Wrapping up

1. PROJECTS TITLES: Why did you choose these projects and what was involved in the decision

making process? (Refer to the three projects you have done)

Our first two projects followed through form the requirements we were given.
The first one had to do with a collective memory, and the second had to do with our family being connected to the historical and economical situation in some way.
For the first one I just picked a memory that had significance in terms of being a collective. It eventually became about having this need to belong.

The second one I had to struggle a bit before I managed something. My family hasn’t done much that interests me, so I had difficulty in picking something to exhibit. Eventually I decided to do my project on my grand uncle who smuggled gold at one point of time.

My last project kind of found its way as I discussed it with my project partner from URI, both of us knew we were interested in dreams and memory, and through all the research there were things that were pretty striking that I decided to use.
What made me most interested in this project was that I could take something as abstract as dreams and with a help of some scientific research I could create an interactive installation. I took up memory lab so I could do exactly this; to see if it was possible to reach a larger audience through design so they understand something as vague as dreams and memories.

2. SUBJECT: Reflect on the subject matter of your chosen projects and the breadth of research that

You have conducted on these subjects?

My first project dint require much research as they had to do with my own life, and a memory from a train journey I had in school, as it was a memory I visited pretty often I dint need any research.
The second one was to do with my grand uncle, and my family was the only way I could do any research unfortunately, no one in the family is comfortable to talk about the smuggling, so there were lots of times I had to depend on what I remember people mentioning when I was a kid, and my mother did give me decent amount of information for me to execute the project.

The third project required most amount of research; I watched videos on dreams and memory and sleep, read up on experiments that were conducted in various universities, looked up on theories by Freud and other neurologists and psychoanalysts.

3. AIMS/OBJECTIVES/CONCEPTS: How and to what extent have you achieved the aim and

Objectives of the projects? Describe the main concepts driving the projects.

The objective of the first project was to let people feel what I had felt, I guess I achieved that through the installation, and the fact that I picked a situation that was easily relatable, like a train journey and wanting to feel belonged to a place I automatically drew my audience in one step closer, my installation itself was a cardboard box with a train inside going around in circles. This had to be viewed through a window as a person listened to me read out a poem I had written as they peered in. I think this automatically drew them in. Most people could feel for what I had done through that.

I personally dint have much of an objective for my second project. But the main concept that was driving this project was to make me feel a little happier about all the gold in my life. I tried extracting some kind of meaning out of it by finding an adventurous, slightly more interesting aspect to it. In the beginning I had actually planned on making a game where one could follow one of three paths and live life accordingly, one were everything would be followed according to law with minimal risks and not exactly the maximum benefits, then one step higher where there was a little risk involved but according to decisions that one would make through the course of the game. And the last one being where there is extreme risk, where you would either directly be rewarded grandly or sent behind bars. But considering I wouldn’t have managed to make a game I decided to stick doing something simple so I could achieve my little personal objective to extract the adventure from the gold.

My last project I feel I have achieved my objective in terms of this course. I picked a fairly simple scientific understanding of how memories are formed while we sleep in the form of dreams and I managed to get people to recreate it. A few people did not understand it though. But the majority of the people were excited to participate in creating dreams nonetheless. Which I was quite excited about.

4. AUDIENCE: Are you addressing a specific audience with your work within these projects? For

example, a specific community, your peers, members of your family, a corporation or business,

educators, patients of a hospital department, government agencies?

My idea was to reach as large as an audience as possible. I wanted everyone to be able to relate with my work, and what I was trying to communicate.

5. FORM/MEDIUM/PRESENTATION: What are the forms and methods of presentation that you are

working with? From the work you have done so far, have you gained any insights on your approach

To making, doing and documenting?

For every project I have always wanted to make sure it was interactive in some way, wanted the audience to be working with every idea I had. But it did not work out. My first one was an installation by default. My second one was an art piece I guess, although I would have really liked to make it a game.

The last one was successfully an installation. The one thing I did realize was that with every step of creating all three of the projects I would get an idea of an extra element that could have been added, and elements that do get added.

6. RESEARCH METHODS: What kind of research methods have you used to research the projects

Work in depth, and how has your research informed your process?

