Projects

Locate a patch of ground and stand on it.

Do not move (rustling in the wind is okay).

If it’s raining, feel the rain.

If it’s breezy, feel the breeze.

If it’s sunny, feel the heat.

Continue feeling things for as long as you wish to remain a tree.

Optional: Perform photosynthesis.

I took a lot of inspiration from Yoko Ono here. I enjoyed how her works often asked impossible tasks of people (“Draw with yourself until you disappear”)–or didn’t explicitly ask tasks at all (“Water Piece: Water”). I wanted to stretch the concept of what counted as a “possible task,” while still being able to reenact it in real life somehow. Because of that, I decided on a piece where you take on the traits of something you’re not. Similarly, I tried to adopt a lot of Yoko Ono’s humor here, with lines like the optional requirement of performing photosynthesis, or the line about the acceptability of rustling in the wind.

Another thing I liked about many Fluxus works was their interest in blurring the line between art and life. In many ways, the viewer’s mindset is the difference between something that’s art and something that isn’t–and I think that’s something “anart”–like rotting food–demonstrated very well. For this work specifically, I focused on the idea that you can have a “beautiful experience” just by slowing down and paying attention to your surroundings–even if such a thing isn’t usually appreciated in the same way a more curated experience might be.

I also think this piece is interesting because of how minimalist the actual experience is. Without any game-like elements, or specific physical requirements, the experience of the piece is completely centered around your surroundings. Because of that, everyone who performs this score will see, hear, and feel wildly different things. This calls attention to the fact that life–unlike the carefully presented art at museums–is unpredictable, and sometimes unpleasant. If you’re a tree in the rain, or the wind, or the heat, you just have to stand there and deal with it. Even this unpleasantness can be beautiful, though. Like many of the food-related Fluxus pieces, it goes to show how messy reality is.

Roll the dice.

Crochet the amount of stitches, any type of stitch or knots. Make it loose, make it tight. Wear it.

Choose to connect to any previous stitches, switch yarn, or not.

Start anywhere.

Repeat until the imperfections are gone.

Artist’s Statement:

The idea behind this score is to get the reader comfortable with the idea of human error by physically surrounding them in the messiness of it. Crochet is an art that emphasizes the flaws of human error and portray it in a negative light as it would be obvious amongst the uniform stitches. I strived against this uniformity that is often found within crochet pieces. I wanted to give actors a similar feeling as to when they are a 5-year-old scribbling on a piece of paper without the stress of making sure that they have the right proportions or perspective. It promotes complete creativity from the actors similar to the Happenings as whatever happens, should happen. They are not allowed to unravel the piece and they can only stop once they have come to terms that they are human and mistakes are bound to happen.

I got the idea to use the dice after the first iteration because it’s a randomized way where the user would be pushed to be creative with their piece. When rolling a 1, they can choose the different tension, look, and length that they would like to work with. It also moves the piece away from looking perfect as the idea is to accept the imperfections and the messiness of the piece to end the score. Over all, the score can span for hours, months, or years, which is an inspiration by Yoko Ono as her scores are not always realistic. I wanted to add a deeper meaning to the silliness of her pieces thus, I decided to go with this route for my score.

I look at the result of the piece similar to that of the Happening as well. Whatever happens, would happen to the piece, the crocheter can’t unravel it. It’s similar to a time stamp where it could show the person pausing the piece to have a chat or a sudden knot appearing in the yarn and they haven’t seen it before to unravel it. It makes every iteration of the score unique to the person based on the situations around them. The same person shouldn’t be able to recreate the same exact piece later.

FOOD PIECE

A fish from the Atlantic.

An Asian grain.

A green vegetable.

A creamy substance.

An ancient ingredient.

Something from Turkey.

A Himalayan rock.

A Middle Eastern herb.

And something spicy.

Mix whatever you desire.

Apply what you mixed.

Cook everything.

And enjoy!

2023 fall

Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wC3YMCMwe44wtW0XHIJWVaku3Z5i2Ocw/view?usp=sharing

Artist’s Statement:

