Unstrange_me
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Semiotic analysis Francesca and Augustina
Signs:
As signs in our “design”-intervention we used the buildings (or other elements) in Blaak. Signifier: The buildings represented in the pictures.
Signified: The city of Rotterdam itself.
Kind of sign: Index.
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Another sign we used are the snap-picture.
Signifier: A small picture representing two persons in a city environment Signified: Two persons trying to fit in the big frame of the city.
Kind of sign: Symbol.
The cards we gave the participants also is a sign
Signifier: a small piece of paper of the same size of a snap-shot, with some useful information (Instagram account).
Signified: a memory of a shared moment.
Kind of sign: it resembles the snap-shots: Icon
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Provenance/fixing:
Asking people to take picture of us as we were tourists.
Production: a series of Snap pictures of us, taken and composed by the participants. Distribution: An Instagram account collecting all the (digital) pictures of the snapshots, photographed in the real place where they were previously taken.
Affordance of the design?
We used the affordance of the snap-shots that need time to expose for the picture to appear, in that waiting moment we could talk with the participants and getting in a closer contact with them. We also used the affordance of the small frame of the snap-shot as a space blank space where people can sign their designed picture. Almost all of them get caught by the curiosity of seen the picture to appear and were happy to sign, afterwards.
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(Un)strange me is a live intervention created and executed by two Willem de Kooning students (Graphic Design and Audio Visual) who live in Rotterdam, but come from abroad. The two students ask people to take pictures of them near one of the many famous buildings in Blaak Station. The picture is a tool to start conversation as well as a exercise to see how strangers view each other. While the picture exposes, the photographer is asked to sign the picture, take a card with the Instagram account and answer a couple questions / have a small conversation. All the pictures are published on Instagram, while the actual pictures are archived on a map.
The fixing of the projects is the concept of asking for a picture. This hints towards tourists, but also helps approach strangers in a less personal way. This first question does not require a lot of time or talk, only a favour. The favour is rewarded when the photographer becomes curious about how the instax photo will look. The time period during which the image exposes (allowance of the tool) allows us to ask the person a couple questions and explain our task. This means that the production of the picture is very specific and chosen for a clear purpose. Similarly, the distribution is very specific - we have chosen the square near Blaak Station due to the high number of interesting buildings. This allows to clearly see what the people imagine to be the most important location, but also shows how they approach strangers (distance from the camera, angle, amount of questions asked, directions given before taking the picture, etc.). Another important choice is the change of experience - the participant is the designer and we are only a tool for them to create a product. The composition, location and pose is chosen by the photographer. Of course, our conversation is equally important, but the role exchange is what allows us to have the conversation in the first place. Framing also takes place - the action of taking a picture allows the participant to frame the city (his/her favorite building in Blaak), to frame us in the picture (shows his/her connection to strangers), to frame us in their memory (as strangers who asked for a picture on March 11th/12th).
During the conversation it was possible to make clear the intention of the project: make locals more aware of the expatriates, the strangers, trying to adjust in the “social fabric”, helping them to fit in the frame of the city. The action of taking a picture is short and simple, so the people on the street are more willing to start a conversation. Also, the instax and the exposure time gives space for more questions. It seemed most natural to start the conversation about ourselves - “we are from WdKA, this is a social project to connect with other people, we are not from the Netherlands”. This automatically helped connect with the participants. Everyone has some personal story about people from other countries and this becomes the first topic. Either personal experience, experience of friends/family, or a wish to leave/stay in the Netherlands. This leads comments, suggestions, etc. to us, however we are no longer strangers, who asked for a picture, but people who have something in common with them as well as have the same goal - to see the picture. If the conversation is successful and the chosen participant is interested in the instax, then our task is done - we have unstranged the stranger by letting them unstrange us.
