PracticalUTC

Unravel the Code IV

Our current situation is one of extreme and intensive information exchange. As both broadcasters and receivers, we are participants, caught up in the vortex of information glut. The explosion of communication technologies and our subsequent dependence on them affect us both personally and socially.

Our daily habits have been altered and new rituals have arisen. Our psychological states are also not immune to technology’s effects. Our dwindling attention spans and the ways we relate to or disconnect from our immediate environment are arguably endemic of a techno-obsessed culture.

In our complex reality of everything communicating unfiltered and all at once, how can we make sense of the often-invisible information exchange, curious habits, coded rituals, and aesthetics of our hybrid selves? How does this impact us as social beings? How does this impact our global society, visual culture, politics etcetera?

These questions are at the core of the Unravel the Code, a two quarter project that unravels contemporary phenomena of our shared (digital and networked) culture in order to stimulate the production of new artefacts, artworks and installations.

Quarter 9 consists of 3 projects:

Project 1 : Unravel the Meme (2 wks)

Project 2 : Objects for the Lonely (3 wks)

Project 3 : Crafting Memory (4 wks)

Learning goals

The objective is that through research, experiment, critical reflection, creation, design and manufacturing, connected to the three projects in Quarter 9, you will gain new knowledge, insights and a critical stance towards digital culture. Following from this you will learn to translate your point of view, your discoveries, into a concrete project.

Assessment criteria

- Depth of research and reflection upon the given theme (demonstrated through wiki and active participation in class meetings and group critiques) - Quality of concept (demonstrated through wiki and final prototype/design object/other) - Exhibiting thorough use of technical workshops, including experiments and tests (demonstrated through process documentation in wiki) - Convincing and precise translation of concepts into required deliverables (demonstrated through prototype/design object/other) - Paying careful attention to the aesthetics and technical execution of the required deliverables (demonstrated through prototype/design object/other) - Communicating the concept and process of your design clearly and effectively. (through public presentation and documentation of your project - Consistent attendance

Projects

Unravel the Meme – the undervalued power of internet farts

keywords: imitation, transformation, replication, participation, sharing, user-generated, dissemination, appropriation, remix, pop culture, subculture ...

Context

A meme is "an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture”. The term was introduced by Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene. He defined memes as small cultural units of transmission (similar to genes), which are spread from person to person by copying or imitation. His examples include melodies, catchphrases, fashion, but also abstract beliefs. Many memes are competing for attention, however only some spread succesfully while others die out. Online the internet meme has become a widespread phenomenon. It can take the form of an image, video, picture, website or hashtag. It may be just a word or phrase, including intentional misspelling. These spread from person to person via social networks, blogs, email, or news sources. They can evolve and spread extremely rapidly, sometimes reaching world-wide popularity within a few days. More often than not, we associate memes with mindless fun and entertainment. More often than not, we associate memes with mindless fun and entertainment. However when you take a deeper look at them they can potentially be a powerful digital artefact influencing public opinion, consumer behaviour and culture world-wide.

For this first project you will take look at particular given memes and analyse them. Formulate your own questions in order to dissect, interpret, assess, the meme. For example: What characterizes your meme? How is it used? How widespread is it? Where did it originate from? What are keywords that you would attach to it? What is it’s effect? What are it’s components? What does it link to? What is your opinion of this meme? How is it transformed? How would you categorize it’s iterations? What story might you want to tell about this meme? And how would you visualize this story? Ultimately your findings will be displayed as a mini-exhibition during the Wereld van Witte de With.

Deliverables

1. a comparative visual research on your given meme, its wider theme and significance (per duo)
2. a new visual work (graphic, film, object...) which encapsulates your given meme within a chosen theme (per duo)
3. a visual display including key findings and new work under chosen theme (per group)
4. a visually coherent mini-exhibition presentation for the Wereld van Wittle de Width festival (per class)
5. documentation of project process and research on personal wiki page (per student)
6. documentation of projects and event as wiki post titles "Unravel the Meme" under "Projects and Courses"(volunteer)

Planning

Date	Time & Location	Content
Sept 1st	13-16h @ Interaction Station	intro - meme research
Sept 3rd	-	group brainstorm / mini-exhibition proposal
Sept 8th	13:00-15:15@ Interaction Station/15:30-16:00@Location	discussion, mentoring, exhibition planning
Sept 10th	10-17h "on location"	exhibition set-up
Sept 10th	18:00-21:00 "on location"	lecture by Roel Abbing - presentations - BYO BORRRRRRRRREL
Sept 11-13		Wereld van Witte de With Festival

Meme groups for Sept 3rd till 10th

Group 01

GROUP MEETING: Thursday 03-09-15 : time & place to be discussed with each other and posted here!

