{"id":17220,"date":"2021-02-12T17:54:27","date_gmt":"2021-02-12T17:54:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/?p=17220"},"modified":"2025-06-25T14:35:52","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T14:35:52","slug":"phaistos-talks-farida-foda-january-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/phaistos-talks-farida-foda-january-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Phaistos Talks <br> Farida Foda\u2014January 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure style=\"width: 245px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Farida.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15172\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farida Foda is an Egyptian designer living in Dubai and studying at the American University of Sharjah. She is interested in the way system failures represent themselves digitally and utilizing that error as a design tool.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>\u201cThe future must be imperfect.\u201d<\/h2>\n<p class=\"emphasis\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/501734198\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"emphasis\">In the video, Farida talks about her general research process and her experience working with the Disc of Phaistos. In the text, we discussed the surprising future of a computer glitch and the future of imperfection in a society interested in endless optimization.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 245px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/portfolio\/glitched-farida-foda\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/farida_interview.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1668\" height=\"308\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17256\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/farida_interview.png 1668w, http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/farida_interview-300x55.png 300w, http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/farida_interview-768x142.png 768w, http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/farida_interview-1024x189.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/farida_interview-1100x203.png 1100w, http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/farida_interview-550x102.png 550w, http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/farida_interview-160x30.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1668px) 100vw, 1668px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/portfolio\/glitched-farida-foda\/\">Winning Project Open Call 2020: GLITCH<span class=\"flipH\">E<\/span>D<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"emphasis question\"><span class=\"pers\">TPP45S<\/span> When did you first become interested in the idea of a glitch as a philosophical concept?<\/p>\n<p class=\"emphasis\"><span class=\"pers\">FARIDA FODA<\/span> My fascination began when I watched Wreck it Ralph, a movie set inside a video game. One of the characters, Vanellope von Schweetz, is a \u201cglitch\u201d, as in, she physically glitches constantly because of a code issue within the game. She\u2019s a rebellious sort of character\u2014and she\u2019s not a princess\u2014she\u2019s not like the other princess-type characters within the game or in the Disney universe. It really interested me to explore why she was seen as an outcast just because she would glitch. It made me reflect on design in itself, as in, if you do something outside the norm, it\u2019s something of a glitch, a flaw in the system. The first images of glitches I produced started off as a hobby on Instagram. Slowly, they became a part of who I am as an artist. It became so pervasive that my friends used to call me \u201cGlitch Queen\u201d as a joke. People come up to me and say \u201cOh, hi, are you still glitching?\u201d Aesthetic system anomalies are a digital question as much as they pose a question to our society. We can view it as a form of going against what other people expect us to do, or, for example, what people expect me as a designer to do. They expect me to create a design where everything is considered perfect. I don\u2019t want to follow the rules that were set by previous people who may have said that what I create is somehow inherently wrong. <\/p>\n<p class=\"emphasis question\"><span class=\"pers\">TPP45S<\/span> Could you talk a little bit more about imperfection as beauty and how you think this might this relate to the digital age of social media? <\/p>\n<p class=\"emphasis\"><span class=\"pers\">FARIDA FODA<\/span> Aesthetic notions of perfection and imperfection have been inherited over years and years of expectations that were created by people who died hundreds of years ago. Yet, somehow, we still follow their standards, even though life and society have changed so much. The whole idea of imperfection and beauty is all \u2018a standard\u2019. There is an expression: \u201cwhat you don\u2019t have is what you want\u201d. For example, physical beauty ideals in Arab culture are usually the opposite of what Middle Eastern people would look like. In Western societies, media popularizes a sort of \u2018exotic look\u2019. Unattainable beauty is a gigantic concern for our generation because of social media and any generation that grows up with self-image altering systems. I\u2019ll use a filter on Instagram that makes me look like I\u2019m not myself, and then I\u2019ll remove that filter and cry about it later\u2014why don\u2019t I look like her? Who is this? We are making this so available to children as well. Studies show that face-changing apps lead to body dysmorphia. All of these images are imbued with this theme\u2014there are so many questions behind the work. In the project before GLITCH\u018eD, I was working with 3D models using research which has proven that Millennials and Gen Z are in fact the most perfectionist generations. It\u2019s because of social media and body edits apps.