Raymond, Rachel “Capstone Pitch.” BIMD 491 Integrative Studio II: Practicum, Dr. Arnie Lund. Autumn 2019.
This presentation by Raymond looks at a design question that could be explored through a multi-quarter project. Going through the presentation, it is obvious that it showcases careful and deliberate thought surrounding creative and critical concepts. The questions posed within the piece show the deliberate use of learning goals such as diversity and equity, critical and creative thinking, as well as interdisciplinary research and inquiry. It’s clear that Raymond was given space to employ the knowledge gained through her time at university to begin thinking about her work beyond the vacuum of campus doors.
I found this to be an impactful piece as I viewed it as the beginning culmination of my academic career. It is clear that through this presentation I am departing my education and knowledge base as a means of being able to complete work, but as a way of navigating my life as an artist, designer, and person. The questions posed within the presentation not only engage the world outside of the classroom but the internal worlds of the audience.
Raymond, Rachel “Crescendo.” BISIA 207. Introduction to Creative Writing, Professor Chelsea Grimmer. Winter 2019.
The Google Drive folder opens without much fanfare, but as one clicks open the guidelines it becomes clear that Rachel Raymond and the team have created a literary journal without the imposed boundaries. Free from the intervention of institutionalized structures bias, “Crescendo” looks to give a platform to those that find their voices stifled. Raymond and the team encourage interdisciplinary works that tackle a range of issues and experiences and reflect the diversity within their creative team. In the end, “Crescendo” pushes the audience to insight change via their artistic spirit and unique perspective.
“Crescendo” was an incredibly important piece for me as it helped me understand the necessity of Diversity and Equity. While my group and I struggled to communicate, my team and I were able to unite under a shared vision these latter mentioned ideals. Being a diverse set of students, we were focused on the lifting of each other’s voices not only as a means of dismantling institutional structures but as a means of examining our intersectional identities. Through this project, we were able to grow beyond simply having a conversation about these ideas to actively engaging within them.
Raymond, Rachel “Design Cinema: DESC.” BIMD 362 Studio Elements III in conjunction with Community Based Learning and Research, Professor Minda Martin. Spring 2019
Design Cinema, a group of interactive media design students headed by director and project manager Rachel Raymond utilizes empathy and experience design to construct a 360 video on the impact of Downtown Emergency Services Center (DESC) and their mission to end homelessness. Exemplifying DESC’s idea of respect, the students centered the filming of the video of themselves within a new apartment built for those transitioning from homelessness. Their use of text, sound, and camera perspective showcased empathy not as lip service, but as a lens through which they view their world, allowing them to transform the project from a simple video for a client into a portal that allowed their community more clearly experience the work of their client.
Collaboration and shared leadership are vital parts of academic work. Working from previous projects, this piece allowed me to examine how I had grown my skills within collaboration. Working with a “real” client is no easy feat, and I learned a lot about what it meant to blend my perspective and lens with not only a team but an outside stakeholder. Additionally, since this was a project for a “real” client, I was able to test my professionalism, something that I had fostered since my previous project. In terms of leadership, this was an example of leadership within my community through my participation in a social issue via application of my skills and passion.
Raymond, Rachel “epaR/erutluC Participatory Performance Game.” BISIA 383. Science Fiction and Social Change in Art, Dr. micha cardnas. Winter 2018.
epaR/erutluC goes beyond performance and game to become an experience. The video is documentation of a single playthrough of the experience and features Raymond as a facilitator to a single audience member. Raymond expertly blends her artistic sensibilities surrounding performance art and handmade crafts with her design desire to change the world to create a speculative piece that encourages the audience to think about the futures they create for the survivors of sexual assault through the use of game design. The project is an intriguing example of Raymond’s creative thinking put in motion.
This piece became pivotal to my academic experience in two different ways. It began my journey of pushing my critical and creative thinking, and also gave me a lens in which I began to do my work. In terms of pushing the limits of thinking, this project gave me the space to begin deconstructing ideas surrounding history and how change is made in the world. It also encouraged me to think creatively about how I can begin interacting with my ideas and utilize my craft as a means of depicting my personal ideas and inspirations. In terms of creating a lens, speculative design became something I filtered all my ideas and through, and where I began my thinking when examining information.
Raymond, Rachel “From Hermione Granger to Albus Dumbledore: from a consumer of knowledge to a facilitator thereof". Final Portfolio Reflection Paper.” BIS 300. Interdisciplinary Inquiry. Dr. Keith Nita. Autumn 2017.
In this piece of reflective writing, Raymond looks to reflect on her professional and academic career, and how they have changed her as a person. The official title of the piece is “From Hermione Granger to Albus Dumbledore: from a consumer of knowledge to a facilitator thereof”. The essay slowly unfurls Raymond’s journey, from the beginning of her academic journey 7 years previous, to her time spent within management, before bringing the audience to the present and her next steps. It is an example of Raymond contemplating her experiences as a means of not only understanding herself but seeing a bigger picture of an academic and professional journey.
