Projects

Kanzul Fatima Arif

Hochschule Darmstadt

2023

M.A.: Expanded Media, Immersive Installation

In 2007 the Taliban insurgency took place in Swat, Pakistan, and Swat as we knew it had forever changed. The war officially ended in 2009, however, area-specific outbreaks continued resulting in the shooting of Malala Yousufzai in 2012. Even though the Taliban were declared officially defeated in Swat two years later and the 1.6 million Internally Displaced People (IDPs) were able to return home, women continue to have little access to public spaces and education to date. Objective The project aims to virtually relive a memory in which women roamed freely in Mingora Bazaar, and their haunting absence was not yet pronounced. Using mixed reality, I want to bring back the women to Mingora Bazaar. A key focus of this thesis is to demonstrate the absence of Pakistani women in public spaces in Northern Pakistan. It explores the categorical change in the visual image of a bazaar in Mingora Swat where women have been removed from public spaces in the aftermath of the Taliban Insurgency. Research includes analysing artistic works in Film, Photography, Media Art Installations, and Immersive Journalism, particularly in the context of oppressive regimes in the modern Islamic World and its impact on women. Where are the women? This thesis takes on an intimate introspection to the situation in Swat, Pakistan from the perspective of the artist. In a practical realization of this, a Virtual Reality Prototype has been produced of an installation that uses interviews, video footage, and interactive virtual space to create an immersive experience for audiences to be able to visualise the absence of women in the Mingora bazaar. Women reappear in a spatial limbo that exists at the cusp of the past and the present in Swat. Elements of nostalgia and sounds of a distant past populate this virtual space and bring back the essence of femininity that is missing in the Mingora of today. Through this project, I want to start a conversation about the absence of women in the public space in the northern areas of Pakistan. While doing so I also want to relive a time in Swat where women could freely be part of the public space.

Aisha Scott

Hochschule Darmstadt

2023

M.A.: Expanded Media, Immersive Installation

You are visiting the Technik Museum Speyer to learn about the Apollo missions when a little robot notices your potential to become an astronaut. It tells you that it needs your help with an important task: to land a man on the Moon. Now, together with the A.I. known as M.O.R.G.A.N., you will get a chance to go back in time and meet Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, and JoAnn Morgan, and assist them in completing the greatest mission of the 20th century! Can you achieve this goal and land the first man on the Moon?

Objective
This Master’s project is about the creation of a concept for an exhibition on the Apollo 11 mission designed for children aged ten to twelve. It is customized for use at the space exhibition “Apollo and Beyond” in the Technik Museum Speyer.

The main goal of the project is to develop a concept for an interactive and educational experience which is tailored to the target group. The museum visitors should gain an insight into the topic of space exploration and also learn about the Apollo mission in an engaging and playful way. The idea is not for them to learn as much as possible in a short amount of time, but rather to steadily teach them, pique their interest, and spark their enthusiasm in the subject.

Scientific Education for Children
The project concept is based on intensive research, beginning with facts about the Apollo mission and the requirements of a museum. However, since the overall goal was to inspire children, it was especially crucial to research their interests and ways of learning. In order to achieve this, interviews were conducted with an astronomy and physics teacher, an employee of the European Space Education Resource Office (ESERO), and the technical manager of a planetarium, all people who devote themselves to children’s education and the conveyance of scientific content.

After completing the research, a concept for an interactive exhibition was created using the knowledge gained from the previous steps. A special focus was placed on storytelling, which is the heart of the experience, and the interactive story guides the visitors through the experience while ensuring that they feel immersed in what is happening and thus retain interest.

With the integration of modern technology combined with visitor involvement and interactive components, we were able to create a final concept that was subsequently converted into various prototypes. The final step of the project encompassed thoughts on how the concept could be realized.