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"emphasis question\"><span class=\"pers\">TPP45S<\/span> Is beauty possible without imperfection?<\/p>\n<p class=\"emphasis\"><span class=\"pers\">FARIDA FODA<\/span> No. Because it\u2019s who you are! My own imperfection makes me who I am. It\u2019s the eye of the beholder, to an extent. It\u2019s a complex issue\u2014understanding how one can see something as perfect and another cannot, and how this imperfection makes someone beautiful or not. People have their own views. I\u2019ll find something in art or\u2014anything\u2014that is perfect or beautiful and other people won\u2019t. This doesn\u2019t just cover a design field or an artistic field. In any work field, there is the idea of the beauty of the design you created. It\u2019s not just a physical thing, it\u2019s a mental thing as well\u2014the way we think predetermines what we think is beautiful. <\/p>\n<p class=\"emphasis question\"><span class=\"pers\">TPP45S<\/span> I think that you were right to say that society draws lines based on cultural standards of beauty and how, perhaps, \u201cthe grass is always greener on the other side\u201d. How might we fix this problem and begin to redraw those ideas of societal and cultural beauty in a healthier way? GLITCH\u018eD, your project, helps people to understand there is beauty in what they think of as a flaw or a fault. What is the first step for us to take as individuals living within a society?<\/p>\n<p class=\"emphasis\"><span class=\"pers\">FARIDA FODA<\/span> Awareness. It\u2019s very important to increase awareness. Many people don\u2019t realize that they\u2019re even teaching their kids these pre-prescribed beauty standards. By forcing your child to\u2014let\u2019s say, go get hair treatments to go get straight hair just because their hair is too curly\u2014or so on\u2014the parent is forcing their own beliefs and standards onto their own kids. They\u2019ll force this upon their kids and this will never end. We need to educate ourselves on the effects this has on children, be aware of our own biases, and increase our own awareness. Until we do that, the digital age of perfection will really impact people on a mental level.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"emphasis question\"><span class=\"pers\">TPP45S<\/span> What is the future of the glitch? In your project, you talk about the digital glitch possibly not existing as computers become more and more perfect. What will a glitch look like in the future, do you think? <\/p>\n<p class=\"emphasis\"><span class=\"pers\">FARIDA FODA<\/span> You\u2019ll have analog glitches. Because analog glitches do exist. Things you do by hand that are flawed. Screen printing, for example. But digital glitches won\u2019t exist because we are trying to perfect the digital realm. I had to get a really old Mac in order to create what I was doing. It wasn\u2019t working with my newer computer. It just would say \u201cfile corrupt, won\u2019t open\u201d, until my laptop completely shut down. I have to go to a program a few versions older or else it just wouldn\u2019t work. The idea of digital glitches disappearing reflects back on people because society longs to perfect any and all perceived imperfection in that sphere, too.  <\/p>\n<hr class=\"interview\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Farida_800-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" class=\"size-medium alignleft size-medium wp-image-15246\" \/> <\/p>\n<p class=\"emphasis\"><b>Farida Foda<\/b><br \/>\nFarida Foda is an Egyptian designer living in Dubai and studying at the American University of Sharjah. She is interested in the way system failures represent themselves digitally and utilizing that error as a design tool.<\/p>\n<p class=\"emphasis\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/portfolio\/glitched-farida-foda\/\">Winning Project Open Call 2020: GLITCH<span class=\"flipH\">E<\/span>D<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"emphasis\"><a href=\"https:\/\/faridafoda.squarespace.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">faridafoda.squarespace.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cThe future must be imperfect.\u201d In the video, Farida talks about her general research process and her experience working with the Disc of Phaistos. In the text, we discussed the surprising future of a computer glitch and the future of imperfection in a society interested in endless optimization. TPP45S When did you first become interested [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<a class=\"read-more-link\" href=\" http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/phaistos-talks-farida-foda-january-2021\/ \">Read more<\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17221,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[109,96],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17220"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17220"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17889,"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17220\/revisions\/17889"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.45symbols.com\/symbols\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}