WRT205:CriticalResearch

Instructor:JanaRosinski
AlienInquiry

In
AlienPhenomenology
,IanBogostgivesustwomethodsforengagingwithnonhumans:
ontographyandcarpentry.Inthisproject,youwillusethesemethodstomakesomething
thatexplorestheaffordancesandlimitationsofBogostsmethodstouncoversomesmall
pieceofthealieneveryday.
AlienInquiryComponents:
DesignMap
OntographyExploration
WeeklyMakerReports
CarpentryProject
ObjectLesson
InventoryofAffect/Effect
DesignMap
Youwilldraft,throughacombinationofmediaandwords,asmallnetwork/worknetof
explorationforyourobject.Youmustarticulateanobjectoffocus,whatinterestsyouabout
thisobject,whatyouwanttouncover(thiswilllikelyshift/developthroughresearching),and
aroughmappingofwhatnetworkofaffects/effectsyouwanttosituateitwithinwith
particularattentiontotherelationshipswithinthenetwork/worknet.

Ontographies:MappingObjectWorlds

Youwillpickanonhumanobjecttoinvestigate.Eachinvestigationshouldinvolve
documentingtheobject(throughimages/graphicsmapping,video,audio),examiningthe
objectintermsofcoursereadings,andexploringtheworldoftheobject.Researchwillbe
conductedthroughacombinationofprimary(interactionwiththeobjectofanalysis)and
secondary(sourcebased)methods.Eachontographywillbeframedthroughadesignplan,
andrhetorical(designer/writer/maker)choiceswillbeaccountedforthroughaninventoryof
effect/affect.Whatwillbecreatedastheontographywilldifferdependingontheindividual
andtheobjectofanalysis,buteachwillattendtoamethod(orcombinationofmethods)and
media/umfromthecoreofourresearchwork.

Furthermore,youwillmakesomethingthatsimulatestheworldorexperienceofyour
object.

Carpentry:MakingtheObjectExperience
Carpentryisthecreationofamachinethatattemptstosimulatetheexperienceofan
object.Bogostsnotionofcarpentrydescribeshowmakingthingsisawayofdoing
philosophy.Suchworkinvolvesmakingthingsthatexplainhowthingsmaketheirworld,
anditmeansthatwecreateamachinethattriestoreplicatetheunitoperationofanothers
experiencearepresentationoftheworldthatmakesandismadebytheobject.This
approachinsiststhatengagingobjectsinvariousways(beyondwritingaboutorobserving
them)isacrucialpartofunderstandinghowobjectsrelateandinteract.

Collecting,ConnectingandCuratingTools
YouwilluseEvernoteandPocket/Instapapertokeeprecordofexploration.Bookmarkthings
ofinterestyoufindonetheweb,keepannotationswithnotesand#keywords,keep
inventoryofyourexplorationswithscreenshotsandphotosoraudiosoundbytes.

ObjectLesson
Basedonintersectionsofyourontographyandcarpentryexplorations,youwillwritea3
pageessayaboutyourobjectinthestyleof
TheAtlantics
ObjectLessonsseries.

MakerReports
Asidefromyourownexploration,IwillaskyoutokeepanotebooktitledMakerReport.

Eachweek,youwillcomplete1-2pagereportsaboutyourproject.Theseareinformal
reports,andtheyareaspaceforyoureportonyourprogress,discussanythingyou've
learnedaboutthevariousnonhumanswithwhichyou'reinteracting,reflectonhowyour
experiencesintersectwithourreadings,oranyotherinformationthatyouthinkmighthelp
you(ortherestoftheclass)gaininsightintoyourproject.
InventoryofAffects/Effects
Inadditiontocreatingaworkofcarpentryandontography,youwillwritea2pagereflection
ontheproject.Thispaperwillopenupwhatyoucametolearnaboutyourobjectbasedon
theintersectionsofyourresearchingandmaking,explainhowyou'veincorporatedconcepts
fromclass,andlayoutwhatyouhopeyourprojectaccomplishes.Youmightdetailsmall
successesandfailures,limitationsofyourprojectbasedonmaterialconstraints(whatyou
wantedtomakewasoutofreach),momentsofshiftingfocus,momentsofunderstandingor
alignmentofconceptsintheoryandapplication,whatyouunderstandaboutyourobject
differentlyanditsimpactinyourlocalizedmaking,etc.