FIT_Capstone2019_ExhibitionGuide_Merge

School of Graduate Studies

Exhibition & Experience Design

THESIS CAPSTONE EVENT 2019

2019 Thesis Projects: FIT Graduate Exhibition & Experience Design 1)

Name: Anvita Trivedi Thesis Statement: We humans are wired to connect. Connection is an experience of oneness, a sense of belonging or a moment of collective effervescence which is primal to human psychological development. Research shows with the rise in technology young adults today are cognitively and emotionally stunted. They are lonelier than ever - digitally connected but socially isolated.

Utilizing the power of collective environment, this thesis aims to generate a framework of analog and digital techniques to create and foster effective moments of unification and a sense of awe among Gen Z in physically designed spaces.

Project Title: Living Constellation: A tale in 360 Client: UNESCO World Heritage Sites Sponsor: National Geographic Venue: Madison Square Garden Sphere – Las Vegas Audience: Primary: Generation Z Secondary: Tourists

2)

Name: Chang Lee Thesis Statement: Authenticity is a perception. It is also a socially constructed interpretation of the essence of what is observed.

In a branded environment, there is a promise of an authentic experience yet all the possible perceptions of a consumer may not be considered. By designing a branded environment which activates a connection with consumers by adding a co-creation experience, the brand will be able to achieve the perceived authenticity in the branded space.

Adapting the model of co-creation into a framework for designing experiential branded environments will enable a brand to achieve visitors’ expectations of authentic engagement.

Project Title: Starblocks: Learning from the local seniors Client: Starbucks Venue: East Harlem (117th street, Between 2nd Ave and 3rd Ave) Audience: Primary: Local people in the East Harlem, Secondary: 20 to 40 general coffee consumers in the city, Tertiary: Tourists from outside of the city

3)

Name: Cindy Tseng Thesis Statement: Personalization has become increasingly significant to branded companies because there is a broader trend that shifts from viewing customers as recipients of value, to co-creators of value. However, personalized customer experiences can still be impersonal and limited. “I experience it. I Built It. Therefore I Own It.” The memory making experience is a solution for customers to not only connect to their personal identity but also associate with a brand. This

thesis will discuss the sensory experience of smell in an environment or product that can trigger customers’ memories to better connect their personal emotion with brand experience.

Project Title: Lost in Scent Client: Becandle Venue: Hudson Yards Audience: Primary: Worldwide Tourists, Secondary: Younger Generation between 20 to 30 years old, Tertiary: Female visitors

4) Name: Heeji Min Thesis Statement: Luxury brands are the leaders of the fashion world with the power to influence perceptions on fashion as an art form. Fashion exhibitions are a contemporary phenomenon on the rise in modern museums because luxury brands have recognized that people value this space, but many people do not see fashion as art. Understanding what motivates people to visit fashion exhibitions gives luxury brands the opportunity to fine-tune their events to deliver entertaining, educational, and thought-provoking exhibitions that will attract more people with the ultimate goal of changing the way they perceive fashion.

Project Title: The Voice of Souls Client: The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode Venue: The Louvre—The Petite Galerie Audience: Primary: International and local fashion lovers, Secondary: International and local fashion professionals, Tertiary: People who show interest in high fashion

5)

Name: Janine Cohen Thesis Statement: How can a commercial brand help a country in crisis create a new positive self-identity? A brand can shape new public perspectives by creating a new narrative including quality brand factors and personal relatability factors that fosters an ethos of civic engagement in the country. The brand enables the citizenry to engage in civic action in accordance with their narrative beliefs.

Project Title: Roots Client: Laser Airlines Venue: Caracas Botanical Garden Audience: Primary: Citizens looking to participate in civic engagement, Influencers that can spread the word about the message, Secondary: Venezuelan Citizens, Tertiary: Citizens of the world that will become aware

6) Name: Jun Xie Thesis Statement: Free will is the ability to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded. In order to have free will, three conditions have to be met. First, people have other options than the one they chose. Second, they must identify the sources of their actions, and third, the decision is not made randomly. To experience the action of free will is to experience a first cause. Therefore, the closest form of free will is exercised in the creative process. By creating an object, a product, or a piece of art in an open-ended context without external references,

people exercise free will. The question of how to experience the action of free will could be asked as the question of what conditions are required for genuine creativity. A designed environmental experience that engages visitors in the creative process can provide the condition that fosters the experience of free will.

Project Title: Unwind Client: Cathedral of Saint John the Divine Sponsor: Spotify Venue: Cathedral of Saint John the Divine Audience: Primary: Teenager 13-19, Secondary: Young professionals 20-30, Tertiary: Worldwide Tourists

7)

Name: Tina Columbus Thesis Statement: Semicolon; the ability to perform a pause in an ever-going urban setting.

New York City (NYC) is a highly stimulating environment challenged by light pollution, constant noise, long commuting time and high living costs. Research shows that the exposure to NYC, both permanent and temporary can be fatal. The response to NYC stress is that people are subconsciously shutting down and isolating themselves.

Mindfulness, the practice of controlling attention with an attitude of curiosity, openness, and acceptance, can offer transformative moments and enable stressed New Yorkers to improve their everyday life.

