All the world's a stage, And all the men and women [and artifacts of technology] merely players.
In 1959 Erving Goffman published The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life drawing a comparison between social interactions and the imagery of theatre. I use Goffman’s analogy to encompass not only interactions between people, but also interactions between people, technology, and their mediated environments. Performances are actions. From actions, behavior becomes the object of study. As a researcher and interaction designer, I infuse my designs with the knowledge I’ve collected in observing and analyzing human behavior as performances using or with technology.
My name is Jenifer Vandagriff and I am a second year Digital Media masters student at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA. I am an artist, researcher, and designer focused on the impact of digital media technology on the human experience. I consider my life task to examine the social and cultural impacts of science and technology, and address the problems emerging from this analysis through innovative research and design. It is my end goal to design meaningful and satisfying digital artifacts as solutions to meet the complex challenges of communication and expression in the 21st century.
My particular interest is in the intersection of performance and digital media technology. Using research in digital performance as a lens on the human experience and human-computer interaction, I am eager to explore social and media interactions across the spectrum of digital media ranging from games, to social networks, to performance art.
As a digital media artist, I am influenced by 20th century Avant-garde, particularly by the Futurist movement whose focus was on power, speed, technology and man’s relationship to machine. My artistic work is driven by research, experimentation, and innovation with new technology. Currently I am working with both mobile and augmented reality technology.
-- Jenifer Vandagriff
Follow Me - Master's Project | Links Coming Soon
Follow Me is an web application activist campaign tool for promoting site-specific digital performances using mobile technology. Digital Performance is used as a tactic by activists for transforming the social reality of the mediatized city. Activists target specific campaign sites and address issues through online content creation and physical mobile performances in the urban landscape. Mobile technology is used a means for mapping campaign target sites with performance missions and is also used as a part of performances.
Urban Remix
Urban Remix combines location-based cellphone technology, a database, and a web application to allow citizens to record and store media such as sound, images, and ultimately videos in their city and position them in a digital map. I am working on this project as a part of a Network Music course taught by Jason Freeman. In the class our semester long project is continuing the development of several components including a web application, mobile applications for various phones, and a plugin for djs and video djs. My main role is interaction and user interface design for the web application.
Growing Up American: The Myth of Eternal Youth
A game made in the unreal game engine.
Erosion: The Erosion of Safe Sex Practices
A safe-sex simulation game.
Club Verona
A digital performance of Romeo and Juliet.
Digitl Archive of Digital Performance
A prototype for a digital archive of digital performance.
Breakdance Experiment: Testing Liveness in Mixed Media Spaces
Testing audience perception of liveness in mixed media spaces.
PROCESSING the Hip Hop Aesthetics
The following is a reel of coding projects done in Fall 2008 using the Processing language. The theme of my projects was the hip hop aesthetics. The projects include a synthesizer clock, a graffiti art brush, a digital spoken word peice based on the philosophy of 'Women of Color', a mashup of UrbanDicitionary.com, and the creation of artificial intelligence agents based on Atlanta graffiti artist Totem's Mr. Fangs character. The final project I created was a DJ game, not shown in the reel.
Mapping Truth and Justice in Liberia: an Interactive Mapping Project
The task for this project was to design an interactive map depicting uncommon or unfamiliar information about a space. This is information that is not readily represented on most maps of the same space. The intention of this interactive map was a way to visualize the data collected from the Georgia Tech Liberia project and to share the stories of the people, the project, and the healing of Liberia.
Machinima Futurista: Real-time Live-Action and Machinima
A reinvisioning of the 1916 Italian Futurist film Vita Futurista. The film consists of nine segments, each outling an aspect of the futurist mentality. The project uses augmented reality technology to create the hybrid of live action and animation. The composited image is created in real time- no green screens! For more information on the technology used visit: arsecondlife.gvu.gatech.edu
JENIFER VANDAGRIFF
School of Literature, Communication, & Culture
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332-0165
jenifer[DOT]vandagriff[AT]lcc[DOT]gatech[DOT]edu
EDUCATION
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 2008-present
M.S. Digital Media
PUBLICATIONS
Vandagriff, Jenifer and Nitsche, Michael (2009) “Women Creating Machinima”, Digital Creativity, 20:4, 277-290.
