Design of a phygital experience for sharing stories of migration and cultural belonging through contemporary jewelry

Abstract

Ovaj rad istražuje kako se osobni narativi mogu prenositi kroz fizičke objekte i digitalne sustave. U središtu rada nalazi se kolekcija Shared Objects – projekt u kojem su kreirana tri fizička tokena nadahnuta elementima kulturnog identiteta (glazba, jezik, hrana), a svaki od njih povezan je s članom moje obitelji. Tokeni su zamišljeni kao pokloni koji se prenose darivanjem, a svaki nosi QR kod koji vodi do digitalnog obrasca putem kojeg primatelj može ispričati vlastitu priču prije nego što predmet proslijedi dalje. Na taj način, tokeni postaju alati migracije i razmjene, dok digitalni arhiv bilježi njihove putanje i priče koje su putem nastale. Rad uključuje dizajn i izradu tokena, razvoj fizičko-digitalnog sustava za prikupljanje priča, kao i oblikovanje digitalnog sučelja za pregled arhiva. Projekt se oslanja na teorije kolektivne memorije, migracije i suvremenog nakita te predlaže novu ulogu nakita – ne kao sredstva izražavanja statusa, već kao medija dijeljenja i empatije.This paper explores how personal narratives can be transmitted through physical objects and digital systems. At the center of the work is Shared Objects – a project in which three physical tokens were created, inspired by elements of cultural identity (music, language, food), each one linked to a member of my family. The tokens are conceived as gifts passed on through the act of giving, each carrying a QR code that leads to a digital form through which the recipient can share their own story before passing the object on. In this way, the tokens become instruments of migration and exchange, while the digital archive records their journeys and the stories formed along the way. The work includes the design and production of the tokens, the development of a physicaldigital system for story collection, as well as the design of a digital interface for browsing the archive. The project draws on theories of collective memory, migration, and contemporary jewellery, and proposes a new role for jewellery – not as a means of expressing status, but as a medium for sharing and empathy