MultiMedia’sSenior TheSiS ProjecTS 2010

Table of ContentsinTroducTion

hunTer augeri

Tom giglioTTi

Quizayra gonzalez

joShua hey

joSh johnSon

ona KraSS

michael laPP

angela laTini

jj Sereday

john Waller

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INTRO

FRoM gutenBeRg to toRVald, new technologies have always created opportunities and challenges. The Multimedia program at the University of the Arts exists in this world of possibilities and is educating a group of pioneers who expect to do exciting things outside the boundaries of the traditional.

MultiMedia students get one of the broadest educations available. With classes covering subjects ranging from Dada to Interface Design, Multimedia majors are encouraged to question, to experiment, and to push their talents to the limit – and beyond. Their classrooms are both battlegrounds for new ideas and applications and playgrounds for fun and creativity. As one might expect in such a landscape, Multimedia students learn through play, hands-on experimentation, and practical application. The curriculum is fl exible, and students are encouraged to take electives in other majors and minors within the College and University.

all MultiMedia students are dedicated to their work in and outside of school. Many apply what they learn to successful freelance careers while still at the University. All of them benefi t from having a dedicated group of like-minded individuals available to help and critique their work. While students work together often, they’re encouraged to be independent, to test their abilities, and to explore the creative space around them on their own.

WHat is MultiMedia? It is learning how to integrate sound, image, text, physical objects, space, and interactivity into new experiences and applications. By questioning and responding to the world today, our students will envision and shape the world tomorrow. There are, after all, no limits in a world open to people who create things that matter.

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in The deParTmenT of mulTimedia,We MaKe tHings tHat MatteR.

The grid lifeHUNTER AUGERI

THE GRID LIFE is a psychogeographic map which investigates the planning of Philadelphia and its effect on two Philadelphians. The map is a compilation of three different parts: the journal of an 18th century Philadelphia philanthropist named Chester Girard, the journal and photographs of a 1950’s insurance salesman named Bobby Chartreuse, and an architectural manifesto. The three separate sections are presented together as one whole piece, elucidating upon the malevolent effects of grid planning in urban spaces. Just like any other map, The Grid Life is site-specifi c and should be used while traversing the city of Philadelphia.

The journals are used to refl ect on two important epochs in the history of constructing Philadelphia. Chester Girard comments on the early planning of the city, noting the demolition of certain geographic elements such as Dock Creek and the waterfront. Struck with a mid-life crisis, Bobby Chartreuse emerges just as major planning in and outside of the city is taking place, where he fi nds the imposing order of the grid being used to control and dissipate the public consciousness. The manifesto section acts as a sort of narrator and director of the journals by discussing the perils of grid planning in a more theoretical and hostile manner.

The intention of the map is to impart to the reader a heightened sense of how the daily experience of the urban dweller is an act of submission to the city structure. Simultaneously, the map evidently encourages readers to reconsider their regular walking life and step beyond the grid.

For more information, visit: hunteraugeri.wordpress.com

PROJECT BRieF

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PROJECT PHotos

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The aeSTheTic inTerPreTaTionof negaTiVe ThoughT Through MoVing iMage and sPaCe

TOM GIGLIOTTI

For my senior thesis project, I intend to combine multiple video formats, specifi cally computer monitors and projected image, into one cohesive installation showing my visual interpretation of negative thought fl owing from one main character’s psyche. The way that this will be done is by using one computer monitor at a time to house a looping video of the main protagonist. Slowly, organic fl owing shapes, symbolizing the protagonist thoughts, will fl ow from his head, breaking the constricting walls of the monitor and expanding onto the walls surrounding it by utilizing the images displayed by the projector.

My main goal for this piece is to utilize different ways of displaying video along with the space of a room to create an engaging piece that shows how I interpret the fl ow of thoughts from the mind of an individual. I feel that this meaning is strongly propelled by breaking the walls of a screen and letting its content fl ow into the space of the room. Similar to the all encompassing quality that an individual’s thoughts and feelings may have over them, I feel this treatment of the video throughout the installation space will convey to the audience a new, immersive and intriguing take of the mind and the thoughts and feelings it produces.

