Open Innovation Winter 2021-22

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    Advanced VFX & Debris

    Siena Jekel and Cole Krivak

    Advanced VFX


    Winter 2021



    1 / 21


    Debris is a short animated film exploring the relationship between the deep sea and pollution. It is a place so remote and unexplored yet is still being affected by today's excessive waste. Through the use of the 3D modeling program Blender, the life of a angler fish and the blight of its habitat is simulated.


    Cole's Brief:

    Debris is a short animated film exploring the deep sea and pollution, and how a place so remote and unexplored is being affected by today's excessive waste.  Through the use of the 3D modeling program Blender, the life of a regular fish and its habitat is explored.

    The first part of the film takes you through the environment and establishes the fish’s character through the use of body motion and sound. A scene depicting a plastic bag blending in with a group of jellyfish shows how pollution has merged with the environment and how it even resembles some of the animals in the ocean, making it a very real threat to predators. A dramatic chase scene ending with the fish escaping into a cave shows how the fish is capable of surviving in its natural habitat, and implies that the real threat is the pollution. This is confirmed when the fish leaves the cave and sees a small piece of plastic, and thinking it’s a small fish, tries to eat it. The pleasant and natural looking environment shifts to a much darker and more menacing look as the fish dies, and the camera pulls up showing a large amount of trash and plastic floating there. The film ends on a slightly more positive message asking people to regulate their use of plastic, and even donate to organizations dedicated to cleaning the oceans. Debris is meant to show people how even the most remote places on this planet are affected by pollution, and that just because we don’t feel the impact of it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.


    social Shield

    Anara Magavi and 3 OthersAnara Magavi
    Mercy Schmidt
    Sasha Hill

    Social Shield

    Anara Magavi, Sasha Hill, and Mercy Schmidt

    1 / 20

    Anara's Brief:

    Social Shield is a wearable art piece that targets the issue of judgment based on clothing and self-expression. Many people feel nervous to wear certain clothing pieces or outfits because they do not want to be judged or mocked for being different. 


    Fast fashion has brought a new wave of ever-changing styles that come in and out so quickly that many people cannot, or do not want to keep up. Sometimes the individuals who do not keep up with the trends are judged, especially in young adult demographics. Social Shield is worn by the judged person. It is a movable sculpture that is attached to the wearer's upper back with a harness-like system. Spikes made of wood curve around the person's arms and shoulders and point inwards. On the spikes, there are designs of abstracted eyes that unsettle the viewer and give them a sense of being called out. In its resting state, the wooden curves nest within each other as a sign of vulnerability. When the wearer feels judged, they can pull the pieces up to create a shield that gives them security and protection while pushing away the attacker.

    presentation

    Will Fosnot and Will Fosnot

    Waves

    By Will Fosnot

    1 / 18

    Most cases of mild insomnia are related to poor sleep habits, anxiety, or lack of exercise. Poor sleep habits are tied to a lack of routine and balance between rest and physical activity. This project 'Waves' aims to work with light as a regulating medium to help users maintain a healthy sleep hygiene. Its form is inspired by the solar reflections (sun glitter) on the ocean surface. Through variable illumination and surface forms, it captures both the quiet and peaceful moments at the sea as well as more aggressive and active moments. 

    CAD Contraptions

    Elijah Rhyne and Trevor McDonald

    CAD Contraptions

    Trevor McDonald and Elijah Rhyne

    1 / 25

    "CAD Contraptions" are a set of physical, immersive models that a user interacts with to change an aspect or parameter in modeling software. The ideal user for this project is a beginner to modeling software who doesn’t know where to start. CAD Contraptions aims to make the process more engaging, intuitive, and understandable through a series of handheld devices that tie action verbs to use of specific commands.

    Boston Buoys

    Benjamin Jackson and Lalita Bellach

    Boston Buoys

    By: Ben & Lalita

    1 / 18

         Boston Buoys are interactive and educational installation art pieces. They are designed to teach about rising sea levels in Boston and how the coastline will be impacted. The news often presents stories about climate change and the disasters it causes, but it lacks personal impact and seems disconnected for viewers whose communities and homes weren't affected. 


         Boston Buoys are laid out in a path based on a projected high tide line from 2050. Boston Buoys are classic lobster buoys suspended over the sidewalk using a 6ft steel chain anchored to the concrete below. The buoys are set in a thin layer of blue resin with a water pattern to represent the ocean and to cast an interesting shadow. Each buoy in the path has an individual QR code that links to a website where information about sea-level rise is given, as well as steps the reader can personally take in order to address the problem. 

    Tileform

    Schuyler Johnson and Hunter Stillwell

    By Schuyler Johnson

    and Hunter Stillwell

    Tileform

    1 / 16

    Tileform is a collaborative resource management game about overcoming differences while building a sustainable community. Each player has different goals they must complete to win. These goals simulate the varying motivations different members of a community may have, from residents to businesses to local government. This simulates the potential collaboration, competition, and conflict that arise when stakeholders have varying motivations.  Playing this game should create conversations about the complex relationships and power dynamics between communities, companies, and governments as they work together to address climate change.

    Heron in Trenaya

    Ryan Ferguson and Rajveer Parekh

    Heron in Trenaya


    Session 3 | Winter 2022

    Open Innovation

    Rajveer Parekh

    1 / 18

    Final Presentation

    Benjamin Jackson and Lalita Bellach

    Boston Buoys

    By: Ben & Lalita

    1 / 13

    Tileform

    Schuyler Johnson and Schuyler Johnson

    By Schuyler Johnson

    and Hunter Stillwell

    Tileform

    1 / 16

    Tileform is a collaborative resource management game about overcoming differences while building a sustainable community. Each player has different goals they must complete to win. This simulates the potential collaboration, competition, and conflict that arises when stakeholders have varying motivations. Playing this game should create conversations about the complex relationships and power dynamics between communities, companies, and governments as they work together to address climate change.


    Public Transportation

    Verity Gould and Verity Gould

    Public Transportation

    By Verity

    1 / 16

    Public Transportation is a game about interacting with and interviewing people in a big city about the city’s transportation system. The goal of the game is to learn various characters’ opinions and perspectives about city transit decisions and raise awareness of those differing opinions in real life. A likely audience for Public Transportation is people in large cities, particularly cities with transportation systems or controversial budgeting.


    Research suggests that city governments and people donating large amounts of money to projects are more likely to want new additions and development, rather than maintenance and upkeep of existing infrastructure. Consequentially, new developments will become controversial, as spending affects different people in different ways. Public Transportation intends to make people aware of the consequences and controversy of budgeting by including characters with different perspectives on various positive and negative aspects of urban transit systems.