FYP_idea

Idealisation

The idea to do make an interactive narrative that told the story of everyday Singaporean life. I would add in 5 short stories that allowed the player to make choices and each choice would lead to a different ending. There will not be any right or wrong choices, and whatever choices the player chose would lead to the next stage in the interactive narrative.

I will be including some video references below.

Style

I have always been interested in the storytelling in the form of traditional medium, like Indonesia’s Wayang Kulit or Tawan’s Glove Puppetry. The rigid movement of the traditional medium seems really appealing and appropriate for this project. At the same time, I wanted to use this FYP as an excuse to improve my skillsets in painting. Therefore, it would be a combination of both.

I will be including some video references below.

Things to do

  • A flow chart for the narrative of the project
  • Collect stories every day
  • Decide on which platform/program to work on

Assignment04_Response to Chapt 1 from Kim Goodwin, Designing for the Digital Age

The reading has liberated me on multiple aspects of design. The first main takeaway from “Designing for the Digital Age” by Kim Goodwin was that design would always have certain constraints that needed to be abid. Often in the corporate world, our work was not only restricted by time and budget, but also the preferences of our client. It was spot on when the reading mention about this constraint that all designers have to face at some point in their design career.

The second thing to keep in mind when designing was to always think of the lowest denomination, people that have no prior experiences with the product that you were designing should be able to understand and explore the functions/experiences that you have crafted for them. It should be almost effortless and painfully obvious to the user. The fool-proof and simple design have rooted its philosophy in many major companies. For example, Apple.

The readings have mentioned a methodology that contains the 4 steps to design. Principles, Pattern, Process, and Practice. Principles were guidelines or rules that a designer can follow to achieve a better design. Pattern uses a certain design that the users were familiar with and integrate it into the product. The process was the main focus of the book, it concentrates on the planning and the research required to better understand the nature of the problem and design a product that would suit the user’s need.

The reading provided educational and necessary information that would help all designers or non-designers to face problem from the perspective of Goodwin.

As a bonus, I would like to post this lecture as it would better illustrate all the points in the reading.

Assignment03_Thoughtful Interaction Design Response

The reading was educational and contain many concepts that were quite foreign to me but after multiple attempts to dissect the meaning behind those words, I have got a better understanding and insights to the world of design.

I was asked to provide an artwork that reflects my understanding of the reading. However, I would like to share a product instead of an artwork, a product by Just Crunch and their line of Cereal Bowl. In the reading, to design was to influence the lives of others and solve the ‘problem’ that plague the users. In this case, people that had cereal were facing the problem of having soggy bits floating atop of the milk that has lost all of its texture and flavors. It forces the designer to think of an idea that would prolong the ‘lifespan’ of a bowl of cereal. The solution was actually simpler than what we would imagine, to separate the cereal and milk and let the consumers mix them when they are ready for the treat. Due to the design of the bowl, it could be used for multiple purposes, other than having a bowl of cereal. The image below demonstrated that capability.

In conclusion, the reading provided was an important document that should be read by all designers. The philosophy and idea that was conceptualized in the book were applicable in all fields that require a creative mind to solve a problem. It taught us about the responsibility of a designer and how our design would change the world for the better or worse.

Assignment02_The Oceanic Report

The Oceanic Event was an informative and critical event that underlines the stories that have been happening to the Pacific Ocean. A group of artists, filmmakers, composers, and researchers travel to Papua New Guinea, French Polynesia, and Fiji to explore and engage with the culture that relies on the Pacific Ocean. It gave an in-depth presentation and an inside look into these complex tradition and shine a light on the oceanic ecosystem eroded by humans activities.

“Tamoya Ohboya” – Tue Greenfort

One of the artworks that truly caught my eyes was “Tamoya Ohboya” by Tue Greenfort. Besides the fact that it was placed near the entrance, what really attracted me to this artwork was the fascination of using living things as a statement. From the image above, the work consists of a tank and a pump to keep the water in the tank circulating, mimicking the ocean. Meanwhile, a video was projected onto a white screen, showing the audience the close up of the jellyfish. This brought me to the attention the huge amount of effort it took for Tue Greenfort to replicate the environment that mother nature has provided. From the showcasing of the work, I would infer that the statement was to prove how valuable and vulnerable the environment was, that once the habitat for these creatures was destroyed, it would take us tremendous effort and resources to create what has been lost.

However, I do not believe that that was all to take away from the artwork. “Tamoya Ohboya” was also a study of the ocean. The purpose was to take a cross-section of the ocean and present it to the audiences, giving them a more personal look at these magnificent and beautiful creatures. While other artists have done similar work that also represents the cross-section of the environment, often presented in a form of a sketchbook or photograph, it was refreshing to see that Tue Greenfort eliminated the medium and gave us the “raw” look into the habitat, not through the lenses of an artist or photographer, but with our own eyes.

The talk about the tabu culture has gotten my attention. What at first seems like an irrational tradition for a group to follow seems like a common scene at the end of the talk. I will be giving context to the sentence above. In Fijian culture, a tabu area was considered a ‘holy’ or ‘forbidden’ ground, inaccessible to the public.

From the exhibition booklet, it stated that

Throughout the Pacific, the creation of tabu areas has been practised for a long period of time, including temporarily closing off areas to fishing as a mark of respect for the death of an important community member, to protect sacred sites, to affirm a village’s rights to a fishing ground, or as part of traditional ceremonies.

Such practices turn out to have a positive effect on the habitats as the area was untouched by humans activities and allows an optimum environment for the habitants to strive. Tabu areas were also often too dangerous for people to explore and sealing it off from the public would make sense to avoid any repercussions.

In conclusion, The Oceanic exhibition was one of the most memorable and impressive experiences for me. It has educated me on the negative effects of global warming and how it has affected communities in different part of the world. We should work toward helping out these affect communities but at the same time, understanding the traditions and culture in order to not offend the indigenous people of these areas.