Aoife Brief: 

Stacked Up: a counter-monument seeking to critique the criminal justice system that proves itself a failure to communities of color and their futures in America.The installation visualizes the entry point into the criminal justice system and highlights how this system disproportionately targets and impacts people of color. 

Since the abolishment of slavery, white and powerful Americans have been finding ways to once again enslave and take advantage of people of color. Whether it be the 13th Amendment prison-slavery loophole, the "War on Drugs" that imprisoned black men at a 100:1 ratio to white men, or  killing unarmed hooded black children in the name of the law, the criminal justice system continues to marginalize and fail people of color. 

Stacked Up tells the story of people who have been targeted by systematic and institutionalized racism by showing a mix of statistics, biographies, and symbols. Users can reach their hands into the dark bed of the all white vehicle through the back window, take a scroll and read a biography about the young  men and women of color who have been wronged by or stuck in the  criminal justice system. The goal is to educate the general public about people who are dehumanized and silenced, and to give voice to their lived experiences. It  highlights how systematic racism is a pervasive issue that needs to be addressed and ended.

Lucas Brief:
Stacked Up: A counter-monument seeking to critique the criminal justice system that has disproportionately impact people of color in America. The installation, a recreation of a police car, invites viewers to consider the difficulty of entering the justice system for the first time. This installation informs viewers of the harmful justice system that targets people of color and will make them question how institutional racism within the system is stacked against them.  

 In the United States, the criminal justice system is deeply flawed. The moment a person is first arrested, they are officially system-involved. Being system-involved can impact an individual for the rest of their life, especially if they are a person of color. Stacked Up explores this trajectory through the lens of a police car, which symbolizes the moment of entry into the justice system and the way that institutional racism is enforced through the law. The police car allows viewers to learn about people who have been trapped in the criminal justice system for years. Viewers interact with different biographies by reaching through an open window of the car and unveiling a true story they read.   

Framed Woman: An installation that provides commentary on unrealistic gender expectations and the truth of the construction of gender in society. The installation is a frame cut out of a woman's portrait in the 1800s, which provides insight as to when these gender norms originated, and why they need to end.

When people learn about history, the only visual aspect that they are exposed to is through photographs and paintings. As time goes on, society is constantly exposed and catering to the gender norms that were created hundreds of years ago. Therefore, the construct of gender in society continues to be pervasive and oppressive. This installation emphasizes that society needs to see that people do not need to identify or present themselves as one specific label. Through the utilization of a portrait photograph of a royal woman in the 1800s, the audience is forced to attempt to fit into this preconceived idea of what a woman should look like. Not only does this expose how unrealistic these gender expectations are, but it questions the role of gender as a whole in society.

Lockers is an interactive art installation that targets the problem of gun violence in schools in the 21st century. It is composed of 226 small wooden lockers. Each is dedicated to a person and has a LED backlit black and white abstract picture and stenciled information (name, age at death, school of death, and personal information like some of their interests). Lockers is honoring the memories of the lives that were unjustly taken, sending the message that gun violence in schools occurs too often and takes too many innocent lives.The goal is to reach gun rights supporters in the hope that when they see these victims as actual people who had incredible potential, and not just as another statistic, they will be inspired to push for stricter gun control laws. As viewers you can go up and open each locker and discover the story of a life that is no longer with us and have time to reflect on the effects of gun violence.

The Final Post:

This post showcases your final design through two parts:

1. An Abstract that shows the final project a concise series of images and diagrams. Its purpose is to allow a viewer or visitor to understand the project in its entirety in a few brief minutes. It is mainly concerned with the What of your project but must contain an overview of the Why and your entire narrative arc. This part of your post will be used in your 2-3 minute NuVu community presentation and will likely be the portion reporters, colleges, and family will see first. 
2. The Process which tells 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. This post will be used in your review presentation at the end of the session. 

The title of this post must be The name of your project. 

Slides:

The Final post has 15-20 slides. Every slide MUST have a title. Captions are a good idea as well.

ABSTRACT PORTION
I this section you are showing the main concept and design of the project. The abstract is an overview meant to excite the viewer. You should not plan to describe the entire project in this section.

1. TITLE WITH TAGLINE (1 Slide): 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

2. CONTEXT IMAGE: (1 slide) This is a single image that shows a clear precedent or evocative image. 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 be the text of the Thesis Statement/Problem & Solution. You will read these while presenting this slide. No Text on the slide.

