12/19/13

NMD200 Final!

List the 8 New Media Strategies and
a.) define them in your own words
b.) give an example discussed in class and
c.) give an example outside the classroom.

 

1.) Upstage the Man –

a.) A new media strategy that utilizes the power of a larger organization/company/program and turns it against themselves or channels it in a different manner.

b.) We talked quite a bit about The Yes Men and how they used this strategy heavily in several of their projects. One of their pranks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#ExxonMobil) involved them posing as ExxonMobil representatives and delivering a proposal for a bio-fuel created from human remains. It wasn’t long before they were pushed off stage, but the message was received none-the-less. By posing as ExxonMobil employees, The Yes Men were able to give their message an urgency that would have been otherwise impossible.

c.) In NMD102, Mike Scott gave us an interesting assignment. He required us to take photos of good and bad designs that we saw on campus every week. Unfortunately, the assignments parameters were quite vague and he never specified when to stop doing the assignment. Due to multiple complications, the class collectively agreed to put the actual assignment as one of our bad designs. We then showed these during class. Mike got the message, in a particularly powerful way. I feet this experience represents some of the goals of upstaging the man, using Mikes power against him.

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10/29/13

Spontaneous Intervention Projects

1.) Skipping Only Zones [Installation]

Skipping_Only_Zone

Premise: Put up signs declaring a particular section of a walkway, crosswalk or path to be a ‘skipping only zone.’ I thought this would be interesting if used on campus.

From http://www.spontaneousinterventions.org

“For most, the choice route to and from work (or anywhere, for that matter) is the fastest, most direct, or most familiar. Bent on breaking up the monotony of rote passage by introducing a little fun, Sierra Seip and Alison Uljee created Skipping Only Zones, with signs that riff off the standard pedestrian-crossing sign installed at various crosswalks, sidewalks, and pedestrian paths throughout New York City. The designers were heartened to see people follow their sign’s prompt, goofily skipping across streets or bonding with strangers over a funny, shared moment. Skipping Only Zones is part of Seip and Uljee’s larger project, Design That Moves You, a series of urban interventions that uses fun as a motivator for increased physical activity and social interaction.”

Created by: Sierra Seip and Alison Uljee

New Media Strategies:
Mobilize People (get people thinking)

Other Resources:

http://designthatmovesyou.wordpress.com/design-interventions/skipping-only-zone/

2.) Stairway Stories [Installation]

Stairway_Stories

Premise: Make large cut-outs of a simple story and past the lines on the face of stairs (not the top) starting at the bottom.

From http://www.spontaneousinterventions.org

Would you forgo the elevator if climbing stairs promised a great story? That’s what industrial designers Alison Uljee and Sierra Seip hope to achieve with Stairway Stories, which is a part of their larger project, Design That Moves You, aimed at combating obesity through public design interventions. Stairway Stories entices people to take the stairs, with snippets of a story adhered to ascending risers. Uljee and Seip tested their project at the High Line park, posting a sign on an elevator suggesting visitors make the two-flight climb. Those opting for exercise were rewarded with “a romantic and educational encounter between two angler fish.” It might have been more work, but then “Her gorgeous face glowed…”

Created by: Sierra Seip and Alison Uljee

New Media Strategies:
Mobilize People (get people thinking)

Other Resources:

http://designthatmovesyou.wordpress.com/installations/stairway-stories/

10/29/13

Yes Men Projects

Project: New Orleans and HUD

The_Yes_Men

In 2006, the Yes Men appeared at a “Housing Summit” in New Orleans pretending to be members of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). One of the Yes Men gave a speech in which he claimed that HUD would reopen public housing facilities in the area and that the department had changed its mind about tearing down undamaged housing units in favor of mixed-income development.

It is widely known that some Maine residents are currently living in poor conditions unsuitable for the winter months. This Yes Men project got me thinking about the lack of ‘affordable’ living situations for the people of Maine. I wonder if a project with the same goals as the Yes Men could be developed in this state to help people live comfortably throughout the changing seasons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#New_Orleans_and_HUD

http://www.mainehousing.org/