevator pitch” for Mortal Kombat was essentially what if Street Fighter II was just....more violent?

Rubric

Your Condition/Your Change ︎︎︎ 50% ︎︎︎This is basically the strength of your idea, the thoughtfulness or creativity with which you’ve conceived and presented it, and how your “solution” alters the initial condition.
Presentation ︎︎︎ 50% ︎︎︎ Your presentation will be the substrate through which your idea flows. Your idea is the “what” and this is the “how.” How does your design facilitate the idea? How does your presentation structure the information? How does it help the viewer digest the material? How does it make your change to the condition seem interesting or compelling?

No Shuriken Mode Challenges

(Please note that, doing these do not guarantee a better grade or extra credit by any fixed or demonstrable amount, but if you’re doing or approaching these things, you’re probably doing well. The point is that, like not using shurikens in Shadow Dancer, it is more difficult, and increases your proximity to the material. All this being said don’t hurt yourself and consider your other assignments and mental and physical health. Additionally, if you are not feeling challenged by the class or an assignment, and these suggestions are not sufficient for you, please le me know.)

Have someone show up to class to function as a testimonial for the service that you create.
Work with someone in New Media to create a working prototype of some component of your piece.
Present in tandem with a Theatre student like a Shark Tank segment.

Suggestions/ideas/examples for “conditions”

We receive many automated emails on a daily basis that simply take up space and require issues: delivery updates, confirmations, lost passwords, and the like. What if there was a plugin or service that could flag (let’s say through artificial intelligence) and auto delete emails that have a limited lifespan or utility?
Michael Rakowitz’s paraSITE structures for the homeless which syphoned the heat from existing vents in buildings.

Suggestions/ideas/examples for presentations

Bad PowerPoint Techniques to Avoid

Do not, under any circumstances, use a template! Design your own graphics.
Avoid the typical Power Point structure of title and many bullet points. Consider what you are trying to say and what form it should take. Consider what your audience is viewing in relation to what you are saying. Do you have a lot of text where they can read ahead? Do you have one big title with an image that sets the tone for what you will talk about? Do you have many pieces of text that you make in sync with what you’re saying.

Relevant Dates

12/02/2021 ︎︎︎ Introduction

For next week:

Be able to talk about where your idea is at and have some visual manifestation of your idea

12/09/2021 ︎︎︎ Check-in
12/16/2021 ︎︎︎ Show & Tell

︎Back to Interactive & Experience Design

Project: a change of boundaries