Group members:
Anshu Agarwal, Anushka Kurien, Dexian Wang (Devin), Mansi Chottani, Keyi Cao, Wan Ying Liang Chen, Kye Li Chia, Yuying Wang (Abbey), Zuzana Galova, Roshni Suri, Mohammed Bekkaoui (Beck)
Brief:
Design and make a new form for a dematerialised artefact
Date:
20th April - 8th June 2023
We started the project by conducting an analysis of dematerialised objects, such as letters, keys, books, and postcards. We shared our research on a Miro board to ensure accessibility for everyone in the group.
On Monday, we met with Felix from Magnetic to discuss the project brief and clarify any uncertainties, as well as share our findings from the artefact analysis. One concept that required clarification was the meaning of dematerialisation. Felix explained it through the experience of seeing a doctor which have shifted to digital platforms, where patients make appointments and consult with GPs online. Additionally, we also had a discussion on dematerialization in the context of time and social media, which stemmed from our analysis of watches and photo albums.
After the discussion with Felix, the group decided to further explore the dematerialisation of the sense of self within social media and the display of time. We documented our thoughts, encompassing the losses, gains, questions and ideas surrounding these themes. However, we recognized that our initial themes were too broad, prompting us to narrow them down to specific topics. To facilitate more focused research, we chose to associate time with specific sectors, specifically mental health (anxiety) and physical health (circadian cycle and menstrual cycle). The topic of social media was abandoned due to its complexity and multi-layered nature, making it difficult to navigate within the scope of our project.
Another topic which emerged was the rematerialisation of self which stemmed from the concerns surrounding the lack of resistance caused by AI and technology. We contemplated how physical artifacts from the past left imprints of humanity in the material world, but in today's digital era, most things have been digitised, erasing the physical traces of our existence. The internet has essentially become a graveyard where our identity is translated into code, gradually erasing our presence from the physical realm. This particular topic is still in its early stages of exploration and requires further investigation.
Magnetic Feedback
- Different cultures measure time in different ways
- Artefact analysis - what do you have that you would never throw away (Why? Emotional value that it holds?)
- Rematerialise experiences through social media
- Important to think about the artefact (Pick one and focus on it)
- Try to dematerialise everyday things
- Decoding and encoding
- What can people understand about you with the things on you?
Reflection:
We have strayed away from the brief because we don't have a physical artifact to guide us. The tutorial feedback pointed out that we skipped important research steps and jumped too quickly into the philosophical aspects, causing us to lose focus. To stay on track, we need to choose a specific artifact as our anchor and work from there. This will help us ensure we meet the project requirements and stay focused on the task at hand.