1. The Brief

2. Brief
 Create an installation based on the travelling of words
 It must have an underlying message
 Must be based around the subject of communication/miscommunication

3. Internet/Social Media

4. Research: Notes
After time spent browsing the internet looking into stories passed down to each
generation, I came across an interesting blog that raised the subject of how the
internet has interfered with the activity of passing down stories.
I found this quite interesting and decided to look in to this some more.
I also tried to create my own urban myth by telling people that Brad Pitt was filming a
new movie at the Dockyard, although it didn’t quite get around as much as I had
hoped.

5. Internet
The internet has changed urban myths
Instead of being free-flowing and passed down they are written as whole and then
copy and pasted, rather than being unintentionally edited through verbal narration.
Some tourists were driving in a car through the Australian
bush when they hit a large old-man red kangaroo. What a
great photo opportunity! The animal stood about six feet tall
and would really impress the pals back home. So our intrepid
visitors propped the roo up, and to add that little bit of
humour, one of the blokes put his jacket on the roo. You
guessed it! The roo was only stunned and promptly hopped
off into the distance complete with jacket, wallet, passport
etc.

6. Social Media/Communication
I have listed a YouTube video that I believe is trying to send out the same message as
the one I want to convey within my installation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7dLU6fk9QY
I think this is an eye-opening video which highlights how society communicate face-to-
face much less and how some people even think of it as ‘insane’ to have a
conversation with a stranger on the tube.

7. Participation

8. Staged to Non-Staged
Have an urban myth/story told on one screen (possible other screens that show the
same story in different mediums)
The audience has to listen to the story and watch the screens then record their
version on the same story
“A small brown haired boy and his parent were flying their brand new kite together in
the golden sunshine when the kite was caught in a large oak tree. A friendly by-passer
offered his help to get the kite out of the tree. The man climbed the tree and
retrieved the kite. The small brown haired boy hugged the man and his parent
thanked the man and they went their separate ways.”
The audience recorded their story as the second audience watch it live on screen and
then they record their version of the recorded story in a chain reaction.

9. Sound waves
Create a sculpture of a sound
wave using old wires and cables.
Allow audience to attach
words/stories to the sculpture.

10. Final Idea

11. Event Statement
The project is based around how social media interferes in everyday real life conversations. The idea
stemmed from my own experience when talking with friends about things I had been up to. For
example, I would start telling a friend about a music gig I went to the night before, but before I
could get one whole sentence out they would say, "Oh yeah, I saw that on Facebook/Twitter" etc.
and this pretty much ended the conversation.
I want to show my audience how a Facebook status or tweet, for example, only provides the
smallest amount of communication possible whereas face-to-face conversations are elaborate and
use hand gestures, tone of voice, facial expressions etc. which you miss out on in social media.
There will be three videos in total – storytelling, sign language and storytelling through imagery.
The storytelling videos are of various people telling the story behind a social media post of their
choice. I'm looking to get 8-10 stories which are around one minute long each. The stories will most
likely be on many different subjects.
The point of the signing video is to provide an example of another way of communication, and
although not using a voice, we are able to communicate through signs, facial expressions and body
language.
The reason behind the imagery video is also to show an alternative communication which is used
most often with young children – picture books that tell stories. People are able to see a series of
images and put together a story in their mind.

13. Another Angle
- After speaking to Carol Willes, a student undertaking her post-graduate degree in
interpreting, on the phone she brought up an interesting point that I felt was worth
looking into.
“Deaf people are dependant on social media for communication”
- Carol mentioned how its not only Facebook and Twitter, but also texting, Skype,
Facetime etc. that they are dependant on as they aren’t able to make normal phone
calls.
- This was an angle I hadn’t thought about before but it is very much true and is
something I would like to include within my installation to show the different uses of
social media – deaf people use it solely for communication whereas others use it as a
form of entertainment

14. Another Problem/Another Angle
- After thinking more in-depth about what Carol told me: “Deaf people are dependant
on social media for communication” and the fact that I haven’t been able to get
another interpreter to take part in the project, I have come up with another idea to
put across the idea of communication through social media for deaf people.
- The idea is, instead of a BSL Interpreter, to have the story written out as though it
was being typed out on Facebook. Therefore, you have the short status that non-deaf
people write and the more detailed description written out in a way that a deaf person
would communicate it.
- If I am able to get a BSL Interpreter, then my idea is to put their video into a Skype
frame so it looks as though they are sending a video message via Skype (another social
media platform that that deaf people depend on to communicate).

15. Facebook
“Deaf people are dependant on social media for communication”

16. Skype
“Deaf people are dependant on social media for communication”

17. The Venue

18. Ideal Venue
I want my installation to be held in a place that is centred around technology to
highlight the point that the installation is about the positives and negatives that
technology has provided for society.
My ideal venue would be an Internet Café or a library.

