NO COUNTRY FOR DANGEROUS FACES – Interactive Storytelling . Cinematic Language . Moral Dilemma . Empathy
Abstract:
The challenge now facing human evolution is how to transfer insight from person to person, nation to nation, generation to generation. If we could transfer our insights more deeply, many problems would not be repeated – such as prejudice, discrimination, racism and worst of all, terrorism.
In this thesis, I transfer the knowledge and insights I have gained from political and social experiences to my audience. I use Dynamic Media as a tool for designing an experience that challenges people’s ethics, behaviors, and judgments towards race, nationality, and religion. When we look deeper into these matters, we discover the core issues that lead to stereotypical beliefs which can then misrepresent people and their culture.
I consider racism and discriminatory behaviors to be pronounced disorders in the human ethical system. I use design as a solution to address this very human problem. Art, theater, and cinema have all been used to transfer insight. I use these media, as well as the power of storytelling that focuses on empathy and moral dilemma. I use interactive media to discover possible ways that ordinary people can compose, express, and transfer their intuitive experiences related to these topics.
As an Iranian who has experienced racism first hand and has many stories to tell, I design interactive experiences that bring users into the immediacy of the story that I am creating. These stories will make its audience open their minds, think about important matters in a new way and gain helpful insights about them.
