#a lot of their stories revolve around conflict between collective aims as a group and individual aims as well as clashes between members

[heatwa-ves]

augh I love d4dj but it's strength is really not in storytelling and the missed potential of some stories I've read is really bothering me

[genesiagoudal-u8report]

🟣 WKM1: Categorisation

(re)creation of commons

⬛️ CLASSROOM

Inquiry + Knowledge *️⃣(evaluating aims, expectations, assessment) This project conducted me to re-learn how to learn and to experiment with ways to “educate” in a hopefully brand new, meaningful sense. Through the technique of hand-weaving, I wanted to regain an inner serenity by escaping the digital world for a few days. I was looking for a way to relax. I wasn't feeling very impressed by the potential difficulty of the craft. Indeed, "I have always been a manual person".

Process *️⃣(storytelling, troubles and thinking journey, audience) The technique revealed itself to be, surprisingly, way more challenging than I thought it would be. The time pressure set by the project and the pressure I put on myself resulted, ironically, in a lot more anxiety into finishing a professional product, that will therefore give me legitimacy to teach weaving to others. The project firstly shifted towards an individually focused learning experience. I would design a personal guide to weaving with a focus on relaxation and mental wellbeing. An anxiety growed in me, I started to question the guide's capacity to achieve my objectives. "Will anyone be able to complete weaves on my advices, and balance their emotions ? How will they handle failures ?" These interrogations led me to reconsider the project's scope of action. I went back and focused more on the underlying concern : mental health awareness, relaxation and mindfulness.

Inquiry *️⃣(re-purposing, new audiences, possibilities) The audience quickly evolved to become group based. I worked on reaching a higher level of empathy and mental health support given in schools nowadays. My ambition targets children's school groups, to facilitate inter-personal exchanges and debates in between adult and youngsters, as well as to provide a progressive educational space. The outcome would construct a soften collective space for conversations and practical mindfulness. Weaving and its benefits will still be introduced by a designed set of rugs allowing people to lie down, meditate, exercise and debate.

Communication *️⃣(system construction) The system can also be adopted as a talking pillow with each rug stating specific terms, like "break", "schedule", etc. Every voice is considered, the group will work on their listening & understanding skills.

Knowledge *️⃣(research based on articles, trends and ongoing studies) Mindfulness has recently gained more attention. The Anna Freud Center is currently running a UK national study, 'Inspire', introducing mindfulness as part of the national curriculum. I can project my designed outcomes to be part of these interventions.

Communication In an utopian perspective, the setting could generate new ways of voting communal decisions, as it affects everyone's wellbeing.

Inquiry *️⃣(investigating alternative schooling) Summerhill school is a positive example of a self-governed community "Our school decision-making process is democratic. Each adult and child has an equal vote." Play, using language, movements, bodies and interactive experiences can serve future adults to grow in a fast-paced growing world. Education as a role to play to support and accompany individuals.

Communication + Inquiry *️⃣(generating a message, intentions, questioning my role here) The outcome, informed by the craft itself, my personal learning and a new approach to mindfulness in education, results in a broader sense of awareness to the problem. In the end, the project is not trying to look for a treatment, it is looking for prevention, care and support. My role here as both designer and experience facilitator, questions people's understanding of body, space and langage communications. My practice grows towards a phenomenological attitude. Here, I wish to help young people to be present and perceive through the use of space (the room), physicality (the bodies, textures & movements) and mindfulness (the mind, understanding, consciousness). Consciousness and experience get intertwined to allow this third space to thrive.

Knowledge *️⃣(quotes and reflections) Indeed, "We live at the same time in the common property world and in a private world" (Merleau-Ponty 2008, 335). In our ever changing society, we have to mentally combine and assess the us and the else. A generalised understanding of ourselves, and the environment around can anchor an effective practice of mindfulness in nowadays classrooms.

⬛️ MUSEUM

Knowledge + Inquiry *️⃣(brief, questioning the notion and myself) The second project provided me with more elements to critically reflect on another aspect of education : the structure & role of museum in society. The brief is professionally challenging. How can my critical research, be applied to real life applications. Indeed, we are ask to design an interactive for the Postcard exhibition. The theme of museum supports my ongoing reflections on play within learning experiences. The museum institution is shifting in its purpose and its ambitions. Rapid societal developments urges a need for a change in the current museum definition. Debate are vivid, international committees are struggling to find an agreement.

