Category: Research

Listening to the talks by Rose Bond and Matt Adams made me wonder about the type of art I want to create. Both their works reflect what they believe in and are passionate about.

Rose Bond
At first glance, one may think Rose Bond’s work is a simple animated projection on a building. However, there is more than what meets the eye. I was surprised to know how each project had a particular narrative to convey. I also did not expect the amount of research the artist had put into each of these works. I have always had the impression that such projections were only for aesthetic purposes and did not have much meaning. I am interested in the research process behind the works of Rose Bond and how the concept is realised. I like her earlier animation works as of it showcased her style. I also like that the imagery is only accompanied by music and the work is left up to the viewers’ interpretation.

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Matt Adams
Matt Adams started off making a statement:

interactive = unfinished (works)

Our work in interactive media is never completed because it is heavily dependent on the users’ interaction with it. I think this is something I can learn from because I am always overly-anxious to complete a project. An unfinished work does not mean it is a failure as a project because there is always room for improvement for every creative project.

I was surprised his initial interest began with theatre because it was something I was interested in as well. His reference to Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation was something that struck a chord with me and helped me better understand the inspiration in many of Blast Theory’s works. While talking about Desert Rain, Matt Adams posed a question to the audience, “How do we make sense of the world when all our political knowledge is mediated?” This made me question the type of art I want to create. As aspiring creatives, I feel that it is important we know what kind of experience we wish to give our users / target audience. There are many levels of mediation and information becomes lost in translation. Thus, we have to be even more careful about the message we want to bring across to our audience.

The two projects by Blast Theory that I was very inspired by was “Can you see me now?” as well as their recent “2097: We made ourselves over“. In Can you see me now?, Blast Theory explores the irony of the internet. Although it has helped connect people on many levels, it has also disconnected them. With the game it is even more apparent when the real life is faced with other forms of obstacles and interruptions that the virtual map cannot replicate.

In Blast Theory’s recent two works Karen and 2097: We made ourselves over, they tried to talk about issues that the world faces with the advancement of technology. With the increased use of Facebook, profiling and big data becomes tools of marketing and control. Our experiences on the internet becomes more and more mediated. Matt Adams ends his keynote with a few pointers that I think we should think about:

• Bringing change through art
• Interactivity becoming your agency

interactive = unfinished / agency / political

I think that art and life can never be apart. Art that aims to reflects life can never be apolitical. If art cannot speak for the masses and the oppressed, who can?

“Design is the craft of visualising concrete solutions that serve human needs and goals within certain constraints.”

It is always refreshing for me to read articles about design and relearning the concepts of design. In a competitive time-constraining work environment, the designer sometimes create to please the client, often neglecting the needs of the end-user.  The design process is often skipped to meet deadlines as designers rush to solutions.

I think that the design process is very important in achieving the goals of the design. An aspect of understanding the design process that I have not gotten the hang of is the understanding of the user demographics through the creation of user personas. Taking an Interface Design module has helped me understand how user personas help refine the research process. I noticed that my design process comes with loopholes because I do not understand the users well enough. However, with user personas, I have a better understanding of how to craft questions and interviews to aid in my research findings.

 

As with any design process, it takes time to come up with a solution. In the battle to meet deadlines, is there a way to achieve a goal-directed design process without compromising any aspect of it?

I also appreciate the emphasis placed on each aspect of design and the way the design process is broken down in this reading. I feel that user-eccentric design is also achieved through interactions (such as interviews) with the user group itself. Research is a process that can take months and years. When does the designer then determine that the research done is enough to support their work?

I remember I was once brainstorming for a project at  an internship company a few years back. I started to work on my sketches but  halfway through, my art director told me there was no need to delve too deep into the design. He said it was common practice to skip the sketches and head straight into the artwork. To me, sketching was a way to plan and The process of design has always been a conflicting experience for me. Although I enjoy researching and the planning, I often find that I do not have the luxury of time. How do we then, as designers strike a balance between the research and the implementation of the design?

As designers, it is important for us to understand what our role and responsibility is about. Regardless of our disciplines, it is important to know the difference between being a designer and an artist. A designer is often given a brief and a problem to solve using design solutions, with each of these challenges targeted at a certain group of people. This reading further elaborates on the role of a designer as a problem solver and a mediator between the client and the users.

It is easy to forget the role as a designer when the workload becomes overwhelming. Many of us tend to choose the “easy” way out, using existing design solutions to fit into a new client brief so as to complete the project within the stipulated time frame. The reading emphasises that no design process is the same and the outcome is never perfect. Designs are solutions to the environment and society that is constantly changing with time. Therefore, a design that solves an existing problem may not necessary solve another problem of the same nature.

