FIT Institutional Repository

In 1997, Kasparov, the world's best chess player lost a match against an IBM supercomputer called Deep Blue. He resigned after 19 moves. This had never happened before, creating a societal shift in which AI began to fulfil what scientists had always known it could do. Although AI is thought to have fascinating capabilities, it also presents ethical issues, and while we are surrounded by it, a lot of people feel uneasy, and perhaps even assume that "robots will eventually take over." That being said, it's important to take into consideration that AI cannot function without humans and the two working together have a lot of potential to solve limitations. So, by taking chess and bringing it back to the '90s, when AI first began to make its major mark, the set aims to bring computer and humans together.

How does one of the mainstream values of the current society, group living, view a solitary lifestyle? Undesirable, unfavorable, pathological, and harmful? The thought that "solitude is a reasonable life choice, just like group living" may have never crossed their mind. My thesis, "Solitude Is A Reasonable Life Choice & More," considers that a solitary life is a choice that reasonably exists in human society and I hope that society reconsiders the correctness of the one-sided stigmatization of loners. The zine titled "Observer's Experience," as an independent digital zine, is not only a medium that presents my thesis, but also my personal experience. Due to the pandemic, I experienced something new. After such a long period of being isolated and blocked from society, solitude has evolved into an isolation with negative effects. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to learn and keep a balance between solitude and social interaction.

Everyone knows what nature is, but this impetuous world disconnects us from it. We, as humans, help to create negative impacts on nature. However, the COVID-19 pandemic was like a serious warning from nature; it forced us to slow down and reflect on our actions. Humans need to develop a better relationship with nature and show it more respect. My project is inspired by the environmental aspect of a traditional Chinese philosophy called Taoism. It teaches people to live in harmony with nature and follow the way of Tao. "Harmony" is an app that helps people cultivate their inner energy by using the energy from nature. People can appreciate nature's beauty and reconnect with themselves. Next, "RE" exposes the consequences of human greed. Humans should re-recognize the importance of nature and understand how much it contributes to human civilization. Coexisting with nature is the long-term prosperity of human civilization.

Many immigrants living in the United States find the need to Americanize and conform when they should embrace their identity and heritage. The narrative of Chinese Americans is one of assimilation and loss of cultural identity. Growing up, I always tried so hard to fit in. Now that I'm older, I realize that there is no need for us to fit in, but for us to really embrace and carry that identity with us. "Remembering Traditions, (Zine Title: Jooksing)," reminds us that there are a lot of traditions in the Chinese culture that are never really written down. If it weren't for our elders, like our grandparents, many of the things we celebrate and take for granted would probably be forgotten. I want to reflect on what we learn from our history, remember the traditions that our family celebrates, and share this culture with future generations.

Immigration has always been a part of the American culture; however, the challenges immigrants face when starting their life in a different country are rarely talked about. This book, "Pulled Away," has been inspired by those exact challenges and it aims to reach a younger audience through the mixture of three formats: storytelling, pictures, and a comic book, along with the use of elegant typographical elements, all combined into one. The way one deals with situations in their life is always up to the individual, and the choices made affect us just as much as they affect everyone around us. The goal of this book is to present the changes within the family structure and the difficulties an immigrant family, or a family member, might face while trying to adjust to a new culture.

Exile is the situation of a person who is forced to leave their own country, or a period of voluntary absence from one's country or home. "Behind the Scenes of the Exiled" is an experimental zine that looks into writers who were driven into exile, forced to leave their native land, but have found a way to express themselves about their situation. I chose these writers because they all have a different story as to the reason for their exile and what might've been going on in their era. I'd like to analyze the writing of these specific writers and find out what was happening in their world at the time. Were there hidden meanings behind their writings? What did their writings depict about their emotions while in exile? Taking a step back to the early 20th century, what did these great writers leave behind in the literary world?

