Sunday, May 8, 2011

Personal Space: Further Meditation

Who: Me, my body, and random bystanders/students

What: An opportunity for strangers to draw on me for fun while I learn something about myself and my appearance

Where: Outside of the UCen or in a bike roundabout (which would be more effective? probably UCen so people could stop, but maybe I'll move throughout the day)

When: Whenever! Probably mid-day sometime on a weekday for increased student traffic

How: I'll stand in a simple tank top and shorts (I'm not really comfortable standing in a swimsuit, although that would provide more skin exposure...) with markers surrounding me. I'll either create a sign that says something eye catching like "Answer a question, draw on a stranger" or I'll just call out to people to ask them to participate. I'll then ask them a question about myself and they'll have to write their answer somewhere on my visible body based solely on their first impression of me. By the end of the day I hope to be covered in stereotypes/assumptions/funny guesses, at which point I will attempt to wash away all the ink.

Why: I think this project would tie in really well with the title of the assignment. My physical body is essentially my personal space--having strangers come up and write on me as if I were unconscious at a party breaks the barrier through physical touch and hopefully the mental connection I hope to make with these people. I'll be asking them questions that they won't know how to correctly answer because they will be about me. The questions reflect my beliefs, my appearance, my likes/dislikes, etc. They reflect my persona. I think it'll be a fun and interactive way to force myself to be more outgoing as well as to learn what vibes I give off as a person. At the end when I wash the ink away I may choose to leave "correct" answers, or I'll get rid of everything as a symbolic act of not letting others define who I am. Also, I think documenting my body covered in ink words would look really awesome :)

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