My Inspiration
Since my earliest teaching days, I’ve loved StoryCubes, a simple way to inspire improvised storytelling for kids (and really people of all ages). Yet, images and iconography can sometimes be limiting in the options for storytelling. I’m intrigued by the idea that soundscapes can offer more ambiguity; simultaneously, it can create an emotional subtext for a scene. So, it is my goal to create a device that can use gestural sound tracking to allow students to act out stories accompanied by sound.
Practice sketch on Rhino
I used the final project brainstorm to practice using Rhino, my first time exploring 3D modeling software. There was definitely a steep learning curve, as I initially tried to follow unrelated tutorials. But when I faced problems with using the software that deviated from the tutorials, I had a hard time helping myself. So, I put aside the tutorials and focused on building a 3D model of a dodecahedron, a shape I am potentially exploring for my final design. I basically needed to create a pentagon, rotate it to create three of the twelve sides, and finally mirror to create the final nine sides. The hardest part about learning Rhino was adjusting my approach to 3D objects to the way Rhino is processing 3D objects. I still need to learn quite a bit about Rhino, as I still do not know how to render the model or create complex shapes. But, I think this drawing project was a good first start as I continue through this course.
Future Potential
In terms of implication, I hope I can use this project opportunity to explore how storytelling as a collective can bring people of different backgrounds together. I will be reading Augusto Boal’s “Theater of the Oppressed” to get some ideas.
“When we look beyond appearances, we see oppressors and oppressed people, in all societies, ethnic groups, genders, social classes and casts; we see an unfair and cruel world. We have to create another world because we know it is possible. But it is up to us to build this other world with our hands and by acting on the stage and in our own life.” Augusto Boal