"The unseen pain" is dedicated to offering a perspective on what verbal and emotional abuse looks like. My thesis highlights how verbal and emotional abuse is often overlooked and excused as being less severe when compared to other forms of abuse. Through my research, I discovered how many victims of verbal abuse are unaware that what they're experiencing is abuse, due to things like manipulation and our society's inability to validate something they cannot see. Through my personal experience with this topic, I wanted to create something that spoke for people who feel unheard and undervalued. "The unseen pain" offers a look at the true definition of verbal abuse while giving real-life context in an attempt to paint a clear picture for the reader. "The unseen pain" sets out to provide a supportive and authentic approach to storytelling through a cohesive blend of photography and typography.

"View of Spring Water" is an environmental installation built using red/white cedar and 3D-printed PETG. The structure reflects the form of a home's central crossbeam. I chose to focus my thesis on creating sustainable architecture through renewing traditional methods of construction with modern technologies. Ancient Japanese architecture focused on ease of disassembly, standardization, and prefabrication. The two joints I designed and used in the installation are a simplified dai mochi tsugi joint (台持ち継ぎ) and a modified tsuri waku joint (つりづか), using a 3D-printed lock. These two joints could be used to support a 1,500-pound roof. With this project I wanted to create practical designs that shift labor away from the commercial market and encourage a communal or personal application. The aesthetic goal of the work is to frame nature within an architectural form, while also framing the form as small within a larger natural landscape.

People start life as authentic. They start to change when different situations cause them to be an outsider. We emulate our surroundings to become accepted by one group. We change to fit other people's tastes, but sometimes don't even recognize who we are. I am exploring the depths of code-switching and linguistic profiling on a person. What better way to navigate these waters than through cooking? Learning what you need in order to become palatable! This tutorial video and recipe book, "Sugar-Coated," will equip people to get through life's most "interesting" moments. This recipe book will enlighten, yet you will hunger for more. To be culturally acceptable, we must gain the ingredients and learn processes that help us "fit into a mold" and become more desirable. The more artificial flavors people gain, the less natural they become. With a closer look at ourselves, do we recognize who we are?

We are both storytellers. Lying on our backs, we look up at the night sky. – John Berger, 1984.

This interdisciplinary piece is my quest to reclaim the unadulterated body, free from societal disguise, unencumbered by constructs of an imposed identity, unwilling to conform to the dictates of a conditioned world. Utilizing a multi-media of video dance and print and digital poster design, I dissected the multiple layers of a fractured reality that veils our bodies and inhibits our most authentic expression. I shook away he body's eclectic, exposing it as an emotional and mental dumpster of habitual patterns that have set us on autopilot, and boldly replaced it with an embodied mindfulness that engenders experiences. I further drew on contemporary forms of dance video and somatic exploration to coin an idiom of embodied urgency and tap an unexplored reservoir of knowledge, spirit, and perceptive awareness. Stripping away the externals, I shed the outer shell – only to reconnect to my body's wisdom, and rekindle my true self.

After researching South American witchcraft and occult history, as well as the persecution of witches that began in the 15th century, I came to realize that this is where modern-day stigmas around witches were born. This thesis project, "Witch Bitch," focuses on these stigmas and how they affect modern-day witches and their craft. Using photography from Frances F. Denny, as well as various interviews and my own personal experience, I dove deeper into these stigmas an illustrated how they distort society's view of witches and occultists.

While researching my family history, I stumbled upon Barry. Barry was my grandfather's adopted brother who ultimately had been ostracized for inquiring about his birth parents. After Barry decided to meet his birth mother, he was disowned by his adoptive parents and was never seen again. "Finding Barry" is a hypothetical indexing system, where adopted children can grow up with a glimpse of their heritage ranging in various degrees based on their type of adoption. Questioning one's identity is not related to the adoptive parent, but an exploration of self. With this system, a child can get a glimpse of who they are, whether it be that their family has a medical history of schizophrenia, or that their maternal great-aunt was a world-famous juggler. Heritage should not be paid for; it is your right to know who you are. A person is not only a birth and death date.

