Change of plan..KIV ‘Siapa Kita?’

Hmmm…unfortunately ‘Siapa Kita’ project has to KIV for future plans, not for my PhD research. Why? 1st the project is out of my research track after spending times thinking about the possibilities that i might get if ‘Siapa Kita’ project happen. 2nd I know the project sounds interesting but I dont think I have enough time to focus on this project. I need to turn back and focus on Visual Mapping Malaysia project and I need to organise and plan this once in the life time research trip.

I’ve been reading interesting essays from John Berger called Uses of Photography in About Looking. He discusses about the use of photography and the various views that can be created by camera. Did you know camera was invented in 1839 by Fox Talbot. Since then, photography has been use for nearly everything (e.g. war reporting, journalism, pornography, documentation etc.). The first period of its existance photography offered a new technical opportunity; it was an implement. Now instead of offerring new choices, its usage and its ‘reading’ were becaoming habitual, an unexamined part of modern perception itself.

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‘Through photographs, the world becomes a series of unrelated, free-standing particles; and history, past and present, a set of anecdotes and faits divers. The camera makes reality atomic, manageble, and opaque. It is a view of the world which denies interconnectedness, continuity, but which confers on each moment the character of a mysery”. (Susan Sontag)

Meaning from photo can be interpreted in different ways depending on one cultural background and histories. Some people said ‘images never lies’, to what extend will it be? If histories can be map and deliberately structured, what about images?

‘Siapa Kita?’

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˜Siapa Kita? is a sub-project that I created under the umbrella project Visual Mapping Malaysia 1957-2007. Apart from collecting the images from other resources (e.g. Libraries, Arkib Negara, Museums, National News Agency, Galleries etc.) ˜Siapa Kita? also collaborate with the participants/audiences to gather object.

The objective of this project is to encourage Malaysian to think and visualize their identity from their point of view through visual images (using any media – digital, screen shots, graphic, painting etc.). The question ‘why this image represent my Malaysian Identity’ is important. The process of finding an object that symbolized Malaysia will be an interesting method to develope later in future.

The challenge is to identify aspects of Malaysian cultures that need to be maintained in order to ensure a meaningful future. The outcome of these processes might lead to confident identities, resilient and capable of sustaining cultural norms, meaning, values, and traditions.

Comm.Design Posgraduate

I realised that I didn’t have any visual images of our postgraduate members. Here it is, Miek, Yoko, Tania and Lizzie.
This images was taken last year when we’re busy withour Fashion City project. This is a normal situation in our room, all gather together and critiqs about wha ton the screen.

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Siapa Kita?..

I’m in the making of ‘Siapa Kita?‘ online project. The objective of this project is to encourage Malaysian to define their identity from their point of view through visual images (using any media – digital, screen shots, graphic, painting etc.). It is also to re-introduce the young generation to ‘Malaysian Culture’. The images have to come with a bit of rational (still working on how many words) why the image represent their Malaysian identity. Part of this project will be ‘Siapa Kita (Malaysian’)? Competition. There will be some prizes to be won!


The prizes will be a free stay for few days (max. 3 days, still working on this too) in Malaysian Resorts (still working on this), voucher for Malaysian Cuisines (restaurant, stall etc), ticket to Cultural shows (e.g. Makyung, Bangsawan, Lion Dance, Dikir Barat, Zapin show, Chinese Opera, Kadazan Dance, Baba and Nyonya tradition etc) and several Malaysian Products (e.g. batik, labu sayong, wau, tikar mengkuang, kebaya, etc). Sorry to say this guys, this project only applicable to Malaysian in Malaysia.

What do you think about this? Any thought?

Design : Problem-solving or Impetus?

Ever since we know, problem “solving is innate in our everyday life. Were facing with different kind of problems since we start to understand what is the meaning of problem. But when it comes to design problem solving is more than making decision and handling client’s problems. Design is part of problem solving, we create a logo for a company because they want to identify themselve in certain image. We design a comfortable chair that can fit different kind of people, with special handle so the handycap people can also use the chair for the same purpose. In other words, designers contribute in the process of problem solving. Like everybody else in their own ways.

