DIPLOMA PROJECT PROPOSAL 1.0
Mrunmayee Gokhale | Visual Communication Design
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Project brief:
Explore sensorial therapies by developing a fictitious therapy. This therapy can become a device in a form of a graphic/interactive narrative (fiction) to create a dialogue for interaction to maximize well being.
Project description:
My project aims at creating a fictitious narrative. This narrative will be drawn a bit from the real life sensorial therapies and a bit from my imagination. Finally, fictionalizing the two, and using it as a gimmick to create interaction through the medium of story telling to maximize well being.
1. Firstly, I will explore the different forms of Narrative building – use of dialogue, in the realm of fiction (combining real life stories and my imagination) to sculpt the narrative and to push the linear form of narrative towards a more interactive form. Using this narrative, establish a simple ‘man to machine, machine to man’ or ‘man to object – object to man’ interaction, which will provide the link for the audience to touch, feel, see and respond.
2. I am also looking at the scope of broadening “interactivity” by exploring the ways to include ‘senses’ in a manner to apply Visual Communication in it’s broader sense.
Why senses? Its relation to well being: (Hearing, touch, smell, sight, sound)
Therapy has a direct effect on the brain. Senses receive information from stimuli both from inside and the outside of our body. Senses gives us the information needed to function in the world. Hence, the senses play the role of an agent in communicating sensations to the brain. And a brain that is nourished with many sensations operates well, and when our brain operates smoothly, so do we.
3. Hence in order to broaden the scope of ‘interactivity’ in my therapy I will be making use of a simple ‘man to machine - machine to man’ or ‘man to object – object to man’ interaction. And through this, I will be exploring the ways to include ‘senses’ in visual communication.
Research: Key questions that I will be investigating:
(Product-based)
- Use of gimmicks.
- Role of immersive media.
- Use of fiction to open a dialogue for interaction.
(Content/narrative-based)
- What is Role of visual iconography, analogies, and metaphors when creating a narrative through the medium of story telling?
- Human psychology and behaviorism.
- Role of Sensorial therapies.
- Existing therapies in practice on the senses.
Approach/Process:
Research:
- My role in this project begins as a researcher – where I will interview the therapists and acquire the needed material to define and discover the need and the effect of existing sensorial therapies. This will require making a questionnaire and meeting people in this area.
- A major part of my research will also include exploring different ideas and theories on Human psychology, cognition, behaviorism and the different fields they branch into. (Readings, books, articles, videos)
Narrative building:
- Relook at ways of treatment of therapy, may be by using fiction or sci-fi, to define constraints/challenges to form a framework for the fictitious narrative.
- Build the narrative using the above groundwork and explore the different ways of story telling which will play a crucial role in sculpting the narrative.
- ROUGH STORY OUTLINE: A story on the lines of theory of ‘cognitive dissonance’ (an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding two contradictory ideas simultaneously). This will help me establish an environment/setting about the protagonist’s mind in a situation.
Also, looking at the ‘Placebo effect – the phenomenon of self-healing’.
The ‘placebo effect’ is a sham or a simulated medical intervention. This particular phenomenon of self-healing has been utilized to it’s full potential in all applicable aspects of therapeutic intervention (the choice of this particular topic will give me the needed space to apply my imagination to sensorial therapies)
* (The storyline is subject to change depending on the material gathered after the interviews)
Product/Installation:
An interactive installation of products-
- Visualize and develop the products that will complement not only the narrative but also the way it is told. For developing, the products, I may have to the basic knowledge of Arduino/processing I have. I will also make an overall use of the available open source libraries on the net. But, eventually I will require additional technical help; if possible, to accomplish what has been visualized.
- Defining a visual language and collateral for the installation if possible.
Research:
Areas to Explore:
· Narrative - building through story telling,
· Interactivity
· Therapeutic intervention in life
· Immersive media.
· Understanding comics - Scout McCloud (reference)
· Communication of abstract ideas using visual metaphors, icons, symbols, analogies and vice-versa
· Anecdotes
· The domain of science fiction
· Fiction stories and films
· Therapists, artists, storytellers, theatre professionals already engaged in the more interactive mode of therapy.
Learning outcomes:
1) Applying my inherent liking to sci-fi in visual communication through the medium of story telling.
2) Content generation through research
3) Deciphering all the information and using creative thinking to translate information in a visual and interactive format.
4) Explore the medium of ‘interactivity’ to tell a tale using visual skills and appropriate technology.
Personal statement:
I have always been attracted to the human mind cause of the element of unknown attached to it, which makes it very inquisitive and captivating to explore. This mind is where emotions, behavior, imagination, thoughts and many cognitive processes can be experienced. And therapy directly taps this very mind to treat or heal an emotional and behavioral disorder (if any).
Thus, it is very interesting to explore how the disorder (action) and its remedy (reaction) are both generated from the same mind through senses.
(ends)