We are conditioned from a young age to overlook female contributions and to celebrate superheroes like Spiderman or Superman without caring too much for their female partners. The problem with popular media is not the lack of representation, but of misrepresentation that makes women a target for violence, and stereotyping, which boxes them into categories less superior to men. Let's take a closer look at these famous heroes that we grew up consuming and how their female partners' contribution has been overshadowed by the media. Let's illustrate these overlooked and stereotyped women as strong, independent and full human beings. Let's retell their stories not as an object or as a damsel in distress, but as a strong, independent being who is self-reliant and capable of achieving greatness all by herself. Behind Every Great Man, There's a Greater Woman......

As an immigrant, I've always struggled to find a place to call home. Since my mother and I moved to the United States, we never had a permanent place to call home, and El Salvador, the place I used to call home, was becoming a memory. Turning 18 and starting college, I struggled with my identity. Now, at 22, I have reconnected with what brings me closer to home — language, food, and music. "Missing Home" is about the struggles immigrants face remembering their past and finding a new home. There are five video stories, including my own: my parents, starting from different circumstances with different perspectives; my grandparents, who have been here for as long as I can remember; my cousin, who moved here when she was four; and a family friend who is here by himself. I focused on my family, but the themes of this project are universal.

The idea of the unconscious mind was made popular by Sigmund Freud and was later visually explored in depth by the Surrealist art movement. Having researched the unconscious mind for my thesis and always having had a great interest in Surrealist art, I thought it would be fitting to work with the two for this project. This zine, "Tapped," explores the unconscious mind of a creative (me) through the creation of handmade visuals using the Surrealist technique of automatism. Automatism encourages the artist to express themself freely, without conscious thought. During the creation of this zine I used paint, tape, paper, ink, and found objects. I then digitally manipulated the visuals which are accompanied by Andre Breton's 1924 Surrealist Manifesto.

I have dealt with procrastination for as long as I can remember. I tried my best in school, but I never explored why I had this behavior since everyone was going through the same thing. Procrastination has become such a social norm that it seems normal. High schools and colleges fail to emphasize the issue by not properly educating students with ways to deal with it. After conducting my senior thesis, "The Issue That Is Undermined, Procrastination," I have found the root causes of procrastination and how to overcome it. My goal for this project was to create an engaging platform elaborately defining procrastination and providing verifiable ways to deal with it. I focused on the visuals to guide the viewer by entering a 3D space that continues as they go through the website. This interactive form of learning keeps the viewer captivated, a fun way to absorb information.

"Nuevx Futuro" ("New Future") is a digital zine that envisions possibilities for the future of Central America in a way that is inclusive and contemporary. Through decolonized perspectives and a focus on diasporic cultures, this investigation aims at becoming an instrument for reflection and identification as part of the artistic production from Central America, which often has no representation or is diluted by Eurocentric standards. After researching Mesoamerican design and (re)contextualizing artifacts in relation to indigenous traditions, this project ignores the construct of time while blurring the realms of real and synthetic. "Nuevx Futuro" lives on a microsite– encapsulated in the form of a "vessel" comprised of a MacBook, which has been modified in the tradition of Salvadoran buses. Using crystals, clay, and found electrical materials, I transform my Mac into a personalized expression of my aesthetic, disregarding the rules of modernity and Western influence.

"Nuevx Futuro" ("New Future") is a digital zine that envisions possibilities for the future of Central America in a way that is inclusive and contemporary. Through decolonized perspectives and a focus on diasporic cultures, this investigation aims at becoming an instrument for reflection and identification as part of the artistic production from Central America, which often has no representation or is diluted by Eurocentric standards. After researching Mesoamerican design and (re)contextualizing artifacts in relation to indigenous traditions, this project ignores the construct of time while blurring the realms of real and synthetic. "Nuevx Futuro" lives on a microsite– encapsulated in the form of a "vessel" comprised of a MacBook, which has been modified in the tradition of Salvadoran buses. Using crystals, clay, and found electrical materials, I transform my Mac into a personalized expression of my aesthetic, disregarding the rules of modernity and Western influence.