Arifa Asif

Hochschule Darmstadt

2023

M.A.: Expanded Media, Immersive Installation

The existence of life as we know it is dependent on the richness and variety of species that inhabit our planet. It was the huge diversity of flowers that marked the terrestrial revolution on earth which led to the present form of life. This diversity of flowers is not only important to the ecosystem but also holds immense value for evolution. People appreciate the beauty and diversity of flowers, yet fail to extend the same level of respect and recognition to the diversity of human genders. This lack of appreciation for human diversity is a significant problem and requires urgent rectification. Flora is an immersive experience that is unique in its approach to fighting against transphobia. Its purpose is to foster empathy within society for transgender individuals. At the core of this campaign is the idea of rehumanizing transgender people, with the aim of changing the way society views and treats them. This project has two main phases: the first phase aims to raise awareness through social media, while the second phase involves an immersive exhibition. This exhibition features a range of exciting components, including scenography, AR paintings, and merchandise. Birds of Paradise The motivation behind the campaign is rooted in addressing discrimination against transgender individuals. A lack of understanding about transgender people is a major cause of transphobia. In the Western world media campaigns and marches have helped to increase awareness of the LGBTQ+ community and promote their rights and acceptance in society. While there are existing campaigns to increase awareness and understanding of transgender issues, our approach aims to further build upon these efforts and offer a unique perspective. We aim to portray transgender individuals as normal human beings with a wide range of emotions and immersive experiences. By doing so, our mission is to dispel the notion that they are different from us and to promote empathy and understanding. Our immersive approach to this campaign ensures that the message is impactful and long-lasting. The heart of our campaign is the concept of rehumanization of transgender individuals, as we seek to change the way society perceives and treats them. The concept proposed to draw a parallel between the diversity of flowers and the diversity of human gender, emphasizing the importance of embracing and celebrating individual differences. The idea was inspired by the critical role that flower diversity has played in human evolution, and the concept aimed to highlight the value of recognizing and appreciating the diversity of human genders. To effectively symbolize this connection, we decided to use the bird of paradise flower. This flower was chosen because it is a visually striking plant species that thrives in tropical paradises, despite its resemblance to a bird. By selecting the bird of paradise as a symbol of the connection between flower diversity and human gender diversity, the concept aimed to promote a positive and empowering message that could inspire individuals to be more accepting and supportive of others. The project journey of Flora involved extensive research, planning, and development to create a comprehensive and impactful campaign that raised awareness about the issues faced by the transgender community in India and Pakistan. The project journey is designed to give a clear overview of the project after developing the whole experience concept. The project journey of Flora is divided into 3 parts: 1. Pre-campaign 2. Immersive exhibition 3. Merchandise for a cause

Iqra Naeem

Hochschule Darmstadt

2023

M.A.: Expanded Media, Immersive Installation

زنیگدﻧزیدازآ pronounced as Zan, Zendegi, Azadi, is a three-word Persian slogan, meaning “Women, Life, Freedom”. These three words exactly define the goal of this project. Women harassment and abuse are persisting issues that still exist in the age of social media, and increasing with a rapid race. While the problem is widely recognized, the focus must now shift towards finding effective solutions. This thesis digs into the roots of harassment, with a specific emphasis on developing and male-dominant countries, aiming to understand why such injustices persist. The proposed experience seeks to engage the audience actively in a freedom movement of the new Iranian revolution.

Simulating oppressive confinement
The journey begins with interactive storytelling through immersive installations. Subsequently, participants become part of an escape room, experiencing the oppressive confinement faced by these women. The experience aims to evoke frustration and rage, simulating the never-ending losses that women endure, even when they make right choices and stand on the path of justice. By fostering empathy, the audience gains insight into the emotional turmoil experienced by women in these circumstances. The next stages of the project involve a social media campaign, urging individuals from both Eastern and Western societies to help the oppressed women. The central argument is that empowerment through education is the fundamental solution to combating harassment and achieving lasting change. We are also working on launching a website, an open platform where volunteers can sign up to collaborate with us to provide education and learning to the women in need.

