BACK TO BASICS: DISRUPTING THE EVERYDAY
USC Media Arts + Practice
Honors in Multimedia Scholarship Thesis
Advisors: Virginia Kuhn, Elizabeth Ramsey, & Juri Hwang
Whether they are aware of it or not, people’s actions define the spaces around them. In a world that increasingly relies on communicative and expressive technology, many prefer to communicate digitally rather than physically. Society has become consumed by a “heads-down” experience, where more time is spent looking down at screens than up at human faces.
Back to Basics disrupts this pattern by creating a space that engages people and inspires social interaction. Through a series of mini events, it attempts to connect people and break down cultural, social, and habitual barriers. Visitors work together in groups of two or three to complete a short creative task, and in doing so participate in collaboration and personal communication. The goal is to provoke users to consider the ways they interact with others as well as to remind them of the value of physical interaction.
In summary, the project is built upon these 3 pillars:
1. Heads-up Vs. Heads-Down Experience: We are so consumed by digital technology nowadays that sometimes we forget to look up. This project aims to cause a disruption in the heads-down experience that we’ve become so accustomed to.
2. Physical Human Interaction: Technology has made it easy for us to choose digital interaction over physical interaction. This project aims to break this pattern and remind people that human interaction is still valuable.
3. Playful Space: There are numerous types of social interaction, but playful interaction is a way to break down barriers and stimulate imagination and creativity. This project aims to inspire a social dynamic that is both collaborative and creative.