My work was inspired by my and my parents’ love of cooking. When I was younger my parents would cook for me and I would try to learn by observing them. When I was in 3rd grade we had an assignment where we had to make a recipe for something in my Computer class. I decided to make a recipe for a Philidelphia Roll, my favorite sushi, based on what I observed. Rather than ask my parents how they made it, I decided to make the recipe on my own and show it to them afterward. When I showed my parents my work they were surprised because I had only missed 1 step. My friends who also loved sushi also saw what I wrote and asked if they could use my recipe. This experience showed me that making recipes for others that are abstract can be fun and helpful. This experience partially inspired me to make my score. Another large inspiration was the work of Yoko Ono. I was inspired by the abstract nature of Ono’s work as well as her formatting. I found the minimalist and abstract nature of her work quite beautiful as it left a lot up to the reader’s interpretation. I tried to emulate that in my work to make my recipe feel unique to anyone who tried it because they could end up using different ingredients or different cooking techniques. Ono’s short yet descriptive phrases also inspired me to make my recipe feel like it is painting a bit of a picture or has a bit of history behind it. Lines like “An ancient ingredient.” hopefully inspire the reader to do some research or think to find an ingredient that fits the category which can be fun and inspiring. Ono also inspired my formatting down to the style of date I used. Lastly, I was inspired by the worldwide nature of the Fluxus Movement. Unlike many artistic movements beforehand, Fluxus was experienced in many different parts of the world. This spoke to me because I love combining flavors from different areas while learning about them. This inspired me to use ingredients from Turkey, the Himalayas, Asia, and the Middle East while also using traditionally American and European ingredients. My goal with this score is best described through the following interaction. One day a family friend said to me that he really hated cooking because it wasn’t fun to follow recipes and make the same thing every day. I told him that the way to make cooking fun is to try things out, go to different grocery stores and use new ingredients, don’t just follow a recipe, make the food your own and even if it’s bad it’ll be fun and something you learn from.

Find a place peace and silent,

where nobody is around,

and where you can see the sky.

Close your eyes and take a deep breathe.

Play your favourite music and look up in the sky.

And you may leave when you begin to feel the silence.

The following pictures are some playtests conducted.

Top floor of the Columbus Garage during night

Park near the Carter Playground

Top of the apartment building

This score is inspired by Yoko Ono and the idea of this score comes from an art game called Loneliness, which is basically a game where player control a black square and wander in the emtpy gamespace, and can’t interact with the surroundings. When I was playing that game, I had a feeling of silence and a sense of relieveness besides the loneliness. Therefore, I want to create a score that will somehow generate similar feelings. This Yoko Ono’s style score is actually similar to meditating, but it must be conducted alone in a place where nobody is around in order to generate similar atmosphere with the game Loneliness. Also, feeling the silence is not about hearing nothing or being quiet, but is to feel the silence internally, so the score delibrately ask the conductor to play music while seeking the silence to create the contrast and let the conductor feel the inner silence more obviously. Personally, I like to find a high place such as the top of a building where nobody is there and conduct the score, but the place really depends on individual’s preference.

Crochet B.A.E. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12rLYtuGo78Jmjoj_wcLFQ2vNbm3plz3i/view?usp=sharing

Please click the link to see my deliverable.

Want to know how to crochet your hair or someone else’s hair? Well, look no further. Even if crochet is something taboo to you, today you learn something new. Firstly, I was inspired to create this game through listening to the appropriation lectures where I was introduced to how Dada artists were influenced by various African art like masks and Congolese statutes. This gave me a sense of familiarity because I grew up in a home where African pride and art were normal so seeing how my culture was the influence to world-renowned artists came as a nice surprise for me. I also loved the Afro-futurist section where I was reminded of today’s African-American artists like Sun Ra, Janelle Monae, and Angela Basset, and their contribution to what we now know today as African-American art. These in conjunction with the Games As Art lecture inspired me to create Crochet Before Anyone Else or Crochet B.A.E. for short. A tabletop game where one can learn how to create while also making a collage with easy onboarding and limited materials. I really enjoyed the process of creating this piece as well as the time that went into figuring out what would be a good representation of all that I learned in the semester. Crochet is something that is so integral to how I grew up; put simply Black hair has always been something that was important to me. I was taught to maintain my hair in order to feel good about myself and have adopted many hairstyles that I cycle through whenever I do my hair or get my hair done. In using weave as a medium, I felt this sense of “ah-ha” like something I do normally could be art if I just make it art. This expression I feel is underrepresented in games as I have not encountered a game with 3a-4c hair (curl patterns). And when I do it is mostly just a brown skin girl or boy with straight hair. This game board is the best game I have made and I say that because it is not only backed by many lectures on appropriation, score, intervention, and experience but also my personal life and an action that so many people in my culture have participated in. Crocheting is personal for the one doing it as well as the person getting it done. On the one hand, if you are crocheting into your own head you will feel the sensation many Black people feel which is their arms hurting from having it up so much. On the other, if you’re the one getting it done, there is this connection that is built with your hair stylist, one that leaves you feeling better about your appearance afterward.

