The Food Crisis: Food Scares
Project 1: Web-Based Translation
Assignment
Students will develop an interactive design piece based on teh economics or politics of food. These projects will live together in a class exhibition based on the theme of "Food Crisis."
Visit the Site
Process
The Narrative Arc of Food Scares examines the media’s role in the development of food scares. Using the online media collection Factiva.com, a search was conducted of the news headlines before, during and after three case study scares. What emerged were common characteristics found in all three cases.
What I Learned
Food scares have always existed. Yet in the past two decades, the world has been inundated with one food scare after another. Why? For one, the method in which we produce our food is simply different. The use of food-based technology to meet the demands of a growing world population has created some unusual methods for food production. Second, “more fastidious public health initiatives alert us to small theoretical risks based on studies.” Finally, “in a decade of spin, food scares are rarely left to chance; a plethora of organizations, the news media included, have a vested interest in making the story run and run.”
At this point, blaming the media for the problems of the world is old hat. However, my interests were not in targeting blame but rather the way in which stories were told through the media. All three case studies maintained the characteristics of a narrative: they took place over a variety of locations, a specific vocabulary developed around certain scares, and a cast of characters (including a protagonist, antagonist and helpless victims emerged).
Yet what was most interesting was in all three scares a narrative arc emerged that included an inciting incident, obstacles and a climax all played out over three acts.What was also common to all three scares were that rivals emerged, celebrity or personality came to front, culture events in the background heightened the event, copycat scares ensued, lawsuits were filed, and the real information (that the scare wasn't such a big deal) finally came out.
Hype or not, these scares can leave a profound change on the world around them. Whether they cause the packaging and food safety to change, the ruining of a brand or changing perceptions of science on food and the emergence of the organic industry, food scares are for real.
Class Quotes and Notes
Conclusions are not necssary. Speculations can be equally interesting
Create a hierarchy of information
Create a product of consilidation (aka- a quick grab)
Recommendations
Martin Whatenberg
http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager
marumushi.com
Mia Copper
Assignment
Students will develop an interactive design piece based on teh economics or politics of food. These projects will live together in a class exhibition based on the theme of "Food Crisis."
Visit the Site
Process
The Narrative Arc of Food Scares examines the media’s role in the development of food scares. Using the online media collection Factiva.com, a search was conducted of the news headlines before, during and after three case study scares. What emerged were common characteristics found in all three cases.
What I Learned
Food scares have always existed. Yet in the past two decades, the world has been inundated with one food scare after another. Why? For one, the method in which we produce our food is simply different. The use of food-based technology to meet the demands of a growing world population has created some unusual methods for food production. Second, “more fastidious public health initiatives alert us to small theoretical risks based on studies.” Finally, “in a decade of spin, food scares are rarely left to chance; a plethora of organizations, the news media included, have a vested interest in making the story run and run.”
At this point, blaming the media for the problems of the world is old hat. However, my interests were not in targeting blame but rather the way in which stories were told through the media. All three case studies maintained the characteristics of a narrative: they took place over a variety of locations, a specific vocabulary developed around certain scares, and a cast of characters (including a protagonist, antagonist and helpless victims emerged).
Yet what was most interesting was in all three scares a narrative arc emerged that included an inciting incident, obstacles and a climax all played out over three acts.What was also common to all three scares were that rivals emerged, celebrity or personality came to front, culture events in the background heightened the event, copycat scares ensued, lawsuits were filed, and the real information (that the scare wasn't such a big deal) finally came out.
Hype or not, these scares can leave a profound change on the world around them. Whether they cause the packaging and food safety to change, the ruining of a brand or changing perceptions of science on food and the emergence of the organic industry, food scares are for real.
Class Quotes and Notes
Conclusions are not necssary. Speculations can be equally interesting
Create a hierarchy of information
Create a product of consilidation (aka- a quick grab)
Recommendations
Martin Whatenberg
http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager
marumushi.com
Mia Copper
Project 2: Exhibition Design
Assignment
A continuation of your interactive material, explore the particular qualities of physical space to demonstrate, illustrate or amplify the ideas/issues/information of your topic.
Watch the Video!
