Class: ART 50A: Matter & Media - the University of California, Irvine (Summer 2023)
Advisory: Jesse Colin Jackson & Liz Stringer
Select Assignments from ART 50: Matter & Media
The Ask: Each post represents a different assignment. “Observations and Five Forces Map” and “Experiences” are related to each other, while “Informations”, “Objects”, and “Histories” are separate from the rest.
To see all of my posts for this class, click here.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2023 | ART 50A
Experiences
I propose a monthly pop-up market as my intervention. The market would be held on the grass field in Dovecreek Park and would showcase a variety of local vendors offering unique products and services. In addition to the vendors, there would be plenty of kids activities and live entertainment, featuring local musicians and performers. This would be a great opportunity to bring members of the surrounding community together and liven up the area.
Currently, there is a lack of non-sports-related events for community members to attend and connect with each other. While the elementary school occasionally hosts movie nights and spring carnivals on the field across from Dovecreek Park, it is not an ideal location for people of all ages to come together. The only event that brings everyone together is the annual summer barbecue, but it is held on another field a few blocks away from Dovecreek Park. A monthly pop-up market would fill this void and provide a social space for people of all ages to connect and enjoy the community spirit.
AUGUST 23, 2023 | ART 50A
Observations and Five Force Maps
For my site, I chose a path that separates an elementary school from a neighborhood park. The five forces that impact this site are grass, seating, parked vehicles, human habitation, and gatherings.
Grass: The path is surrounded by two big open fields of grass. The left field belongs to the neighborhood park, and the right field belongs to the elementary school. Grass can also be found alongside the sidewalks that lead up to the path and in front of the nearby houses.
Seating: The park has several types of seating available, including benches along the paths and around the playground, tables with benches under a roof inside the playground area, concrete benches and traditional bleachers on the park’s grass by the two baseball fields, dugouts, and seating by the elementary school. Across the elementary school’s field, there are planters where people can sit and lunch tables. Typically, people don’t spend long periods in these seats unless they are watching a game, taking a phone call, hosting a gathering, or supervising their children playing at the playground.
Parked Vehicles: At the end of the path connecting to the residential area, vehicles can be seen on driveways and parked along the street. The vehicles extend around the backside of the elementary school and neighborhood park. On the opposite end of the path, by the playground, there is a big parking lot shared by the elementary school and the neighborhood park. There tends to be a lot of vehicles parked during school hours and weekend sporting events.
Human Habitation: This pathway is connected to the middle of a small and quiet gated community. The houses in the area are of similar size and appearance, and mainly occupied by families.
Gatherings: People often gather on, along, and around this pathway. There are benches that line the path where people rest and chat. Sporting events, play dates, Easter egg hunts, party games, dog meetups, and sunbathing are some examples of gatherings that take place. These gatherings typically take place on the grass, blacktop, or playground area.
AUGUST 31, 2023 | ART 50A
Informations
Map of Disneyland (2023)
I selected Disneyland’s most up-to-date park map. The three principles used to organize the map are wayfinding, iconic representation, and consistency.
Wayfinding
Disneyland is organized into nine uniquely themed areas: Main Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, New Orleans Square, Critter Country, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Frontierland, Fantasyland, Mickey’s Toontown, and Tomorrowland. Each area is clearly labeled with a bold heading, a number for each ride and attraction, illustrations for large and recognizable landmarks to assist with destination recognition, and icons marking amenities like restrooms along the routes. There is a compass in the right corner to help with direction, and labeled arrows direct park-goers to areas outside the park, like Downtown Disney and shuttle buses. Additionally, each area is assigned a color on the map to help visitors understand which rides and attractions are part of that specific area.
Iconic Representation
The map features a variety of icons to signify Fast Pass areas, wifi, ride restrictions, restrooms, and rides and attractions with accommodations. These icons can be found throughout the map’s illustration and in the written guide, making it easy for visitors to navigate their way around the park and access the facilities they need. Moreover, the use of these icons serves as an effective wayfinding tool, as it facilitates communication and enhances the overall guest experience. With clear and concise symbols that are easy to interpret, visitors can quickly and easily identify different areas and facilities, which in turn helps to reduce confusion and frustration.
