Oribaka and Deconstruction
Week 2 Reflection
Oribaka — This week we looked at the shortcomings of our language through user testing. Since I majorly contributed in framing the instructions for the lessons, the language lacked punctuation and hence there was a certain confusion to when one should pause for the other to comprehend and follow instructions. Since Oribaka is an instructional language and not conversational, it maintains a monotone and that can get boring for someone who is following the language for a long duration. However, as I practiced writing and speaking the language multiple times, I can translate the instructions fluently. When we initially constructed the language, we translated it from English to Oribaka. With more fluency and excitement that I know a new language, I can now think in Oribaka for origami.
My very first definition of Deconstruction that I came across is — dismantling our excessive loyalty to any idea and learning the aspects of the truth that might be buried in it’s opposite. Deconstruction is a philosophy of Derrida where he talks about the “opposition between writing and speech.” To deconstruction is not to destroy but to find something that has already been deconstructed. My naive understanding of this was seeing the “double meaning” or a pun in the word. The meaning of a word is part of a web of other words and their meanings (defined by all sensory characteristics). These are the closely related meanings to that word which eventualy creates a shared understanding of the meaning among everyone, for example, the meaning of the word pig is understood by having a shared understanding of the words animal, domestic, oink-oink, etc.
This week I met up with Mr. Pradeep Khanna, Executive Director of VR/AR Association, to discuss the current developments in the AR / VR world. What peaked my interest was the topic of BCI (Brain Computer Interfaces). He mentioned that in the coming years we have to be trained to look other interfaces that are beyond human sense of touch and voice. He said, “Imagine transmitting signals directly to someone’s brain that would allow them to feel specific sensory inputs, especially useful for disabled people.” It was inspiring to discuss the application of HCI design for BCI, and the wide scope of designing novel interactions for others senses (smell, taste, voice). This meeting helped me understand the kind of companies that are investing in such research and also find mentors that have an understanding of the market for AR/ VR/ MR technology in India. Most importantly, I felt proud and highly motivated that people from the industry had appreciated my work in creating immersive mapping of incidents of sexual harassment in public spaces.
