- This event has passed.
Thesis Defence: Bonding With the Screen: Forming Connections Through Digital Landscapes
July 10 at 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Bengi Agcal, supervised by Dr. Aleksandra Dulic, will defend their thesis titled “Bonding With the Screen: Forming Connections Through Digital Landscapes” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies.
An abstract for Bengi Agcal’s thesis is included below.
Defences are open to all members of the campus community as well as the general public. Please email aleksandra.dulic@ubc.ca to receive the Zoom link for this defence.
ABSTRACT
Forming Connections Through Digital Landscapes explores the intersection of digital art, migration, and environmental awareness. Through personal narratives and creative research, this work investigates how storytelling within 3D digital environments can bridge complex temporalities and spatial disconnections amid environmental destruction and global diaspora. The thesis introduces two digital narratives, “The 8th Continent” and “BAI BAI” which explore and visually represent the experiences of dislocation and psychological distance encountered in migration and environmental crises. Respectively, “The 8th Continent” addresses the ubiquitous issue of plastic pollution through an interactive digital world, encouraging global dialogue and participatory art practices to reduce psychological distances related to environmental concerns; “BAI BAI” focuses on the personal narrative of migration, using a mystical water tiger avatar to explore stages of migration shock, rejection, vulnerability, and recovery through immersive digital and physical spaces to materialize the experience of multi-temporality. Through these narratives, the research examines how digital and immersive technologies can be a means to ground and contextualize the experiences of time and space for individuals facing geographical and psychological displacement. The integration of 3D digital art and storytelling demonstrates that these technologies can foster a sense of interconnectedness among individuals and the environments they inhabit, offering new ways to engage with the complexities of migration and environmental destruction. This thesis demonstrates how digital spaces can serve as platforms for profound engagement with personal and global challenges, proposing an understanding of how digital and physical realities can unite to foster a deeper connection to our world.