PLEASE INFORM THE ADDED MEMBERS - Donald Schenkel, 0868166@hr.nl AND Leontien van Hattem, 0884174@hr.nl

#black lives matter – activism, racism, movement | Floor Steinz/Emma Rijk

binders full of women - politics, campaigning, blunders | Rens van Pinxteren / Kars van den Heuvel

pepper spraying cop – online lynchmob,  an image relating to a singular event | Carly Muller/Julia Rahlff

Group 02

GROUP MEETING: Thursday 03-09-15 13:00 Interaction station

PLEASE INFORM THE ADDED MEMBER - Max Kowalski, 0880569@hr.nl

the selfiestick | Boris Smeenk / Stan Haanappel / Sophie Schulte

planking – dare, rivalry, participating, abdsurdism, action | Dennis Bijleveld/Maevny McAvoy

blue and black or white and gold dress?– differences in perception, mass fascination | Pip Passchier/Pascalle de Jager

Group 03

GROUP MEETING: Thursday 03-09-15 : time & place to be discussed with each other and posted here!

PLEASE INFORM THE ADDED MEMBER - Lisa Vermeer,0875522@hr.nl

bad luck brian – mean, trolling, bullying, humor | Zina Burgers/Laura Lang (laura.lang@gmx.at)

tattas-be-like – cultural stereotypes, humor | Laura E /Eunyang Lee

nailed it! - sarcasm, amateurism | Nora Mabrouki/Meike Brand

Group 04

GROUP MEETING: Thursday 03-09-15 : time & place to be discussed with each other and posted here!

PLEASE INFORM THE ADDED MEMBER - Inouschka de Nooijer, 0866389@hr.nl

doge - formats that become a cultural phenomenon | Judith v/d Heiden/Stijn van Aardenne

rick rolling - ambush | Marjolein Stassen/Arthur Boer

three wolf moon t-shirt – comments reframing original content and triggering spin-offs | Brice Ammar Khodja/Lars Noback

Unraveling the infra-ordinary in the 21st century

(initially calledObjects for the Lonely)

keywords: connection / disconnection / engage / disengage / interface / body / behaviour / gesture / public & private space / ...

Context

In the 1970’s George Perec used the term infra-ordinary to describe the ordinary and habitual aspects of everyday life. A keen observer, he found inspiration in situations, gestures and habits that we often overlook or miss. Using the prefix infra-, he highlighted the importance of what is underneath or hidden and which could be uncovered as an observing and questioning of the everyday and the ordinary. (paraphrased from : http://curiousrituals.nearfuturelaboratory.com/)

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During a weekend in October 1974, Perec set out to realize his idea of systematically capturing infra-ordinary. Over three days, he described what he saw from a window of a café in Place Saint-Sulpice: buses, cars, people passing by, ordering coffee, the pigeons, and so on. The results were published as An Attempt to Exhaust a Place in Paris.

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Had Perec done this in 2015 what would he have noticed? Would he have seen and described very different interactions and rituals? The tapping, swiping and pinching of handheld objects by passers-by with their necks craned forward over tiny screens is a commonplace, everyday reality within our environment. So common, that we don’t really take much notice of it. We take it for granted and just accept that dealing with these interfaces part of our daily routine. You could say that digital culture, through the manifestation of easily obtainable devices and interfaces, has led to emerging rituals, habits, body language and gestures that have taken hold so fast, and become so ordinary, that we don't even question them. You might say that they are a manifestation of infra-ordinary aspects of 21st century living.

What if you were to take a step back and look at this manifestation of the infra-ordinary with curiosity and wonder? That is at the core of this assignment.

If you look around, whether in the street, in the train, in a café or elsewhere you see how digital devices affect our everyday habits and our physical stance and bodies. Using these portable and connected interfaces affect our psychological state - attention spans are dwindling; the way we relate to (or disconnect from) our immediate physical surroundings is changing. How does this impact us and our environment? Both as individuals as well as a society?

For this assignment you are invited to study and explore the impact that digital devices have regarding changes in physical and/or social behaviour in public and private space. Based on your research, you will imagine and design new rituals, objects, devices, stories or other that will lead to varying perspectives on the influence of digital culture and its devices on behaviour and interaction in public and private space.

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Assignment

Design/make/craft one or more objects, spaces (or both) that address changes in physical and/or social behaviour in public and private space due to digital devices. The final design must be based on findings from your initial research and should relate to a clearly articulated perspective. This perspective is Examples of possible perspectives are: critical, speculative, practical, visionary or other.

