Friday, October 28, 2011

Presentations:

“Using technology to adapt to changes in cultural experiences due to disability”
David Fourney (Mechanical and Industrial Engineering)

One’s lifespan is defined by change. With age comes disability. Hearing loss is the third most chronic disability among older adults and the fastest growing hidden disability in North America. It affects 25% of adult Canadians and 46% of those aged 45-87. With this life change, one also undergoes a change in how one experiences elements of hearing culture, such as music. Desired access to, and participation in shared cultural experiences of music changes or is lost entirely. This research uses technology to explore ways to represent the emotional, entertainment, and aesthetic elements of music to those who cannot hear it.

“The Story of Fashion and the Cherry Tree”
Sarah Portway (Fashion)

This presentation will describe the process of re-thinking fashion in accessible and relate-able terms by borrowing a cherry tree analogy to describe the sustainability model championed by William McDonough and Michael Braungard in Cradle-to-Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things (2002). The central concepts from this text will be briefly related to the fashion industry in idealistic, forward thinking, and ‘big-picture’ terms. This discussion is designed to create an environment for open dialogue between the speaker and listener.