o_U: an exhibition of meme symptoms and side effects

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Actions and Outputs

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Primal Soup
The project began with a series of memes produced by the team, in order to stir up ideas and approaches to the project challenge. They were largely random and intuitive, replicating their root online ecosystem.
Meme Workshops
Between April and July 2023, four hands-on workshops with Design and Media Arts students were conducted in order to test the viability of memes as generators of communication and debate regarding COVID-related health measures.
Reels Workshop
In May 2023, a hands-on workshop with BA Design students was conducted in order to test the viability of reels as generators of communication and debate regarding COVID-related health measures.
T-shirt Prototypes
From May 2023 to May 2024, various prototypes of pandemic and science-related t-shirts were produced. These employed memes, comics and illustration aesthetics in order to test a subjective sense of belonging and a “cool” factor felt by potential consumers/wearers.
The Stolen Exhibition
In May 2023, an exhibition was presented as part of the 8th International Visual Methods Conference. The exhibition gathered a selection of content produced within the scope of the project to date. The aim was to gather feedback from researchers specialising in visual methodologies, for further methodological refinement within the project.
Infographics Workshop
In June 2023, a hands-on workshop with BA Communication Sciences students was conducted. The approach was pedagogical, and concerned the use of infographics to best translate complex health-related information and policies to a broad public.
Printed Memes Workshop
Exploring Online Memes as Pedagogical Tools in Health Knowledge and Behaviour. In September 2023, a one-hour workshop was conducted at BAMC/IAFOR Conference, Barcelona. It explored the semantic and pedagogical implications of printing and manually captioning popular memes.
The Forensic Annotation of a Fever Dream
In November 2023, an installation was presented at ARTECH2024, University of Algarve. Presented as a work-in-progress, it took the shape of a hybrid between a mind map and a forensic chart, exploring connections, contexts and influences between a range of pandemic-related visual materials.
Steal This Meme Exhibition
In December 2023, an exhibition was held at UPTEC Asprela, the technological site of the U.Porto business incubator. A broad range of printed memes was presented, and visitors were invited to take their favorites with them. The aim was to generate debate with young entrepreneurs who might incorporate emerging visual languages in their future technological solutions.
Data Comics Workshop
In February and March 2024, a three-session workshop was conducted with MA Design students. It culminated in the creation of infographics templates towards health information and pedagogy of complex data for the general public.
MDI Workshop - Anuário da Pandemia
"Anuário da Pandemia" is a publication made up exclusively of photographs that condense the individual experiences of students during the pandemic. Through a single image, each student captured their personal experience, transforming it into a visual testimony of the reality of that period. It is a synthesized photograph representing the contexts and emotions that defined this unique moment. The newspaper was conceived and produced by the students of the MA in Image Design: André Soares, António Venda Lopes, Ariana Rossel, Filipe Afonso, Guilherme Pinto, Jaime Pena, Joana Almeida, José Tulio, Júlia Menezes, Maria A. Torres, Mariane Rubinato, Mário Castro, Mayana Alvarenga, Paula Kawakami and Pedro Campos.
Design Against Disinformation Exhibition
In April-May 2024, an exhibition was held at UPTEC Baixa, the creative industries site of the U.Porto business incubator. A more sensorial approach involving projections and 3-D effects, the exhibition grew progressively to incorporate pieces produced by the visitors throughout.
o_U: an exhibition of meme symptoms and side effects
In March 2024, an exhibition of a range of project outputs was held at Maus Hábitos, a cultural venue in downtown Porto. The aim was to gather feedback from broader crowds associated with cosmopolitan culture.
Fanzines Workshop
In April 2024, a hands-on workshop was held at UPTEC Baixa, exploring the fanzine as a medium for conveying scientific knowledge and behaviour. With a rich history as a counter-cultural medium, the fanzine might congregate and activate what is otherwise a degree of hermeticism present in online media. Furthermore, outcomes from the Data Comics workshop already pointed out in this direction. The workshop benefited from the spontaneous visit of an international network of business-related stakeholders: once briefed, a significant number of these accepted the challenge to participate in the production of fanzines.
The Daily Struggles of Scientists Exhibition
In July 2024, an exhibition was held at i3s, Research Institute in Innovation and Health. It presented a single meme unpacked by a multitude of local researchers, in order to reflect their own dilemmas. The aim was to build bridges between the austere semblance of scientific communication, and the seemingly playful looks of online culture.
Selfie Museum
The Sci-bi team self-documented throughout the project, as an exercise of self-ethnography regarding the components and assets of individual protagonism in online culture, particularly when it comes to humanising health-related phenomena.
The Expressive Within The Cognitive
This publication is a collection of documentary photographs from an exhibition/installation made up of a set of online-generated meme classics referring to the COVID-19 pandemic.