Class 1: Proposal Presentation
First class - presented 5-minute thesis proposal and received feedback from professors and classmates.
January 26, 2026
My Presentation
Class Resources
Course Overview
Instructors
Camila Morales (CM) - cm5397@nyu.edu
- Architect, artist, educator from Chile
- Environmentalist and activist, runs eco lab in Far Rockaways
- 15+ years as architect, teaches at NYU and Parsons
- Focus: public spaces, community engagement, physical + digital intersection
Matt Griffin (MFG)
- Adjunct professor at NYU IDM (4th time teaching thesis with CM)
- 16 years in additive manufacturing, worked on organ printing at 3D Systems
- Runs biofabrication kitchen/lab, teaches bioprinting
- Strength: helping scope fuzzy/overwhelming projects into workable systems
Grading
| Component | Weight |
|---|---|
| Thesis Paper | 25% |
| Final Project (Showcase) | 25% |
| Midterm / Demo Day | 20% |
| Process Documentation | 15% |
| Class Participation | 15% |
Important Dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Tuesday, Feb 17 | Legislative Monday (class happens!) |
| Wednesday, Mar 11 | Demo Day / Midterm |
| Mar 16-20 | Spring Break |
| Monday, Apr 13 | Papers Due |
| Wednesday, May 6 | Final Crits |
| Thursday, May 7 | Public Showcase |
Weekly Schedule Overview
| Week | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | Introductions, course overview, proposal presentations |
| 2 | Giving and receiving feedback |
| 3 | One-on-one meetings with instructor |
| 4 | Prototypes, articulating how work fits within broader topic |
| 5 | Discuss Paper Outlines |
| 6 | How to show your work when it’s in an unfinished state |
| 7 | Demo Day (Midterm) |
| 8 | One-on-one meetings |
| 9 | Sharing of feedback |
| 10 | How to tell a story with your project |
| 11 | Production work |
| 12 | One-on-one meetings, documentation peer review |
| 13 | Thesis Archive workshop |
| 14 | Wrapping up, final presentations to ProQuest |
| 15 | Final |
Communication Tools
- Slack - Main communication channel
- Brightspace - Announcements, syllabus, resources
- Google Drive - Weekly assignments, lectures, thesis examples
Thesis Paper Notes
- Can be formatted as standard report OR art book (encouraged!)
- Can incorporate QR codes for video/animation
- No longer 100+ pages required (there’s a limit now)
Key Feedback Themes
Multi-sensory Experience
Many suggested exploring senses beyond vision:
- Haptics - touch/vibration to root observer in the memory (MFG, AV)
- Sound - audio to enhance atmosphere (WL, LC)
- Warmth - thermal elements tied to visual brightness (CM)
Interaction Design
- User interaction affecting the memory (LC)
- Glow effects triggered by user (LC)
- Body movement changing environment (general consensus)
References to Explore
- James Turrell - Roden Crater, ritualistic spaces that speak to human existence (CM)
- Lisa Heschong - “Thermal Delight” concept - spaces that create emotive responses to light and warmth (CM)
- Light + Sound artist - Video - creates “space with light” (CM)
Technical Notes
- 3DGS in Unreal wasn’t optimized last semester (ES)
- Alternative platforms for preview: Story Splat, Arrival Space (ES)
- MFG can connect with Direct Dimensions / local 3D scanning community
Narrative
- “Belief” as north star / entry point (CM)
- Curious about narrative structure (WZ)
- Strong storytelling noted (ES)
Full Feedback
MFG (Professor Matthew Frederick Griffin):
I’m really excited about this, and the focus on gaussian splatting - I do some work with Direct Dimensions and a number of the local 3D scanning community members really involved in gaussian splatting – will be thrilled to connect you with them. Also, I’m curious as to whether adding a haptics element might help root the observer in the 3D memory.
CM (Camila Morales):
The concept of space and memory is powerful. Specially with regards to lighting. Look at works of James Turrell, specifically his larger installations like Roden Crater as this creates these ritualistic spaces that speak to human existence. What you spoke about BELIEF was a great entry point to your work and would encourage you to use that as your north star as you begin to develop your environment.
There’s a concept in architecture called thermal delight by Lisa Heschong and you can create spaces that create emotive responses to light and warmth, could be interesting to incorporate an interaction between physically experiencing something while seeing an image.
Classmates:
- WYK: Genuinely curious to see the final result. Explore engaging additional senses.
- LC: Love the concept! User’s interaction affecting the memory through movement or sound. Glow effect triggered by interaction.
- NY: Filled with a sense of nostalgia. Looking forward to it.
- AV: Wonderful idea, consider touch/vibration haptics.
- WL: Play sounds, set smells of temple, enhance the whole experience.
- ES: Great storytelling and topic. Consider web-based platforms like Story Splat and Arrival Space.
- WZ: Curious about how you will structure the narrative.
- MZ: Love the ideas, looking forward to the outcome.
Next Steps
- Research James Turrell / Roden Crater
- Explore haptic possibilities in VR
- Look into thermal/warmth simulation
- Test 3DGS integration in current Unreal version
- Check out Story Splat and Arrival Space