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Kansas City, MO, United States

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

statement








Within the process of learning how to create a nonlinear interactive piece I have discovered many new things. I have discovered that the act of discovery is very different from person to person. When given free range to explore, the mind will explore in many different ways. One person may choose a completely different path than another. The design of the interface is the key to making the user unlock all of the information that is hidden away. I discovered that if it (an object that seems to be important) is there than the user expects it to function as something. I have learned that patience and attention do detail are something that must be utilized when using and creating through something new. I do believe that my cognitive skill has increased. I have learned that within a simple structure, such as mine, that every element means something.

Within my interactive piece I chose to make my buttons out of geometric shapes that are black and change to a flesh tone as they are scrolled over. This represents the fact that the virus takes over the humanity of the human it is within. It may be internal but all that others see is the virus when they look at the person. The sub-image is that of the transit system of San Francisco. The shapes and the color represent the circulatory system and also the City of San Francisco is the discovery point of the infection itself. A section of the screen is reserved for the actuality of the thing itself. The viewer gets the reality of the thing itself and clicking puts it into the context of the blood and the human circulatory system. The videos being masked into the objects themselves allows for the viewer to create their own relationships by choosing which to turn off and on and depending on the sequence that they do this, the interface will have different options. When the correct sequence is achieved then all video will play but no other options are open.

2 comments:

tammyshell said...

The black and red color pallet brings to mind connotations of sadness and possibly blood when viewed in the context of your theme. The shapes bring to mind a lonely, sterile atmosphere.

I am overwhelmed by all the choices I have within the site. I almost tear up when I hear the “Take a Chance on Me Song” as it is placed within your theme; the song becomes extremely sad.

You have given the user total freedom to play and turn on and off so many sounds and videos. The ability to combine the coughing sound with the respirator sound and the AIDS facts, all while seeing an image of a seemingly dead person’s face is overwhelming.

One sound I am not quite sure about is a eating sound.

Richardson said...

Dear Sean,

Great stuff. This is a really powerful piece. It actually makes me feel uneasy at times, which I think is a good thing. I believe that is the point. I think the composition is very nice. The shapes of the buttons and the way the movies fill those spaces is excellent.

I think the facts (Voice overs) are what tie the whole thing together for the user. However I'm a little confused by the sounds. The breathing is understandable but I'm confused as to what the other 2 are or what their meaning is.

Overall I think you did a very good job. I like the way the elements interact with each other. Like I said I really like the way the videos are nested.

word.