Project Hyperessay #2: Conclusion

Project Hyperessay #2: Conclusion

An email inviting me to embark on this journey.
An email inviting me to embark on this journey.

At the beginning, I only thought about how fun it was going to be working with my friends. It was. However it was also tiring, life-changing and overwhelming.

At the start, we did numerous research on wearable technology and works that made use of the media such as Bio Couture by Suzanne Lee and Telematic dreaming (1993) by Paul Sermon respectively.

Then we embarked on dress making and incorporating electronics into our fashion wear.

Posing with my fabric.
Posing with my fabric.

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Working with Naga and Kamaru.
Working with Naga.
Working with Naga and Kamaru.
Working with Naga and Kamaru.
Working with Naga and Kamaru.
Working with the electronics.
Working with the electronics.
Working with the electronics.
Working with the electronics.

 

 

Skyping with Angeline during lesson time to share our development process.
Skyping with Angeline during lesson time to share our development process.
Discussing with Randall on how my electronics can be incorporated into the dress for my performance.
Discussing with Randall on how my electronics can be incorporated into the dress for my performance.
Performing with Chinese Opera music Randall has sourced during class time.
Performing with a Chinese Opera music, that Randall had sourced for, during class time.

While we develop our dresses, we rehearse in them to test for possible malfunctions so that we make necessary alterations, to make sure that our costumes do not get in the way of our performances, before the actual performance.

Very initial stages of my costume when I have not added in the electronics. You can notice that I have not sewn the back and front of the polyester fabric together.
Very initial stages of my costume when I have not added in the electronics. You can notice that I have not sewn the back and front of the polyester fabric together.
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Checking out each others’ dresses. Looking good!
Mid-stages of costume making where I have sewn in the sleeve and pockets to incorporate my electronics. Here I am testing out the infra-red sensor.
Mid-stages of costume making where I have sewn in the sleeve and pockets to incorporate my electronics. Here I am testing out the infra-red sensor.
Here, Galina is helping me out with the power bank attachment to the lily pad which is located at the back of my dress.
Here, Galina is helping me with attachment of the power bank to the lily pad which is located at the back of my dress.

During our practices, we did warm-ups and played with different movements and ideas as we work with Angeline. We even re-enacted The Big Kiss (2007), by Annie Abrahams, with Angeline. It was very awkward for me as my sense of sight gave me the impression that I could actually feel her tongue and what I fear most – saliva. It was an almost traumatic experience for me so I was only willing to stick out my tongue for a second. However this is what makes the third space so attractive – you can face your fears indirectly.

Warm-ups

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warm up warm up 2
warm up 1

 

 

Re-enactment of The Big Kiss

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I practiced my solo performance as a crazy jellyfish for the first time in front of my peers. It was an exhilarating experience as I would never imagine myself so crazy before my peers with a sane mind.

Crazy Jellyfish rehearsal

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crazy jellyfish 2
My dress tore during the process haha!
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My friend was trying to catch me (a crazy jellyfish that is running around out of control)
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My friends burst out laughing when I suddenly regain sanity and I stood at one side combing my hair as if I was never crazy before.

 

 

crazy jellyfish 1
Trying to get hold of me.

 

crazy jellyfish

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Making hand gestures as I say: “Look at me”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From this integration of media and performance, I learnt the difference between performing within a shared physical space and a shared media space. While our audience see us performing together in the shared media space, we are actually not physically together. The effects of performing in a media space allows us to push our boundaries both physically in the real world and the virtual world. In the real world, we are limited by the amount of space we have to perform together in. However with the incorporation of the virtual world, the amount of space we have for us to exist together in at the same time has multiplied. Whilst we can perform on overlapping screens as if we are in parallel worlds superimposed onto each other, we have more factors to worry for too; such as the difficulty to make scale, lighting and eye contacts of the performers meet between the first and second space.

Media Vs Live performance
Media Vs Live performance

 

Conference

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Introducing the Crazy Jellyfish

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Hovering across the infra-red sensor to change the colour of the lights
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White coloured lights to represent a sane, innocent and an organised state of mind.
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5-coloured lights to represent the colours of a jellyfish that is alluring yet dangerous at the same time.

Introducing the people who have nurtured the Crazy Jellyfish for this project

Angeline
Angeline
Galina
Galina
Randall
Randall
Naga
Naga
Kamaru
Kamaru
From left: Charlene, Me, Feliciana, Gladys, Tiffany, Yuhao (Yahoo)
From left: Charlene, Me, Feliciana, Gladys, Tiffany, Yuhao

 

I learnt many things I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t participated in this project. I made many memorable memories and new friends along the journey. These make me feel really happy and satisfied.

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From Top left: Charlene (Kali), Xin Hong (Peitho), Feliciana (Chamunda), Gladys (Tara), Tiffany (Zhong yin shen), Yuhao (The Conductor)
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Okay, a normal one. From Top left: Charlene, Xin Hong, Feliciana, Gladys, Tiffany, Yuhao, From Bottom left: Randall Parker, Galina Mihaleva, Alvin Lau

 

Project Hyperessay #1: Concept Statement / Narrative Overview

My Idea:

In my opinion, touch is a shock that can be comforting. When my skin brush across someone else’s, I feel an electric shock traveling up my nerves. This tingling sensation gives me goosebumps and a strong emotion of excitement. The tremors running through my body sounds like an alluring melody sang in high-pitch vocals.

At the same time, the tremor can make one fearful. Tremors can come in the form of a million fire ants crawling up my four limbs, constantly biting me at every millisecond, or a numbing shock from the sting of a jellyfish while swimming in the cool embrace of the waters. The result is fear, followed by numbness and the gradual transition to desensitization. I perceive desensitization as a climax of an emotional responsive state when I no longer feel anything through touch – when touch becomes incapable, thus intangible.

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A fire ant

 

 

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A Jellyfish

However, the desire to touch and to be touch is innate in us. We seek for comfort when we are shock and we seek for shock when we are in comfort. This cycle continues endlessly.

When touch reaches a climax, it can only repeat itself.

In a virtual world, in separate spaces, we are limited to touch through our physical boundaries. We can only make use of our visual and auditory senses along with the aid of different types of programmed sensors to guide us through our exchange in touch.

The Narrative I envision:

The concept of my narrative revolves around the theme of ‘Touch’ in a futuristic context. Imagine, in a futuristic world, how will touch be like? As science advances along with the scientific knowledge and craftsmanship learnt through biomimicry, we venture into the realms of technology and eventually use the craft to replace the role of Mother nature. These effects are already evident now: rats can be made to glow in the dark, cellulose can grow into clothes, clothes will open up in vents when we sweat.

In addition, we can change our environment to suit our needs: plants are watered at regular timings with an irrigation system, we can control the temperature of our environment with the invention of air-condition, we can modify the weather so that rain happen through cloud seedling. Our environment is no longer the same and we can expect these external changes to reflect in us too. We do not need to talk to communicate our ideas across to one another. We can interact across different spaces. Maybe we can even interact in our dreams. We look different. We take on different personas inspired from the skills we learnt from mother nature.

Plants are watered at regular timings
Plants are watered at regular timings

 

we can control the temperature of our environment with the invention of air-condition
we can control the temperature of our environment with the invention of air-condition
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we can modify the weather so that rain happen through cloud seedling

We interact with each other while we are in separate cubicles through seeing and hearing. We move in short actions, like a programmed machine running through a series of causes and effects stimulated by what we see and hear. Somewhere, there is light. Somewhere this light causes movement in another space through sight. Somewhere the movement bring about sound. Somewhere, there is sound. Somewhere this sound causes movement…and the cycle repeats.