Writing and communication are huge tenants of both my creative and academic process. By having this essay, I am able to showcase my skills as a writer and introspective thinker. Communication has become an increasingly important part of our world but is a deeper skill than simply being able to write well. Writing and communication are about purpose, audience, author, and context. It is vital that I am able to utilize these concepts to weave not only an understanding of what I am saying but connections with the greater interdisciplinary world. This essay demonstrates this in a way that inspires me to continue pushing myself forward, but being proud of where I have been.
Raymond, Rachel “Kaleidoscope of Abstraction Gif Tumblr.” BISIA 340. The Art of the Remix. Joe Mitilus. Autumn 2018.
“Kaleidoscope of Abstraction” has the audience open a webpage into a twinkling portal of suspended motion and time via the use of gifs or graphic interchange format. The gifs were created via found footage and rotated to take the form of a kaleidoscope that pulsates when the gif moves. The project is built within the artistic movement of Remix, where artists iterate and transform work into a new medium or form, “reinventing” the context and context of the original piece. Kaleidoscope of Abstraction is Raymond’s take of this movement in contemporary times, furthering the conversation around intellectual property, ownership, and reimagining.
Interdisciplinary research and inquiry is an important part of my academics and creative process. “Kaleidoscope of Abstraction” was an opportunity not only to research the art movement of remixing but add to the conversation via my artist statement and piece. This is because I approached the project, not with a concept of what I wanted to do, but a question of “where will remix art go next”? Additionally, I feel that this represents my unraveling of how to position my work in relation to larger conversations surrounding art, allowing me to see how I am a part of a discussion that far exceeds the bounds of my campus.
Raymond, Rachel “Nude Descending.” BIMD 352. Studio Elements II: Essentials, Professor Carrie Bodle. Winter 2019.
“Nude Descending” is an exploration of motion, both in the human form and the medium of film by Rachel Raymond. Employing stills of a nude body, Raymond takes the editing magic of Final Cut to add a sense of movement to the still images. The tan, blush, and white color palette blend together seamlessly as the images flash across the scene, and the layering technique employed encourages the audience to think about how movement cuts across and influences their understanding of a work. The piece serves not only to highlight the technical skill of Raymond as a photographer but the creative thinking she fosters around abstract ideas.
For most of my academic and creative career, I struggled with abstract concepts. This piece was the first time I allowed myself to think more organically, and this creatively, about motion as it relates to the human body. This also allowed me to think more critically about abstraction as a whole, and how seemingly minimal concepts are the building blocks of the artistic process. I see this piece’s value of connecting my work to larger artistic conversations, but also cultivating my creative and critical thought.
Raymond, Rachel “Spill Your Tea Interactive Fiction” BIMD 236. Introduction to Interactive Media, Dr. Mark Chen. Spring 2018.
In partnership with a diverse range of students, Raymond collaborated to create an interactive fiction that explores the use of tea making as a metaphor for complex personal stories. Utilizing Twine, a clickable, choose-your-own-adventure style game maker, and traditional Chinese Tea ceremony, Raymond and her group encouraged the audience to explore their identities through their five personal stories. Representing international students, queer students, and students struggling with body image, Spill Your Tea becomes a storytelling portal that bridges the divide between the analog and digital worlds. In the end, Raymond and her team created an experience that allowed for the audience to ponder their own interactions with diversity and equity while leaving space for them to be inspired by their own personal stories.
Spill Your Tea allowed me to delve into Diversity and Equity in a whole new way. Going into this project I had understood diversity to mean diverse peoples of different backgrounds and equity as the ability to be treated fairly. However, as I collaborated in this project, watching us as a team finds Chinese tea ceremonies that matched our personal stories in effort and thematic quality, I was allowed a unique perspective of watching us as a team discover how to cultivate diversity and equity within an experience. Through the physical work of making the tea and slowly being stepped through our personal stories, I developed an empathetic lens that I carry forward to this day.
Raymond, Rachel “Woodland Wintering Board Game Documentation.” BIMD 250. Introduction to Interaction Design, Dr. Mark Chen. Autumn 2017.
In partnership with the Woodland Park Zoo, Raymond and team created a board that utilized social deduction as a means of teaching players about the hibernation behaviors of Pacific Northwest animals. Within this work, Raymond and team document their process of creating the game by taking pictures, writing reflections, and postings of other related materials. The piece creates a type of digital game design document that serves not only as a way of illustrating the iterative design process but the cohesion of a team around a common goal. Overall the website is an excellent source for understanding Raymond’s process, leadership, and facilitation of others within a team.
I consider this as an important part of my portfolio as it serves as the first design project I centered myself and a team around. Collaboration and shared leadership are important learning goals to myself, and this work serves as a marker for me to see where I started practicing behaviors such as compassion, partnership, and connection that build this skill. Additionally, since I was working in partnership with the Woodland Park Zoo, this allowed me to see how working in a team on a project for a client differed from working on a project for school.