"IS AMBIVALENCE THE NEW HOMOPHOBIA" 

Project proposal for an interactive art experience.I proposed a creation and display of work that focused on LGBTQ community and survivors of trauma based on the number of LGBTQ survi- vors who face bullying due to lack of knowledge and empathy. The student originally believed that through interactive workshops including knowledge, support and empathy there can be safer environments created for all LGBTQ survivors to live. The study later progressed further from workshops and developed more towards the interactive art design which would prove to be a better solution for raising awareness and creating safer environments for the LGBTQ community.

I started out by thinking about the wellbeing of LGBTQ people who had survived childhood trauma and bullying.I conducted research through primary and secondary research and created a visual board to help me design the wellness kits. I designed and planned a wellness kit and made mock-ups to get a sense of how the kit would appear. I also conducted primary research on the harm caused by bullying to LGBTQ people and the necessity for such wellness kits in government and educational institutions. 

My goal was to develop an interactive design installation that could creatively connect the audience to the emotions experienced by a victim of a hate crime. It will be hoped that through interacting with the art, viewers would be inspired to empathize and begin a constructive conversation on sexuality and gender. In order to help the audience better understand how a victim of a hate crime or bullying feels, my starting point is to establish a connection with them.

As new digital technologies develop, the way humans communicate is completely changing. Research shows that pupils of the LGBTQ community go have a lot of mixed feelings due to the way they are perceived by society. Through this project, I would like to deliver the feeling of “Ambivalence” they feel with pictures and sounds, not language. 

For this project, I used the touch board to give the cotton cloth voice once it was touched. I experimented with the technology I intended to employ in the project using a straightforward starter kit from Bare Conductive. I initially wanted to test the technology and see whether I could do it all on my own.  Everything I required to test the technology and use it for my project later is included in this package. The kit includes audio instructions and how-to videos for changing the MP3s. 

Interactive art installation connection diagram

I meticulously designed the branding and aesthetic components of the concept for the Degree show exhibition held at the University. I also produced five journey posters, which were a collection of posters that succinctly outlined the progress of my project. It also demonstrated how my project evolved over time to become what it is now. I prepared the prototype and linked it appropriately on display so that the exhibition’s attendees could interact with it. Another poster I created included the project’s primary goals, participants, and future plans. I had all the posters made, and I organized the exhibition display with adhesive tabs. These images depict the exhibition’s final design as well as the posters.