My research will focus on specific drama mechanisms, such as voice projection, thought tracking, tableaux vivant and object theater that create opportunities to practice urban mindfulness in NYC. Project Title: #belonghere Client: Airbnb, Airbnb Experiences Venue: Flatiron District, Midtown Manhattan, New York Audience: Primary: New Yorkers/ Gen Y, Secondary: New Yorkers/ Gen X, Tertiary: Travellers to New York/ domestic and international

8)

Name: Margo Malter Thesis Statement: Visitor tracking studies show that visitors only stop at between 20-40% of the exhibits in any given exhibition. Faced with this data, exhibition designers need design strategies which strive to ensure visitors do not miss vital education and experience goals. Research shows that unexpected imagery attracts attention on a neurological level.

This framework offers a research-backed and prototype-tested recipe for designing exhibitions using unexpected imagery to capture and engage visitors’ attention during their self-directed journeys through an exhibition environment.

Project Title: Infinite Spectrum: The History of Gender Sponsor: Open Society Foundations Venue: Museum of Sex Audience: Museum-going adults, 18-65 years-old The Museum of Sex limits its visitors to being over the age of 18 years-old. The design of this

exhibition will approach serving this audience through John Falk’s five visitor motivator archetypes—Explorers, Facilitators, Professionals/Hobbyists, Experience Seekers, and Rechargers—interpreting how each motivator type relates to the audience of the Museum of Sex.

9) Name: May Ghadanfar Thesis Statement: City dwellers have higher risks of developing anxiety than people living in rural areas, due to the physical and mental stress they encounter from crowding and constant contact with strangers. Even subconsciously, these powerful stress responses can lead to heightened anxiety.

Multisensory Biophilic Design—the utilization of natural elements for environmental experiences—can be a restorative solution to the constant stressors found in urban environments. “Extent” in Biophilic Design is the ability for visitors to freely explore their environment with a sense of mystery, a factor that is also at the core of Exhibition and Experience Design. As a tool for constructing exhibition narratives, Extent can be utilized to create restorative impacts and affects on visitors.

Project Title: esc Client: NIKE Venue: 5 Essex St., New York, NY Audience: Primary: Millennials, Secondary: Working adults, Tertiary: Other visitors in need of a break

10) Name: Savannah Sears Thesis Statement: Tourist attractions throughout New York State have been overlooked, lost, and forgotten over the years. The utilization of digital placemaking systems in existing public spaces can influence tourism to these overlooked places. By examining existing digital placemaking solutions, tourists’ motivators, and the current developments in design systems, I can create a system of digital placemaking that encourages tourism.

Project Title: I Love NY: Discover New York with a Point of View Client: I Love NY (NYS Board of Tourism) Venue: Main: Penn Station Secondary: Train stations and airports across NYS Audience: Primary: International tourists, Secondary: Domestic tourists. Tertiary: Locals & Commuters

11) Name: Taj Cutting Thesis Statement: Human behavior and social perceptions can influence where, why and with whom we associate. These perceptions and preconceived notions are further reflected in the location, design and condition of our social and living spaces. This, in turn, creates cultural gaps that are based on identities such as age, socio-economic status and ethnicity, impacting our urban environments and communities. These divisions are exemplified by the rise in gentrification, which can be seen in cities across the world. New York City is a primary location for

unification and social cohesion, wherein members of multiple defining identities will be able to form connections with one another. Public installations, opportunities for conversation and moments of inclusion can address these demographics, bringing people of different social groups and backgrounds together.

Project Title: Parts of a Whole: Conversations in the Neighborhood Client: Brooklyn Public Library New York Public Library Sponsor: Weeksville Heritage Center Venue: Brooklyn Public Library-Central Branch Audience: Primary: Neighborhood Residents, Secondary: Brooklynites, Tertiary: Tourists

12) Name: Tracy Llewellyn Thesis Statement: Playtime, or a time and space for spontaneous free movement, is an activity that tends to fall out of daily practice into adulthood. It is a concept best embodied through “recess” in early childhood. Cultural ideas and the duties of adult life develop into a “play-hesitancy” stemming from the belief that play, particularly free and uninhibited physical play, is relegated to children. Play offers a multitude of health benefits for children, and studies confirm that those same benefits apply to adults. A space for play and free movement would support normalizing playtime in our daily adult lives. Based on the concept of “transitional space” (intermediate area/third area) being the place where creativity and play originate, I propose to develop an open and accessible space encouraging gross motor play for adults. Reclaiming “recess” affords us the chance to reconnect with our innate desire to explore, learn, and develop through free movement.

Project Title: PLAYin Client: LinkedIn Sponsor: LinkedIn, NYC Privately-owned Public Spaces (POPS) / Department of City Planning Venue: 60 Wall Street atrium Audience: Primary: Adults 34-54, Secondary: Adults 55+, Tertiary: Adults 18-33

04_Jun Xie

05_Janine Cohen

03_Changhyun Lee 02_Tracy Llewellyn 06_Tina Columbus

08_Savannah Sears

07_May Ghadanfar

00_INTRODUCTION 01_Anvita Trivedi

10_Margo Malter 12_Cindy Tseng

09_Taj Cutting

11_Heeji Min

13_PROGRAM 14_KEYNOTE

Graduate Exhibition & Experience Design Dec 13th 2018 *set up Dec 12th 1/16” = 1’ - 0”