CONFERENCES & PRESENTATIONS
"Performing Spaces and Digital Design", Panelist for TEXTURES - The 6th European Meeting of the Society for Literature, Science and the Arts, Riga, Latvia, 2010
“Theorizing Performance in Virtual Space”, Invited Speaker at Goldsmiths, London, UK, June 2009
“Virtual Performance Project”, Poster Presentation at ACC Undergraduate Meeting of the Minds Research Conference, FSU, 2008
“Second Life Augmented Reality—Virtual Performance Project”, Poster Presentation at Georgia Tech Undergraduate Research Symposium, April 3, 2008
“Italian Futurism Cinema: Technological and Cultural Impacts”, Poster Presentation at Georgia Tech Undergraduate Research Symposium, April 4, 2007
ART & PERFORMANCE
Club Verona, April 29, 2009 Co-director of a mixed-media modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, with performances by live and virtual breakdancers. Drama Tech Black Box Theater, Atlanta GA
Mixed-Media Breakdance Experiment, Fall 2008 Director of a mixed-media performance between live and virtual breakdancers. Presented at the 2008 Winter LCC Demo Day
Museum of the Mind, 2007, 3 minute 40 second Producer and Director for submission to inaugural 48 Hour Film Project Machinima Competition. Shown on 48.tv (http://ww2.48.tv/bin/index.cfm/id/86e920e6-c83a-4795-849f-f1b961c12a0b)
Machinima Futurista, 2007, 8 minute 19 second Creator and Director of a hybrid machinima and live-action piece using augmented reality technology and recorded in real time.
SKILLS
User Experience: User Testing, Strategic Planning, Task Analysis, Interviews, Surveys, Ethnography, Focus Groups, Wireframes
Research: Research Design, Analysis, Documentation, Data Research and Presentation
Design: Brainstorming, Design Research, Idea Generation, Presentation, Visual Design, Web Design, Prototyping
Tools: Dreamweaver, Final Cut Pro, Flash, Illustrator, Maya, Photoshop, Virtools, Microsoft Suite
Programming: Competency in Java, Python, HTML, CSS, Processing, PHP/MySQL
PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
Wesley Center for New Media, Current
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Graduate Research Assistant:
Serving as media and research director for a collaborative digital performance production combining real-time traditional and virtual
performance with research motivation for testing liveness, presence, and mediation in mixed media spaces.
IQ Interactive, Summer 2009 - Current Atlanta, GA
Experience Architect:
Conducting audience and strategic research, content strategy, usability testing, concept development, wireframing, and user flows for various clients and marketing projects.
Human Factors & Aging Lab, Fall 2008
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Graduate Research Assistant:
Designed a laboratory website geared towards recruiting older adult participants for research experiments.
Aware Home Research Initiative, Fall 2008
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Graduate Research Assistant:
Developed and designed visual branding for promoting research awareness and funding.
IQ Interactive, Summer 2008
Atlanta, GA
Customer Experience Intern & Research Analyst:
Worked with strategy department and user experience team through: industry research, usability studies, audience definition,
persona creation, wireframing, competitive analysis, and content strategy for various clients and projects.
Ivan Allen College, 2006-2008
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Student Research Assistant:
Worked on variety of public relations, event planning, web design, and advertisement projects for college recruitment and retention.
TEACHING
Bleking Institute of Technology, Spring 2009, Karlskrona, Sweden Visiting Instructor and Collaborator: Taught undergraduate students 3D modeling and design in Second Life for a Digital Performance production in collaboration with media artist Talan Memmott and Dr. Lissa Holloway-Attaway.
