BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 X-WR-CALNAME:EventsCalendar PRODID:-//hacksw/handcal//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York LAST-MODIFIED:20240422T053451Z TZURL:https://www.tzurl.org/zoneinfo-outlook/America/New_York X-LIC-LOCATION:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZNAME:EDT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 DTSTART:19700308T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=2SU END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZNAME:EST TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 DTSTART:19701101T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT CATEGORIES:College of Visual and Performing Arts,Lectures and Seminars,Thes is/Dissertations DESCRIPTION:Advisor: Jess Worby Subject: Master of Fine Arts Thesis Defense by: Mitra Ponthan Topic: Narrating Instability: Hypertext and the Fragmen ted Self Date: May 1, 2026 Time: 3:30 PM Location: Hatch St. Studios Abstr act: We live through digital systems that reshape how we understand identi ty, memory, and selfhood. Hello – It’s You is an interactive, web-base d project that explores this condition through a nonlinear, hypertext-driv en interface. Combining illustration, text, animation, and code, the work takes the form of a desktop-like environment where users navigate a digita l mind that is fragmented and unstable. Rather than presenting a single na rrative, the project invites viewers to piece together meaning through exp loration. As they move through different pathways, they encounter multiple versions of the self – past, present, and imagined – existing simulta neously within the system. This experience reflects the instability of ide ntity, especially in this digital age, where memory is selective and the s elf is continuously reconstructed. Drawing on concepts from ergodic litera ture, cultural theory, postmodernism, and hauntology, this thesis frames f ragmentation as a deliberate methodological approach, one that mirrors how identity is formed: through constructed narratives that are repeated, rev ised, and reinterpreted over time. By slowing down navigation and making t he process of discovery visible, Hello – It’s You encourages viewers t o reflect on how they construct their own identities – and how those ide ntities continue to evolve.\nEvent page: https://www.umassd.edu/events/cms /master-of-fine-arts-thesis-defense-by-mitra-ponthan.php X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

Advisor: Jess Worby

Sub ject: 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

\n< p>Abstract:

We live through digital systems that reshape how we un derstand 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 tha t is fragmented and unstable.

Rather than presenting a single narr ative\, the project invites viewers to piece together meaning through expl oration. As they move through different pathways\, they encounter multiple versions of the self – past\, present\, and imagined – existing simul taneously within the system. This experience reflects the instability of i dentity\, especially in this digital age\, where memory is selective and t he self is continuously reconstructed.

Drawing on concepts from er godic 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 d own navigation and making the process of discovery visible\, Hello – It’s You encourages viewers to r eflect on how they construct their own identities – and how those identi ties continue to evolve.

Event page: https ://www.umassd.edu/events/cms/master-of-fine-arts-thesis-defense-by-mitra-p onthan.php

DTSTAMP:20260417T140122 DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260501T153000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260501T163000 LOCATION:Hatch Street Studios SUMMARY;LANGUAGE=en-us:Master of Fine Arts Thesis Defense by Mitra Ponthan UID:c961e265ee76c7d36038641bcdc07a81@www.umassd.edu END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR