Monthly Archives: February 2022

Project Development and Planning Week 6 – Webinar All about Mycology and Field Trip to SAM

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Webinar All about Mycology

Notes taken:

  • Mycology: Scientific study of mushrooms
    • Book on Identification and Biology of Mushrooms
      • Look similar, under microscope, but different structures spores gills and reaction to stains
    • The potential, behind the scenes, not just on the surface and looming beyond smaller people
    • Fungi represent urgency, currently hot topic
    • Film on Netflix, Fantastic Fungi, propelled to general common awareness / interest
      background in patent
    • Appeared on Facebook, mushroom coffin, to return to world as natural way as possible
    • Not deter people from joining or showing interest in mycology
  • Some counties on trying out using mushrooms to treat depression
    • Patients are able to get out of thought process by taking the mushrooms
  • Education for bio solutions
    • Use of plastics, with bio solution alternatives
    • Plants use of chemical fertiliser (obtain from rocks or chemical processes) not sustainable, but use of fungi as fertiliser can be useful but quality not consistent
    • Sustainable packaging, break down at correct time, reach customer at correct time
      • Durability, understanding of it
      • Where humidity plays a part
  • Not allowed to collect specimens without permit from parks and nature reserves, foraging not able to make it in Singapore

Field Trip to SAM

I feel the curated tour was very useful and I would have been lost as to how concepts and ideas for certain artworks came to be and why they were showcased as such. How could fungi affect and be in play with media to create something new and organic.

I also learnt more on the use of space and how having living organisms as part of the art:

  • Differs from time to time
    • Sound does or does not play
  • Changes over time
    • Fungi continues growing
  • Have to be properly prepared for exhibition space
    • Grown to certain extent before showcasing
    • Have to be contained due to spores, may spread in space and to other artworks

After the webinar and curated tour I now have a different perspective on fungi having learn their potentials.
My initial thought were fungi being a not so good counterpart to plants. Them growing at damp dark conditions and having once in primary school homework was to create bread mold which I found kind of gross.

I could somewhat perceived the feels of walking in a forest, which a more man-made aspect with the deliberate implementation of fungi and wooden planks, but also the use of the lighting creating a dim atmosphere with spots of light shining through as if bigger plants/trees in the forest were in the emergent layer and we were on the forest floor.

 

Reading Response Week 3 – Designing for the Digital Age

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This reading goes through a more in depth process of goal-directed product and service design in which they explain through each phase of the process. I feel the creation of personas in origins of the goal-directed design was incredibly useful especially in the communication to visualise and understand the users or client’s needs.
I also  the use of principles and patterns can be applied and seen in many design specializations, for example, the use of certain mechanics that have shown to work well together to create successful games. This though may lead to speculations of this rather grey area, whether to what extent is considered plagiarism in games especially the use of mechanics, or is there any sense of originality for games. And are the visuals, art style and narrative the only aspects that differ one game from the other.
The process for another example can be seen as the play testing phrase, like the use of personas or play testers that fit the market to see if requirements are met and what can further improve the game.
Though I have been studying in interaction media, art and design itself, I had trouble summarising or describing what I do. Hence, I feel this reading has helped me get a clearer or better understanding, be it the difference between an artist and designer, and certain concepts or definitions of interaction design.