Belonging & Belongings
Project with Chelsea College of Art & Design MA students, Nov-Dec 2010
General context / overall B&B research question:
How do people express their multiple, online and offline identities through their physical and virtual belongings (e.g fashion and communication technologies)? Each study in the B&B research programme addressed a specific sub-question within this overall area of interest.
Focus area for this student project:
Explore people’s online identities. How do they cope with creating and maintaining their online identities? How do they relate these to their real-life self? How important are the similarities or differences between their various identities? What are their routines, motivations, preferences, passions and/or concerns?
Key trigger: How do people enjoy the differences they can create between their online and offline identities?
Aim: Identify challenging and exciting design opportunities and explore the best way to communicate these.
Design research briefing for student project:
Work in groups of 5-6 people.
Choose and explore a specific sub-question within the context of the overall B&B research question that includes the expression of online identities.
Use ethnographic methodologies (observation, interviews, co-creation, probes, …)
Document every step in the research process (pictures, notes,..) on a project blog.
Express data and research findings in a video installation.
Present video installation at final crit on 10 december.
Consider the spatial representation of the installation and how people will experience this.
Make a brief written statement to frame the video installation for the audience.
The video installation (including the statement) should be able to stand on its own.
Upload all the research materials to the project blog by 10 December (video, statement, making of,…)
Some pointers / suggestions:
– Create your own video material
– Make use of existing video material (e.g. BBC Virtual Revolution, or other stuff that can be found online)
– Make use of other materials such as photos, audio, graphics, screen captures, …..
- Actively involve the participants in the filming
Dates:
23 November – lecture by STBY on design research
24 November – workshop to discuss start up phase of group projects
7 December – preliminary crit to discuss progress of group projects
(based on documentation of research process and rough edit of video work)
10 December – presentation and final crit (based on final video work and presentation)
Contact:
Geke van Dijk, geke@stby.eu, 077 9905 0677
Bas Raijmakers, bas@stby.eu, 077 8733 4123
STBY, 25d London Wool & Fruit Exchange, Brushfield Street, London E1 6AA