Most of my research has been talking to various people and getting constant feedback, apart from which there has been decent amount of reading, watching and surfing online.

I am not sure as to how exactly my research has influenced my process. It has for sure. I constantly use people’s feedback in as many ways possible to make my work more accessible.

7. REFERENCES: How useful were the references you explored so far- the artists, anthropologists,

Designers, writers or other practitioners?

They were useful in triggering ideas and giving me leads. Lots of thoughts were used as reference points in discussions. I have now started looking at more artists work and hoping get ideas from them as well.

8. POSITION & RELATIONSHIP: How do you think your projects would function in, or be positioned

To contribute to, similar contemporary fields of production?

The Finale: The science of sleep

So we did take the idea further. We did not end up making a video or a photomontage instead we decided to make it an interactive installation where people would come and look at files that represent various experiences that we have been through and leave a dream behind. The responses varied immensely, from people writing concept notes, to things that remind them of their own dream and a few that just left me dreams. It excited me every time someone got excited about leaving behind a dream.
This is what the concept note read:

You are entering my mind while I am asleep. I am making you do what
scientists believe happens to us while we sleep. I am making you
create my dreams, taking moments from my recent experiences toexperiences from my past. I need you to look through the files in mybrains and leave me a dream. A nightmare, a message or just another
random dream.

These are some of the images:

These are some images of what other people had left me.

I am hoping to come up with an idea as to what to do with these dreams created by other people, once I discuss it with my URI partner I shall upload those details as well. 

Working together

Right now we are still researching and thinking of a medium and final form. Although we are both struggling with figuring out what aspects of dreams we should use.
In terms of form I was thinking we should try experimenting with layering photos printed on transparent sheets to create a feel of layered dreams. Bridget, my project partner sent me an image of we could go about using it . She also sent various links to other similar ways of layering photographs.
She also thought we should narrow down into one kind of dream. I found one idea particularly interesting. It isnt simply layered, but layered with texture, as if its almost disappearing. It has a digital feel to it which kind of adds to the feel of the way things work in todays technological world.
But I was thinking more on the lines of seeing how our dreams effect our memories, all of this from the research we have been doing. So for example we have new fresh files of experiences that have come into our heads, and then the next photo is someone segregating it, followed by these little kids trying to put them together and scaring us with nightmares, or someone else taking nice aspects of the day and combining them with old memories and creating dreams and refiling cabinets. Something on those lines. All of this could be represented through photographs. We havent discussed this idea as yet.

Drum sessions

These were the sessions where our faculty, Nicolas would guide us into tis sort of meditation (Dont feel I am capable of 'mediation' as yet there I call it the drum sessions) using a drum. We have had 3 sessions so far and they have all been intense in their own ways.
The first session we were asked to follow the drum beat and go into a tunnel and visualize our ancestors once the beat shifted we were asked to make our return journey, and if we were handed anything we were asked not to accept it. We had been asked to observe our breathing and concentrate for every session so it was the same procedure in the beginning.
Once the drum beat started I somehow imagined a tunnel, there were varying tunnels. It was a lil strange imagining my ancestors, all I had were random pictures that have been hanging around the house. So I imagined these photos with bodies. The tunnels kept changing and I was getting lost with the drumbeat.
When the drumbeat changed was when i realized that I couldn't feel m body anymore. It had gotten really heavy and I could not imagine moving any part of my body. I started freaking out and was still concentrating on the drum beat. Till the beat ended I was focusing on both my body and the beat.
When the beat ended and we were asked to get up at our own pace.
I tried lifting my head but I just could not manage it. I did lift it up but my head fell back and I hit myself. I then had to breathe gain complete control of myself before I got out of this state.
It was almost like I was outside my body. I was very conscious of myself and not my body during the second beat. Like there were two aspects to me.
It was an intense experience.
The next drum session we had to go down a hole and find our animal power. Because we were lying down I found it a little hard to imagine a hole in the ground but I  managed to and I was going down various holes and tunnels and at one point I entered this cave of sorts, every time I let go and listened to the drums while seeing things in my head various images would cross my mind. So when I entered the cave there was a book on a chair and a light. As I walked closer to it I realized it was a ball of light. So I picked it up and was playing with it. Prodding it and bouncing it around, the drum beat changed and I continued walking on instead of coming back, at some point I could make out there was something else walking ahead of me. Either a bear or a rabbit. Every time I tried concentrating on it, it disintegrated.
This time my physical reaction was I could feel my right hand and feet getting numb, my middle finger felt like it was floating and my mouth was opening. But I am pretty sure my hand was on the ground and my mouth was shut. When I woke up I stil felt like my finger was acting strange it just did not feel like mine.
The very last time we had the drum session I was a little lost as we were not given any directions. I floated in and out of concentrating on the drums. There were a few images that finally crossed my mind that I drew to see if it led to anything.
One thing I need to make sure before the next session is figure out what my 'intention' is. It feels like its going to be an extremely tough task though.