"Blossoms on the East Land" is a virtual exhibition and online publication. This project contains curation and regeneration of artworks from, and with, Asian female photographers and body activists who are mostly from China and Taiwan. It aims to subvert the classic Chinese femininity stereotypes and to reclaim their bodies and appearance against sexual objectification. The goal is to amplify the voices of Asian women in our new generation and evoke conversations about our individual and collective experiences. This comes from the perspective of being a female growing up in Taiwan and how the media perpetuated stereotypes of Asian women as either hyper-sexualized temptresses or sexually submissive. The media's narrative has successfully created a contradictory social phenomenon among women from different generations. "Blossoms on the East Land," a rebellious celebration of diverse Asian femininity, is an homage to women's strength in Asian culture, empowering their raw and unapologetic selves.

Each day, without anyone realizing, dementia patients can be made to feel aggravated or confused based on questions or statements they encounter. Interacting may not always be easy, but my goal is to help. "Reminiscing" focuses on providing information on how to talk to people with dementia in a way that will cause the least amount of confusion. I do this through a card game that has prompts for conversation starters and activities that can be played by patients and caretakers. The cards are color-coordinated; red — Conversation Starters: Level 1, yellow — Conversation Starters: Level 2, green — Senses, and blue — Music. Through my research I have tried to find the best way to word these cards, so that they are the least confusing for patients. Although dementia cannot be cured, we need to have constructive conversations that help dementia patients keep their minds active and stay connected with others.

As individuals, we may go through similar experiences but learn differently from them. These differences develop our perspective and also our identity. "Two Things True" is a collection of embroidery pieces and a publication based on a questionnaire created as a way to virtually connect with people. Through this, I've been able to experience pieces of other people's stories without ever meeting them or seeing what they look like. Embroidery as a medium is a great way to connect life and the process of making art. There were many mistakes and mess-ups, but I continued. Some of the mistakes I didn't correct, and as a viewer, you won't be able to realize it, and that's important to recognize. "Two Things True" isn't a space to reach one common truth, but a conversation with the goal to gain perspective and connect the process of making art, mistakes included, with the development of identity.

In this short video, "The Two," I explore the relationship between my mother and me by analyzing who she was before giving birth to me, and digesting how generational and culture gaps created the distance between us. The video explores our rocky relationship, and how necessary it was to understand her past in order to understand her current perspective. I interviewed my mother during a recent trip to Columbus, Georgia. I focused on her experience growing up during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, on her being an entrepreneur, on her physical disability, and on her being a single mother of two during the one-child-only policy. I used audio, old family photos, and painting collages mixed with motion graphics to present the emotional and psychological experience. "Seeing the full picture requires willingness to see the other side first."

As the product of a mixed marriage, I find that media portrayals of interracial relationships are inconsistent with my real-life experiences. After questioning which reality to believe, I decided to use my thesis project to uncover the true nature of multiracial households. "Svetha Weds Mark" is a three-part multimedia podcast centered around my parents' wedding. Through family interviews, historical context, and vivid imagery, this podcast tells a linear narrative which describes the reality of interracial relationships. A love story at its core, "Svetha Weds Mark" ties the union of two families to the broader context of racial politics, tradition, and identity in the United States. Listen to the full podcast online at svethawedsmark.cargo.site.

This experiment, "501 Hours of 501s - Workwear versus Fashion," serves as a visual testament to one of the most iconic items of the modern era: the blue jean. Equally personal and universal, a pair of jeans can be as expressive as it can be utilitarian. Over the course of 30 days, I spent about 501 waking hours wearing my Levi's 501s. Each day a piece of the jean was cut and documented. The disintegration of the object not only created its own style, but it also showcased the craftsmanship of its construction. Even if the jeans were being ripped apart, they always still served their initial function. Their lasting material also brings up an important insight: as they decayed...did they evolve as a fashion symbol? As this workwear object develops personality, and becomes an object of style and culture, does this raise socio-economic concerns regarding privilege and class?