Lucy McDonald
1. Reveal-
My idea for the reveal aspect of the slow design principles is a project that calls attention to the degree that people use their technology to get by. At first, I was thinking that this project would mostly apply to a younger demographic, then I realized it isn’t that only younger generations are using technology. Everyone uses the same technology every day to get by, it’s only more noticeable in the younger users because they have grown up in a world where they were surrounded by it, and, therefore, they are more comfortable using it in most situations. The project itself would be formatted like familiar technology. It would use computer screens and function similar to a search engine. When the user clicks on a link to a certain device the link would take them to a page that describes how the same task or function was achieved before the invention of that device. The page would also have a video description as well as images and graphics to hold the viewers attention.
2. Expand-
An idea that I had for the expand principle was to create a public sculpture using floppy disks. I really like the idea of using floppy disks because they’re something that no one uses anymore, but a lot of people still have and I think that repurposing them into a sculpture is almost like immortalizing them in the form of a public monument.
3. Reflect-
The idea that I had for the reflect principle was somewhat more geared for a younger demographic. I was thinking about my own experiences with teens who are even just a year or two younger than myself and how there is a noticeable disconnect between generations. This disconnect is something that I have discussed with people in the past and the conclusion as to its presence is that people born after approximately 1997 or 98 were too young to remember the last big defining moment of a generation. Those born before ’98 were old enough or just barely old enough to remember the event that had a huge influence on the society they grew up in. As a result, it appears that those who were old enough when the event happened have a much greater sense of empathy in times of tragedy. My idea for this project was a sort of set of two photo booths that someone would go into and share their experience of a defining moment for themselves or their generation. One booth would contain an audio recorder for recording the story. The second booth would contain a monitor where the viewer could choose from a list of previously recorded stories and listen to them on a set of headphones.
4. Engage-
For the engage principle, my idea was to create some kind of zine or pamphlet that provided information on various social rights issues and featured activists working in the city and what their projects are about. The zine would be distributed in areas with heavy foot traffic such as downtown or at train stops. Readers would then have the opportunity to become involved with the publication, sharing their own stories of discrimination against them or examples of their own activism which would then be published in a later edition.
For the engage principle, my idea was to create some kind of zine or pamphlet that provided information on various social rights issues and featured activists working in the city and what their projects are about. The zine would be distributed in areas with heavy foot traffic such as downtown or at train stops. Readers would then have the opportunity to become involved with the publication, sharing their own stories of discrimination against them or examples of their own activism which would then be published in a later edition.
5. Participate-
My idea for the participate principle would require hosting a public event. The project would revolve around the theme of community. The project would involve a series of workshops open to the public and located in various community centers around the city. Participants would come to the workshops and discuss what they think it means to be a part of a community, their ideal community, and how they think their own community could be improved. After the discussion, participants would be asked to work together to construct a model of a functioning community using parts provided by the event coordinators.
My idea for the participate principle would require hosting a public event. The project would revolve around the theme of community. The project would involve a series of workshops open to the public and located in various community centers around the city. Participants would come to the workshops and discuss what they think it means to be a part of a community, their ideal community, and how they think their own community could be improved. After the discussion, participants would be asked to work together to construct a model of a functioning community using parts provided by the event coordinators.
6. Evolve-
My idea for the evolve principle was to make a public sculpture and to use materials that would continue to change after the project was completed. My idea was that the support mechanism for the sculpture would be a small tree, one that will continue to grow over time. The tree would then have objects of significance attached to its trunk, and as the tree continued to grow and more space became available people could continue to add objects to it.
My idea for the evolve principle was to make a public sculpture and to use materials that would continue to change after the project was completed. My idea was that the support mechanism for the sculpture would be a small tree, one that will continue to grow over time. The tree would then have objects of significance attached to its trunk, and as the tree continued to grow and more space became available people could continue to add objects to it.