Her Association
Keywords: Research-based project, AR Technology, Feminism, Critical Worldview, Metaverse
Beijing, 2023
This is a world-building design project and presented in the form of an augmented reality made with Unity software. I borrowed the image of "witch" in Western history, and invented an organization called "Her Association" in the near future. By alluding to the witch-hunting movement in the Middle Ages, I aim to expose the persecution of women in society. The project is composed of entries introducing "Her Association", "Masculine Male", "Tower", and "The Great Net Purification Revolution". By adopting AR technology, I am looking forward to presenting a fascinating visual experience to my audiences. In addition, this critical worldview design has the potential to develop into games, animation, and derivative products.
Key Point: Gender inequality
I found that in history, those who were defined as witches were mostly ordinary women, and there was no evil terror at all. However, people stigmatized and exaggerated the neutral and even good characteristics of these women, which made them bear the "inhuman" title, to rationalize their abuses. Furthermore, the modern description of women's so-called "sluts", "virgins," and "elderly leftover women" is similar to the charge of "witches" that was leveled on ordinary women in the Middle Ages. The society marked women with a standard that is not equal to that of men. Those who do not meet the standard will be blamed and rejected. What is the most terrible thing is that most people turn a blind eye to the phenomenon of gender inequality, just as they think it is natural for women to have children.
Narrative Background:
In the twenty-fourth century, with the awakening of feminist consciousness, the world's birth rate reached a new low of -5.76%. The ever-rising power of females threatens the privilege of males. In 2375, an all-encompassing metaverse paralysis left populations around the world disconnected with their digital terminals, leading them into their E-death. The Chinese leaders, Masculine Male, accused the Her Association of being involved in the "metaverse paralysis", and violently took control of the organisation, which was also known in later times as "the Great Net Purification Revolution".
Software:
Unity, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Nomad, Vuforia
Research：
During the Hundred-Year Anglo-French War from 1337 to 1453, the civilians were displaced, and the plague spread rapidly across the European continent. Under such circumstances, the anger of hungry people grew deeper and deeper, which led to the rapid collapse of the European social system. The people began to distrust each other generally, laying the foundation for the witch hunts that would continue in Europe for the next two centuries. And so it was between 1480 and 1520 that the first great witch hunts began.
Link with Nowadays:
This historical trauma continues to cast its shadow over gender relations today: modern-day "accusations of witchcraft" in the workplace often manifest as the stigmatization of assertive women, female pioneers in scientific fields are frequently questioned as being "unprofessional," and the value of domestic labor is systematically undervalued—a modern parallel to the demonization of women's healing arts in the Middle Ages. History demonstrates that when a social crisis demands a scapegoat, gender invariably becomes the most convenient target for blame. From the burning pyres to the glass ceiling, the chain of discrimination has never truly been broken.
About Her Association:
The Super Her Association, or Her Association for short, was founded in China in the early 24th century. It is a non-governmental organization created in China's metaverse. The association has now become a women's organization independent of the interests of any country or group, and is composed of women with so-called "super abilities". The association has made great efforts to strive for women's equal rights in history. Its purpose is to train every woman to be a "superwoman" and strive to achieve equality between women and men in all aspects.
The roles of members of Her Association are divided into five main categories: Core Queen, Writer, Honey Maiden, Architect, and Patroller.
(Women have five more organs than men: ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes, vagina, and mammary glands, hence the division of abilities into five categories)
- Core Queen: As the name implies, they are the core role of Her Association. Has the ability to reproduce asexually (analogous to the queen bee)
- Writer: possesses great intelligence and coordinates the normal functioning of the Her Association
- Honey Maiden: the creators of digital resources
- Architect: superbly powerful, build the network of strongholds of the association
- Patroller: keen observers who can travel through the metaverse at will, smuggling Cyber information across the "towers" and averting hazards and risks for the organisation