Studio Description

Keenan Gray

In collaboration with renowned choreographer Heidi Latsky, students will be designing body extensions for performers with and without disabilities. These body extensions will express aspects of the performer’s personal story, passion, character traits, and experiences. Juxtapose Stories uses fashion as a tool of social justice aiming to celebrate the beauty of difference.

In Tune With Chris

Sina Ball and 2 OthersAbe Gonzalez
Simone Sparrow

A wearable origami tank top, for professional dancer Chris to feel "in tune" with the Earth while he dances for Heidi Latsky's company. 

When initially meeting with all of Heidi  Latsky's dancers in the piece called, On Display, we immediately noticed all the inspirational stories and backgrounds that every single dancer had. When meeting with our dancer, Chris, when asked if he had any superpower in the world what would it be? He responded with the weather. When he asked him why, he said because he wanted to be "in tune" with the Earth, and dancing makes him feel that way. This was the inspiration for our "vibration" vest. Chris said one of his favorite features was his chest, and he also really loves angular cutouts. Our group decided to make a tank top with cut outs, that included laser cut mesh pieces in every cutout. On the front in order for Chris to feel "in tune" with the Earth, we did an origami fold that expands and contracts as Chris dances. 

We made the undergarment and mesh piece out of latex like spandex material which we laser cut for clean lines. We then sewed those two pieces together to make it one. We made the origami out of thick cotton material and paper in order for it to keep its shape. We then attached each origami piece onto the front of the garment creating this beautiful piece. Chris will be wearing this In Tune Vest in New York for his sculpture garden performance with Heidi Latsky's company. 

Presentation Post - Requirements for the Post

Andrew Todd Marcus

THE PRESENTATION POST

This post's privacy is set to Everyone. This post showcases your final design by telling the comprehensive story of how your idea was born, developed, and manifested. The arc of the story should encompass the, How of your project in a compelling narrative. It showcases your design process including your brainstorming, each of your iterations, and your final prototype. It allows the viewer to delve deeply into your process.

  • Every Slide should have a Title and Caption.
    The body of this post is The Brief. You should include a version of the Brief for each collaborator in the project.
  • This post will be used in your review presentation at the end of the session.

You are encouraged to make your narrative as compelling as possible. All of the content below should be included, but if you would like to rearrange the material in order to tell your story differently, work with your coach.


INTRODUCTION PORTION

Your presentation is a narrative, and the introduction sets up the scene for that story. Here you introduce the project, say why it is important, and summarize what you did.

TITLE WITH TAGLINE: This slides shows a crisp, clear final image and the title of your project. with a pithy blurb describing the project. The image, name, and tagline should draw a viewer in. 

Examples:

  • The Fruit - A line following, light tracking robot
  • Segmented Vehicle - A vehicle that conforms to the landscape
  • Cacoon - Wearable sculpture exploring the concept of transformation and death

EVOCATIVE  IMAGE: This is a single image that shows a clear image that evokes the soul of your project. This image helps set up the why in a compelling way, sets the stage for your narrative, and will help frame the entire presentation. The caption of this slide (set with the Edit Captions button when editing your post) should discuss the context of your project. No Text on the slide.

THESIS STATEMENT: This is a TEXT ONLY slide for which briefly describes the Soul and Body of your project. You can use the project description from your Brief or write something new. This statement ties together your narrative.

Examples:

  • The Cocoon:  A wearable sculpture that explores the concept of transformations and death. The Cocoon explores the spiritual journey beyond the human experience; what it means to be human, how wonder effects us, and the concept of what happens after death.
  • Body Accordion: A musical prosthetic that translates the wearer’s body movements into a dynamic multimedia performance. The Body Accordion converts flex sensor input to sound through Arduino, MaxMSP, and Ableton Live. 
  • Seed to Soup Animation: A whimsical animation about the slow food movement. Seed to Soup showcases a holistic method of cooking. From garden, to kitchen, to dinner table.
  • Antlers: A wearable sculpture inspired by antlers found in the deer and antelope family. "Antlers" explores the comparison between armor and attraction. 

PROCESS PORTION

The Process Portion of your presentation tells the story of how you iteratively developed your project. Somewhere in that story you should include conceptual and technical precedents that guided you at each stage as well as brainstorming and process sketches and clear photo booth imagery for 3-4 stages of your process.

