Idea 01: Redesigning Space/Ex libris (From the library of the person whose name follows, which is used on bookplates)
Lately, there has been some controversy as to if the Japanese room should be quiet or not. Some people suggested to resolve the space by labeling the room. Some people are afraid to tell people to "be quiet" so they close that door, but in this past semester that room has a split personality. It invites people to talk, while offers others quiet space to focus on work, which is also valuable. I would like to redesign the space to redefine its context.
First, to get rid of that ugly bookshelf, put in a really nice one. Second, ask people to donate a book of "significance" that they believe will help the ITP community, and label them with beautiful ex libris, so that these books appear to be reference-like and stay in the library. For example, the bookplates can say "This book has been donated by X, for the ITP library," which I believe will encourage readers to engage in dialogue with the donor. Third, designing phsyical bookmarks that encourage networking. Rather than sign out a book to allow permission to take the book home, one would sign the bookmark to show a geneaology of readers. By providing just the name and date of the reader's information, it would encourage people to network with each other, and offer a community of "sidewalk watchers" to watch that book.
By redesigning the public space as a "library," people would be less offended when they are politely told to "shhsh." Everyone knows that a library is suppose to be a quiet space.
I would be interested in trying out Delicious Library, a library system that could keep track of where the books are, so they're not missing, buy the bookshelf or applying for a grant for it, designing the bookplates and bookmarks, and donating a book.
cons: shelf and books might be an obstacle for setting up for the show, and time.
Idea 02: Creating Mentorship or Pen Pal Programs
I've just introduced David Bamford's daughter Emilee to another girl, named Esther, who I met at summer camp last year. Emilee lives in New York, and Esther lives in Paris. I'm hoping for two things here. For both to become penpals. Since Esther is 2 years older than Emilee, for Esther to become Emilee's mentor. I believe Emilee is 12, and is about to approach the pre-adolescent stage, which I believe most girls tend to feel a lot of angst and awkwardness. This mutual bond help both girls to share similar concerns: boys, school, kinship, etc. They can also share differences in culture.
I believe mentoring can help build social capital at ITP. Maybe this iteration would allow random pairings between 1st and 2nd years. Hopefully, these pairs can complement their dissimilarities or amplify their similarities. Also, mentorship prepares people to think of "we" instead of "me."
cons: really difficult to document, since the experience is personal, and time (the effects may be seen the future).
Idea 03: Broadcasting actions of Empathy
I was thinking about why people would be less involved in civic action and why group memberships have declined. No time, apathy, self-interests are fragmenting communities. I believe that promoting empathy can help engage people with civic and social responsibility.
The movie below demonstrates this phenomenon in a surreal way (synopsis is below). I had two ideas, taking photos of individuals in action (e.g. giving money, picking up after pets, throwing away garbage, etc.), and then posting them up on a blog. I would also give them the web site address of the blog (in business card format), and monitor their traffic using Google Analytics.
Another idea I had would be to empathize signage. Rather having the harsh graphics/text warning size, I can add a "please" tag in front of it, and document how people directly interact with that space. An example is, a "Don't Park" sign, and adding a "please" in front of it. Would people be likely to follow the instruction, how would that play in other spaces that have the similar signage.
cons: difficulty in documentation and tracking networks.
Pay It Forward (2000)
Basic Synopsis: A teacher gives his students an assignment: " Come up with an idea that will change the world." The student comes up with the idea to make a difference in three people's lives, and then have each of them make a difference in three other people's lives, which will increase exponentially.
Idea 04: Describe a network
I just recently went to Jerseyville, Illinois, and celebrated a couple's 50th Wedding Anniversary. That blew my mind away. I took a lot of photos of the original wedding album (1956), and their celebration. There was a 10-year old altar boy in one of the wedding photos, and now he is 60 years old. One of the interesting notes is that a handful of people attended the wedding back in 1956, but through the affiliations of the couple (e.g. bowling leagues, religious organizations), the guest list expanded by two or three folds. Even the mayor dropped by. Another thing that interested me was how physically sparse this town was, yet people were very close knit in personal spaces. I took a lot of photos, but I am not sure how to run this network three times.
Also, I have a personal account of one individual's experience in acclimating to this city from Germany. The photos I took in her house were mostly objects and her physical space. When I talked to four people in general, they expressed an extreme fondness to this community, 2 moved from smaller towns, and 2 moved from Germany.
What I am most interested in this network, is what motivates people to move to a different culture and how they acclimate to this culture.
cons: I wouldn't know how to implement this as a final project.