Remnants: Kind Acts of Cruelty

In times that are determined by turbulence, racial unrests, uprisings, and emergent movements that are striving for equality and the abolishment of racial injustice, we have to create a space of understanding where those who are marginalized not only have a voice, but are also heard by those in the position of power. The initial step for this space to be created is tied with the creation of awareness, which means that those with privilege need to understand the trauma that results from racism and that BIPoC are going through on a daily basis. The idea that racism only exists when it appears in its most radical form – whether it be in physical violence or right-wing rhetoric – starts to crack and more and more people realize that racism appears in a myriad of ways, of which most are subtle, almost not perceivable (at least for those with privilege). There is a name for this kind of racism and it is called Microaggression. The project revolves around the idea of trying to make Microaggressions visible for the ones who are not affected by them and the aim is to create awareness for the concerns and issues of the people who are left unheard and invisible.

Planned as a hybrid format the installation will consist of a website and the actual real-life audiovisual installment (see visuals) where one person at a time can walk in to immerse themself in microaggressions. The website will be educational, helping to understand why certain phrases might be problematic, what effects microaggressions cause, and how to act when they happen. Furthermore, it will include abstract visuals to carry part of the installation onto the website. With interviews in audio form we make the topic more personal and approachable, so people can use our webpage to further inform themselves on the topic. Our installation is surrounding the viewer, creating an immersive spatial experience with the use of projection mapping. Our main metaphor about microaggressions is that they are like mosquito-bites, one is an inconvenient feeling, but it’s easy to get over it, but as they happen more and more often, and the quantity and the frequency increases, they become unbearable. We recreate a similar pattern with the combination of our swarm-like visualization forming typically used micro-insults, and the subtle increment of discomfort in the music and in the visuals. We ask our visitors to share their own experiences and contribute to our growing database of hurtful sentences, which becomes part of our exhibition as well. The aim is to raise awareness and create mindfulness about the topic, and we offer further resources to learn on our website. Our website and the installation are connected, they have the same interactive data-base of microaggressions, and while our installation gives a more abstract emotional representation of the topic, our website communicates in an educative manner on a deeper level, discussing the most important terms, examples, and effects, and sensitizing the situations with audio interviews about different personal experiences of individuals from different oppressed groups.

Link to teaser video: https://vimeo.com/509402966

Link to the website: https://ctech-microaggressions.web.app

Creative Technologists: Rita Eperjesi, Anna Eschenbacher, Jacky Lai, Zainab Tariq, Denise Bischof, Ellina Nurmukhametova

Sound Design: Júlia Koffler Felix Römer

Illustration: Florian Kempf

Producer: Klara Otto

Software, Libraries: React, Gatsby, Firebase, Firestore, Three.js, GSAP, Framer Motion, Touchdesigner

#website #installation #projection_mapping

Time and Place: Sehsüchte Festival, 21-25 July 2021, Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF

Advisors: Prof. Dr. Lena Gieseke, Stefan Püst

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