Emily Wang: Midterm Portfolio – #3 Captions of Tactile Graphics

Project Description:

As my tactile still image describes the scene of the sea, the beach, and the people on a normal sunny afternoon, I choose to use poetic language to present my scene. Since I’m a sea lover, I always record the motion of the sea when I go to the beach with my friends and sit there for the whole day. Therefore, for the visual part, I go through my album and select several clips I shot and edit them together.

Documentation:

Transcript:

The poem:

The afternoon sun casts its glow, a golden sheen over the sea, Waves, in their endless dance, rush towards the shore, free and spree. Each wave, a breath of the ocean’s might, crashes, then retreats in flight, Tides ebb and flow, a gentle force, painting patterns of silver light.

Sand, underfoot, shifts with each wave’s touch, a soft, warm embrace, Grains, fine and countless, slip between toes, leaving a fleeting trace. The touch of sand, a whisper against the skin, both tender and slight, In its embrace, stories of the deep, of winds and time’s might.

Here, where water meets land, the dance of waves and tides ensue, A spectacle of power and grace, in shades of emerald and blue. Each touch of sand, each wave’s caress, a sensory delight, In this moment, under the afternoon sun, where everything feels right.

Reflection questions: 

What is the theme of the work? What is it you aim to express?

The theme of the work is to express the spirit of the sea, the waves, and the beach to my audiences and providing them a multisensory and immersive experience. I aim to express the theme by narratives, sound, background music, and visual.

How is that theme particularly expressed through the modality of the week?

I tried to really make use of the beauty of language. Instead of using descriptive language, I added similes and metaphors to stimulate the audience’s imagination. I believe that’s a better way to convey the theme and help audiences build the visual in their own mind.

Which elements of the work are beautifully/wonderfully/perfectly expressed through the modality?

The poetic touch. The visuals and captions are also beautifully pressed.

Which elements are lost or inexpressible through the modality of the week?

Since it’s text describe sound, I think the artistry of the work is lost a little bit.

Who does this project exclude? Who would not be able to interact with this work? Who is this modality not accessible for?

People with visual impairment. It would be hard for them to identify the visual only through the content of voice-over.

Now that you’ve identified who is excluded, what is one way you could remix this piece to include another population? (You don’t have to make this part, but think about it and write about it)

One way is to add an audio description. For instance, in the beginning part, I could have the voice-over read out ‘Black screen. You can only hear the sound of waves, like the rhythmic rise and fall of a gentle breath’.

For the remixes: what is lost and what is gained in this remix? What did you have to leave behind and what could you take with you?

Through the remix, the vividness of the sea is definitely gained. Audiences are able to understand the sea and the beach through watching, hearing, and feeling the words. However, tactile is lost. They cannot touch the ‘sand’ or smell the ‘waves’. One thing I could take with me is that when you think of who your audiences are, always be thoughtful and thorough. Always think how can you enhance certain aspect of your work to make it inclusive.