GRANTS
President Undergraduate Research Award Grant for Digital Poetry, 2008
President Undergraduate Research Award Grant for Italian Futurist Cinema, 2007
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION (selected)
Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association Scholarship, 2008
President Undergraduate Research Award Grant for Digital Poetry, 2008
ACC Undergraduate Meeting of the Minds Research Conference guest and presenter, 2008
Nominee for Georgia Tech Woman of Distinction, 2007
President Undergraduate Research Award Grant for Itapan Futurist Cinema, 2007
Charles and Lucille King Family Foundation Scholarship, 2007
Stars Student Assistant Scholarship, 2007
Atlanta Journal Constitution Cup, 2005
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND COLLABORATIONS
Digital Performance Initiative, 2007-Current
Digital World and Image Group, 2008-Current
Graphics, Visuapzation and Usabipty Center, 2007-Current
Buzzstudios Film Production Club, 2007-Current
Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association, 2008-Current
RELEVANT COURSEWORK
Visual Culture and Design, Principles of Interaction Design, Film, Literary and Cultural Studies, Media Studies, Object Oriented Programming, Human-Computer Interaction, Educational Technology, Online Communities
INTERESTS AND HOBBIES
Advertising, Art, Design, Digital Poetry, Event Planning, Fashion, Film, Gaming, Literature, Machinima, Media Studies, Music, Performance, Philosophy, Photography, Research, Spoken-word Poetry, Technology, Television, Video production
REFERENCES
Jay Bolter, Wesley Chair of New Media
jay [DOT] bolter [AT] lcc [DOT] gatech [DOT] edu
Michael Nitsche, Director Digital World and Image Group
michael [DOT] nitsche [AT] lcc [DOT] gatech [DOT] edu
Spring 2009
Design, Technology, & Representation
Required of all DM students. Explores historical, cultural, and theoretical issues raised by technologies of representation through critical analyses and the creation of digital artifacts.Principles of Interactive Design
Required of all DM students. Design principles of exploiting the affordances of the digital medium, including large information spaces and procedural environments.Digital Performance Project Studio
This course offers students the opportunity to work on focused research within existing long-term projects of the New Media (NM) Center. The focus of my researchis on Digital Performance.Fall 2008
Computer as an Expressive Medium
Required of all DM students. Explores the development of the representational power of the computer and the interplay between digital technology and culture.Visual Culture & Design
Required of all DM students. Explores visual media through a mutually instructive and integrated interplay between critical analyses and the creation of digital artifacts.Digital World and Image Project Studio
Summer 2008
Senior Thesis - Women in Machinima
Spring 2008
User Interface Design
Intro to Database Systems
Design of Online Communities
Media Studies
This course focuses on the study of mass media from historical, theoretical, and cultural perspectives.Fall 2007
Objects and Design
Educational Technology
Film and/as Technology
Examines the development of film technology and the implications of that technology for cinema's treatment of technology.Science, Technology, & Performance
History of Digital Media
Examines digital media in the context of earlier media, such as handwriting and printing as well as photography, radio, film, and television.Summer 2007
Film and Television
Video Production
Spring 2007
Computing & Society
Principles of Visual Design
Construction of the Moving Image
Students examine conceptual, formal, aesthetic, and technical approaches to reconsider film, video, and animation within the context of emerging digital forms. They learn to further the development of new, digital forms of the moving image by analyzing. mastering, and expanding its conventions. Students will engage in continual creation, experimentation, and analysis. This is a studio course, with regular design assignments and design critiques. The course includes work in montage editing, camerawork, storyboarding, advanced editing, streaming video, and interactive video.Major Filmmakers
Traces in depth an the artistic career of the French New Wave auteurs and affords students the opportunity to immerse themselves in the works of important figures in the world of film.Science, Technology & Human Values
Fall 2006
Intro to Object Oriented Programming
Intro to International Relations
Science, Technology, & Postmodernism
Intro to Computational Media
Students read, discuss, and write analytically about key developments in history of digital media and the work of important theorists/inventors. They critique exemplary digital artifacts from classic programs like Weizenbaum's Eliza (an automated therapist) to the latest videogames. They also create projects within key representational traditions of computational media, such as conversational characters, web archives, and simulations.Film history
Summer 2006
Intro to Film
Introduces film techniques and vocabulary in an historical and cultural context. Written texts are supplemented by viewings of specific shots, scenes, and films.Technologies of Representation
Spring 2006
Intro to Computing
English Composition II
Age of Scientific Revolution
Intro to Media Studies
This course offers an introduction to the historical development and cultural impact of various forms of media: print, radio, television, film, and interactive electronic applications.Fall 2005
English Composition 1
Intro to Science, Technology, & Culture
As the introductory course to the major in Science, Technology and Culture, this course explores the ways in which disciplines construct and represent the knowledge they generate.Intermediate Spanish I
Afficion: Moodboard
A moodboard for art I find beautiful.
fem-fATL.com
A female perspective on Atlanta lifestyle, fashion, art, nightlife, relationships, music, and news.
Digitalische.com | Coming Soon
Exploring aspects of culture formed, affected, and altered by digital technology using a combination of the humanities, social sciences, and computer science.