For more information, visit: tomgss.blogspot.com

PROJECT BRieF

PROJECT sKetCHes

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SCREEn CaPtuRes

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bodega dreaming

QUIZAYRA GONZALEZ

The term bodega has different meanings. Many think it’s a place to buy fi fty cent drinks and chips, some think it’s a place to purchase weed or other narcotics without getting caught but I see it as a central location and the base to many dreams. I grew up on top of a corner store or bodega and it enriched my childhood. The eclectic people, the long hours and the constant work ethic affected my view of the world. The bodega was the constant in my family’s life. In my life there was always family, friends and a bodega to work in. My family’s bodega has changed throughout the years. From a drug-infested neighborhood to an up and coming hipster hang, and throughout all these changes it has remained a center to family and community life.

This documentary arose from the need to capture something that changes and at the same time stays constant. My family’s bodega on 7th and Master is the center of Bodega Dreaming: a documentary exploring the life of the people that work inside the bodega and the personal struggles they have to go through. One of these personal struggles is the death of my father. Simultaneously, Bodega Dreaming will explore my father’s journey to the United States and how he came to settle at the bodega on 7th and Master. My goal with Bodega Dreaming is to document not only the bodega and its employees, but it is also a personal journey of holding on to the past and fi guring out how to persevere towards the future.

For more information, visit: quizayra.tumblr.com

PROJECT BRieF

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SCREEn CaPtuRes

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JOSHUA HEYPigeonbread

Urban landscapes provide pedestrians with a myriad of sounds that are fl eeting. At times, these landscapes resemble musical qualities, such as rhythmic patterns and harmonic progressions. Using locations as a space to record/compose music, pigeonbread aims to record, isolate, and re-sequence those sounds into a variety of electronic compositions. These tracks will re-evaluate the musical qualities of everyday sounds.

The mp3 has made music much more available, which is a wonderful advancement, but the process of attaining digital music isn’t as exciting/rewarding as purchasing a record or any other physical format. The only visual artifact in digital music is the jpeg that pops up in media players, which can hardly compare to a fully packaged LP, complete with dense liner notes and well-crafted graphics. So the question is, how can the mp3 be packaged so it has that same value that music buyers assign to the record collection? How can the mp3 exist in collection, and not just on the hard drive?

Pigeonbread aims to answer these questions by creating fully packaged mp3 fi les using QR Codes. The releases look and feel just like a traditional 7inch record, but without a record. Instead, the sleeve contains screen printed QR Codes that direct listeners to the digital fi les. These QR Codes are individually screen printed and serialized. Because of the iterative process of printmaking, each album will be unique. The goal here is to create something that is one of a kind to contain information that is ever changing. Pigeonbread “Justbouthere.mp3” attempts to revaluate the ways we handle digital music. As technology continues to make music more accessible, it shouldn’t lose the physicality and permanency of records.

For more information, visit: what.pigeonbread.com

PROJECT BRieF

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PROJECT PiCtuRes

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homeleSS organizaTion soCial netWoRK

JOSH JOHNSON

After seeing the homeless problem growing fi rst hand in Camden when I was younger, I started dreaming of opening a place that the homeless could come and sleep and clean up and eat. After some time, I started to realize there were many of these places already established so making another wouldn’t be much more help to the homeless. So, I started brainstorming ways of helping even further. Many late nights, thinking and talking with people that work with the homeless, brought me to this.

I came up with a social network made for people that directly help the homeless and people who help those who help the homeless. HOSN (Homeless Organization Social Network) is a social networking website that will have profi les for each homeless shelter, food pantry, and other organizations that give to these places (money, food, bedding, etc.). These profi les will display information regarding what they have to offer like the number of beds or the amount of non-perishable foods and for the organizations that give to other organizations what they normally give and a description about them.

View the project on the web at: camden.homelessorganizationsocialnetwork.com

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PROJECT sKetCHes

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SCREEn CaPtuRes

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Who Said WhaT?

