In Communication Design we were each assigned a pair of words that we were to define, explore and articulate both through static graphics as well as through motion and sound. We were asked to design our pieces as pairs, so they could work in tandem or individually. Each week we were also asked to evolve and expand our definition of our words and depict those evolutions through text, image, sound and motion. Our goals were to identify and exploit the unique affordances of each assigned media type, and to flesh out the many inflections of our assigned words.

My assigned words: MEANING and EXPERIENCE

What does meaning mean? And how does an experience beget meaning? Or maybe not all experiences end in meaning? When a meaning is deciphered, is that the end? Or do we continue to experience, continue to grow, continue to expand or consolidate what we know? Are there levels of experience? Are we capable of sharing all our experiences? How can I find ways to contextualize experiences and meanings that usually only stir in the minds of the beholder? What images and sounds can I use or create to exemplify the idea of these two words?

All these questions ran through my head all term, and I came to realize that experience and meaning aren't just about practice and realization. These two words occur on different levels both physically, mentally and spiritually. Sometimes meaning comes from actively doing and being conscious of our experiences. Sometimes, meanings are developed from a culmination of experiences over time, and it's not always our consciousness that allows us to understand what we know or feel within us.

My iterations are experiments as well as contextualizations of my own persona.

Static:
Please select under the list on the upper left to view these images and explanations.

Sound Only:
The sound pieces work in tandem. The subject matter is regarding the turbulence in Burma. The experience piece is of Buddhist monks chanting in protest in the background as someone speaks about her own reflections of the corruption in Burma. The meaning piece is a more contextual version filled with voices of mass protest and of newscasters reporting the situation in Burma. In a way, it's translating the experience piece, enhancing the meaning of the Buddhist chants and the girl's singular protest.

Motion Only:
What's so great about a fortune cookie? What if a fortune cookie doesn't give you what you always assume to expect? These stop motion pieces are about our assumptions - assumptions we gain from repeated experiences, as well as the deeper meaning of those one line fortunes.

Motion & Sound:
Why not show you a side of me that only I've witnessed during the early hours of the morning? Here are two pieces about my drives home in the wee hours of the morning. As an MDP student, I often find myself driving home between 4:00 and 6:00am. I decided to capture one of my typical drives home. No joke, that's really the way I am. Enjoy! This piece has been nominated as "Deserving to Be on YouTube."

Interaction_Experience:
Why not get away from Flash and drag yourself through a short story full of hotspots and silly collages? Pieced Together is a story of one person's different experiences. I'm not going to lie - this one's still developing..still developing like myself. go

Interaction_Meaning:
I decided to use you to do my work! Actually, meanings are different for all people, so I decided to ask the public one question: All you have to do is write one true thing. Write the truest thing you know. Are all answers the same? Why did people answer the way they did? What experiences did they perhaps have that led them to write that statement to be their truth? What can we learn from what other's have said? Does reading other people's comments allow us to develop other realizations about ourselves? go