In critical discourse, we learned about meaning. Meaning is an extraction from practice of things, function, and experience. The lecture was separated into 3 sections, looking into 3 different frameworks from Buchanan, Krippendorff, and Hara. We had a homework to choose one framework from those three that best represent our work. I chose the Buchanan model of 4 orders of design because it was the easiest to understand from my point of view. He indicated that we derive meanings from symbols, words, images, explicit things. It will then create a more implicit/abstract thoughts.
In my case, the "symbols" would be the Peranakan prints, motifs, colors, it then created the "things", the explicit object, there are many Peranakan objects that can be derived from the prints and motifs. Then, "actions" will follow, this is where the creating process come in, that will then lead to the final "thoughts", which follow the actions. In this case I'm looking to create a cultural sustainability and mutually-beneficial system for artisans and designers.
There is also a quote from Stuart Hall that I thought was very meaningful to me. "Things do not have fixed true meanings. Meanings are produced by humans by participating in a culture." It's so true that a pair of beaded slippers will have no meaning if we strip it off its culture. And I do have more appreciation of Peranakan culture and its beading craft after directly participating in it through my residency.
We also had another homework where we have to figure out our design intention. In my case, my design intention will be mainly to facilitate change and bridge the interaction between craftsmen and contemporary designers/artists, and also to increase the public's familiarity with the culture. My design brief will bridge the users and Peranakan cultural scene to create a collaboration between traditional craftsmen and designers to create a new contemporary cultural product to represent the culture today.
We also looked at three levels of action. Starting from micro, the user/individual-level action, in my case their level of action includes their cultural identity, personal expression, and participation in the culture. On the meso level, we are looking at community level, which is to engage dialogues and collaborations. And in the bigger system, the macro level, we are looking at the end products or what we hope to achieve, in my case is to create an inclusive culture, create new market segments, and generally create more opportunities for designers and craftsmen.
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