Thesis

Paula Ceballos Delgado

[divine_pixels] is a collection of experiments which explore how ancient fortune-telling rituals can be updated using today’s digital technology.

Description

[divine_pixels] is a collection of experiments which explore how ancient fortune-telling rituals can be updated using today’s digital technology.

Classes

Thesis

texere

Francesca Rodriguez Sawaya

In Texere, digitally generated designs make up the patterns for a hand woven textile that highlights the commonly hidden context around spoken words. Inspired by traditional Folk Art and the use of language in Oral Societies, it’s about crafting unwritten forms of language as a way of preserving the human side of collective memory.

https://itp.nyu.edu/thesis/journal2017/benedetta/author/frs256/

Description

Language shapes the way we see the world. Language is the way we learn how to communicate and relate with each other. Technology cannot capture the human side of language, and that is how things are said. And in the way we say things, is where human empathy is being shared. Digital devices transmit and store text, digits and characters, but disregard any type of context. And without it, language is being reduced to meaningless words.

This project preserves the essence of the meaning behind being human in a world that is foreseen to become more and more automated. Since technology lacks our unique capacity of transmitting empathy and we rely on computers to talk for us, this project analyzes oral histories told by people. However, preserving daily social memory must now include not only the spoken words, but the context around it, represented mainly by the patterns of intonation, pitch, volume and pauses. These are characteristics present in every language.

After performing audio analysis of oral histories collected, and gathering inspiration from traditional Folk Art and crafting techniques, a digital language pattern that translates the spoken words into weaving designs was generated. Finally, these designs became a physical weaving piece.

Classes

Thesis

Cat In A Box

Mathura Govindarajan

educational experiences/storytelling devices that are based on traditional forms of Indian story telling

https://itp.nyu.edu/thesis2017/project/mmg542

Description

Kavad (literally translates to “doors”) is a rich form of storytelling that originates in Rajasthan, India. They are robust handmade boxes that open up in beautiful ways to convey a story.

My project draws heavy inspiration from this art form and tries to combine it with education via storytelling.

A user will unfold the box and a series of hidden compartments that contain different elements. The curiosity of the box goes hand in hand with the same curiosity you are seeking to unlock.

Classes

Thesis

hysterical wearable

Renata Gaui

A wearable device that detects verbal microaggressions towards females during daily conversations and reacts to it.

http://www.gauirenata.com/category/spring-2017/thesis/

Description

On a daily basis, females are suppressed by negative vernacular habits:“you’re being emotional”, “are you on pms?”, “grow a pair”, “you’re so smart for a girl”, “don’t be a pussy” etc. that become part of our daily interaction with people (males & females). These are cultural vices that often goe by without being questioned. Is there a way that we can flip this pejorative speech and turn it into something that empower females? Can emerging technologies work as tools to create conversations about cultural mannerisms? My thesis project is a wearable device that protests against misogynist linguistics habits. A ruffled shirt neck has embedded in it hardware which is running a speech recognition software. The software is trained to detect verbal microaggressions towards females during her a conversation. Once it recognizes that a micro aggressive expression was used, it reacts to it by making a denture toy, hidden is placed behind the ruffles, start to bite – “mimicking” the aggressor and revealing itself by making the ruffles to fly through the denture movement.

Classes

Thesis