Wobbly Realities
The Wobbly Realities working group started with four prompts: #StreamingLifestyles #InterfaceAesthetics #Virtual Urbanism #eSportsBodies. We used these prompts as a license to follow our collective curiosities, seeing where our interests intersected. We met regularly, sharing collected references, doing small projects. Two key outputs from the working group were BRB, an experimental live-streamed symposium, and LIVE-ISH, a digital publication.
BRB is a live-stream symposium of #streaminglifestyles #interfaceaesthetics #virtualurbanism #esportsbodies—nov 5 4–7pm—wind tunnel gallery—950 s raymond ave, pasadena, ca 91105—SPEAKERS—MATT ADAMS graphic designer and creator of ar computer fashion—JESS FRUCHT associate creative lead at riot games—NATHAN HERTZ director, performer, creator of streaming persona “man of mode”—RACHEL KINNARD costume designer for “the call of warr”, a live and interactive experience from wham city, streaming on adultswim.com—SAM ROLFES multi-format-mixed-media visual artist, unconventional graphic designer, experimental electronic musician, mocap performer—ORGANIZERS—BEN HOOKER & JENNY RODENHOUSE faculty at art center college of design—WOBBLY REALITIES a working group at mediadesignpractices.net
LIVE-ISH is a digital publication of design research that explores how livestreaming media has crafted an emergent “livestyle;” a way of living within the world that has become increasingly influenced by our 24/7 screen-based interfaces. Developed as a media category in the 1990s, the term “lifestyle” was popularized by Martha Stewart books, magazines, tv shows, recipes, home decor, fashion, advice… Today we purchase “experiences”: all-encompassing 24/7 events (and everything within it) that are initiated by the screen. Experiences that are found, activated, watched, played, shared, tracked, favorited, followed, friended, and designed by “user experience” (UX) designers.