Inquiry *️⃣(research: struggles defining museums, international conflicts, building my narratives) “A museum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment.” (24 August 2007,  ICOM, current definition)

Knowledge *️⃣(situation assessment, where do I stand in the debate) A proposition was made in July 2019 but was refused, categorised as outrageously inappropriate, irrelevant and political. The controversy revolved around 'equal rights and access for all people', 'transparency of the museum' and a 'contribution to human dignity and social justice, global equality and planetary wellbeing'.

Process + Communication *️⃣(outcome, intentions, message) Following my interest of creating tools for people to understand and interact with space, I focused on creating a see-through publication encouraging visitors to be actor in the writing of the new museum definition. The 10 pages publication leaves fill-in-blanks text and spaces, to write, brainstorm, draw perceptions of the present and future museum. I worked on achieving a higher level of accessibility by guiding the visitor through its knowledge and experience of the space. Customisation and actions are encouraged. The window created by the sheets situates the artefact and its informations in dedicated environments.  

Communication *️⃣(aims, my position, my voice) The artefact works as an intricate metaphor of museums in today’s debates. The glass and normalised printed format brings back the common notion of transparency and openness. The book's thickness allows it to stand on its own, as an exhibit piece. Information is hold within the object, it becomes a contemplation artefact. It also questions the authority the museum holds over the content and curation.

Inquiry *️⃣(quotes, research and phenomenological theories) “Visitors stop being passive observers; they change instead to active players who feel they’re somehow influencing the outcome of events.” {Sarah Fellows, Museum at play, p19)

“Games allow the audience to look at objects in different ways, giving permission to question previous assumptions about the museum, its content and its place in the users’ lives. A recurring theme is the museum’s shift from a traditional “keeper of artefact” to a collection of “stories”. (Katy Beale, Museum at play, p24)

Interactions transform the museum into a social space. A greater visitor inclusion as primary source of knowledge would enrich a positive learning/ teaching co-experience.

Process + Communication *️⃣(outcome, audience, intentions) Secondarily, I designed a speculative workshop for the '150 years of Postcards' exhibition. Visitors are invited to imagine future means of communications, the 'future(s)' for postcards, by using designed postcards and stickers to set up imaginary scenarios. These tools are guiding creative thinking to spark varied ideas through individuals.

'You are part of the story, you are the story, you are writing the story' (me).

The power is given to the public to construct singular narratives. They will also be able to slide their newly found ideas and stories on a wall display. They have immediate power over the exhibit, it's them.

Knowledge + Inquiry Changing Relationships to Play’s workshop ('Permission to Play' at the Wellcome Collection, Saturday 15 February 2020) investigates ways to play, educate and spark creativity in a same way. The workshop helps you to re-design museum spaces by picking 3 cards 1. an urban space or feature. 2. that senses or measures… 3. that makes you… Together they form a context for you invention.

“How might creativity be nurtured in learners, teachers as well as in our existing and future learning environments?” ('Teaching for Creativity', medium.com, Nov 9, 2918)

⬛️ CONCLUSION As the two projects unfolds, I strongly confirm my interests for a search towards creative teaching and learning through space and participation. I wish to help people comprehend their environment and the impact they can have on it. Such interactions will hopefully lead to a growing inclusiveness in the (re)creation of common surroundings.

[mastersblog2019]

blog logs 28/08/2019 to 18/10/2019

the blog logs for 28.8.2019 to 18/10/2019 is in the read more

28/08/2019

I have handed in my written report, portfolio, and a memory stick which has all my files on and now I’m going to work on the images of the characters . I am also going to start writing the script, I have a few ideas of what I can work with and I just need to start writing it down. Also I’ve been looking at a book called, “This was our pact” by Ryan Andrews mostly due to the fact I like the drawn style and I am using it as a visual reference and possibly a structure for how I’m going to make my comic. I liked the fact it uses a simple colour pallet for its pages and  the rough drawn line, it mixes well with the simple colour schemes. It may  be worth considering finding an editor to check my work.

The drawing I’m working on is the older sister, who I wanted to look like a mixture of a witch and fashionable young adult. In some of the earlier  designs of her  she was wearing a baggy big coat with a thick fake fur fringe or a poncho but I decide to rework that idea, after this I tried a few different looks like a long dress or a sleeveless shirt with high waist trousers. I really liked the idea of her wearing  a turtle neck jumper and high waisted trousers . The hat, and the fluffy rounded shaped hair has always been a constant for the design.

  07/09/2019

At the moment I’m working on the written script of the story which is taking me a while to write, as I’m a very slow writer. However this has helped me visualize what could happen next. I have  also been looking at visual references of caves and mountains. For example  the Peak District I  believe there  is  cave called the Devils Arse ( which to be honest is too funny not to mention).