This portion is made up of three types of slides repeated 3-4 times. Each iteration in your process should include:

  • PRECEDENTS:  Precedents are any projects that inspired you creatively or gave you technical guidance. These can include conceptual precedents and technical precedents. No Text.
  • SKETCHES/SKETCH CONCEPT DIAGRAMS: These slides show your generative ideas in sketch form. These should clean, clear drawings. A sketch should show a clear idea. Do not simply scan a messy sketchbook page and expect that people will understand. If you do not have a clear concept or working sketches it is fine to make them after the fact. No Text.
  • PROTOTYPE IMAGES:  These are actual images of the prototypes  you documented in your daily posts. These images illustrate your design decisions and how your project changed at each step. No Text.

FINAL PORTION

The Final stage of your presentation is the resolution of your narrative and shows your completed work. The use diagram shows how your project works and the construction diagram shows how it is assembled. Final photos show the project both in action and at rest. The imagery captures your final built design.

USE DIAGRAM: A diagram showing some aspect of the functionality. These can include:

  • How one uses or interacts with the project
  • The overall behavior of the project over time
  • For a complex interactive project, this can be a clear diagram of the software behavior

MECHANICAL DIAGRAM:  A diagram offering insight on how the project is put together and functions technically.

  • Ideally, this will be an exploded axonometric
  • At minimum this can be a labeled disassembled photo  

ELECTRONICS or OTHER DIAGRAM: Additional diagrams showing some important aspect of your design. 

IMAGERY: The last slides should have an images of the final project. These images should be taken in the photo booth, cropped, and adjusted for contrast, brightness, etc. Images should include:

  • An image of the project in use (taken in the booth or at large). This should include a human interacting with the project.
  • Images of project alone. Include at least one overall image and one detail image.
  • You can also use an image In-Use. 
  • Consider using a GIF to show how the project works. 

 

The Brief - Part 1 - Outline

Andrew Todd Marcus

Please upload your completed Outline by Tuesday morning


If you did not post the weekend assignment, please complete it and post as well (The weekend assignment is listed in the assignments tab).


The Brief - Part 1 - Outline

As part of your portfolio for each studio, you will be asked to write a Brief for your project. The Brief is a written piece that will accompany your presentation and is a strong narrative that ties together the Why, How and What of your project through clear, cogent writing. It tells the story of how your idea was born, developed, and manifested.

For students at NuVu Cambridge, to help you develop your writing, Rebecca, the NuVu writing coach, will provide feedback throughout the process. Rebecca is a published writer, a professional editor, and a teacher of writing. Her assistance is invaluable in developing your written communication skills. She will expect hard work and thoughtful writing and respond with thorough feedback on content and style.

------Copy & Paste this section below into a new post and answer ALL of the questions completely ---- 

The Brief Part 1 - Outline

Answer the following questions in full, complete sentences. Title the post "Brief Outline" and post it in the Writing Tab of your Project. Every student must do this assignment. Cut and paste the assignment below and write your answers below each point. You must respond to ALL items (#4 can be skipped if there is no individual client). Click Shift-Return to start a new line.

  1. Write a A 1-2 sentence project description. This description should not include the name of the project and should be written in the third person. 
    1. What is the "soul" of your project? Describe the idea of the project in conceptual terms. This should paint a conceptual picture in the readers mind. (1 sentences)
    2. What is the "body" of your project? Describe the basic technical or physical construction of the project. This should NOT go into excessive detail, just provide an overview. Describe the project to someone with no technical knowledge in as few words as possible. The reader should be able to envision what the project looks like. ( sentences)

      Examples:
      Night Light Blankie: A child's sensory blanket that provides comfort and privacy in the high stress environment of the hospital using weight, textures, and light. The blanket transforms into a mini light up fort over a child’s head.
      Cocoon: a shroud that explores human spirituality and the concept of life after death through the use of repetitive religious iconography. Composed of over 300 pieces of laser cut balsa wood lined with space tape, the icons are arranged using a mathematical strange attractor.
  2. Why does your project exist? The why explains how your project changes the world. It is the reason your project exists – 
    1. What social issue does your project engage? (1 sentence)
    2. Who is your project helping?  (1 sentence)
    3. How does the project change the world? This can be in a simple physical way or in a complex social way. (1 sentence)
    4. What important social, intellectual, or technical questions does it raise? (1 sentence)
  3. Who is the project for? Who will use it and in what context (1 sentence)
  4.   If you are designing for a specific person, answer the following:
    1. What is the client's name and what is their medical condition, if any? (1 sentence)
    2. How does their condition relate to your project? Include concise and compelling information about the client you are working with, their condition, and how that relates to your project design. (1 sentence)
    3. What is their personality like and how does it inform your design process? (1 sentence)
  5. How does your project work. In non-jargonistic language, answer the following 
    1. What is the basic technology behind your project? (1 sentence)
    2. What is technically innovative about your project? How does it differ from existing technology? (1 sentence)
    3. How does a user physically and mentally interact with the project? (1-2 sentences)