AHHHHHH!!!! This Great Plague Shortlisted for 2021 IxDA Interaction Award

https://www.thisyearning.com/ for kits!

I was gonna spend some time writing a friendly banter-y type blogpost but I keep hearing Old Lady Possum (from the best holiday movie ever made) yelling at me that I “got WORK to do!” So, instead here’s the press release:

‘Great Plague’ Experience Shortlisted for 2021 IxDA Interaction Award

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Independent immersive experience designer, This Yearning, is shortlisted for the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)’s 2021 Award in the “Engaging” category for their multisensory DIY ritual kit, This Great Plague. 

“As more and more aspects of daily life move to a virtual setting, people are craving the physical,” says Tracy Smith, the “ScienArtist” behind This Yearning. “Our bodies, these inherently-physical, membrane-bound collections of fluid, muscle, and bone, are crying out for more stimulation than a flat-illuminated screen can offer. I believe that most interactions, whether in education, entertainment, or healthcare, can benefit by incorporating a wider range of well-curated sensory inputs.”

This Great Plague is a multisensory packaged experience replete with renaissance-era sensory experiences that not only reimagines historical storytelling but combines ancient and modern healing practices (acupressure, ASMR, reiki, essential oils) to bring comfort, transformation, and connection to a world of individuals coping with a global crisis. It recently won the 2020 No Proscenium award for Outstanding Achievement in Special Delivery Experiences. https://noproscenium.com/the-2020-nopro-awards-f8cc3a502a38 

  • Started in 2010, the IxDA annual awards showcase worldwide innovation and excellence in interaction design. 

  • This year’s “Engaging” (capturing attention, creating delight, and delivering meaning) nominees include a VR sea turtle simulator used to heighten environmental consciousness in Africa, a series of olfactory-art installations tackling xenophobia in India and the US, a public audio installation that radiates hope in a world transformed by Covid-19, and other diverse offerings from professional, academic, and independent groups.

  • Finalists for each category will be announced later this month with winners announced during Interaction Week and the Interaction 21 Conference (31 Jan- 5 Feb 2021, held virtually due to Covid-19).

  • Voting for the People's Choice Award opened in late December and all are invited to vote for a favorite project to be featured and celebrated at the awards. https://ixdaawards.submittable.com/gallery/88d3ba98-62b6-4be4-a00d-1be866db4db6/18217807/

  • See the complete IxDA Awards shortlist here: https://awards.ixda.org/blog/2020/announcing-the-2021-shortlist/

This Yearning designs immersive experiences using smell, touch, taste, sight, and sound inputs to elicit specific feelings from specific audiences, relying on the participant’s brain to fill in the gaps between stimuli and complete the experience.  Since April 2020, This Yearning has focused on packaged experiences that can be safely facilitated during the pandemic.

For more information regarding This Yearning, contact Tracy Smith, +1 414 405 3576, thisyearning@gmail.com