co-collab
A series of virtual gatherings, exchanges and installations fostering serendipitous human connections during the pandemic
May-Dec 2020
In collaboration with Bre Boersma
When feeling isolated and lost in the uncertainty of 2020, how might we turn to new ways of gathering to make serendipitous connections possible again in the UM campus community?
The returned postcards were displayed at many incoming and new student events during the summer.
We heard back from 174 graduates from the Class of 1964 all the way to 2020 with handwritten stories.
It was fascinating to read how our shared memories about the physical space of the campus could transcend over time and resonate with any Wolverine.
When everything went online, I felt even more strongly about using physical mediums and involving tactile activities.
We mailed out postcard kits to over 300 University of Michigan alumni inviting them to share cherished memories about the campus, friendships and belonging.
We also created a desktop film to document this journey that occurred (mostly) within our screens, including some other virtual activities, gatherings and bootcamp that we had planned.
Takeaways
When our email newsletters didn’t get much engagement, we acknowledged that it was a difficult period for people to keep track of more emails or log onto more zoom calls. We took some time off to reflect on our own feelings of disappointment, and we realized that newsletters weren’t the fittest way for us to express our creativity and connect with people on personal level. Virtual community engagement was very challenging but I am proud of myself for putting myself in this position and stretching out of my comfort zone to design beyond digital or physical interfaces.