Celebrating the Spectacular:
Discovering the New Enabled through Performance Art.
Celebrating the Spectacular was my Master's project that was completed with Merit through Victoria University of Wellington. This is not my complete thesis, only a brief introduction into my methods and outcome. If you would like to view my full thesis please don't hesitate to ask.

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Brief.
To build momentum around the development and diversification of social inclusion, this project focuses on extending the area of immersion to the public by targeting the discipline of performance art. Through an event that aims to redefine society’s social and cultural perceptions, the promotion of prosthetics in the context of spectacular artistic performance for film or stage has the potential to generate and encourage discussion.
What is stigma and how is it caused?
Social exclusion is something that people with disabilities know all too much about, from brief interactions with people on the street, to exclusion in places or events. The root of these incidents is caused by the lack of empathy surrounding the concepts of stigma. There have been many studies analysing stigma and the effects it can cause. Simply put, stigma is an attribute of a person, that may or may not be able to change, and is perceived negatively consequently devaluing that person. My theory is that to influence change in discrimination it needs to be targeted a lot like advertising. By immersing society in a specific subject, the more ‘normal’ and accepted it would become.
Ideation.
Explorative rough sketches of lower leg prosthetics.

Concept Development.



Performance.

This design can be twisted or pulled, catching the different angles of the stage lights. Being made from a dense black floorlength material. The dress effectively conceals the prosthesis and gives no hint as to its hidden purpose until the performer reaches for the base of the dress. As the disc is lifted, the character of the dress transforms from an inconspicuous black cone into a technologically enhanced show of light and colour. It frames and reflects, and ultimately celebrates the illuminated prosthesis.
Product Accelerator Poster, 2018.
Celebrating the Spectacular:
Discovering the New Enabled through Performance Art.
Fenella Richards,
2018
Project Summary
/Interviews
/Industry Research
/Problem Analysis
/Cyclical Research
/Design analysing
/Ideation
/Material Research & Testing
/Scale Models Testing
/Full Scale Testing
/Manufacturing Process
/Ethics
/Book publishing
/Public Speaking
Software Used
/Adobe Illustrator
/Adobe Photoshop
/Rhino 3D
/Meshmixer
/Keyshot
/Artec Eva/Spider 3D scanning
/Fusion 360
Personal Development
/Empathy
/Software
/Cyclical process
/Manufacturing Process
/Communication
/Presentation
/Business and Design Relationship
/Ethics







