Open Works 10 Ideas – Jiamin Wu

In my final project I really want to explore  New York City based on my own experience, since I got totally different senses of the city after I lived here for more than half a year.  New York City is the center of everything included the things I was dreaming about. The impression created by the tourism is suggesting the city is filled with wealthy, well-dresses and fashionable people, meanwhile the ordinary people lived in the time were ignored by the public. (even most people around the world) I had visited New York once when I was 13 years old, the magnificent view of the lower Manhattan made the city seemed so attractive for me in that time. And I knew that one day I am going to come back.

I am going to make a comparison between the two opposite experiences based on different period of time I had/have in the city. Throughout the time of these years, the city does not change though, but me as an individual have changed a lot. From a girl in the middle school held on a dream to be fashion designer to a design student actually is studying in New York right now, I want make a video to show that time as  an untouchable concept could in fact transforms a person into another one. What I want to express in my final works is that even though sometimes we cannot changed the world around us ,while we can change ourselves, in order to obtain what we want.

The reason I choose this theme to pursuit my final project is pretty simple. After the long time of observation about this city, I gradually know the big difference between being a tourist and being a New Yorker. And make a video with two screens will really let viewers think about this question.

Here is my simple and direct proposal about the final project, it will focus on 10 points that I am interested in:

1. My impression of NY (Before I came & after I came here). I had only visited NY once before I came to Parsons and I have a kind of stereotype of NY just like everybody else. After I came here my experiences really reshape in NY in my heart.

Way to approach this:

Compare the fantasy of NY (like Sex and the city & Gossip Girl) with the real lives most people have in NY.

2. I think it is very interesting that most design students choose black as their favorite color. Is that because it is easy to match or cool or …?

Ways to approach:

Interview Parsons faculties and students about this.

Interview the ordinary people.

Then compare the answers.

3.Making a video about the change in people’s perception of time. In the same period of time, people feel time past slower if they are busy with things, but time seems like past so fast once they are doing nothing.

4.For most people the first thing they do when they wake up in the morning is checking their cellphone.(for updates on social networks, text messages, news etc.) Find people and make an interview about this.

5. Find people and let them sit together. On the table there will be some food and books, see what they will do with these things. The second time put the sound of clock in the background. Still make them do the same things. Record the differences of their action.

6.when people just arrive in a new place, they feel the time is longer walk from one neighborhood in the city to another even there is a local person walk with them (to tell them which way to go). However, when they get familiar with the city, they can feel the time is much more shorter when they walk around. I am going to make a video about this.

7. Chinese culture and Western culture have a lot of different. There are some special days of the year will be celebrated both by these two cultures, but there some days will be celebrate depends on the traditions of two cultures. Make a video about this.

8. Make several people sit together and work on their own things.

– Observing their reaction when music is playing throughout the process.

– Observing their reaction when there is no music.

– Observing their reaction when music is playing at the start, but stop in the middle of the process.

– Observing their reaction when there is no music at start, but there comes music in the middle of the process.

9.Making a video about the East Village. The main idea is to explore the difference in that area between the morning, noon, evening and night.

10. Creating three “areas” in a place (Maybe in a park or in front of our school). These areas are “Kiss in Here” “Hug in Here” and “Smoke in here”. Observing people’s reactions in different times of the day.