1. WATERGAIT: Trusting the Senses to Walk on Water/ Uneven Steps on-and-in Water Immersion

   Esthir Lemi¹, Marientina Gotsis², Vangelis Lympouridis³

   1. Helsinki Collegium of Advanced Studies, Finland.
   2. Creative Media and Behavioral Health Center, University of Southern California, USA.
   3. Creative Media and Behavioral Health Center, University of Southern California, USA.

   Abstract: Watergait explores the natural boundaries of aquatic immersion and investigates the physicality of integrating senses, sound, memory and interactive technologies to cultivate new kinaesthetic experiences. We present the technical, conceptual and philosophical background that inspired the Watergait project. For the realisation we used a holistic design model aiming to connect health science to an artistic process using minimum information focusing on body balance. The embodied interaction enabled by Watergait keeps the user to an entertaining experience, while at the same time the artificial soundspace functions like a corridor and threshold to movement and mindfulness, since the only action demanded by the user is to take a walk in some interior place while wearing headphones and take a leap after one minute and five seconds. This attempt to simplify a complex system of calculating navigation and foot-pressure for any user has proved to be a successful one for comprehending rhythm and balance, as well as cheering up levels of depression. We created a playground for any who might be interested to investigate his/her balance and transposition of weight in every step from right to left foot and so on via an artificial sound system of an idyllic walking across the shore, inside the water and dive-in to the water. It seems that sound compositional structure based on progressive narrating models of ambience could be a functional model for therapy in various domains, as well as an entertaining model for gaming pleasure.

   Keywords: Water Immersion Sound Design, Perception, Holistic Model, Epicurean Theory.

   Pages: 1 – 11 | Full PDF Paper

2. Image of Immigrants in the Russian Periodical “Argumenty i Fakty”

   Michał Kozdra

   Institute of Russian Studies, University of Warsaw, Krakowskie Przedmieście 26/28, 00-927 Warsaw, Poland

   Abstract: The aim of this text is to present an image of immigrants that emerges from an analysis of articles in the online edition of the Russian weekly “Argumenty i Fakty”. The results of research show that the image of immigrants (most of whom come from the Caucasus and from Central Asia) is created by juxtaposing two contrasting categories: US vs OTHERS. An analysis of materials demonstrates also that through “exclusive” processes, i.e. ones whereby immigrants are excluded from the local community, the identity of participants of the examined media discourse is built. To this end, strategies of constructing the image of immigrants as others are applied. This image is subject to processes of negative value attribution. Based on the analyzed materials, the author distinguishes seven dimensions that jointly create the image of immigrants in the examined weekly: legal, national, cultural, living-standard, physical, psychosocial and religious ones.

   Keywords: immigrants, image, US-OTHERS, media, Russian press, negative value attribution, identity, Russia, discourse, exclusion.

   Pages: 12 – 19 | Full PDF Paper