It’s been real y’all. Happy crocheting!!

BTW: I did not mention this in the tutorial but we use a simple knot when tying the hair so that it is easy to take out when the client is ready for their hair to be taken out. Using a complex knot would mean you would have to cut the hair to take it out which can cause problems because people have new-growth or just hair that has grown and it can be hard to distinguish which is their natural hair and which is the crochet hair. xoxo

Reality TV Intervention

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fXjOANLjYkqW5-dZz5mtzAvVHRaTP6tf/view?usp=sharing

Please click the link to view my deliverable.

The existing process I chose to intervene in was everyday life. Similar to the Pac-Man game we saw in the presentation given by the game professors. The Pac-Man game in Manhattan interrupted the lives of the players and the people outside of the Magic Circle who were just roaming the streets on the way to whatever they needed to do. I was inspired by the idea of creating a game in a place that was common to those who played it as well as the players. In Reality TV: The Game, I wanted to create a score that would allow one to intervene in their own lives by filming parts of their day and offering commentary on it. Something that is abnormal in everyday life but normal for those who are on reality tv shows. Having a game where one’s objective is to interrupt their day by filming whatever they are doing and then offering commentary about it in post, would stir some feelings of anxiety in the sense that most people think that what they do on a day-to-day basis is uninteresting. This is precisely why I chose to playtest my game on the most mundane day of the year: the day after my birthday. It was difficult even making myself interested in the things that I was doing throughout the day but my perseverance highlighted my purpose for this game. In the age of social media and reality shows where people are doing extraordinary things, I’d like to present the idea that anyone’s life is worth being documented. It is only until we get older that we appreciate videos of our younger selves. I am giving each player permission to romanticize their life. Something I think many dada artists did with their work.

Materials:

-Camera

-Microphone

-Tripod

Instructions:

-Film 3 separate videos: at the start of your day, after you eat something, and sometime before you go to bed.

-Each video could incorporate you doing some activity for at least 1 minute. A phone call. Brushing your teeth. Drawing. Studying. Whateva

-For each video you created, create 3 more short videos for at least 15 seconds explaining what it is that you are doing. A confessional if you’re familiar with the term.

-Once you have all of your clips, use any video editing software to piece them together. My personal format was. intro-1st clip -1st confessional- 2nd clip- 2nd confessional-3rd clip -3rd confessional-outro-also i used Inshot the phone app to edit

-Add some sound effects and background music.

-And BAM. You got yourself a pilot for a reality show.

The Game: https://alliumonion.itch.io/conversion-protocol

I came into the creation of this game with a simple premise: to create a game in which the player is given an entirely auditory experience. Nothing in the way of any visuals. Absolutely zilch when it game to information transmitted by sight. In a medium so heavily dependent on visual communication, just as humans are beholden to both the powers and limitations of their sight in reality, this results in a significant shift in the way in which the player approaches the game. Having to rely so entirely on the ear to receive information from the game encourages the player to focus their attention on the only information given to them—the sound.

In making this game I encountered a multitude of setbacks which required me to reduce my scope; thankfully, I was prudent when I set out on this project and developed my game in such a manner that I was able to easily reduce scope without damaging the overall experience. My approach for the game’s content utilized my sound design skills, including the array of effects on the voice heard throughout the game. I would have liked to expand much more on the initial premise of this game, but was significantly hampered by life events occurring at the tail end of the semester; however, I am still proud to have managed to encapsulate, what I believe, to be the core concept, experimental mechanic, and narrative experience that I set out to explore. In the creation of this project I also had the opportunity to develop my technical skills, as I worked to make the game run in browser using HTML5. The fruits of my labor can be seen on itch.io using the link above. And I am certain I will expand upon this initial demo of a game in the future.

Documentation:

Goal:

• Manipulate and weaponize existing bots to impede upon the experience of other Twitter users
• Demonstrate the prevalence and omniscience of bots on social media, in this case specifically Twitter
• Show the predatory behavior of “Essay Writing Services” and their ease of access

Procedure:

• Acquire the permission of the selected affected user
• Go to a recent tweet and reply with some variation of “I will pay someone to write this essay for me”
• View the almost instantaneous response by various bots

Artist’s Statement:

