SEPTEMBER 19, 2021 | I. Computer Aided Design

I am interested in creating interactive cinematic experiences that blur the boundaries between artist and spectator. For my final project, I want to digitally fabricate sensors that will disrupt linear narratives in films when activated by the viewer. The process goes accordingly:

1. When activated by the viewer, four button-style sensors communicate the absence of or presence of touch to a circuit board controller.

2. Data is transferred from the circuit board controller to the computer via a circuit board with a USB. On the computer, Python, a 3rd party programming language developer, recommended by my TA, will register the information.

3. Programming script is developed in Python to determine which clips are displayed on the screen.

4. The viewer views a concentric narrative on-screen within the gallery.

Utilizing responsive technology and computer-aided designs, I will attempt to collapse the relationship of Suture within cinematic language. In ideological film theory (Suture), the spectator is a signifier within a system of signifiers that communicates meaning in the formal cinematic structure of film discourse. Conversely, spectator interaction within cinema disrupts a spectator's relationship to film as a signifier. I want to collapse Suture to explore relational theories of space, cultural identity, and gendered politics.

This project is ultimately a study for my thesis in MIT's ACT Masters program. In a non-linear exploration of technology, interactivity, and the moving image, I will investigate the spatial-temporal relations of memory and place to examine the shifting identity of dancehall culture across two cultural spheres.

File Link: