Final Proposal

The theme of my final project will be exploring my family, focusing on personal stories about the Holocaust and Jewish Identity.

Before I say what I propose for the project, I will define what it should not be. The thing I am most afraid of is that the piece will simply be a historical account of the Holocaust with talking heads and interviews. I’m afraid it won’t be personal - representing me and my family - nor touching for the audience/user, not allowing him/her to learn something new. An example of such a piece would be the introductory archival footage I used in my rough edit that I presented earlier in the semester. Such a documentary simply shows archival and interviews, remaining didactic.

The experience that I am striving for is a way for the audience to choose which story or experience to explore. This is somewhat dependent on the technology I choose to utilize for the project. In general, the audience would sit in front of a screen, which would display my family sitting at a dinner table. The audience would cycle one by one sitting at the head of the audience’s table set up by the input (perhaps computer with mouse), and will choose which character to explore. The video will then cut to play a personal narrative by that character. This will continue until all stories are exhausted and the full picture of my family is revealed. At the end of the video interaction, I will stand up and address the audience live, framing my self amidst the stories just experienced.

The audience interaction reflects the ideas of the work because it is a collaborative attempt by the viewers to uncover compelling stories by the family members that have a relevance in my family’s identity and growth. It allows others to explore my unique family experience, but also gives them the ability to frame where I come from.

What I need to accomplish: organize all footage, shoot/record extra family stories, construct piece with Pd, user test.