There are also caves like the Margate caves, Chislehurst caves, Wookey hole caves, Ogof Ffynnon Ddu (or the cave of the black spring)

I am hoping to find a cave to get inspiration from for the one in my comic but need to get the script completed  before looking up visuals.

  5/10/2019

I have almost completed the narrative, which is forming nicely but will need to be reviewed and edited when I’m done, but right now I need to work on the edits for the written report .  I have written the extended ideas here, for reference later, because I don’t think I will be able to include all the ideas in the written report as the whole text I wrote is over 1000 words (yikes). So I think it would be better to only include the more developed ideas in the written report to save words and post the full list here so there is a reference of it somewhere.

Here are the rough notes / extended text for the written report ideas:

Write about a character who doesn’t like themselves

This idea came from the concept that overall we don’t have much control over our lives or the world around us but we do have an internal control, how we respond to those changes, developments and people in our lives. So how would someone who reacts with a negative outlook on life respond to situations. This idea would be an exploration of character and  possibly could be inverted  so someone who was too positive  could lead to issues too, with a bloated ego unable to see the needs of people around them or anger when their views are not proven right or convincing themselves that a negative situation or not even seeing the negative situation to begin with. How we think about things can really affect our quality of life and how much we respond and take part in life.

 Narrative loops –

Narrative loops or stories that needed to be read again to be understood fully really interested me. Most stories that include fantasy elements give the reader the rules of the universe slowly through dialogue, imagery or explanation. I thought an idea where information  given  at the end of the story changes how you interpret the whole story as an interesting concept. Most stories has some form of this concept, when on a second viewing you know who is going to betray the group or why the villain does what they do, but with this idea I was more thinking about a narrative that loops, e.g. the end leads to the beginning  and it makes more sense that way. I was mainly thinking of  a talk show where the character is suddenly persuaded to participate in the show and is very angry and confused by what is going on. At the end of the narrative they say something but the sentence is cut off, and if you go back to the first page the sentence is completed. Like a looping gif or a looping bit of film. So with this information  the reader needs to pick apart what’s going on with the narrative through conversation and vague hints. If this was an idea that I extended ,I think to complete the story the reader would need to solve a riddle or something. After solving the riddle it would lead to a website and eventually complete the story.

 Narrative based on the themes of Vaporwave – a narrative playing with the themes  

presented in the music genre Vaporwave. Possibly a narrative based in a 1980s Mall that has themes of ghost stories, having fun with friends, looking through an illusion of reality and capitalism.

This idea was based on the research I made while looking into Vaporwave, a ghost story where all the parts are not completely  explained, but gives the sense  something is very wrong when there is nothing wrong. For example the victim forgetting why they are here and that there is a place they need to go to and they just keep enjoying the Mall even though there’s a nagging feeling in the back of their head that the store should be closed for a very long time and the tension this brings to the narrative.  Generally the whole narrative would revolve around the idea of ,“Truth VS Comfort”. I imagine if this story had an sound track it would be a fading in and out, “Out of touch” by Hall and Oates playing on the sound system that’s echoing around this full and colourful bustling Mall and when it  echos  its final note the Mall is abandoned and dark with a single figure staring out across the waste. It takes a lot of inspiration from Stranger Things. I imagine the Ghost Mall was just made for one person to be completely lost in.

Like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D__6hwqjZAs

 ·        A chance generated narrative – a narrative that has it’s themes and story chosen by chance. For example,  taking the themes of randomly chosen tarot cards and then developing them into a short narrative.  I did a few experiments with this idea using tarot cards as they have vague yet good bases for conflicts in stories. If I had extended this idea I would have worked on a few different stories for the random cards I chose so I guess this would have been a short stories collection with the name of the cards the title of the story.

 So to conclude these are some of my initial ideas for the final project which I have not used.

10/10/2019

I have been working to write up my notes on characters, world building and character development for both my self and the written report. It helpful I think to have an more organised set up of information. I might have to look thought the writing later so that I can edit it into something more professional.

But here’s the rambling / notes for the report:

world building:

The narrative I chose to work on  is a little bit longer compared to the other ideas and has developed from the poem and the comic shown earlier. It doesn’t really fit within movie structure

or a three act narrative structure, but more a series of episodes or TV show. The story is aimed at a younger audience but I hope to still develop interesting characters and narrative.  

This narrative is a mix of fantasy, adventure, fairy tale and slice of life. The two main areas of this story is the mountain which is covered in woodland forest and the town, which is at the bottom of the mountain.

Story summary.

