What is your object? – Part 1: As you embark upon your post-graduate adventures, what do you wish to keep with you from your AADS and BC experience? Why?
- What is your object? – Part 2: What form will your project take? And why? How does the form of your project resonate with the object you mean to keep with you? Be specific. You should tell me not only about the medium (e.g. film, performance, visual art, paper, etc.) and the genre (e.g. If you choose to do a visual art piece, are you thinking about a sculpture, a photo essay, a quilt, a mixed media installation, etc.); you should also describe, to the extent that they are relevant, any details about how you envision the length, size, scope; location, potential audience, texture, specific materials, specific design elements, and/or any other relevant detail to the content and form of your specific project.
- The object that I am deciding to present for the project is the view coming out from the window of Voute. The project will likely take the form of a video presentation with likely a voiceover. The video style presentation will likely be relatively short, and will likely have a period of silence continuing to demonstrate images of the dorm. The hope for these images will be that they will present a contrast between the inner and the outer. This will attempt to tackle the issue of survival not only as a black student within Boston College, but generally throughout the world.
- Please attach a file and/or provide a link to three existing texts that you might refer to as a model for your project. You might not find one text that perfectly models how you envision your project. The goal is that three models together will help you and me have a sense of your vision. As such, when you submit your three links and/or attachments, make sure that you also include A) complete and accurate bibliographic information for the source and B) a brief 2-4 sentence note about which aspect of this text you’re thinking about as a model for your project and why:
- Model 1:_Day Break of Freedom ( I could not find a free link to the book) citation: Burns, Stewart, and Stewart Burns. 1997. Daybreak of freedom: the Montgomery bus boycott. note: The author discusses the black church a lot within this text. This serves as an inspiration to me as it contrasts the internal view of black spaces to the current events of the 50’s-60’s in the south.
- Model 2: How Not to be an Ally citation: PreviewPreview47:58How NOT to be an Ally (BMB #14)YouTube · F.D SignifierSep 10, 2021 note: This video serves to be more of a model of the style that i want to present this project in. The video editing is very well done and it captures the message of the video in a clear cut manner. This is also done while using pictures to aid in the story telling.
- Model 3: Lose Your Mother citation: Hartman, S. V. (2007). Lose your mother: A journey along the Atlantic slave route.New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux note: This book in many ways captures the essence of the stranger. Hartman in this book is a stranger everywhere she goes. In no space does she have a safe space and does not belong. My project hopes to tap into that aspect of the stranger and the feeling of not belonging.
Who
- Describe your ideal audience for this project. Your audience may be you or may include yourself, which is fine. However, you should still work to be specific about your audience. If your audience is yourself, say more. Yourself in what context? Is the audience for you in the first three months post graduation to record your thoughts and/or make a plan? Is this for you to hold when you feel lonely and/or lost and/or nervous about where you’re going? Is this for you to keep yourself honest and accountable?
- This project is mainly dedicated to audiences of color, who can understand the differentiation between inner and outer. As a black person myself, there are these clear delineations between areas that I am accepted and areas where I am not. Going to a PWI, and likely working in spaces similar to this there are not many areas where I will feel either safe or accepted. My project hopes to be dedicated to those spaces where both I and other people feel safe and feel comfortable to express themselves in. In a way my project is dedicated to those areas of safety and comfort and a reminder to cherish those places.
- When your audience experiences your project (its content and form), what do you hope your audience (even if your audience is just you) will experience or be able to contemplate and/or do?
- I hope that my audience will learn to cherish their own personal safe spaces. Additionally I hope to encourage the audience to reflect on their safe spaces and try to cultivate more of them.
Why
- Content: How does the content of your project relate to black study? Please be sure to address how the content responds to and/or draws from your experience of black study at BC as well how the form speaks to and/or might facilitate your efforts to continue black study beyond BC?
- This project relates to black study given the fact that the United States, in particular, has not been a place that is neither hospitable nor supportive of black people. Throughout history almost every space that is intended for the congregation and support of black people has been contested either through violence or oppression. Acknowledging the few safe spaces of people of color is something important and critical to black study. For example, the church was a crucial safe space for those planning and leading the Civil Rights Movement. This may facilitate my efforts to continue black studies throughout BC by being more critical and aware of the role of safe spaces.
- Form: How does the form of your project relate to black study? Please be sure to address how the form responds to and/or draws from your experience of black study at BC as well how the form speaks to and/or might facilitate your efforts to continue black study beyond BC?
- The form of the project is difficult to connect to black studies. The form may connect to black studies given that it is going to be largely visual, oral, and a large focus upon nature.
HOW
- What supplies and/or materials will you need in order to create this project?
- The supplies that I would need is likely a stand and some basic photo/video editing software.
- Do you need any special technology or software to assistance for the project?
- The special technology that I would need is likely a camera that is better than my current phone camera.
- What skills and/or technical know-how might completing your project require?
- The technical knowledge that I would need for this project is likely a better understanding of editing photos and videos better. In addition to this, I am likely going to need something that better captures photos.
- Reflecting on your responses to 1-3: Please organize your lists of necessary supplies, technology, and skills into two columns. Column A – Items/Skills which you have and/or can acquire, and Column B – Items/Skills which you neither have nor know how to acquire.
- A: Items to write a script on
- B: Getting decent enough software that can facilitate video editing, decent quality camera
- Please break the project down into 5-8 detailed and actionable steps or tasks, with specific dates and times (i.e. deadlines) by which you plan to accomplish each of the 5-8 tasks.
- 1. Gather camera equipment (or simply using a friends phone to take photos) March 16
- Begin writing script – March 20
- Find video editing software- March 21st
- Begin splicing together clips- March 28
- Add in voiceover
QUESTIONS
Include at least two questions you would like me to answer about your project in particular about the project assignment in general:
1. Do we have flexibility when it comes to the length of projects?
2. Is there a particular format to submit the project?