Thesis Statement, December 2016

Published by bharath haridas, March 10th, 2017

How can combinations of multiple mediums
be used to investigate socio-cultural phenomena and create immersive experiences ?

Could a set of artefacts or forms that combine different mediums be used to unpack our relationship with tools and technology ? Could it these forms translate existing theories into immersive and engaging experiences ?

My thesis revolves around three areas of inquiries, use of multiple mediums, translation of socio-cultural theory and impact of tools and technology. In other words I am investigating how multiple mediums in combinations or as a collection of disparate artefacts, could be used to contemplate on social theories and impacts of technology to produce new forms of knowledge.

Does the term– “designerly ways of knowing" from Nigel cross, translate to a desingerly way of knowledge production? Could emergent interdisciplinary or multi-media forms facilitate that process? The context of tools and technology was chosen since it is a prevalent topic in San Francisco and a growing concern that requires much needed reflection. The process involved starting with simple physical technologies to more complex and virtual ones.

We constantly encounter combinations of media such as video, text, sound, space and interactivity through our personal computing devices as well as physical spaces. Contemporary design practice and studios have adapted to this change by creating multidisciplinary teams to create integrated and distributed experiences. Since these forms create multiple channels of information is it more effective to untangle complex phenomena or to create more immersive experiences that invite an audience to engage in multi-sensorial contemplation ?