Fabricio (Breeze) Olsson
DANM 210: Project Design Studio Project Proposal
12/02/2006
I propose a performance combining interactive multimedia presentation and a live narrative game played by audience members in a theater setting. A virtual character introduces the story and invites audience members to participate in the show (the golden ticket). At times when certain actions/decisions are required to continue the narrative, audience participation controls the direction of the flexible narrative (remember ‘Choose your own ending books in the 80’s?). The show is mostly made up of a multimedia presentation. Materials gathered from research projects (done by students at their schools in the Pajaro Valley area) are projected on stage in a variety of formats (video, film, slideshow, animation, transparency, light, fog, sound). The virtual character also acts a facilitator, guiding audience members/volunteers through the performance narrative.
I. Prototype: From research, recording and interpreting data from Pajaro River Watershed (Central California, from Monterey Bay to San Benito), a prototype is developed. The prototype is comprised a web application that is played by the user as a narrative game. II. Arts-Bridge Video Editing at Mount Madonna School: Students develop ways to interpret and present materials from their classroom curriculum. III. Final Performance: Through use of digital media and interactive technology, information gathered by students is presented to audiences in form theater performance.
The time span of the project (conception-to-conclusion) is approximately 18 months, October 2006 through May 2008, while implementation spans geographically throughout the Santa Cruz County, from Mount Madonna to Watsonville.
The topic of study is the environment, focusing more specifically on the Pajaro River Watershed and how it is affected by human interaction and community involvement. Using the California State Educational Standards as a guideline, specific topics covered at different stages of the project are: definitions, scientific method, environmental status, animal population, community involvement, effects of pollution and possible solutions, potential improvement of current conditions, and public awareness.
The project itself is intended to increase environmental public awareness at a community level. The Pajaro River Watershed is an ecosystem consisting of waterways that span from San Benito to Monterey Bay. Among the countless factors that affect the river stability, human interaction is by far the most influential – in many cases with devastating effects to the river ecology. The river has a holistic interconnectivity to the surrounding communities and the relationship involves all aspects of each individual’s lives: personal, social, economic, political and environmental. The (un)natural tendency is for the community involvement to be dictated by the local economy, while the environment suffers the consequences. As the river deteriorates, so does the safety and health of the community that surrounds it. By displaying student work in an interactive, multi-disciplinary theater performance, the community can assess educational findings in a group environment. Sharing information about the local environment empowers the audience to make personal choices, become more active in their community, and potentially change their lifestyle in order to improve the overall health of the community.
The Prototype resembles a narrative computer game, presenting materials gathered from the internet, environmental impact reports, journals and interviews. The interface, a web environment using mostly html and flash, is publicly distributed on the internet. Videos, slideshows, games, sampled sounds and text documents enhance the narrative as they are presented in way of both informative as well as evaluative forms (i.e.: a file can be purely descriptive or pose a question that must be answered correctly in order to procede).
Audience and intended impact: Although the prototype is publicly distributed, it is marketed to students of specific schools in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. The target audience is the specifically 8th grade students of Mount Madonna School. Information presented by the prototype servers as a snapshot, showing the current status of the watershed (data currently available in regards to proposed plans, agencies involved, major sources of funding and educational efforts). How the students perceive the information presented by the prototype will guide their decisions throughout the next phase.
Mount Madonna School 8th grade Earth Sciences class is invited to participate in the next phase of the project. From January 2006 to March 2007 I work on a weekly basis directly with the students. The material developed by the students in form of a digital video project is used to enhance the prototype, adding a narrative directly related to the local community. The project is then presented at Mount Madonna School in March 2007. Invited to the presentation are the entire student body of M.M.S. as well as students from other schools in the geographic area covered by the Pajaro Valley Watershed. I present at this time an expanded version of the prototype, incorporating previously gathered material into a short theatrical, interactive performance.
Audience and Intended impact: Digital Video Project portrays M.M.S. 8th graders’ visual interpretations of their class curriculum. A student-created narrative and an expansion of the prototype are presented to other M.M.S. students as well as those of other schools in Pajaro Valley area. The goal is to present an intriguing and persuasive project, motivating other students to participate in next stage of the project.
Taking us into phase 3 of the project, students of other sectors of the Pajaro Valley community ‘process’ the watershed subject matter in a context of their own. Expanding on the model set by M.M.S. 8th grade class, this performance consists students presenting a holistic view of the river and its complex relationship to the surrounding community.
The audiences and intended impact: Students from all areas of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District are invited to watch the performance at the Mello Center. The material presented is an interdisciplinary, multi-media performance manifests the students’ interpretation of the California educational standards curriculum. As the local environmental issues are presented in form of performance, students share information each school has gathered individually through an integrated educational method. Thus, students learn that this holistic approach used to study the Pajaro River mimics the river’s complex interconnectivity to its surrounding community.
An analysis of the project takes place after the final performance. Findings indicate whether or not students increase awareness at a community level through interdisciplinary methods of learning and through performance. Evidence of the direct impact caused by the project on the community is found in a number of ways: Mentor/modeling systems implemented using knowledge gained in process of developing the project; group assessment of educational findings; elementary partnership.
Unfortunately, the indirect impact of this project, and perhaps the more relevant, may never be fully understood – at least not objectively. It is unrealistic to state that individual choices, based on knowledge gained from this project, affect (quantitatively) the overall health of the community and the river. The Watsonville community is a complex system of individuals, businesses, groups and organizations. The interdependence between this community (every node of its intricate web) and the Pajaro River forms one delicately balanced ecosystem.
twitter
flickr
facebook
Equipment