View Pictures
Process + What I Learned
The decision to create a timeline in the cafeteria was an excellent one. For one, the cafeteria is a place that is used by virtually everyone at the school. Choosing this stage for my work was both risky and calculated. Moreover, the functionality of the space as a system was a direct connection to the systemic analysis of food scares and their shared characteristics. Finally, the timeline augmented reality as opposed to creating a didactic opinion on the space. Learning to cut back my voice and allow the viewer to draw their own connections has been a difficult but valuable lesson in creating more ambiguous and dynamic work.
Placing the transparent dot on the sneeze guards was a risky move and I believe there was a better way to connect the food to the timeline itself. For example, a simple move of including the date may have made this clear. However, the dots themselves raise the interesting question of what is my point of view. Am I trying to scare people through this direct connection? Also, a key at the beginning of the timeline with the words “death” and sickness” certainly did nothing to alleviate this claim.
In retrospect, this was not the primary read I wanted for my audience. Placing a circle before the cafeteria and timeline with a brief explanation of the exhibition could have greatly helped in creating a more distinct point of view. This point of view, which evolved only through the making of the exhibition, revealed that in many ways food scares are nostalgic.
Class Quotes and Notes
Information can influence form.
Exhibitions can be continuous with content, not in service to it.
Digital Media can tell you everything. What modes of communication do exhibitions afford?
Every decision goes through the process through the material that it is being presented.
What are the rules of your system? What is the logic to how it unfolds?
Be totally ruthless with the decisions you make
Consider pushing the extremes.
The successful is oftent what takes it down.
1 in 1000 men are colorblind.
Recommendations
Tom Friedman
Gary Hill (video)
2 x 4
Juregen Osterchid
vvork.com
Ralph Applebum
Fritze Heige
Interface Cultures by Steven Johnson
Bruce Mao
The Crystal Palace by Paxton
Herby Bayer
Gump's in San Franscisco
Miles van der Roe and Lilly Reich
Reem Koolhaus
Herbert Beyer
Ray and Charles Eames: Mathematica
New York Planetarium
Seattle Public Library
Assignment
A continuation of your interactive material, explore the particular qualities of physical space to demonstrate, illustrate or amplify the ideas/issues/information of your topic.
Watch the Video!
View Pictures
Process + What I Learned
The decision to create a timeline in the cafeteria was an excellent one. For one, the cafeteria is a place that is used by virtually everyone at the school. Choosing this stage for my work was both risky and calculated. Moreover, the functionality of the space as a system was a direct connection to the systemic analysis of food scares and their shared characteristics. Finally, the timeline augmented reality as opposed to creating a didactic opinion on the space. Learning to cut back my voice and allow the viewer to draw their own connections has been a difficult but valuable lesson in creating more ambiguous and dynamic work.
Placing the transparent dot on the sneeze guards was a risky move and I believe there was a better way to connect the food to the timeline itself. For example, a simple move of including the date may have made this clear. However, the dots themselves raise the interesting question of what is my point of view. Am I trying to scare people through this direct connection? Also, a key at the beginning of the timeline with the words “death” and sickness” certainly did nothing to alleviate this claim.
In retrospect, this was not the primary read I wanted for my audience. Placing a circle before the cafeteria and timeline with a brief explanation of the exhibition could have greatly helped in creating a more distinct point of view. This point of view, which evolved only through the making of the exhibition, revealed that in many ways food scares are nostalgic.
Class Quotes and Notes
Information can influence form.
Exhibitions can be continuous with content, not in service to it.
Digital Media can tell you everything. What modes of communication do exhibitions afford?
Every decision goes through the process through the material that it is being presented.
What are the rules of your system? What is the logic to how it unfolds?
Be totally ruthless with the decisions you make
Consider pushing the extremes.
The successful is oftent what takes it down.
1 in 1000 men are colorblind.
Recommendations
Tom Friedman
Gary Hill (video)
2 x 4
Juregen Osterchid
vvork.com
Ralph Applebum
Fritze Heige
Interface Cultures by Steven Johnson
Bruce Mao
The Crystal Palace by Paxton
Herby Bayer
Gump's in San Franscisco
Miles van der Roe and Lilly Reich
Reem Koolhaus
Herbert Beyer
Ray and Charles Eames: Mathematica
New York Planetarium
Seattle Public Library