Skip to content

2023 04 06: Peer group

I presented my updated Thesis slides (after I saw the flow of my presentation wasn’t working during Show a Thing)

Sarah suggested a change in the order, to present the project earlier, then the background and narrative later.

I’m struggling to figure this out, feels like a jigsaw puzzle or wack-a-mole, where do I explain the basics first so people understand the technology first (making music from the mind with an EEG software) or jump into the thesis exploration first, but when I’ve done that, people have told me they felt lost because they just wanted to know how the tools worked first – when saying “can this system reproduce psychedelic experiences?” people first wonder ‘wait, what is the system?’ and what is it i experienced using it.

I can see move the Background section later, but I find it’s useful to explain how I got to making the EEG software in the first place, because that question usually comes up early when I present my work. I can shorten in, but also feel a tension to explain my background because of my conversations with Rothberg and Zurkow about identity and audiences won’t know by looking at me that I have prior experience in these various fields.

Not sure how to sort all this out.

Perhaps mentioning authorship opens up another can a worms and I can just focus on replicability of the experiences I had?

Exploring new sequences (written as outlines) on my notion page:

https://www.notion.so/jasonjsnell/2023-06-04-3ba2d573da204dcdb7f7b5a906d2a92b?pvs=4

22 thoughts on “2023 04 06: Peer group”

  1. Sarah Rothberg
    Reply

    Hi! I appreciate what you’re saying here – but don’t think you need to over-think the presentation order at this stage – there are a lot of ways we can “solve” this! For instance, I’m a fan of the “glimpse” (mentioning something and that you’ll talk more about it later) OR, using your slides to give a bit of additional context that you then return to later. OR OR, when the thing is already *made* letting it speak for it self (ie, play video that can do the work instead of explaining what it is!)

    At this stage right now though, focussing more on the MAKING aspect seems relevant – though, we haven’t chatted in a bit so maybe I’ve lost the plot on where you are with that!

  2. Yuqian Ma
    Reply

    Hi Jason!

    Your sense of wonder about order reminds me of the first presentation I gave in the Connections Lab. At that time, I spent a lot of time introducing the building process. However, it didn’t seem to resonate with the audience. The feedback suggested sharing more about my experience and allowing the audience to feel it, rather than just explaining it. Though it’s not the same situation as your doubt, I feel that the sense of wonder is somewhat similar.

    As for me, I would have questions about LSD-related matters and wonder if it is connected to something illegal. The only legal thing I might associate with a psychedelic experience is alcohol. It definitely warrants a broader understanding. Personally, I enjoy the feeling of being tipsy (though not dizzy, and don’t tell my wife). If I could experience that feeling without getting drunk, I would give it a try!

    Additionally, I had a great chat with my mentor because he shares the same background as me. I recommend you find someone with a similar background/context/memory to yours. Then you could be inspired by their description of the feeling. It might not be the exact same feeling, but since you share a background, you would understand each other better than others. It’s just like a mirror that helps you coordinate yourself even better!

    I may not have fully understood your topic, so please don’t mind me if I haven’t grasped it.

    By the way, I assumed that a project created by an experienced artist like you would have no significant problems and would only require some simple feedback and minor adjustments before completion. Discovering that you also face challenges has made LowRes more meaningful to me!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *