content
abstract
I am building an installation as an alternative gallery concept in which a single viewer must interact with vernacular objects in order to generate images from my personal travels. I am exploring how this object-based interactive storytelling method may compel the audience to develop a deeper awareness of my journey. China’s Yunnan province has a rich history of minority cultures including the regions of Dali, Lijiang and Xishuangbanna. The term ‘vernacular’ in architecture refers to an indigenous building style based on native architectural concepts that uses traditional methods of construction and local materials. Having a deep appreciation for the experience I had in Yunnan on a study of this particular subject, I am using it as the context to explore the design of a meaningful narrative interface. The viewer interacts with a mortar and pestle in a thoughtful space to evoke the photography and artwork from my studies abroad. I define the phrase “vernacular interface” as a tool which already has a regionally familiar look and purpose but with a new function as an input device. It is through objects, that people develop associations to feelings, memories and places. I hope to demonstrate that a stronger emotional connection to someone else’s experiences can be achieved through this designed activity.
statement of purpose
Using the period in my life where I studied vernacular architecture in Yunnan, China as a platform, I will propose an alternative way to view the photographs taken and illustrations created during that time. The goal is to depart from the typical computer monitor as a medium and mouse as input device and to use a more human-centered form of interaction in displaying the work.
My work from that time was inspired by a special attachment to the particular region visited and by the history of its people. I want to evoke the stories of that place through a meaningful object. The focus is not on the object itself but the relationship of it to those memories and the work produced.
By placing the viewer in a more contextualized setting whereby he/she is engaged with a tangible element, I will take advantage of people's primitive sensibilities and already developed intuition for manipulating their physical environment. It is through this engrossing, conscious activity that I want a certain awareness to arise within the viewer for the artist's experience.
