Studio Design & Coaching

Theater & Its Double
Fall 2019

Combining World History and Theater, this studio examines ways to recontextualize a significant moment in history to a contemporary audience through script writing and acting. Drawing parallels from historical narratives, students perform different acts using custom designed props, retelling lived moments through the lens of different people. Directed by Jacqueline Parker of the Central Square Theater, the play "Alexander's" presents a story woven together from monologues written by students. It captures events from history that are at times tragic and at other times victorious. Presented in a non-linear narrative, different characters show us a glimpse into the pulse of their time. As their intimate world becomes ours, events revisited are re contextualized with the present.

Paper Politics
Spring 2018

Paper politics is a participatory art studio where new methods of dissent and devices for activism are designed for the public. Students are asked to devise new ways to engage in social discourse, going beyond mere rejection of the status quo and identifying the nuanced aspects of polarizing issues. Embracing the notion of activism as hard work, they become makers, planners, and interventionists all while learning digital fabrication and other accessible mediums. The culmination of work speak to and address Gun Violence, gender equality, environmental mitigations, and food-positive campaign called Eat Ugly.

Counter Monuments
Spring 2019

In regions where political upheaval causes destruction of ancient relics, giant 3D printers are used as a way to resurrect what was lost. In changing times when confederate statues are entwined in heated debates, new perspectives are shared through augmented reality. There is a resurgence of interest and demand in re-examining something from the past — an event, a person, a monument. In this studio, students explore the power dynamics of memorialized events/people/places by inverting the top down approach in creating spaces of recognition. Students build their own ideas of memorials that challenge the traditional monuments, shine light on the pulse of the youth, and critically reassess the function and presence of monuments today.

Aging in the City
Fall 2018

The world's old population is growing dramatically. As a society, there are many ways to demonstrate how we take care of our aging population. In most cases, programs such as healthcare and special assistance are provided to enhance the quality of life and well-being of senior citizens- however that is not always the case. In this studio, students explore the opportunity to create something special and necessary for the aging community. They took a deep dive into understanding the daily life and hurdles of the aging population and how societies perceive and interact with the elderly in their community. Through research and interviews, they learn about encounters and issues that result from aging. Working jointly with students at Karam House in Turkey, students exchanged their progress through a virtual exchange program. From creating a device for writing that help a former playwright with Parkinson's disease control hand tremors to an assistive standing device, students showcased many innovative projects to the residents at Mt. Pleasant Home in Jamaica Plains, MA.

Interactive Artifacts
Spring 2019

In 2016, bleaching of coral on the Great Barrier Reef killed half of the reef's coral. When corals begin to dim and glow, it is from their increased fluorescent protein levels triggered from temperature stress. Due to this physiological phenomenon, the reef glows bright fluorescent green before fading out to white. A vibrant home that provided shelter, food, and other resources for millions of species is rapidly disappearing due to our ocean's escalating fever. There is still so much to discover and learn from our planet's ocean. It is not complete without the intricate and otherworldly life forms that live within it. In this studio, students brought the 'rainforest of the sea' to the surface through interactive artifacts that help us learn about and protect this rapidly disappearing hub of life. Students took a deep dive into the world of corals, fish, mollusks, and many other species and life forms under water. Taking inspiration from this, they created sculptures that communicate and create awareness of human impact & the fragility of the underwater ecosystem.