 The main theme of the narrative is how the three children deal with their powers,  reconnecting with family and growing up. The narrative structure can be summed up in theses part or stages:

 set up:

The youngest child who has never left home and lives with her mum and older sibling wants to be independent and see the town and meet people.

 Part 1:

Youngest ends up in town but cannot get back home, so tries to find a way home.

 Part 2:

Youngest finds out about the missing sibling and wants to ask for help getting home. It does not go well.

 Part 3:

Youngest sibling wants to find out more about her middle sibling because she thinks something is wrong, due to some issues that pop up while the middle sister is talking (e.g her being hurt and defensive on certain topics and her saying things like  “I has a grand task to do that only I can do” etc).

 Part 4:

The youngest sibling finds out what the middle sister is up to and tries to convince her that maybe what she is working on is not a great idea. The middle child is set on doing this particular task and will not listen.

 Part 5:

There is a big conflict between the youngest and the middle child as the youngest tires  to stop or at least get the middle to listen, which doesn’t work, and the middle sister completes her goal.

 Part 6:

After completing her goal things really go wrong. Monsters are released and are hurting people.

The middle sisters friend who she is trying to help abandons her at some point, due a conflict in options.

 Part 7:

The youngest sibling’s goal is to try and fix this situation and to help the middle child who has lost one of the only people she trusted and feels guilty for making this mess. They have to try and fix this  with the friend of the middle sibling trying to stop them.

 Part 8 or end:

Somehow the monster’s situation is solved and the town is saved, but the youngest still has no powers like her sibling so can’t go home with them but their mother comes down from the mountain giving up her immortality so that she can look after her children.  The middle child is given a chance to connect with her sibling and her mother who offer her a second change even after her mistake.  The narrative ends with the four making up and living their life in town with the other people.

   Characters:

 Youngest sibling:

Age: 9 to 11

Summary:

The youngest sibling is the main character within this narrative, she wants to see the world and is tired of being stuck  up the mountain while her older sister comes and goes as she pleases.

She is hoping to be able to develop powers so that she can do magic like her older sister and her Mum but is unable to do that at the moment but hopes to be able to do it in the future.

She is positive and a adventurer she likes to explore and have fun around the woods. She enjoys reading books and talking to people.

She is young and a hopeful and just wants what’s best for the world really. She is meant to look a little dated due to her upbringing and innocence.

Powers: The youngest has no powers but she does have her shadow dog for company.  

Note – she worries that she will never get any powers so will never get to leave and she wants to keep up with her older sibling too.

 Middle sibling:

Age: 13 to 15

Summary:

The middle sibling is a determined and a very prickly individual she is very set on her goals, and gain approval from the one person she trusts (her shadow). She can get angry and stressed pretty easily but wants to try and do the right thing but  she just gets very angry about her situation.

She doesn’t really trust people all that much and this acts as a source of conflict between her and the youngest sibling.

The youngest sibling is both a blessing and a cruse for the middle sibling. For a few different reasons.

The youngest sibling is trying to connect to her sister and says she deals with similar issues.

The middle sister feels isolated  and alone because she has no-one to discuss her powers with and reassure it is OK and people are scared of her which makes her defensive.

In summary the middle child has issues and is really conflicted about the whole thing and because she so focused on this one goal she doesn’t want to deal with all the emotional baggage as well.

The middle child is very much based on the ideas of a moody and tired teen but is a very down to earth who is  independent.

Extra notes: the middle child used to have a shadow cat but at one stage she just got so upset and angry at the cat she banished it allowing the human shaped shadow to take the cats place as her shadow.

  Powers:

The middle sibling can control and bend shadows or places with a lack of light. She can make hands limbs out of the dark and suck the light out of a room, that can be used for many things like picking up objects or just to be scary. She can also use shadows to make items she can interact with , she can  distort her body so that she can become a dark shape herself for a short while, or warp to other dark places. She can also open a hole to a nasty place which is  really dark and its full of eyes and groaning ,she can’t step into it but she can see it. It’s where all the “shadow creatures” come from.

Basically her set of powers are associated with dark or a lack of energy and she has control over that and can make it solid for a short while.

She can enter places of magic like Mother mountain  similar to the oldest sibling.

  Oldest sibling:

 Age: 18 to 20

Summary:

The oldest sibling is the cool adult who helps make sure the youngest sibling is looked after. She is experimental she collects gem stones because of “how the light resonates with the gem stone” and  books studying magic which are rare and mostly useless but s a few had a couple of helpful tips with using magic. She also likes to collect bones and old things because she finds them fascinating.

