Biography
Biography: Demetra Englezou
Abstract
Motion Vibes is an educational project that teaches motion design exclusively to deaf people with an artistic inclination. The Motion Vibes was born due to the need to teach effectively Motion Design to hearing-impaired students.
The objective of the Motion Vibes project has been to draw upon the pedagogical advancements of teaching music to the deaf and to reserve the method from creating music through visual components to creating motions graphics inspired by music. The project began with volunteer students from the European University of Cyprus. Some of the students were studying for Graphic Design degree (BA), while others study Computer Science or Educational courses. All the participating students were deaf or hard-of hearing. Each class session lasted around two and a half hours, the first forty minutes of which were dedicated to theory and to explaining the various procedures we would apply. A sign-language interpreter translated all the necessary information that the students needed to understand the main objective of the project. The rest of the class time was taken up by practical demonstrations and applications of the project. This study is just the beginning of an investigation that will provide many solutions to current creative problems and help us develop new pedagogical methods of teaching moving graphics to deaf students. Despite all obstacles to the process of teaching motion design to deaf students, the results were very satisfactory. The whole process was a great experience for both the students and the Lecturers. The students expressed their enthusiasm for the course and felt that they discovered a new path of expression, that of moving creation. They had also said that by the end of the course they had a better understanding of the relation between sound (through vibrations) and moving images. The world of the deaf is a world of incredible depth and surprises. The main finding of this project has been that motion design is a course that does indeed need special modifications in order to accommodate the learning needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing students, but not one that lies beyond their reach. The possibilities are tremendous, and with the rapid evolution of technological tools, new opportunities and tools for the exploration of motion graphics through visual and tactile aids, immerge every day. The next task in this project will be to create a narrative story that utilizes motion images and sound, by applying these same techniques. By the end of the workshop the students were able to put together a motions design film with various transformations and shapes following the musical pattern. The general concept was based on the creation of action and reaction according to the vibrations of the music. Interestingly enough, the animations created by the students expressed not only the emotions we communicated to them via the various images, but also reflected their own emotional state as well. In the end, the animated paintings were a combination of the feelings of their own inner world and of the influence of sound, and the different colors used in the film also bear evidence to this automate mechanism.