CRITICAL THEMES
Mediation, Technology, and Identity
During the first several weeks of the class, I learned just how greatly media technology impacts our perceptions of home, self, and girlhood. Reading McLuhan’s concept of media as ‘Extensions of Man’ opened my eyes to recognizing how, not only is my perception of girlhood mediated by technology, but my very girlhood, with items such as mirrors, phones, and cameras, is defined by technology.
Additionally, Wesch taught me the correlation between mediated and individuated processes, where girlhood is characterized by both strong connectivity and strong individualization, which occur due to comments, likes, and self-presentation aesthetics. All of which have enabled me to understand not merely technology as a background tool, but the creation of the emotional and cultural spaces of identity formation.
Learning to think experimentally with images
Experimentalism is a theme that completely changed my approach to my still image assignment. I see what Corrigan and White mean about experimental media having to trigger "memory, sensation, and a new form of looking" and how meaning is constructed through editing. In Week 5, I analyzed my practice of warming, blurring, and softening my images to convey the dreamy and hazy atmosphere associated with "rose-colored glasses," which is a symbolic representation of youth and girlhood.
This theme challenged me to look beyond representation into metaphor and atmosphere. Editing is no longer just refinement, but meaning-making, not just at the level of what is represented, but at the level of what is implied.
Form Follows Function, Editing, Limitations, and Creativity
Another important theme that emerged during the found footage project is the interplay between form and function. During Week 6, I also learned the importance of rhythm, tone, and selection when constructing meaning. Although I may not have the ability to produce new footage, I learned during this assignment to harness the given limitations on stock footage, such as lighting and composition, and turn them into tools.
The class further developed this concept using AR/VR and works such as Cell Phone Disco and SeeClickFix. These works have shown me the power of finding creativity under restrictions and how the medium determines what is to be told. In doing so, editing is no longer solely a technical process but a technique of reframing.
Sound, Memory, and Embodied Emotion
Themes such as recognizing sound not merely as ambient, but rather spatial and emotional experience proved to be very revolutionary. In Week 10, the lectures regarding the spatial aspect of sound completely altered the perception that I have towards audio. What I learned is how sound recordings not only capture noises, but also how we hear, which is the place we are in, memories, and associations.
In working on my soundscape, I started to think about memories as a ‘recording’ as a circular, flawed, and fading process. I used static, hum, and fade to convey weakness and nostalgia. In relation to Connell & Gibson, I also started to think about sound and place, using echo and texture to recreate an ‘interior geography’.
This theme also affected my later work, showing me the power of sound to match the storytelling ability of the visuals.
Media, Space, and the Design of Experience
Later in the semester, lectures on ambient media, augmented reality, and mediated environments greatly influenced my perceptions on media and its structuring of space and behavior. Like in Week 12, I reflected on the role of screens found in public spaces such as airports, restaurants, and bars.
All of which fed right into my Twine project. In doing so, I realized I wasn't just telling a story, but also creating an interactive space. With the ability to control the audio, transitions, and hyperlinking, I could recreate what I imagined to be the ‘push and pull’ provided by public media. What media is consumed is now more about structuring experience.I also learned that the media is never ever a passive player but always has emotional, psychological, and social effects wherever it is present.