For the "expression" side of thesis this year, our first project was to imagine a utopia based on an expanded view of issues related to our thesis topics. Within this utopia, we were to imagine several scenarios and then create a physical artifact from one of them. Starting with an imagined story is always pretty difficult for me - I usually find inspiration in shapes, movement, and materials and then work backwards to the big-picture story. After some struggling, though, I worked out a utopian vision that was convincing enough for me. In my utopian world of Morphago a new branch of science has evolved to address the relationship between a person and his or her individual body, analagous to the way psychiatrists of the 20th century addressed the relationship between a person and his or her memories, feelings, and behaviors. Doctors who specialize in this field of sarcoscopy (literally "examining the flesh") meet with patients and help them understand their bodies (healthy or unhealthy) using tools such as x-rays, blood tests, or specific exercises. A mirror is one of the most basic tools used by the sarcoscopist and patient; it has a symbolic value as well as a practical use. The mirror I made magnifies on one side and shows a wide-angle view on the other, and it comes in its own carrying sack.
