3132 research outputs found
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of mulberry blood and foam
Full text linkI am enacting a ritual of connection between humanity and the sacred entity of nature by engaging in a cyclical process of soiling and cleansing. This ceremonial performance alludes to the conception of life and death as a continuum by referencing menstruation and its symbolic meanings. The setting of this performance is an installation composed as a ritual space presenting the mulberry plant which inspired the work in the form of planted seedlings, mulberry ink, firewood, ash, homemade soap, and poetry. The laundering apparatus and background choral music binds the ritual to autoethnographic research pertaining to my native country of Brazil and the history of patriarchal oppression in my family. I have grounded my research in personal and familial experiences, non-denominational spirituality, and situated feminist theories
Xantolo: What Death Requires
Full text linkThe MFA thesis exhibition “Xantolo” tells the story of and reflects upon my experiences within resistance culture and my Xicano culture as a way of life. The show features a multidisciplinary collection of Mexican altares, paintings, installations, soundscape, and synthesizes the worlds of radical activism and Indigenous cultural resurgence. My thesis question asks: Why hasn’t a robust movement against ecological exploitation, ecological collapse, and climate change emerged? I look inward at my own experiences living on the land and fighting oil/gas pipeline projects on unceded Native land occupied by Canada. I analyze our collective inability to imagine, plan, and act in response to ongoing ecological collapse. My thesis challenges the naturalization of capitalism and offers an alternative in land-based and Indigenous frameworks of responsibility, direct action, and harmony with the natural world through a deeper understanding of life and death. I channel the sacred ceremony of Xantolo practiced from ancient Mexico and its hybridized resurgence with contemporary Xicanos today. The ceremony which is commonly referred to as the “Day of the Dead” offers an alternative perspective on death, ancestors, and reverence; a timely framework for a mainstream that avoids, conceals, and denies the lessons which death may teach. Using my experience within Indigenous resistance movements and my background of Xicano culture, I provide examples of activation in the face of denial, normalization of political resistance, and the resurgence of cultural practices that embrace death and argue that these practices could help to restore a more balanced natural order as we barrel toward a turbulent and unknown future
The Body is no Longer Human, The Body is a Commodity
Full text linkThis research is concerned with critiquing how big pharma, insurance companies, and the medical model uses the disabled and chronically ill body for profit. The research considers a brief analysis of big pharma through real-world examples, but also takes on an autoethnographic approach as an individual who is an active consumer of big pharma. Utilizing my own account and voice as an individual with a genetic progressive chronic illness and disability called Cystic Fibrosis becomes integral to the research and the prototype creation process. Feminist queer Crip, which is a sub section of crip Theory, and disability aesthetics, further enrich the research as the theoretical background when analyzing how the long-standing thought process of compulsive non-disabled bodiedness is harmful and can further lead to devaluing disabled and chronically ill bodies in the medical system, and thus creates access friction or lack of access to care. The results of the research and prototype creation seeks to educate on how access friction can be harmful to disabled and chronically ill bodies, which leads us to utilize speculative futures to dream about what easy access to care might look like and helps us understand why access to care is vital when we consider disabled and chronically ill bodies as valuable within the medical system
A Portrait of Cry Baby Gallery
Full text linkThis MRP tells a personal story about the Toronto-based Cry Baby Gallery. Written as a first-
person narrative, this exploratory text is about the gallery and my experiences of it, from travelling to the gallery and considering its context in the city, to observing attendees at art openings and other related events. I examine several exhibitions at Cry Baby Gallery, starting with a solo exhibition for Celia Lees, with the overall goal of considering the vision of the gallery’s director Mony Zakhour. Drawing on my own experience in the Toronto
artworld, Portrait of Cry Baby Gallery is a snapshot that documents a unique set of details in Toronto’s art scene in 2023 and 2024
Staffing the Outdoors: What Experiences Do Women and 2SLGBTQ+ Individuals Have in the Field of Outdoor Education as Working Professionals?
Full text linkThis study aimed to understand the experiences of women and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals working in the field of Outdoor Education. This study was approached from an inclusive design lens, allowing for the creation of suggestions for change in policy and practice in Outdoor Education organizations. This research was conducted through four semi-structured interviews, where participants shared their narratives, observations, and hopes regarding their roles and future roles in Outdoor Education. This study's findings showed a growing sense of acceptance and confidence among those in the field who hold marginalized identities when there is appropriate representation in the field. Participants of this study emphasized the need for diversity, equity, and inclusion training catered to individuals working in the field. As well, concern was raised by participants regarding toxic masculinity being prevalent in many organizations. They noted that staff members who demonstrated toxic masculinity were being recognized and put into leadership positions. The implications of this study can be used to inform future research to understand the experiences of women and 2SLGBT+ individuals working in the field of Outdoor Education. This study can be used to create space within the Outdoor Education industry to reassess how the culture can shift to one that is inclusive for all
Locating Creativity in Design Practice
Full text linkCreativity is often implicitly understood but seldom detailed in design paradigms and practices. It is supposed to happen, but how it unfolds in these contexts is underexplored and disconnected from existing disciplinary research. This research paper uses generative design research methods to explore the relationship between creativity and design in real-world design contexts and from the viewpoint and experiences of practitioners. It aims to move beyond simply accepting creativity's hidden role in design practice by surfacing how it emerges and works to understand it better and inform designers of how it might actively be cultivated and practiced alongside design tasks.
