Hi, my name is Natasha. I am a second year MFADT student. I am taking this class to support my thesis research, in which I will explore the relationship between identity, storytelling, and environment. I am interested in how our relationship to the environment is changing due to climate change, urban migration, and the convergence of physical and digital worlds through augmented reality and smart objects. I think these transformations will change how we perceive and interact with our selves, each other, and our environment.
I am interested in how our tools define us, by determining how we travel, understand, and interact with our world. In this class I hope to create devices that explore the relationship of the identity to environment as mediated by tool. I want to question the ways in which we perceive our place in the world and suggest new modes of perception through the creation of new tools.
In that vein, I am sharing some images of characters whose identity is deeply connected to their tools. They are inspiration to me because they highlight the connection between identity, story, tool, and environment.
In the TV show “Doctor Who,” the identity of The Doctor is connected with his two main tools, the TARDIS (his space-time ship), and the sonic screwdriver, an all-purpose tool. The TARDIS allows him to traverse the universe in a non-linear time-stream, while the screwdriver lets him escape from tight situations. Image from http://www.therpf.com/f9/tom-baker-sonic-screwdriver-shocking-evidence-59377/index11.html.In the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies Captain Jack Sparrow has a special compass. It doesn’t point north like most compasses do, but it still helps him navigate based on his own determination of what is important. Image from http://pirates.wikia.com/wiki/Jack_Sparrow’s_compass.In the Harry Potter stories, wizards and witches use their wands to navigate, understand, and interact with their environment. Image from http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Wandlore.Tools do not always help their users. In “The Lord of the Rings” the ring allows its user to see and navigate the world differently, but it also corrupts their perception and identity. Image from http://experiment627movies.blogspot.com/2012_10_01_archive.html.
Please post an introduction of yourself, add an image of yourself for your user icon, and tell us your motivation, goals, and prospective outcomes for this course.
When posting about your projects you must include a few images, a video, your code (which you can add a tag for in “Text” view format of the post, not “Visual”)
Always credit the examples you followed to create your project. This is very important to follow for academic integrity, and also to keep our community informed of resources.
[Fall 2014] | Parsons The New School | MFA Design + Technology
