When we had our first Design Lab II session with Nur, we did an exercise to create an abstract about our project. An abstract is like a brief summary of our project, it can even be an open ended summary. This is what I came up with:
"This project focuses on the Peranakan traditional beading technique and how can we move from the thinking of preservation, but instead going back to the culture’s “hybrid” origin by taking the best of different cultures. When we focus so much on the thought of preservation, we are not moving the culture forward. By pushing the idea of “hybrid culture”, we are forcing the culture to adapt to present time. How can we preserve the arts and crafts by manipulating the techniques, the material, the processes, to fit into different modern objects? "
I was inspired by the latest issue of the Peranakan magazine where they focuses on the hybridity of Peranakan culture. It's true that culture is a mix of a lot of different culture, creating a unique culture on its own. It is the basis of Peranakan culture, and it is an interesting point of view to take. If we keep focusing on preserving what already exist, we do not bring the culture forward.
This week, we met with Benson. He is an MA Design graduate from a few years back and now he is teaching part-time. It was really interesting to see the point of view of fellow practitioner. He talked about his previous project and it was quite inspiring for the class. He talked about the modernisation timeline of design in Singapore. He also looked at cultural policy in Singapore, and as a case study he immersed himself in traditional Chinese lantern making. He did a lot of testing and refinement in order to contemporize the lanterns and I learned a lot of tips to develop prototypes, where to start, what to consider, and how to get your mind out of the box. His project was very relatable to mine, because he was looking at a dying craft in Singapore as well.
When I talked to him about my project, he suggested that I need to first determine my target group and my main objective. I can then develop a hypothesis and think of an outcome of the project. In my case my target group will be young millennials. Main objective is to contemporize the culture, for the culture to live in a different form without diminishing the value. As for the output, for now I'm thinking to create an app or a platform for the designers and artisans collaboration.
He suggested that as I want to introduce the culture through craft, I must first break down the process behind the craft. For the outcome, we want people to understand Peranakan culture, the beading is just the kickstarter. If we go back to the process, we could break down each color/elements meaning. Through that, I formulate some sort of exercise, maybe create a placemat/coaster based on the user's personality (personalised color/elements). It could even be a couple activity, where they create craft for each other, giving meaning in the craft to each other. Identifying each person’s trait, choosing pattern and colour, beading technique, something intangible (personality) into something tangible represented by a craft object. Using design as a platform to generate communication and connect people, and educate them about the culture. Imparting the values into tangible object. Every culture has its own value and it just shows different way of seeing things. In a way its modernising but we're not losing anything. The general direction is bringing knowledge and value forward.
Based on this I came up with 3 design briefs. The first one will be a workshop, something like what mentioned above. Where a group of friends or a couple could learn about the craft and create a personalized beading based on the Peranakan pattern meanings. The second one is a part of the first brief, where I want to create a customization app to make it easier for the users to create their personalized patterns. And the last one is the collaboration hub, to connect the traditional craftsmen to other designers.
Benson suggested that I need to clarify what I want to bring forward from my design briefs. In this case, I’m going to use my current 3 briefs as small projects/experiments to find out what is the most valuable thing about crafts and what is relevant to bring forward into the future? Which part of it is sustainable to preserve in this modern time, and what is the best way to do it? He also suggested that while I teach the (future) users about the crafts and culture, I also learn from them. He pointed out that I can learn a lot from them by taking feedback after each activity and analysing the key elements from their feedback. From that I can summarise using that process from each brief then formulate a theory/infographic to show the output.
"This project focuses on the Peranakan traditional beading technique and how can we move from the thinking of preservation, but instead going back to the culture’s “hybrid” origin by taking the best of different cultures. When we focus so much on the thought of preservation, we are not moving the culture forward. By pushing the idea of “hybrid culture”, we are forcing the culture to adapt to present time. How can we preserve the arts and crafts by manipulating the techniques, the material, the processes, to fit into different modern objects? "
I was inspired by the latest issue of the Peranakan magazine where they focuses on the hybridity of Peranakan culture. It's true that culture is a mix of a lot of different culture, creating a unique culture on its own. It is the basis of Peranakan culture, and it is an interesting point of view to take. If we keep focusing on preserving what already exist, we do not bring the culture forward.
This week, we met with Benson. He is an MA Design graduate from a few years back and now he is teaching part-time. It was really interesting to see the point of view of fellow practitioner. He talked about his previous project and it was quite inspiring for the class. He talked about the modernisation timeline of design in Singapore. He also looked at cultural policy in Singapore, and as a case study he immersed himself in traditional Chinese lantern making. He did a lot of testing and refinement in order to contemporize the lanterns and I learned a lot of tips to develop prototypes, where to start, what to consider, and how to get your mind out of the box. His project was very relatable to mine, because he was looking at a dying craft in Singapore as well.
When I talked to him about my project, he suggested that I need to first determine my target group and my main objective. I can then develop a hypothesis and think of an outcome of the project. In my case my target group will be young millennials. Main objective is to contemporize the culture, for the culture to live in a different form without diminishing the value. As for the output, for now I'm thinking to create an app or a platform for the designers and artisans collaboration.
He suggested that as I want to introduce the culture through craft, I must first break down the process behind the craft. For the outcome, we want people to understand Peranakan culture, the beading is just the kickstarter. If we go back to the process, we could break down each color/elements meaning. Through that, I formulate some sort of exercise, maybe create a placemat/coaster based on the user's personality (personalised color/elements). It could even be a couple activity, where they create craft for each other, giving meaning in the craft to each other. Identifying each person’s trait, choosing pattern and colour, beading technique, something intangible (personality) into something tangible represented by a craft object. Using design as a platform to generate communication and connect people, and educate them about the culture. Imparting the values into tangible object. Every culture has its own value and it just shows different way of seeing things. In a way its modernising but we're not losing anything. The general direction is bringing knowledge and value forward.
Based on this I came up with 3 design briefs. The first one will be a workshop, something like what mentioned above. Where a group of friends or a couple could learn about the craft and create a personalized beading based on the Peranakan pattern meanings. The second one is a part of the first brief, where I want to create a customization app to make it easier for the users to create their personalized patterns. And the last one is the collaboration hub, to connect the traditional craftsmen to other designers.
Benson suggested that I need to clarify what I want to bring forward from my design briefs. In this case, I’m going to use my current 3 briefs as small projects/experiments to find out what is the most valuable thing about crafts and what is relevant to bring forward into the future? Which part of it is sustainable to preserve in this modern time, and what is the best way to do it? He also suggested that while I teach the (future) users about the crafts and culture, I also learn from them. He pointed out that I can learn a lot from them by taking feedback after each activity and analysing the key elements from their feedback. From that I can summarise using that process from each brief then formulate a theory/infographic to show the output.
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