Maya Churi

Here are some notes on my thesis - the idea and the experience. Special thanks to Mike, Ethan and Al for their creative input...

The goal of my thesis is to create a multi-sensory experience in which the participant can understand/percieve/feel what it is to be another living thing. Essentially becoming/transforming into the other.

Through the Storied Experience participants can learn, sense and eventually come to understand what it feels like to perceive the world from the other’s perspective. In the simplest terms, I would like to explore how we can use advanced technology as well as simple science to create a layered experience that gives us the impression that we, as well as our senses, have changed.

The participant will be given visual, auditory and tactile cues based on the cognitive understanding and instinct of the chosen entity. Perhaps gesture can play a part as well. (Scope - TBD).

Thoughts...we can't change our mass but we do have materials at our disposal that can give the perception that our mass has changed. Oobleck, for example, can easily give the perception of walking on water - much like the Basilisk Lizard can.

How does story work its way into this understanding?
How can story enhance perception? And, when working in tandem can story and perception create a uniquely rich and profound experience.

In the case of this thesis the perspective will be of either a crow or a tree. Why a crow and why a tree? They are both characters in the children's story I am writing - which is an integral part of the project. But, my goal is to create a format or structure by which the methods used to create the experience could be used for any living thing.

Some questions:
How does affordance work its way into this?
How do I articulate the affordances of a crow or a tree?
How do I differentiate between anthropomorphism and science in this context?
Do I have to differentiate?
Does the integration of story lend itself solely to anthropomorphism?

American Heritage Dictionary – Anthropomorphism – Attribution of human motivation, charactersitcs, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals or natural phenomena.

Does the project have to be untainted by anthropmorphism…can anthropmorphism be attributed on some level to human instinct – why is it given so little voice?

A bird ascribed human charactersitcs or a human ascribed bird characteristics…maybe we just have similar characteristics.