Week 32

It has been a week of reading, interviews, participatory research & avant-garde music.

I have been contemplating potential ideas for the work in progress show while reading more around places, walking and mapping. My goal is to synthesise knowledge gained from previous walks, workshops, & research, and incorporate them into the exhibition.

I attended my course faculty Jesse Thompson’s performance at the IKLECTIK, a beautiful venue supporting experimental sound, art & technology.

It was an inspiring evening of avant-garde music, inviting us to pay attention to the sonic potential hidden within the objects of our everyday lives. I like how this is very close to the spirit of my own dissertation journey trying to blur the line between the mundane and the extraordinary.

Towards the end of the week, we carried out pilot interviews as part of our dissertation research. Unlike my previous discussions with subject matter experts, this was an unstructured interview with a general participant. It proved valuable in understanding their perspectives, behaviour and needs. This has boosted confidence in my inquiry and validating my argument for alternative cartographies.

We also took part in a collaborative, participatory data vis exercise to gain insight into various design research methods & making informed choices around subjects like research ethics, participant consent & addressing bias.