3. THESIS STATEMENT / PROBLEM & SOLUTION SLIDE (1 Slide) : This is a TEXT ONLY slide for visitors to your portfolio. In consultation with your coach you will either create a Thesis Statement or state the Problem/Solution. You will skip past this slide in the presentation as you will have read the content in the Context Image.

Problem/Solution: This works best for a project with a clear problem that leads to a describable physical solution.

This slide answers the questions:

• What is the problem I am trying to Solve? This is likely different for each project in a studio. Be clear and use the problem to set up the narrative for your presentation.
  • Example: The Problem: Design a vehicle for a mountainous world with difficult terrain to traverse.
• How did I solve it?. This is your 1 sentence project description with an optional additional 1-2 sentences. 
  • Example: The Solution: A segmented vehicle with a universal joint system that handles mountainous terrain by conforming to the landscape.

Thesis: Thesis statements are appropriate for a conceptual project with a nuanced or complex generative narrative. Your thesis states the Why and How clearly and succinctly in 1-3 sentences.

• 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. 

4. FUNCTIONAL 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\

5. FINAL IMAGE: (3 slides) The last slides should have an image of the final project. These images should be taken in the photo booth, cropped, and adjusted for contrast, brightness, etc. You can also use an image In-Use. Consider using a GIF to show how the project works. You will NOT describe the whole project here, simply show the completed project before going onto the Process. 

PROCESS PORTION

6. PRECEDENT SLIDES (2 slides minimum, 3 slides maximum):  Precedents are any projects that inspired you creatively or gave you technical guidance. No Text.

• 1 Slide - Conceptual Precedent
• 1 Slide - Technical Precedent
• 1 Slide - Additional Precedent

7. INITIAL SKETCHES/CONCEPT DIAGRAM (1 slide minimum, 2 slides maximum): These slides show your initial, generative ideas in sketch form. You can think of this as a sketch of the big idea, it is the chief organizing thought or decision behind the design presented in the form of a basic sketch or diagram. If you do not have a clear concept sketch it is fine to make one after the fact. These should clean, clear drawings. No Text.

8. ITERATIONS: (3 slides minimum, 5 slides maximum): The next part of the process post are the iterations you documented in your daily posts. Explain your design decisions and how your project changed at each step.

• For build studios, choose 3-5 representative iterations of your project with 1 slides per iteration. The images should show clear, major design changes. 
• For digital or graphics studios, have a slide for each important design decision. Generally it is best to avoid screen shots. These could include:
  • A storyboard slide
  • A slide with multiple images showing graphical character development.
  • Stylistic explorations

9. DIAGRAMS: (1 slides minimum) Diagrams of the final project.

Build studios will need at least 1-2 additional diagrams:

• Construction Diagram:  A diagram offering insight on how the project is put together
  • Ideally, this will be an exploded axonometric
  • At minimum this can be a labeled disassembled photo  
• Electronics Diagram: A circuit schematic showing project inputs, outputs, and architecture.

Digital studios should have a diagram of the storyboard and flow of the project.

10. ADDITIONAL FINAL IMAGES: (3 slides minimum, 5 slides maximum) Additional final images showing the culmination of your process. You should include:

• 2-3 Images in the Booth. Make sure they are cropped, adjusted, and look great.
• 1-2 Images in Use

Contraceptive Cubbies is a series of linear shelves that display abstract depictions of twelve vital and relevant contraceptives. Contraceptive Cubbies provides an informative and interactive solution to the lack of contraceptive education offered to teens and young adults.

In most sexual education courses, contraception is usually one of the topics that is not explained in-depth, even with it being so crucial. Due to this, many young people have a lack of knowledge on this subject. This issue is part of an even bigger issue: reproductive and sexual rights and education are often overlooked and overshadowed. The purpose of this display is to explain contraception while using intriguing and thought-provoking visuals. The 12 plywood cubbies are placed on the wall in one single line. In each cubby, there is a model of a contraceptive. They are placed in chronological order as to when they were first discovered or invented. In addition, the cubbies provide viewers with a historical timeline, uses, and advantages and disadvantages of the contraceptive. This timeline is interactive and seeks to bring awareness to the importance and impact of educating youth on vital, but often overlooked, topics like contraception. When teens see the shelf, they are free to remove any of the models to take a closer look and are encouraged to read the blurbs behind the models. The end goal is for these teens to feel they have learned something, and hopefully, they will feel compelled to share this new knowledge with others