This is the first in a series of posts about Narrative Objects: physical artifacts — from the speculative to the functional — that tell new stories about the world we live in.

Sexual Healing is a collection of sensory objects for people who experience sexual problems after a traumatic experience, focusing on individual agency and the reclamation of pleasure, rather than clinical treatment. These objects are meant to be functional at the individual level, and also serve a broader purpose of changing the way we collectively talk about sexual trauma and healing.

Alexis HopeJanuary 22, 2019Comment

My Deep Sea, My Backyard: Participatory Ocean Exploration

In our lab at the MIT Center for Civic Media, we've done a lot of work around broadening participation in technology design. Lately, in collaboration with the MIT Open Ocean Initiative, we have also been thinking about how to broaden participation in discovery. Traditionally, ocean exploration is done by those with formal degrees and access to costly equipment, but in order to fully explore and understand our vast oceans, we need to make it possible for new communities to join this effort.

Alexis HopeOctober 26, 2018open ocean, participatory design, workshopComment

Teaching ‘Introduction to Industrial Design’ in Shanghai

This August, I taught an industrial design course in Shanghai with Sands Fish. This class covered 1) the process and culture of industrial design, 2) how design functions as a communication tool, and 3) hands-on technical and craft skills. Read on for the syllabus and examples of student work!

Alexis HopeOctober 25, 2018teaching, industrial design, craft, massart, sketching, 3D modeling Comment

San Diego Comic-Con 2018

This July, one of my biggest nerd dreams came true — I went to Comic-Con! I’m a huge comics fan, so when Dent invited me to be on a panel called “Creating the Future at the MIT Media Lab: How Comics Inspire Students’ Work (and Vice Versa)”, I could not have been more excited.

Alexis HopeOctober 8, 2018Comment

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