My initial inspiration came from the widespread activist practice of needing to slightly exacerbate a problem or nuisance in order for the proper authorities to notice it and fix it. Sometimes one must make an issue worse so that it either actually steps into the sight of an overseeing organization, or so that it creates enough justification for resources to be spend dealing with the issue. This practice can be seen in a multitude of ways and with varying levels of severity. It might be as simple as widening a pothole or crack in the sidewalk so that the city determines it to be enough of a hazard to merit repair. One man in England taped raw fish to broken ATMs so that banks were forced to service the ATMs when they came to remove the dead fish. It could also be the demonstration of backwards, outdated, nonsensical, or hypocritical laws. The practice of “sit-ins” during the Civil Rights Movement are a fantastic example of exacerbating what was perceived “as a nuisance” to demonstrate the illogicity and backwardness of excluding black customers from restaurants. While no where near as noble—or hard fought—as such a practice, my intention with this intervention was the demonstrate the prevalence and lurking nuisance of web-crawlers and bots on the internet. The selected environment, and specific issue to highlight, was the presence of bots on Twitter; More specifically reply bots offering a service, in this case “essay writing services.” These bots masquerade as authentic people, but are—for the most part—actually a highly networked service of web-crawlers auto replying to individuals lamenting the difficulties of their essay and then connecting users to a paid essay writing service. In this way, these bots act in a particularly malicious matter, as someone not even explicitly asking for such a service—possibly just posting to vent their essay related frustrations to their friends—could find themselves deluged with accounts offering their services at competitive rates. Thus to demonstrate this, I had a friend reply to various Twitter posts with some variation of “I will pay someone to write this essay for me.” Each time resulted in a multitude of bots replying to him, offering their services, and we even saw some other genuine users commenting how my friend had “summoned the bots” or saying something to the effect of “here they come.” This demonstrates that this issue of auto-replying bots is a widespread and known issue on Twitter, but rather than being cracked down upon, they are instead tolerated and ignored as their annoyance is only minor and temporary. Hopefully this intervention helped exacerbate this issue in some individuals’ eyes and compelled some to try and act to resolve this nuisance.

Documentation:

Requirements:

• Minimum of one player
• No player maximum
• A modified digital version of the game Scrabble that could conceivably be played for an infinite (or at least incredibly long) amount of time

Rules:

• Players take turns playing Scrabble as normal
• The game never ends
• The victor is the last person playing with the highest score
• No turn timer
• Individuals players can take a long a turn as they want

Artist’s Statement:

My initial point of inspiration for this game came not from another existing piece of art from the Dada Movement or otherwise, but instead from a game design exercise undertaken in the second semester of my freshman year at Northeastern University. The first assignment I encountered in Professor Christopher Barney’s “Foundation of Game Design” course—or at least in the online experience I was treated to at the time—involved iterating upon one of the most basic physical multiplayer game ever: tic-tac-toe. This was my first experience with the core principle of recursive design, as we were tasked with adding additional rules to tic-tac-toe and thoroughly playtesting after each change. After a few slight changes, I was possessed with the idea of scaling the grid far beyond a simple 3×3, and accompanying this change the introduction of additional players in the forms of more unique shapes: triangle, star, hexagon, checkmark, hashtag, even pentagram—the possibilities are endless. This scaling would of course have to be accompanied by additional length requirements in what would constitute a full “tic-tac-toe”; unfortunately, upon playtesting, this iteration functioned much more as an endurance test than one of strategy and cunning. It was thus that when tasked with the opportunity of appropriating an existing game to create a new experience, I thought of a recent game of online scrabble played—quite foolishly—without the instatement of a turn timer; which understandably resulted in the incredible elongation of what should have otherwise been a brief game. And so I was given my concept, and the execution was fairly simple: bring together a group of friends, modify an online game of scrabble to posses the possibility of continuing ad infinitum, and see how long we lasted. The results can be seen in the photos below. I succeeded in gathering six friends—including myself—and over the course of five hours we lost players until only three of us remained, who elected to all end the game simultaneously. Over the course of these five hours each of our turns became progressively longer as the board become more cluttered and points became harder to come by. This resulted in the constant discovery of incredibly rare words containing some of the higher value consonants. This phenomenon can be seen in “xis” “dioxide” “djinny” “poi” and “zoarial.” Additionally, we discovered that the words were created in a uniquely procedural nature as over the course of multiple hours players managed to find ways to add one or two letters to a preexisting word. The 104 point “dolesome” is a fantastic example of this, as it started as “dol” into “dole” to “doles” which progressed all the way to “dolesome.” Myself and my friends had an incredible time playing this new and unique word-hunting experience; for despite it lasting into the wee hours of the night, our desire to be the last one standing—which also transformed into a level of dogged camaraderie—kept us going. Although, I despite any of ours are keen to repeat the experience any time soon.

Documentation:

State of the final board after five plus hours of play with a dwindling group of six players.

Final winner—myself—and the longest word.