ASHLEY-ONA KRASS

WHO SAID WHAT? is a physical card game that is played similarly to the card game, “Rummy.” Only instead of making books and runs with a regular fi fty-two-card deck, the object of Who Said What? is to match up famous quotes and sayings with the characters that said them. In addition to trying to make your matches, you also are retaining phrase cards for the next round. Once you have collected various matches such as William Shakespeare, Judy Garland and John F. Kennedy, you proceed to make them have a conversation as ridiculous, comedic or serious as desired, just make sure your opponent understands.

In having a supreme interest in the study of our culture, saturated within our language, Who Said What displays frequently used phrases and quotes that have lasted through time, connecting generations or mingling into everyday conversation without a necessary explanation. Who Said What shows us exactly that and then keeps the exploration going by allowing players to continue the conversation within new contexts.

For more information, visit: aokrass.wordpress.com

PROJECT BRieF

PROJECT PiCtuRes

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SeroTonin doPamine SouP

MICHAEL LAPP

SEROTONIN DOPAMINE SOUP is a fi rst person short video on an individual that takes his greed to a dangerous level, affecting himself and those around him. His delusional lifestyle has become a problem in his effort to make things better, when he takes advantage of a special power to start his day over. In this case, the main character has taken full greedy advantage of his ability to the point where his power is no longer for the good, but gives him a more diffi cult situation to deal with.

The purpose of this project is to demonstrate the idea that greed can be good only to a certain extent. When an individual lets it take over their life and uses it to its full capacity, it becomes dangerous and can sometimes be unnoticeable to the person doing these acts of greed. I am interested in the ways a person progresses on the decisions they make to affect the future.

“Greed is like a decaying tooth; it is only removed when the pain is felt”

For more information, visit: miclapmedia.com/blog

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PROJECT PHotos

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a meme MaCHine

ANGELA LATINI

A MEME MACHINE is an interactive video installation inspired by ideas surrounding cultural evolution. It invites the user to participate by adding their own recordings to see how behaviors change when copied from person to person. The goal of this system is to display the evolution of the fl awed process of copying behaviors.

For more information, visit: machina.angelatini.com

PROJECT BRieF

PROJECT PiCtuRes

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deSolaTe WinteR

JJ SEREDAY

PROJECT BRieFDESOLATE WINTER is part 1 of a 3-part, motion video narrative. The story is based on a character’s journey through the delusion of his reality. This video will be focused on the decline of his perception of reality into its cold and desolate mental state. Using live action video, visual effects, and ambient scoring the fi nal piece will be presented as a short fi lm.

The goal of this piece is to show others that each individual creates their own perspective of reality based on their infl uences, past experiences, and interests. Though it may seem impossible to control how you perceive things in your life, you can change your point of view and possibly change your life.

For more information, visit: www.jsaycreative.com

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SCREEn CaPtuRes

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WaXfarmer ReCoRdings

JOHN WALLER

WAXFARMER RECORDINGS is a record label which releases music for the DJ market. The project explores the possibilities and realities of starting a record label from scratch in 2010. The primary product of Waxfarmer is simple: music, artwork, and packaging. However, the record industry has changed drastically in the past decade, and the path a new label should take is not always clear. The secondary goal of the project is to document and learn from the successes and failures earned from experience and experimentation with digital and physical music distribution models.

Waxfarmer releases music in two formats: “mp3 and 12” vinyl. Digital releases are available on a pay-as-you-wish basis, and the records are priced for retail. Vinyl releases are also designed using skipless scratch sentences and locked grooves, so DJs can use them to quickly perform improvised remixes.

While these approaches to packaging and distributing music are effective and appropriate, Waxfarmer Recordings is very interested in pushing the boundaries of digital music distribution through experimentation with QR codes as a means of packaging and distributing an mp3 in a way which creates a memorable user experience.

For more information, visit: prmnt.tumblr.com

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design By: Putra roeung, john bonaccorsi, joe cohen, & maxwell Vanhook

Thank youmultimedia dept

(c) 2010 Multimedia Department, College of Media and Communication, The University of the arts. Visit us on the web at cmac.uarts.edu