In a strange turn of events, this entire semester of Ceramics has been devoted to my decision of deleting my existence out of the social network of this generation. It began in a sort of "protest to the masses" and has now been boiled down to a refinement of the ideas that get lost in such a technology.
Or, rather, face-to-face relationships and everything that exists within them; emotions, body language, eye-contact, inflection, time, etc.
So came the idea to elaborate on the part of me that enjoys making things for others and gifting something that has a personal tie to our friendship. Whether it be a heartfelt message on how much I miss them, care about them, need them or I will explode or an inside joke or phrase that reminds me terribly of conversations we've had in the past and most likely future.
Tiles, in the shape of the comment icon on Facebook were made with an extruder die and a pug machine. (Kind of like Plah-doh). Each were covered in 2 layers of underglaze and were carved into to reveal the bottom-most color.
In a wonderful observation of this process, my hand-writing was retained in the text despite carving.
Some were set to find or given in person. I will be recording my experiences around these as I continue to give them away.
And some are being mailed. Funny, I sent a text to those I needed addresses for and was bombarded within 15 minutes with all but one of those addresses along with sentiments of "Miss you" "Hope all is well" and "I was thinking of you, glad you texted!" Huh, funny what a little thought can do re-attach you with others.
More reactions to follow. Also, a second phase.
Coming soon...
Facebook Suicide Phase 2: The "Like" Button
Links I've stumbled upon or been given in the development of this project:
Losing interest in Facebook
Psychiatrist Fears for Facebook Generation
Why Technology is so Addictive and How You Can Avoid It
Adbusters: Facebook Suicide
I think you should give this a "like" thumbs up.
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