You will be working in duos. Each duo must post their research on the wiki.

Medium, technology and material choices are open. However you must be able to make clear how the choices made are relevant to your aims and outcome.

Deliverables

> final designed/made/crafted object(s)(can be digital, physical or both)

> research, design process and outcome documented in a wiki page dedicated to your project (including research findings, process, user tests, sketches, methods, techniques and final results).

> final presentation of project consisting of the final designed/made/crafted object(s) (at end of quarter 9!)

Planning

Date	Time & Location	Content
Sept 15th	13-16h @ Interaction Station	Orientation > start research (visual, mindmapping, references etc.)
Sept 17	Self-Study	Orientation & Conceptualisation > continue research (observe in the field : go out into the streets and take meticulous notes of what you notice. Document by text notation, photos, video and put it in the wiki). At the same time sketch your first ideas!
Sept 22nd	13-16h @ Interaction Station	Conceptualisation > Present research, first sketches and ideas to the teacher.(15 mins per duo.) NB must be visual! Consider what your approach/perspective is likely to be: critical, practical, speculative, other? Do you have ideas on which medium, materials, technologies you might use?
Sept 25th	Self-Study	Design > Translate your ideas into first versions of your design. Create prototypes or demos of your designed/crafted objects (digital, physical or both) and show these within the context of ordinary everyday users.
Sept 29th	13-16h @ Interaction Station	Interim presentation (the final presentation of this project takes place on November 10th, together with the Crafting Memory project.) > Show prototype/demo, first version of your designed/made/crafted object(s) and present this to the class. The goal is to receive critical and constructive feedback from your fellow students. Although it's not an official assessment, you will get an indication how your doing. After this lesson you have the opportunity continue to further refine the designed/made/crafted object(s) and Realize it by the end of the quarter.
Nov 10	13-17h @ Interaction Station	Project Presentation

Crafting Memory

keywords: human remembrance vs technological memory

Context

TBA

Deliverables

TBA

Planning

Date	Time & Location	Content
Oct 8th	13-16h @ Interaction Station
Oct 14th	All Day @ Interaction Station	CRAFTING MEMORY WORKSHOP w/ MICA
Oct 15th	All Day @ Interaction Station	CRAFTING MEMORY WORKSHOP w/ MICA
Oct 16th	All Day @ Interaction Station	CRAFTING MEMORY WORKSHOP w/ MICA
Oct 17-18	DDW Eindhoven	Exhibitions/Events
Oct 29th	Impakt Festival (Utrecht)	exhibition set-up
Nov 10	13-17h @ Interaction Station	Project Presentation

Names and contact info

1. Stijn van Aardenne, 0883885@hr.nl
2. Brice Ammar Khodja, 0918590@hr.nl/brice.touquette@gmail.com
3. Dennis Bijleveld, 0884964@hr.nl
4. Arthur Boer, 0882827@hr.nl
5. Meike Brand, 0883201@hr.nl
6. Zina Burgers, 0877294@hr.nl
7. Laura Egger-Karlegger, 0918622@hr.nl/laura@asifa.net
8. Stan Haanappel, 0877946@hr.nl
9. Leontien van Hattem, 0884174@hr.nl
10. Judith van der Heiden, 0864247@hr.nl
11. Kars van den Heuvel, 0884318@hr.nl
12. Pascalle de Jager, 0884310@hr.nl
13. Max Kowalski, 0880569@hr.nl
14. Laura Lang, 0918624@hr.nl/aura.lang@gmx.at
15. Eun Yang Lee, 0918584@hr.nl
16. Nora Mabrouki, 0877573@hr.nl
17. Maevanwy Mcavoy, 0918617@hr.nl
18. Carly Muller, 0880287@hr.nl
19. Lars Noback, 0884935@hr.nl
20. Inouschka de Nooijer, 0866389@hr.nl
21. Pip Passchier, 0880524@hr.nl
22. Rens van Pinxteren,0876181@hr.nl
23. Julia Rahliff, 0918589@hr.nl/tale.vik@khib.no
24. Emma Rijk, 0880827@hr.nl
25. Donald Schenkel, 0868166@hr.nl
26. Sophie Schulte, 0883041@hr.nl
27. Boris Smeenk, 0884964@hr.nl
28. Marjolein Stassen, 0879333@hr.nl
29. Floor Steinz, 0866254@hr.nl
30. Lisa Vermeer, 0875522@hr.nl

1. Jon Stam, jonstam@gmail.com
2. Gabrielle Marks, g.c.c.marks@hr.nl