With more cross-over between fields, the notoriety of design thinking, and an expanding set of methods, tools, and techniques, some of which claim to be inherently creative, paying attention to the nuances of creativity is valuable in an evolving design landscape focused on new and improved ways of thinking, doing, and innovating. The findings highlight creativity's dynamic and sometimes contentious nature in current practices, offering practical insights and implications, connections to relevant creativity theory, and contributing to a deeper contextual understanding of creativity in design practice
Outside the (White) Box: 言霊
Full text linkTo begin this research is to begin an inquiry into the power of language, the power of critical thinking, and the power of individual agency. While examining influential precedents and contemporary examples of linguistic development within social and artistic realms, I seek to highlight the use of language in art and life as a pathway to call for critical thinking, reshape the established reality, and open up new possibilities. Through a series of case studies, I attempt to answer the following questions in my research: How did we end up in a panopticon made of language, and how did language become the weapon for social discipline? Is breaking free from the panopticon possible, and if not, what can we do? Weaving the analogy between the gallery and the bigger societal picture as a thread, I try to propose new venues for mind and social transformation through curation and art-making. In other words, how can we transform the self and reality, or promote new ways of being through the use of language in art
Staying with the Trouble: Unraveling Power Relations through the Lens of Care
Full text linkIn the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, this inquiry delves into the intensifying power dynamics between individuals and the state, shedding light on the imperative to address the evolving tension between personal subjectivity and state authority. Rooted in first-hand experiences during the pandemic in China, the research employs care as the lens to view the complex state-individual relationships and tease open an understanding of the complex relations of power and how they operate in society – between people and the state, through the discourse of self. Donna Haraway has gifted a resonant and active phrase that I embrace in my work – ‘staying with the trouble’ which for me encapsulates the commitment to confront challenges, fostering a compassionate understanding of contemporary complexities, and cultivating fresh perspectives on potential resistance. The research findings are presented through an exhibition that features installations and photography, designed to engage the audience haptically in a meaningful dialogue. This innovative approach goes beyond traditional academic formats, offering an immersive experience that encourages reflection on the nuanced interplay of power, care, and resistance in times of crisis, transcending borders and offering a universal perspective on the subject
The Evolution of Fandom for Live Music Festival Experiences
Full text linkThis inquiry was positioned as an opportunity to explore the future of the fandom experience of live music festivals. It is grounded in utilizing the framework of Ken Wilber’s integral theory to classify insights as validity claims that are subjective, inter-subjective, objective, and inter-subjective (Wilber, 1997). These quadrants were used to analyze data into personal, group-oriented, transactional, and transformational respectively. Firstly, I conducted a thorough literature review of the nature of fandom, the ecosystems of concerts and live performances, the impacts of live music performances, music psychology and human physiological responses, and the benefits of music education. Secondly, subject matter expert interviews were conducted of Canadian live music festival artistic and executive directors to explore how the organizational and production side of live music festivals impacted fans. Thirdly, design workshops were conducted to explore possible futures of live music festivals through the generation of creative ideations that represent how new objective constructs and inter-objective systems applied to live music festivals can influence future subjective and inter-subjective fandom experiences. Fourthly, I utilized the STEEP-V framework to organize all data according to social, technological, environmental, economic, political, and values-based insights and then organized. Finally, through the analysis and synthesis of the collective insights under the validity claims framework (Wilber, 1997), this inquiry pointed towards both the robustness of the viability and sustainability of the organization of live music festivals and the ongoing desire of the live music fandom to continue to broaden the scope and reach of the modern live music festival in a world that is full of panic and possibility
Crafting Narratives: Real-Time Generative Storytelling through Tangible AI
Full text linkThrough prototyping and experimentation, this thesis investigates the affordances of tangible AI objects as user interfaces to enhance user engagement in the context of a narrative environment. Leveraging AI/ML tools, the objective of the research is to investigate how generative AI can be applied in unconventional contexts, allowing users to co-create with Generative AI models, unfolding narratives in real-time. The envisioned outcome as an interactive installation encourages users to explore, experiment, control and co-create along with generative AI models. This hands-on approach through an installation merging generative storytelling and physical-digital artefacts, aspires to serve as a bridge between the apprehensions surrounding AI and its meaningful integration, shifting the discourse to informed curiosity. The project invites users to be a part of the conversation, encourages critical engagement, and allows users to assess AI’s potential within their own realms