19. The Smithery, Historic Dockyard
- My chosen venue is the Smithery on the Historic Dockyard in Chatham.
- This room is used as a Mac Suite and therefore suits my installation as it is a room
used solely for technical work.
- The space is fairly large and the glass walls gives it an open, freeness feel to it with
the natural light coming in from outside.
- The room has a good shape to it and I will be able to use that to my advantage.
- The room has ten Mac computers and I will use these as a type of border to my
video screens. I want to put a moving sound wave travelling across all the screens.

20. Photos
The glass corridor leading into the
room
The Macs bordering the room
The Macs bordering the room

21. Photos
The solid ceiling
Macs and the printer Entrance to the room

22. 30ft
13ft
3.1ft
12ft
9ft
Floor Plan
10 Macs
4 double plug sockets

23. Visual Identity

24. The Font
I wanted to use a non-generic font that gave off the sense of ‘technology’. I chose the
font ‘Analog’ from dafont.com because it was modern yet similar to what you would
see on digital clocks, messages and channel numbers on older TVs etc.
‘ANALOG’

25. The Event Name
Netiquette
I came across this word during my research into how social media is portrayed in the
media. The meaning of it is how one is expected to behave online.
It includes how you should communicate what you want to say in the appropriate
manner, as you can not use tone of voice or see facial expressions, so the use of the
right punctuation is key.
For example, how do you communicate sarcasm through text? You could use
emoticons or acronyms such as ‘JK’ meaning ‘Just Kidding’ etc.

26. Wires
The venue
needed a visual
identity to tie all
of the aspects
together.
I have chosen
wires – these
physical attach
things to each
other and now
visually too.

27. Mac Sound Waves
I like the way that the Mac screens border the room
and can play as a type of backdrop to my entire
installation. I want to have a sound wave that goes
across them so that it doesn’t distract too much from
the videos but also links to the piece.

28. TV Wires
To create my visual identity, I want to
have wires going behind the tv’s to look
as though they are all joined together.

29. Sculpture Interactivity
The audience will be asked to take a tag
and write down a word, phrase or
comment about their opinions on the
message in my installation – social
media and communication. They can
then attach it to the sculpture using the
crocodile clips.

30. Sculpture Tags
The audience will have the choice of
either “FAIL” or “PASS” PAT test labels to
write their negative or positive
comments on.

31. Edited Tags
I have edited each of the tags so that
there is a space for the audience’s
comments to go as well as the date.

32. Problem Solving

33. Wire Sculpture
I recorded myself saying the word communication and zoomed in until it became a
neat enough sound wave to base my sculpture on.
To create the sculpture, I wanted to attach the wires together and make it into a free-
formed shape that did not need a backdrop to hold it in place. I used colourful cable
ties that matched the wire colours and bendable wire to achieve this. I then spent
time adjusting it until I was happy with the shape of the sound wave and that it looked
like the one I was duplicating. I then attached two pieces of wire across the sculpture
to give it more stability.

34. Hanging the Sculpture
From studying the Smithery, I decided to try and hang the sculpture using transparent
wire and tacks. I attached the wire to the tacks and pushed them into the rubber
above the glass at an angle.
This worked well but I was concerned about the health and safety surrounding this.
Also, the sculpture did not look right in the space. It was too small compared the
window I was hanging it against.
I considered other areas but came to the conclusion that the sculpture was too small
to have any impact.

36. A New Idea
After concluding that the sculpture would not work in the space, I decided that I would draw the sound
wave onto the window using glass crayons. This would give a much bigger impact to the space.
I would then undo the sculpture and use it to go behind the TVs (as suggested in slide 50). The
audience could then attach their cards to the wire and it would give a much better visual – the wire,
TVs, videos and comment cards all in one area of the space.

37. Background Macs
Originally, I wanted to have a sound wave that went across all of the Macs in the
background, but now that I am drawing a large sound wave on the window, I thought
something else would be better.
I feel that having a display of questions that are rarely used any more because of
social media sites will have a bigger impact on the audience by highlighting this fact.
HOW ARE YOU ?
WHAT WAS IT LIKE?
WHO DID YOU GO WITH?
DID YOU GET ANY PHOTOS?

38. The Event Day

39. Details of the Event
Name: Netiquette
Date/Time: 15.05.14, 4.00pm
Where: Mac Room, Smithery
How: Guests are invited to walk freely in and out of the event, there will be no time
limit on how long they must stay. Ideally, they should add a comment to the sculpture
before leaving. The videos will be on a loop.
Refreshments: There will be strawberry laces and cables for the guests to continue
with the wire theme. There won’t be any drinks provided to prevent any
accidents/damages in the event space (see Risk Assessment).

40. Risk Assessment

41. Advertising
I created a poster to advertise my event. I used a TV screen and created the static on
the screen for the background and used my chosen font to display the information. I
kept the information short and basic to create a slight enigma around the event in the
hope that curiosity would entice an audience.
I sent out an email to all of the MFA Students and put up posters around the
dockyard.

42. Final Photos