Welcome

This is the only portion of my written thesis I am providing both in print and online.      

   

You are standing at a doorway between two worlds. 

Please scan the QR code above or put the address below into your favorite browser.  

http://goo.gl/SqYGm 

Why Online?

      The making of art is a creative process, as is the crafting of an essay or thesis.  Even with a specific end product in mind, the organic development involved in production can often shift initial goals towards some new and unforeseen destination.  Through a dialogue between self, environment, and medium, a unique experience progressively forms and informs our work.

I see this journey as the most significant piece of the creative equation;

informing not only the process but the meaning of the result.

      I am interested in having the experience of my written thesis reflect the journey of the art, both for the author and the participating audience.  This has inspired me to challenge the limitations of the traditional printed black and white document for a number of reasons, and move the central space of my thesis online.

Accessibility

          For anyone interested in my thesis, the web simply offers more options and opportunities. Rather than limiting my audience to those who have the time to travel to the RIT Archives to read the document in person, or the privilege to access it using ProQuest, my work is now open to anyone from anywhere with internet access. My thesis can be easily sent through an email, as well as linked within social networks like Facebook for added traffic.

          For interested participants with specific accessibility requirements, the internet provides a level of user-adaptability and elasticity not available in any printed form. My thesis can be translated into different languages, resized, highlighted, copied, pasted, and even automatically read aloud all through free online applications. Of course, sections can also be printed if you are so inclined.   

Multimedia

          Another notable asset within an online environment is the option to directly utilize multimedia. The documentation within my thesis took many forms, and involved pairing many streams together. Notes were paired with audio, and some of these amalgamations were further combined with video in different forms. These elements were crucial for my thesis show presentation, and it seemed counter-intuitive to purge them from the written thesis.

Interaction

          The accessibility and multimedia features described above come hand-in-hand with a unique kind of user interaction. Fundamental to the internet is the concept of hyperlinks; connecting various online spaces together through content-based portals. This encourages users to not only read but navigate through the space in a much more personalized and non-linear way. As the artist must find their own path by connecting the dots, so too must the reader choose their own unique personal journey through the content.

Thesis Map

          In print, the map below is an illustration of the interconnections within key concepts of my thesis. Online, these same boxes become hyperlinks. The lines between the boxes identify bridges within the content, and from inside the pages you can click highlighted text to connect to parallel interdependent and related themes. The arrowheads describe which direction the links will take you, and how web traffic can flow.

Click on one and away you go!