Ninshin Baaji – Japan’s Maternity Badge
An example of an artwork I find thoughtful and reflects the concepts discussed in the reading is the design of maternity badges in Japan and South Korea.

As a move to encourage working mothers, these badges serve to better the experience of pregnant women in their workplace and public spaces. On a public transport, these badges inform those around them to be more aware of them and give up their seats so that they will have a more comfortable ride to work. It also helps in an emergency, as a medical personnel will be more mindful of their unborn child should they have to exercise medical attention.

Pink Light – South Korea

In South Korea, a similar system was rolled out on the public transport. A pregnant woman with a badge triggers a sensor on the train that will alert a fellow consumer so that they will be given a seat on the train. The visual cue alerts commuters of a pregnant lady on-board the train.

With such a small badge, it is easy to go unnoticed in a crowded train. This Pink Light system better alerts commuters of a pregnant woman during a peak hour. Commuters who are engaged with their mobile phones will also be able to respond faster with such an alert.

In Relation to Core Concepts
In this example, the society has to adapt to the digital artifact (the badge). This artifact also seeks to improve the lives of a targeted group of people – in this case, pregnant women. It solves current issues of pregnant women who may be in their early stages of pregnancy or when their belly are not as obvious. Both badges (Japan and South Korea) help fellow members of society become more aware of pregnant women in the public. Both design process are unique in their own way and its outcomes vary in relation to the environment they were designed for.

I think this reading serves as an important reminder for us all in the design process and this is what sets us apart from artists. It summarises the role of a designer in a succinct manner.

“The designer…has other considerations as well. [..] A designer is also a citizen in a society and a member of a group that possesses specific professional knowledge.”

Designers are not just tools of creativity. They are problem solvers and educators. The end goal should not be a design that feeds our ego but a design that seeks to improve the lives of fellow humans, however minute it may be. It is crucial to understand this concept so that we will be able to create a thoughtful design for others.

The Oceanic exhibition and lecture series at the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art discusses the issues pertaining to the ocean that the world currently faces. The provocations and case studies presented by the panel raised awareness about the relationship between the people and the environment, giving insights to the indigenous folks whose livelihood depended on the ocean. Dr. Cynthia Chou, an anthropologist, in her case study sums up an interesting point about space, that it is a “range of knowledge, history [and] resources”, “a condition for biological survival…shaped by historical experiences of ancestral estates”. The study of the Orang Suku Laut brought about new understanding in the history of Riau, Indonesia. It made me question the relationship between humans and the environment. Although we do not depend on the ocean for our livelihood, our actions directly impact its ecosystem. What role does the artist then play in the environment? Is law the only way out in preserving the spaces of indigenous folks and the ocean?

The artwork (installation and video documentary) by Laura Anderson Barbata presented in the exhibition shows how performance can indirectly communicate a message with the audience. Her research at the expedition led her to create several pieces of costumes (inspired by the traditional indigenous costumes) to be worn by performers for their performance at the United Nations Plaza in New York. Her chioce of location placed emphasis and importance on the first UN Ocean Conference held in New York City. It was a work that shows our physical and emotional relationship with the ocean and combined spoken word, dance, procession, music, and costume. She describes this piece of work as a protest.

Her description of her work came as a surprise to me. Can something as beautiful as a dance piece be a work of protest? The dancers’ costumes were created by the artist after her stay during the Kula Ring Expedition. I find this aspect interesting because the materials she used for the costumes all derived from the expedition. Sometimes though, I wonder if more could be done for the communities that we create the artworks from. Besides taking their narratives and turning them into artworks for the masses, is there anything else that we can do to ensure continuity of a project with the community?

Ocean Calling is inspired by all the forms of life that make the ocean their home, as well as by the people, the histories and the cosmography of the communities that for millennia have lived in close relationship with the ocean. The work will unfold in an urban environment highly dependent on the health of the oceans, even though it may not be overtly obvious to our urban communities. Ocean Calling will invite audiences to first acknowledge our intersecting identities and then, to celebrate and honor them by changing behaviors to protect our oceans.
(Source: http://www.worldoceansday.org/)

Our attention span has shortened with the advancement of technology. However, such a performance captures your interest and the curiosity of the performance encourages you to find out more about the artwork as well as the underlying issues that it is trying to put across to the audience. I think the presentation medium is an important aspect of any art process. The outcome of a project should be dependent on the process. The process should not be forced upon the outcome.