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Face Settings is a website designed by Eva Wohlgemuth and Kathy Rae Huffman. It is a site created by women for women, and can be found at the URL http://thing.at/face/. This site focuses on women's issues and communication between women who have various backgrounds and interests. The site includes several categories for viewers to browse through, including some small graphics to access certain topics. The categories are arranged in a row on the bottom of the screen, and begin with a project description.
The project description begins with pictures of both Eva and Kathy. By clicking on either, a browser can discover background information on each woman. Both descriptions include information about their education, previous and current projects, and general goals or interests. Browsers can also access direct email to Kathy or Eva to get more information or to open communication. Following the pictures, there is a brief description, and additional sub-headings of context, activities, and goal. In this format, it is easy to see the purpose of the site, as well as the goals of the women in creating this project. The general idea is to promote sharing and growing relationships between women. They use various methods of communication including face-to-face events, teleconferencing, and the Internet. Real dinners are a main staple listed in the activity column, and the conversations during actual events are documented and may later be transferred to the website. The next area is labeled the "3D dining zone." A brief description of it says, "It will provide you with the special tips and tricks you have to know to be a perfect hostess!" The rest of this category could not be accessed using Netscape Navigator without certain software. Following the dining zone is a pair of lips, which heads the category "statements and topics." In this section, there are currently twelve links to various topics. Two examples are "GRRL Scouts, the subconscience of cyberspace," and "Marina Grzinic: Hysteria: Physical Presence and Juridical Absence and AIDS: Physical Absence and Juridical Presence." These various links bring viewers to subjects that are of interest or concern to women. They include interviews, articles, transcripts of events, and dialogues. The links also include graphics or stills, which add to their interest. The Events category follows, currently listing six events, each a unique experience. The events are things that have occurred in the past and are related to the website and the work of the women who created it. Each listing includes stills of the actual event as well as a brief description of it; many also include links to additional related websites. Mainly the events are related to art or cooking, done in the context of discussing communication in general and specifically communication between women. One event listed is titled "ARS Electronica dinners." If the browser clicks on this, there is a series of stills showing the event, a small bit of information, and a link to the site for ARS Electronica 1997. A second listing is the "California Experience." At this particular event, feminism was discussed and four women spoke to the group about their views on feminism. After this section, there appears the category of recipes. Each recipe is listed with the donator or creator of the recipe. If the browser clicks on a recipe, a page will appear listing the ingredients, the instructions for cooking, and a picture at the top displaying the food or the making of it. The recipes are interlocked with the dinners because they have been used in actual events. Next comes the category of links. It shows a list of sites that the authors of "Face Settings" are currently looking at to explore their ideas and goals. The sites are also divided into categories such as "artists" which is at the top of the column. Specific artists and their work are then listed individually. Other topics included are Cyberfeminism, Women's Organizations, and Female Chats and Forums. The range of topics is wide, however most stick to the context of Face Settings because they relate to women and women's issues. Dinners are listed next, and there are four included. If the browser clicks on each individual dinner, they will have access to the location, the guest list, the menu, a still picture, and a small description of the dinner. The first one listed is titled "Rotterdam Dinner (the introduction)." For this one, the browser also has access to a transcript of the dinner conversation that actually occurred. The discussion centers on the issue of communication, with women, with men, the differences, and etceteras. There were only women at the dinner, and they also discussed how talking, cooking, and simply spending time with others is an important issue for them. The final category is entitled "Stop, Enjoy, Look!" Here the browser can click on any one of nine words for food items such as carrot or red pepper. The link will show a picture of the food item and will be followed by a quotation. After the quote, there is a web address listed, and the browser can click on this as well. These sites mainly connect to papers concerning gender, sex, women's issues, and sociological studies. Overall, this website was fascinating and exciting. It is fairly easy to navigate and understand; the project description definitely helps with this. The picture stills and graphics keep the visuals interesting, and the access to actual dialogue makes the site seem very realistic. The site is definitely created on the premise of women's issues, but equally important is the issue of communication and dialogue. Anyone interested in any of these issues should visit the site, male or female. The site itself is a wonderful resource, and it also provides useful links to many other relevant sites. |