This week, I further narrowed down my list of themes and inspirations, and developed a few project ideas appropriate to each topic. Click the image below to take a look at my list:
Now that I have a list of nine potential projects, let's narrow it down to one or two. At this point, my personal favorites are the interactive children's story and the abstract animation installation project. I'm also quite fond of the crafter's journal, but it's time to narrow the field. Perhaps I'll keep that one in mind for a later project.
At this point, let's do a cost-benefit analysis comparison between my top two choices:
Project 1: Interactive Children's Story
I love stories. Reading them, telling them, it doesn't matter. Some of my fondest memories of childhood are from story time, either at school, or the library, or -my favorite - by my mother's side. The particular story I have in mind for this project is actually a story my mother told me when I was ten, and scheduled for a very serious operation. She presented me with a new teddy bear, that looked a lot like one I'd lost years before, and told me about all the adventures "Beeda" had been on since we'd been separated. I have loved that story ever since, and have long wanted to turn it into a children's book. I love the idea of adding interactivity such as mini games within the app, to add a level of engagement with the story and the characters.
The main challenges I foresee in pursuing this as my portfolio project are mainly technical, such as ensuring I focus my studies on attaining the skills needed to create this interactive story and the game-like elements.
In addition to the technical challenges, I also have to take care when completing user research, since my target audience is so young (Kindergarten to 2nd Grade). I will want to make sure my testers are accompanied by adult guardians throughout the testing process.
The main reason I would want to pursue this rather than any other project is because I am a storyteller at heart and I feel it would be an appropriate portfolio project that would combine my love of stories and storytelling, along with the technical skills I am learning in the Web Design & New Media department, as well as knowledge I acquired in the Animation, Illustration, and Writing departments.
Project 2: Abstract Animation Installation
When we were shown examples of potential projects, one called "The Human Scale" stood out to me. A musical scale was made of video footage of different people singing different notes. When a user played a song on a keyboard, the keys pressed would play the corresponding video for that note. I was fascinated.
I imagined a similar project, based on my own "digital abstract" paintings, made by using Photoshop tools such as gradients, blending modes, and filters in ways probably not originally intended. One of my favorites:
As part of my undergraduate (B.A, Graphic Design, Morningside University, 2007) Senior Show, I took the digital abstract one step further by creating the art in Adobe Flash (now Animate) and set it to music. I called this a "motion abstract" and below is the end result:
Combining this concept with the idea behind The Human Scale, I envision a keyboard programmed to display certain colors and shapes (which would move randomly) as the note is played, resulting in an audio/visual experience as unique as the person playing the instrument.
While I do really love this idea, I feel it would present more technical and logistical challenges, primarily in the programming (which is part of the point of Directed Study classes) but also in approaching venues at which to display it. This is especially problematic as we continue to live in a global pandemic where public gatherings could be shut down again at any moment.
If I were to choose to pursue this project, it would be a good addition to my portfolio because it focuses more on a creative use of technology in art making, and would therefore stand out from other projects.
Depending on what type of feedback I get from my instructor and classmates, my current choice is to pursue Project 1 and introduce the rest of the world to Beeda Bear and his little girl.
