Master of Fine Arts Thesis Defense by Mitra Ponthan
Advisor: Jess Worby
Subject: Master of Fine Arts Thesis Defense by: Mitra Ponthan
Topic: Narrating Instability: Hypertext and the Fragmented Self
Date: May 1, 2026
Time: 3:30 PM
Location: Hatch St. Studios
Abstract:
We live through digital systems that reshape how we understand identity, memory, and selfhood. Hello – It’s You is an interactive, web-based project that explores this condition through a nonlinear, hypertext-driven interface. Combining illustration, text, animation, and code, the work takes the form of a desktop-like environment where users navigate a digital mind that is fragmented and unstable.
Rather than presenting a single narrative, the project invites viewers to piece together meaning through exploration. As they move through different pathways, they encounter multiple versions of the self – past, present, and imagined – existing simultaneously within the system. This experience reflects the instability of identity, especially in this digital age, where memory is selective and the self is continuously reconstructed.
Drawing on concepts from ergodic literature, cultural theory, postmodernism, and hauntology, this thesis frames fragmentation as a deliberate methodological approach, one that mirrors how identity is formed: through constructed narratives that are repeated, revised, and reinterpreted over time.
By slowing down navigation and making the process of discovery visible, Hello – It’s You encourages viewers to reflect on how they construct their own identities – and how those identities continue to evolve.
Hatch Street Studios : 88 Hatch Street, New Bedford, MA 02745