Heather Zinger's Blog http://heatherzinger.com/blog Wed, 23 Jan 2013 18:55:48 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5 The Red Hat Project http://heatherzinger.com/blog/2013/01/21/the-red-hat-project/ http://heatherzinger.com/blog/2013/01/21/the-red-hat-project/#comments Mon, 21 Jan 2013 22:10:06 +0000 Heather http://heatherzinger.com/blog/?p=74 Continue reading →]]>

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WIth Josh in Fargo, ND. "The robberies." (photographer: 4-wheeler friend)

I began The Red Hat Project because my biggest concern is that our society is loosing it’s ability to empathize and to find unity with one another. If we cannot understand each others’ feelings and perspectives, we will be unable to communicate. Dialoguing across differences is fundamental to a healthy democracy. As our empathetic capacities diminish so does our practicing democracy. This directly impacts our ability to work together to find solutions to our most pressing problems such as global warming and widespread violence and hate.

The Red Hat Project is my daily act for one year (until 10/27/2013) to empathize and unite with others by sharing our concerns and then our clothes. My year end goal is have an art exhibition featuring all the photos from this project and to use the photos and the concerns as a starting point for conversations that can heal our society’s ability to empathize.

You can follow it on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheRedHatProject or on Tumblr: http://redhatprojectzinger.tumblr.com/.

]]> http://heatherzinger.com/blog/2013/01/21/the-red-hat-project/feed/ 0 Variations on Human in Vitro http://heatherzinger.com/blog/2011/09/20/variations-on-human-in-vitro/ http://heatherzinger.com/blog/2011/09/20/variations-on-human-in-vitro/#comments Tue, 20 Sep 2011 04:44:20 +0000 Heather http://heatherzinger.com/blog/?p=60 While studying Intermedia at PNCA, I feel in love with combining performance with video. Here’s an example of it:

]]> http://heatherzinger.com/blog/2011/09/20/variations-on-human-in-vitro/feed/ 0 Interviewed by Project Everyone http://heatherzinger.com/blog/2011/09/20/56/ http://heatherzinger.com/blog/2011/09/20/56/#comments Tue, 20 Sep 2011 04:38:47 +0000 Heather http://heatherzinger.com/blog/?p=56 Here’s an interview I did as part of Project Everyone: http://projecteveryone.wordpress.com/. They’re goal is to interview everyone on the planet. Literally.

Heather from Project Everyone on Vimeo.

]]> http://heatherzinger.com/blog/2011/09/20/56/feed/ 0 Playing Mom in Years of Crying http://heatherzinger.com/blog/2011/06/11/playing-mom/ http://heatherzinger.com/blog/2011/06/11/playing-mom/#comments Sat, 11 Jun 2011 22:22:03 +0000 Heather http://heatherzinger.com/blog/?p=27 Continue reading →]]> I recently participated in a short film called, Years of Crying, written, directed and filmed by Pete Ellison. Starring Megan McConnell, Leland “Jazz” Radburn, Alison Stauth, Bob Ladewig, Michael Buchino. I play the role of the mom whose wardrobe came out of my sister’s closet! Here’s the link: http://youtu.be/iuZrb8ytux4?hd=1.

For more on Pete Ellison’s work:

http://www.heyitspete.com

http://www.diskowarp.com

http://www.peroxidemocha.com

http://www.kidwhatever.com

http://www.donutnook.com

]]> http://heatherzinger.com/blog/2011/06/11/playing-mom/feed/ 0 P.S. You Won’t Be Needed in the Future – Robot Performance http://heatherzinger.com/blog/2011/06/08/p-s-you-wont-be-needed-in-the-future-robot-performance/ http://heatherzinger.com/blog/2011/06/08/p-s-you-wont-be-needed-in-the-future-robot-performance/#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2011 14:57:41 +0000 Heather http://heatherzinger.com/blog/?p=18 Continue reading →]]>

I originally wrote the script, P.S. You Won’t Be Needed in the Future, for a live performance. It was originally performed on June 2nd, 2011 at the Portland Community College Cascade Campus. The topic addresses how care-taking robots in nursing homes might affect the way we relate to each other in society.


I was inspired to write this script after reading segments from the book: Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other by Sherry Turkle. In it she writes about the possibility of robots supplanting humans as caretakers in nursing homes in the near future. Turkle interviewed people across different age groups and found that most of the interviewees found this change desirable and expressed more faith in the abilities of robots than in humans. I was quite struck by these sentiments and wanted to explore what this says about how we feel about our families and what we expect from each other in a humorous way.

I was blessed with the cast and crew who made this performance possible!

Cast of Actors:
Narrator: Taylor Grey
Maximer: Chad Furlong
Liba: Heather Zinger
Rocky: Anthony Plassaras
Dad: Patrick Hilton
Rola: Portia Roy

Cast of Robots:
Laura Allcorn
Chris Freeman
Claire Gauntner
Mark Martinez
Michael Martinez
Portia Roy

Crew:
Stage Hand and documentation: Lisa Carpenito
Video and photography documentation by: Tim Lorey

Costuming by: Elizabeth Armstrong, Chris Freeman, Divinder, Claire Gauntner, Angie Lyman, Mark Martinez, Anthony Plassaras, Portia Roy, Heather Zinger

Watch the video here:

P.S. You Won’t Be Needed in the Future from Heather Zinger on Vimeo.

I”ll be continuing to work on these themes and this script in particular. Keep posted for the next performance!

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