WHAT I MADE YESTERDAY AND WHAT I THINK TODAY
I made a sketch of the window direction of my sunset project yesterday. I spent most of the time thinking, like I usually do. Sunset is valuable to me and it's something i always wanted to explore. I've been using the sunset scene (unconsciously) as an element in my projects every semester. So this time the idea was just naturally flowing out and coming to me. I had 1-on-1 meetings with Anezka and Anna today, and got some really encouraging feedback. Anezka wanted me to ask myself why sunset is important to me, and again how my prototypes make a thesis, how they relate to misunderstanding and communication. Those are also the questions I ask and remind myself all the time.
DAY 3:
Today I continued with my beak mask direction. I used a plastic cup, aluminum foil and wires to make a longer and more controllable shape.
Again there was no "design" before making and the form just came along with the making and testing process bit by bit.
This beak looks more birdy and has more character than the last one. The foil is a good material for shaping but the bumpy finish isn't so ideal. It's probably better to cover it with another layer of a smoother material. The string that connects the mask to the head is a little distracting and a little loose. I might consider making a structure with both the beak and head part so I wouldn't need to connect them with a soft string.
I was wearing the mask for a long time while I was trying to find a good angle for the photos, and that experience made me think of three things:
Because my body isn't familiar with this extra body part and itself doesn't have any sense, it kept bumping into my hands, doors and other stuff unconsciously. This has raised an interesting question of the embodied experience of living with an extra "limb". This is important to think about if I want it to be an interactive or performative experience.
Many degrees of discomfort has emerged from the wearing experience: the extra weight, the loss of sense of distance(the bumping I mentioned above), the difficulty to breathe. Actors might be familiar with this discomfort since they have to wear heavy costumes sometimes. So once you are wearing this beak mask, it kind of gives you a role of an actor in some way, and that might affect your behavior and the way of self expression.
A beak is meant for speaking, making sound, sending information. But when you're wearing this beak mask, your voice is actually blocked, diminished, distorted. When you're armed with this pointy and sharp weapon, it looks like you're gaining power, but in fact your ability of voicing is deprived. Similarly, we armed ourselves with advanced communication technologies, with sharp words and strong arguments. But is our voice being heard better? Are we being understood more?