Me N U
A conceptual futures project
In my second year of the MFA, I am experimenting with conceptual futures design.
Drawing parallels between items of antiquity and modern concepts can help us to understand the past and more accurately cast potential futures.
This project focused on a proposterous future idea of the dating scene.
This exapmle is based on the antiquated method of getting portraits of the potential wife and making a decision on your spouse based only on their looks - much like modern day dating apps.
I was not trying to find a solution, but rather I was looking to make the viewer uncomfortable as a way to incite a process of critical analysis. As this project was designed to be a series of short films that could be aired on social media platforms as well as film festivals, a storyboard presentation worked best to communicate ideas.
In this conceptual future, dating is akin to ordering food at a restaurant. The menu is structured specifically to reflect the hierarchy of male responses I received when I asked what they looked for in a partner; the highest ranking response was looks (mains), then hobbies (appetizers), and finally personality traits (desserts). The additions are aspects that people would never specify in public but will constantly search for
anonymously
- they’re PornHub categories.
An interesting point to mention - no men would agree to participate in this project even during the storyboarding session. They did not want to be perceived in such a “grotesque” manner. So all the parts had to be played by me.