The quest for gender equality
Reverse the Curse combines playground favorites (dodgeball, capture the flag, and flag football) for a wild two- team game. Throw balls and steal flags, but since players have different powers, collaboration is necessary to win.
Designers – Sebastian Barrera, Sara Catalán, Sara Cornish, Carl Landegger, MK Loomis, Ruchika Muchhala
We are six graduate students studying at School of Visual Arts’ MFA Design for Social Innovation program. Three of the six are international students, and the other three are NYC-based designers. During the 2013 semester, we took a game design course focused on creating games for social change, which inspired us to create Reverse the Curse.
Sebastian Barrera has focused on extreme poverty alleviation projects in his home country of Colombia, where he worked in the context of cross-sector partnerships seeking systemic interventions in vulnerable communities. He’s been involved in a wide range of projects from helping to create communication strategies for tech startups, to creating a multi-media platform intended to foster critical conversations and an educational framework for people in Humanitarian Aid and Development.
Sara Catalán is from Barcelona, Spain. She has a background in Interior Design and Ephemeral Architecture after her studies in IED, Barcelona. Sara has worked in projects such as Interior Design renovations of hotels, restaurants and homes, art exhibitions and the design of ephemeral structures for indoor and outdoor events like sports and retail exhibitions, concerts and food stands at different festivals. She developed an interest in art exhibitions, working as Artist Manager for Txemy, contemporary urban artist, working on installations together and organizing his exhibitions. Sara is currently focused on the topic of women´s rights, completing an internship in the Communications team of UN Women, where she works on Say NO UNiTE, a social mobilization platform on ending violence against women and girls.
Sara Cornish is an communication strategist with a passion for business-driven social impact. She has worked for several NYC advertising agencies as a brand strategist and account manager for global healthcare clients. Sara is currently part of the Communications team at UN Global Pulse, an innovation initiative launched by the UN Secretary-General to explore how new digital data sources can track social and economic crises in real time. At SVA’s Design for Social Innovation MFA program, she’s focusing on emerging forms of corporate social responsibility and values-driven communication. Sara graduated from Vassar College with a BA in Urban Studies. Outside of work, Sara captains a women’s club ultimate Frisbee team and loves playing capture the flag in Brooklyn’s parks.
Carl Landegger puts the “funk” into Design for Social Innovation. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and growing up in the City of New York gave him a very unique, artistic view of the world. He was first subjected to street art in 1989 and still continues to communicate his voice within the surrounding environment today. His true passion in life has been transforming informational design and the mural making process into teaching a new form of art education to the youth. Working within design for almost a decade now, he specializes in branding, type, and web design within the non-for-profit, fashion, photography, and start-up sectors. Thanks to the School of Visual Arts, he has now become a social innovator excelling within community engagement, game design, and visual communications.
MK Loomis is a perpetually curious Interactive Designer passionate about creating meaningful experiences for big brands and the healthcare industry. She is currently designing with Publicis-owned agency MRY and thrives in the fast-paced and collaborative environment of an Advertising Agency. She hopes to use the principles of Design and Social Innovation to influence client’s methods for engaging communities and developing culture.
Ruchika Muchhala is of Indian roots, born and raised in Indonesia and Singapore. She has worked on several documentary projects as an editor and television series as a writer and director. Her directorial debut is “The Great Indian Marriage Bazaar,” a documentary in which she navigates through the complex system of arranged marriages in modern-day India. The film aired internationally on various television channels, including BBC World, and at women’s and international film festivals in 2012. Asides from production, Ruchika has worked on several community media projects with organizations such as Video Volunteers, WITNESS and WAVE, and as a new media producer with RealNetworks (Realplayer) in the Asia-Pacific region. She is interested in expanding her work in non-fiction storytelling by using interactive design and exhibiting on multiple platforms.