I found myself very interested in the Public Secrets project. The statistics were shocking to hear. I immediately thought about how this scenario is probably duplicated in every state in the U.S. The project website design suited the topic, with it’s rigid structure and lack of color. The lack of images in the project left me feeling like these women lacked any identity. I feel like if we could see these women talking, their stories would be more authentic. Do you think that if the project gave these women visual identities, we would think differently about their stories? People do judge others based on their appearances.
In Saving the Sierra, I found the Tahoe Food Hub video to be the most interesting part of the project. It was a simple video that described what the food hub was all about and what they needed to continue delivering locally grown foods to the local restaurants and markets. Basically they were soliciting for donations for their food truck. Their clever marketing approach included receiving gifts ranging from a baseball cap to ski lift tickets (based on the amount of your donation). Do you think people need a reward when they are giving to a worthy cause? What ever happened to idea of “the gift is in the giving”?
In High Rise, I found it refreshing that people cared so much about the sense of community. I lived in a high rise building before, and it seemed like it was just a place that people would sleep. My neighbors would socialize elsewhere, but not near our high rise building. This project demonstrated collaboration the best out of all the projects I viewed this week. Submitted ideas were presented in audio while drawings were placed over existing photos to help you visualize the change. The website had a better flow and made more sense. I liked seeing how the visions became a reality for some high rise communities. Seeing how people can influence and motivate change in their community was inspiring. Maybe I just needed to see something positive after seeing destruction of the natural habitat (Saving the Sierra) and corruption in the prison system (Public Secrets).
Hi Derek, I agree with you about Public Secrets. The lack of visual identities perhaps makes it easier to dismiss these stories. If we could see these women talking perhaps their stories would have more impact. Of course, the website creators most likely intended this distant effect.
That is interesting that you bring up the point that we never see any of the women’s faces. I found myself trying to imagine what they looked like the whole time I was listening to their stories, especially the one story where the woman says she used to be in ballet and be and actress. It was like I wanted to see her face to see if there was any of that person still recognizable.
As far as the question you bring up about people needing a reward to give to a worthy cause, I don’t think its always necessary, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. We see this on websites like Kickstarter. But then that raises the question of what is a reward? Does it have to be something material, or can a good feeling be considered a reward?