Leopold Hotz

Hochschule Darmstadt

2023

B.A.: Motion Pictures, Film

The bachelor project “Space Weather” is a 15-minute long short film drama, which shows the young scientist Claire, 29, who is in a rigorous selection process for a future space mission. The demanding training and education are not leaving her unaffected; she starts to notices the physical and mental exhaustion clearly. A downward spiral of health begins, and it’s only a matter of time until Claire has to make the most important decision in her life. The bachelor-team behind “Space Weather” consists of Leopold Hotz (directing & writing), Clara Dörholt (production & set-design) and Maxim Kuznetsov (camera & editing). Shooting & Locations “Space Weather” was financed with grants from the HAB-graduation funding, as well as funding from the regional film commission HessenFilm and Medien, a crowdfunding and private financial means. The film was shot in a total of 9 days with shooting mostly taking place in the area of Bad Kreuznach, where the “Rotenfels”, a high cliff surrounded by forests, steep paths and other interesting features, gave the setting for the training the aspiring astronauts have to go through in the story. Further shooting took place at the Frankfurt Airport for a rocket-launch scene, Darmstadt’s Darmstadtium, which got dressed as a space organisation’s headquarter, and the Virtual Production Studio “Rising Phoenix” for a scene in space, which is also located in Frankfurt. Production Challenges The team learned a lot during the production. It was the first time for cast & crew to make use of the technology “Virtual Production” (VP), which meant there had to be some preparations made beforehand. With this technology a LED wall was utilised to display pre-generated backgrounds. Together with the in real-life built interior of a space station and the tracking of the camera through sensors in the studio, a realistic effect and blend of generated and real elements was achieved. For the shooting days in the Darmstadtium and surrounding locations, the focus was on the larger scale production design, such as fully decorating the headquater and Claire’s office, her flat and the training hall of the astronauts. To immerse the viewer into the world of the space industry, a dominant production design was prepared and used, such as flags, shirts and jackets, stickers and banners. For the first shooting day, an observation point at the Fraport, around 30 background actors supported the production. The most challenging part was shooting at the Rotenfels. Extreme weather conditions, very cold temperatures, heavy snowfall and difficult logistics demanded everything from the cast & crew. In the end the shared experience created a strong bond between all team members and improved the film’s visuals greatly. In the staging and later in the editing the focus was to especially show the contrast between mental exhaustion at work and a prestigious personal and professional goal, such as becoming an astronaut while dealing with severe fatigue and the coherent symptoms, decisions and consequences. The main goal is to show a very current and dominant social issue as well as giving insights into a somewhat obscure but future-oriented industry. Further head of departments Daniel Erben (sound), Sophie Maag (costume design), Michelle Frey (co-writer), Lucas Yalaza (producer), Eduard Eisinger (production manager), Nathalie Weiss (make-up), Daniela Hilsdorf (lighting), Denis Schörnig (Virtual Production), Vincent Ruhl (score)

Hesamaddin Yousefi

Hochschule Darmstadt

2023

B.A.: Motion Pictures, Film

Im Film „Tod ist nicht mein Schicksal“ werden die bemerkenswerten Bemühungen von Frauenrechtsaktivistinnen Bahar Munzir und Laveh Mohammad verfolgt. Der Film beleuchtet ihren Einsatz im Fall der Ermordung von Darya, einer Frau, die von ihrem eigenen Bruder wegen Ehrenschutz getötet wurde. Trotz dieser tragischen Tat stellt die Familie des Opfers keine Anzeige. Im Verlauf des Films werden die Aktivistinnen mit zahlreichen rechtlichen Hürden konfrontiert und nicht einmal Zugang zu den Akten des Falls erhalten. Ein Höhepunkt des Films ist Bahar Munzirs Enthüllung, dass das Gericht den Täter, der Darya getötet hat, zu einer siebenjährigen Gefängnisstrafe verurteilt hat. Der 26-minütige Film bietet tiefe Einblicke in die Aktivitäten von Frauenrechtskämpferinnen, insbesondere in die bemerkenswerte Arbeit von Bahar Munzir, im Herzen des irakischen Kurdistans. Neben den rechtlichen Herausforderungen ermöglicht der Film auch einen Blick in das persönliche Leben der Protagonistinnen. Eckdaten zum Film Buch/Regie/Kamera/Schnitt: Hesam Yousefi Musik: Firmesk Hafez & Dlzar Abedi Protagonistinnen: Bahar Munzir, Laveh Mohammad, Shukriyeh Kurdi Genre: Dokumentarfilm Originalsprache: Kurdisch /// Untertitel: Deutsch Länge: 26 MinFertigstellungsdatum: Juli 2023 Aufnahmeformat: Digital Auflösung: 4K Seitenverhältnis: 16:9 Filmfarbe: Farbe Ton: Stereo