January 31, 2022—MIT Open Documentary Lab (ODL) is thrilled to introduce our new ODL Fellows who will be joining us at MIT this semester:
Natasha Blatsiou is a Greek writer and documentary filmmaker interested in experimenting with traditional storytelling, transmedia narratives and new documentary forms. She is sponsored by Fulbright Foundation/Greece. While at OpenDocLab, Blatsiou is working on UNWRITTEN LAND, an interactive transmedia project portraying the wild and pristine mountains of Agrafa (Greece) and its people under the looming spectre of a massive wind farm project.
[Image Description: A portrait of Natasha, a white woman with short black hair, taken in a park.]
John Craig Freeman is an artist with over three decades of experience using emerging technologies to produce large-scale public work at sites where the forces of globalization are impacting the lives of individuals in local communities. With his work, he expands the notion of ‘public’ by exploring how digital technology and mobile networks are transforming our sense of place. While at OpenDocLab, Freeman is working on Climate Change Migration Stories, a project using new forms of virtual and augmented reality storytelling techniques and co-creation strategies.
[Image Description: John Craig Freeman, a white man with short brown slightly greying hair and short cut greying beard, is indoors with available light in front of a plain off-white background wall. He wears thin, black-rimmed glasses and smiles at the camera.]
Milad Mozari is an artist and researcher working on sonic investigations that draw connections to surfaces and social layers. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Utah. While at OpenDocLab, Mozari is working on Bridging the Gap, a series of virtual reality experiences for resettlement in collaboration with the Salt Lake City chapter of the International Rescue Committee and former clients.
[Image description: Milad, a bearded man with long black hair, standing indoors in front of a mathematical drawing and purple flowers in warm temperature lighting. He is wearing a dark blue shirt with white buttons and silver rounded glasses with a slight smile.]
Mathieu Pradat is an author, director, and architect who focuses his work on the growing interaction between virtual and real worlds as territories that convey new forms of narratives and emotions. His Fellowship is organized in partnership with Villa Albertine and Forum des Images. While at OpenDocLab, Pradat is conducting research on his thesis and working on the experience The Response, which questions the possibility of feelings of love being triggered by AI.
[Image description: Mathieu Pradat, a white man in his forties with mostly black messy hair and a short beard, is standing in a blurry interior. He wears a dark blue t-shirt and faintly smiles at the camera.]
