Letting Dust Settle.

By the time I had finished my Project Proposal draft last week, I had an idea of feelings or stories I wanted to convey and ideas about interactions I wanted to try but I couldnt figure out how I was going to do this. At that point, I had transitioned from wanting to do something focused on connection and realtionships between people to something that focused more on slowing down or states of flow.

Everything from the first week, from brainstorming, and from epiphanies that felt mediocre had my thoughts running for weeks. I was searching for stories, drafting ideas for interactions, figuring out social impact, but I had trouble bringing it all together. At the same time, I knew that it would not be complete until I did. So I waited and thouught and waited as more and more inputs came, as thoughts were parsed, and as the dust settled.

Meetings: Accountability Group

I met with my accountability group with this vague idea that I had about an RPG that is more focused on interactive elements or a physical space. I also explained my foundational goals about narratives and getting lost in enviornments just in case other ideas popped up.

I recieved questions on whetehr or not it would be abstract and what the color palette would be. This got me thinking about visual elements and storytelling. In terms of abstraction, I realized I did not want it to be completely abstract because though it would be easier to leave people to decide on their own, I still wanted them to be able to get something out of it.

I also was given an example to check out of a long-distance lamp. While this got me thinking about my rpoject potentially being a physical product, thoughts about capitalism and business plans made me feel uneasy and sad and all the negative things. It was here that I decided that even if I am tempted to make an app or a product, I will not allow myself to. To save me the moral stress and the questioning of what I am contributing to that I know will come.

Meetings: Professor

The same explanation of my project and ideas happened when I met with Professor, who suggested that I do a bit more research on what sends people into a state of flow; potentially by sending out a form to my classmates. Addionally, Professor Alex asked about what I would do if I had to code something up that same afternoon. I said I would code up some primitive interaction focusing on a stretch type of movement that might result in a reaction. This helped me a lot moving forward because it provided me with something a bit more concrete than the thoughts in my head.

As for the form , only 2 people ended up answering it; one of which was my mom. It STILL helped, though. Her answer was related more to work as a state of flow while the other answer was more on taking walks in the park. These two very different answers made me realize that my initial idea of making something thats a bit challenging in order to engage people might have been the wrong approach. Since not everybody is inclined towards moving. This is where I realized that a simpler less puzzling form of movement is better if I were to utilize it as a form of interaction. (aka not a lot of random elements)

Input: Loop

Mid-week, I watched the short called loop. And I realized a pattern that pops up whenever I look into flow states. It is that often, repetition helps due to practice and familiarity being grounding concepts in flow states; however, I began to understand that flow is a more personal thing due to its requirement of both a high level of skill and challenge. Neither of which would be feasible for an installation.

I am deciding to keep things simple. Regardless, this short showed me the power of loops in calming our minds down. Repetition is something inherent to us as we breathe everyday and follow routines. I started keeping this concept of repetition in mind as I let my thoughts on my seniro project simmer once more.

Self-reflecting

As the weekend, and therefore the deadline for the project proposals approached, I decided to ask myself to state my problem statement once again and to do so more clearly. At the same time, I told myself to challnege these statements in order to eliminate less feasible options.

It went like:

What’s wrong when your problem statement is “People are not self aware”

• people make their own choices, have their own pace, have their won adventure
• you cannot create for them, you can only facitilate
• you cannot force people to choose or do anything against their will

If it is a “lack of connection”, what exactly is the problem?

• People not feeling heard or seen is a result of something else
• Empathy. This is what is missing.

Given this, I knew I needed to incorporate meaningful stories due to its nature in helping people empathize.

In identifying stories, I knew I wanted to tackle those relating to the sustainable development goals; because I believe that these goals matter on both small and big scales. From people’s stories, to legal matters. All the change that we could want would center around these goals.

Input: Nostalgia and dance videos

My indecision or lack of ability to put things together stresses me out. And when I get stressed, I either do yoga or dance. Which keeps making me feel a certain sense of calm that I wanted to share with those who participate in my interactive installation/project. I ended up watching dance videos from when I was dancing with CADs, and I missed dancing with that much meaning. Telling stories about harsh realities through dance. It was almost a phase in the dance community where everything was riddled with meaning and intention.

I realized that I owed it to dance, getting this far. Coping and surviving this long. But at the same time dance alone is our form of escape and communication. It is not as strong or powerful catalyst of change. With the world at its current state and with the struggles our generation faces, it is hard not to escape into dance.

This made me think that maybe I could still use the concept of movement to tell stories as meaningful as the ones we told then. Except this time, I wanted others to be able to participate in this process (aka to simplify a similar process). Apart from this, I knew I wanted to push it further than dance. I wanted it to actually inspire change. At that point, I couldn’t figure out how to do so.

The Outside World.

I actually went outside this week beyond my walk to school (because I had to, but it’s still something). This made me see the city and what was in it. Initially, all the stores, sights, buildings, restaurants to try, etc. But eventually after a few blocks of that, I started to see the people more clearly. Those rushing, someone on a break from work on the phone looking desolate, people fighting on the subway, homeless people sleeping in the streets and waiting on loose change.

This made me sad. It made me realize that it didn’t make people sad. That we are normally so desensitized or have our guard up or put doubts first. This made me notice a source of disconnectedness.

Falling to Place

With that realization, the thoughts and sounds in my head, the idea of repetition and loops, my inclination to convey my experience of dance as a medium for storytelling, there were so many things running through my head.

In the middle of listening to music and spontaneous dancing and laying down to cry and sleep, things started falling into place. Starting with looping movements and sounds, moving towards the stories behind them, and how together, these sounds could create a harmony that people could work together to achieve. And how in these movements and sounds, there are stories to tell.

Rough Sketch