As well as her hobbies she helps with a range of things around the  house. As Mother Mountain can’t leave the woods or go to town the oldest sibling does this to buy supplies.

Also she also sells things there like old valuable items that have been lost on the mountain and homemade remedies for people. She also goes down to town for fun and social reasons. She is responsible and  does what she wants which is mostly experimenting or helping the youngest sibling , she’s sometimes lazy and a bit bossy but that is older sisters for you.

Powers:

The oldest siblings powers is to do with energy and light. She can create balls of light whenever she wants and can sense what’s wrong with electronics and in most cases fix them with a tap of her finger. She is also very aware of how light and energy works and uses this to her advantage all the time, and she can warm up a room in a snap. She has a good control over light making it solid and into objects the same way the middle sibling can but she cannot warp like her.

  Mother  mountain / the mothers:

Age: ancient

Mother mountain, the Grand Guardian or the face in the mountain is a the god of the mountain and forest, who was once a wandering god  wounded  by death and became  the god of the mountain. She is very old and has seen so much in her time on earth and is one of the last of her kind. The Grand Guardian is a kind spirit who wants to support and love  her with whole heart and is wise and a little silly. Mother Mountain  wanted children in the human form for a long while and only recently found a way to have them. She is huge giant  and is a part of the landscape with plants and animals living on her shoulders and her legs becoming one with the rock face. She wishes at times she could do more for her children and offer them more support but she is too large and unable to move all that much from her “seat” without consequences to the landscape and pain to herself.

She also sometimes speaks of how she wishes   her lost child could be with them. She does her best to support her children but finds it hard to meet their everyday needs.

 Powers:

Her existence of being in this one place so long has made the woods and the mountain into a big magic hot spot.. or magic bubble, people who walk and explore the woods would be able to feel her protection. In her prime before she was almost killed by Death she was a protector, a wandering fighter who tried to help the helpless and had a soft spot for humanity.

Her presence is so strong that the town has a legend about the face in the mountain. For most people it is just a story to tell their children.

The siblings live within this magic bubble that Mother Mountain has created, and they were born in it. The oldest sibling and middle sibling can exit this bubble then “sense” where it is and then get back in but the youngest can’t.

 Other mothers:

I was going to include three mothers within this story but thought it would slow down the narrative too much.

 Youngest sibling guide

Age: 9 to 12

Summary:

Is going to be the youngest siblings new friend and acts as a safe haven and source of information to help the story progress, and as an emotional support when times are difficult.

Powers:

None, a child who has lived in town for their whole life, social skills, and generally has a clear view of a situations. Basically the only one with common sense.

 Middle child’s shadows / living shadows:

Age:  Very old. (other shadows debatable ages but they came into the world the same time as the children)

Summary of the 3 shadows

The middles child’s shadow is a human shaped void with thought, or a lack of energy shape or light with human thoughts and emotions.

The middle child’s shadow relies heavily on the middle child, she keeps him in this world without an effort . Due to the connection he is able to interact and do what he likes. He is the only person that the middle child trusts, but he is more focused on trying to get creatures like him free to stop their suffering in the dark dimension they are trapped in. He asks the middle child to do dangerous tasks knowing fully well that the middle child will always agree however dangerous they are. He will sometimes miss the needs to of  the child  when she’s tired, hurt or upset. He also tries to prevent her getting distracted from his goal and plants a paranoia of others into her head to keep her focused on his desires. He acts as a “villain” as well as a “victim”. He did lose his children and he is determined to save them but he uses a child who trust him to do it.

 The other two shadows are the youngest sibling’s big black dog and the oldest sibling’s black mouse (who lives in her hair), they are close companions to the sisters who adore them, and they support their humans as well as they can, but can be little rascals.

 14/10/2019

The written report that I have been working on is almost done, I just need to do some small check over for spelling mistakes and grammar issues. I also need to correct small things like the title and what ever needs fixing. As well as this I have been writing up a “universe rulebook” which is mostly just quick explanation of how magic works within the narrative with vassals. When I’ve got the essay completed I will work on the main project.

 15/10/2019

I’m going to upload the “universe rulebook” soonish onto my blog along with these logos, I have written about how the “magic bubbles” work and a little bit on how the siblings work but I think I need to write up about “wandering gods” and maybe a little on how the mother made the children, more about the mother and how the “shadows” or the animal companions work.

 18/10/2019

I have been writing the script for my final project to give me a better understanding of the layout of the comic, it my still need a few edits  but I’m mostly happy with the outcome. I will use the script as a base for the comic and illustrations I just need to finalise the names of the characters.  I will upload the rough version of the script in a word doc or another post.