Consistency
Consistency can be seen in the use of color on the map and its guide. Each area of the park is assigned a corresponding color. For example, Fantasyland has pink numbers and a pink heading on the map. The same pink color can be found on the written guide, as the headings and background color are also pink. In addition to being consistent with color, Disneyland’s map is also consistent with heading sizes/styles and labels. Consistency in a map helps people quickly understand what locations are and how to locate them efficiently
AUGUST 17, 2023 | ART 50A
Objects
Anker 621 Magnetic Battery (MagGo)
An object I love is the Anker 621 Magnetic Battery (MagGo), a portable magnetic charger designed for the iPhone 12, 14, and 13 series. The battery pack is thin and lightweight, making it easy to use on the go. Its strong magnetic attachment ensures that the charger stays securely attached to the phone. The Anker 621 Magnetic Battery comes in five colors — black, off-white, pastel pink, pastel blue, and pastel green — giving users a variety of options to choose from. While I chose black, these color options are great for people who prefer a specific color and want something other than the traditional black or white charger. The MagSafe charging symbol on the battery pack affords that a specific side the battery pack should be attached to the back of an iPhone. The charging indicators are located at the bottom left side of the charger. The main indicator on the left is the wireless charger indicator, which tells the user if the battery pack is ready for wireless charging. The four indicators on the right side represent the battery level and display the amount of battery left in the pack. These indicators light up and flash, depending on the battery and charging status. The visibility of these indicators makes it easy for me to know my battery pack’s current status.
Apple Magic Mouse
An object I hate is the Apple Magic Mouse. While I initially thought the wireless mouse would be easy to use like every other mouse I’ve used, I was quickly proven wrong. Apple sacrificed usability for a sleek and minimal aesthetic. Unlike other wireless mice, the left click, right click, and scroll are not marked. This might be because of the Magic Mouse’s Multi-Touch surface that allows users to tap and scroll to do unique things, like Smart Zoom in and swipe between pages, in addition to the traditional clicks and vertical scroll. While this is a cool feature, it makes the mouse’s surface extremely sensitive to the touch, making it difficult for me to have precise control over it. Sometimes, my mouse stops working or starts moving erratically on its own, which can be frustrating as it causes a physical constraint. To regain control of the mouse, I have to clean its surface often. The mouse is also not well-mapped, so users may not know that they can do different things besides the typical click and scroll. I did not know I could perform those functions until I looked it up online.
AUGUST 5, 2023 | ART 50A
Histories
Screenshot of Are.na’s Explore page
Founded in 2011 by artists Charles Broskoski, Daniel Pianetti, and Chris Sherron, Are.na is an online platform dedicated to “connecting ideas and building knowledge” through a series of blocks and channels. Users can upload and save images, text, links, and files from Are.na’s website and app — these can be things they found online or something original. Are.na functions similarly to Pinterest, but has a more bare-bones, less “in your face” interface as it emphasizes conscious internet browsing and contextualization, rather than getting users to scroll endlessly and collect things mindlessly. Unlike other platforms, Are.na‘s user interface design does not use bright colors, likes and reactions, or ads that distract from the user’s experience. Additionally, Are.na does not curate a feed based on user activity. Instead, it provides an “explore” page that allows users to rabbit hole into places and ideas they’ve never explored before, and curate thoughts and ideas into blocks, which can be housed into private or collaborative channels.
In an age where information is easily accessible through the Internet, it can be overwhelming to synthesize and save what we see. Algorithms encourage us to stay on their apps and websites without giving us a moment to reflect on what we’ve just seen. I find myself scrolling for hours on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest without thinking and then saving posts I rarely go back to look at. I appreciate that Are.na exists to promote conscious browsing and collecting to help people “engage more deeply with the World” in a space that doesn’t have an ulterior motive. Are.na’s platform inspires me to create work that fosters exploration, learning, and collaboration.