From across the globe

The collaborating has just begun, so far me and my partner, Bridget know we are going to head our projects towards the subconscious mind, dreaming and memory. We also do recognize that its a really vast topic. So right now we are just sending each other links and ideas and researching.

She sent me a link to a video which I  found pretty interesting, not sure of its validity but it did strike an idea about how if we dont sleep for a few days together we could then manage to not create any memories for those few days which leave you living in the experiential world. Kind of cementing the idea of living int he moment. This whole idea of living in the experiential world comes from another video that I saw.

When all the digging started.

When we began with our next assignment to look at our families past and see if we could find ourselves contextually with the economic and political situations, I was at a complete loss. I found out I had by far the most boring family. My great grand dads where big in their own ways, one a cop who worked for the british till we got our freedom, one who started his own jewelry business, the very first one in my town. Another was almost treated like a king in Bangalore. Owned lots of land was well known by most of the people, helped the government during draughts and economically once in a while. But nothing big. Nothing that excited me.
So I decided to look at an aspect of my family I felt most strongly about and then trace it backwards. One thing about my family that stood out for me was how they have instilled this repulsion against gold in me. For the past three generations both sides of my family have dealt with gold. The result of it on me being that I  can't stand gold. Its not too bad but in general I keep my distance from it. My father is pretty disappointed to not get my feed back on the new gold jewelry designs.
So when I dug around a little more I found out one of my grand uncles used to smuggle gold. Now this information is a family secret of sorts, something they aren't particularly proud of. But to me I had hit jackpot. An adventurous story about my family, where someone decided to do something risky. (They aren't happy that I decided to talk about the whole 'incident' in the first place, I couldn't resist myself though) But unfortunately it menat no one int he family was willing to give me details about the whole smuggling deal.
So what I decided to do was find a way to represent it metaphorically. and my final piece was a frame where I tried pulling out the interesting aspects of the gold, from the gold that already exist in my life.

I added a sound clip to it as it wasn't dynamic enough.
I wasn't too satisfied with this project, it kinda felt forced in many ways... Even after reflecting I am not sure why I had an issue while working with this project.  

What movies can do

The interesting thing about both the movies was to see how they trace back memories of a deceased person. By interviewing people one cold get a sense of various perspectives filling in the persons character but also contradicting memories, which makes one question the validity of peoples memories. Also the magnitude of belief about each persons perspective was another thing I keep thinking about?
Makes me question how often what I am thinking, is what it actually is, me being sure of it just does not seem sufficient enough anymore. On one hand this makes me take life a little more easily but at the same time it is slightly scary.

In retrospect as I think of these movies I think of how each of them have made me think of various aspects, like the relevance of 'rosebud' in the movie of Citizen Kane made me think of how little things in our lives can have an effect on us much later in life in much stronger ways than we expect. It also reminded me of george Eliots 'Mill on the floss' where maggie the protagonists life is very influenced by all the incidents that happened to her as a child. It also seems like the easiest place for me to draw inspiration from.

I found ti amusing how I automatically referred my life to most aspects in both of the movies. For example in 'El diablo nunca duerme' I realized how its so common for every family to have a mystery thats unsolved and if traced could lead to a very big story. A dead person may not be the only reason for one to feel a sense of mystery in their family. I guess everything comes back to what frame you look at any aspect of life through. That realization gave me a convenient starting point for ideation.