Book

Problem: How do I get the information about design?
Solved: Start by going to library.

And that’s what i did. After I solved my easy problems, I started to read more of design books, article, magazine and anything that relates to design and communication. That’s how I meet this book about problem solving. Problem Solved. Very interesting book by Micheal Johnson. Through this book I get to know John Berger (Ways of seeing) and Bob Gill. I can’t say much about both of them yet because I’m still reading their books. My problems is not solve yet. Back to Johnson, and I’m sure many other author that I dont know yet wrote about similar things about problem solving.

Qoute:
We all know about problem-solving is, surely? We problem-solve constantly. Wake up, problem “ bath or shower? Then another problem “cornflakes or muesli? Then another : bus or train to work? Problem: Latte or cappuccino? Problem: take lift or walk up the stairs? (Johnson, 2002)

True and indeed agree with what Johnson said. For sure problem solving is part of our day-to-day life, culturally. How about in design? Are we solving problems in design context in the way we solved our day-to-day problems? Problems can be viewed in different angle etc. Some can be solved easily, some might take a while, others might take years. In design, solving problems is about getting the job done and making the client happy. Are we seeing the problem here? I guess another important part in problems-solving is, can we see the problems. How can we solve problems if there is no problem appear? How do we discribe the problems? How do we see the problems?
I had a very interesting discussion with Neal last few days about this and it took me a while to finished writing up about this topic. Is design a problem solving or a impetus? I started with design as part of problem solving. Just to make things clearer here that Im not saying design is a problem solving but it is part of it. It could also be argued that design can also create another problem after solving the problem.

In my last post I wrote about how we define problems and then solved it. I also try to make a comparison with the day-to-day problems and design problems, which can be quite a huge different. Personal and professional problems, the solving process is a lot different. Although Johnson (2002 p.6) argued that solving problems is innate; it doesnt need teaching. I would argue that solving problems in design is not natural. It is something we have to learn through experiences and it doesnt come naturally.

Neal Haslem, a friend of mine and one of Masters candidate argued in our discussion, that design is a impetus not a problem solving. What is impetus? According to new Encarta® World English Dictionary 1999 the meaning of im·pe·tus (n) is something that provides energy or motivation to accomplish something or to undertake something or a force that causes the motion of an object to overcome resistance and maintain its velocity.

In Better by Design edition October 2006 “ Return on Ideas, the author claim that ideas were the impetus for the economic and social changes in 20th century and ideas will be the impetus for change in the 21st century. What is idea anyway?

Ideas can be synonyms as thought, design, plan, suggestion, brainstorm etc. in Encarta® World English Dictionary 1999. Design in the same dictionary means de·sign (v) to work out or create the form or structure of something, to plan and make something in a skillful or artistic way, to intend something for a particular purpose or to contrive, devise, or plan something.

How do designer solved problems through/with design? Is there any option if there is no design? Is design the only solution? Or design is only a form of energy to support the accomplishment? But might not solved the problems. What do you think?

Problem-solving in our life..how about design?

Ever since we know, problem “solving is innate in our everyday life. Were facing with different kind of problems since we start to understand what is the meaning of problem. But when it comes to design problem solving is more than making decision and handling client’s problems. Design is part of problem solving, we create a logo for a company because they want to identify themselve in certain image. We design a comfortable chair that can fit different kind of people, with special handle so the handycap people can also use the chair for the same purpose. In other words, designers contribute in the process of problem solving. Like everybody else in their own ways.

Book

Problem: How do I get the information about design?
Solved: Start by going to library.

And that’s what i did. After I solved my easy problems, I started to read more of design books, article, magazine and anything that relates to design and communication. That’s how I meet this book about problem solving. Problem Solved. Very interesting book by Micheal Johnson. Through this book I get to know John Berger (Ways of seeing) and Bob Gill. I can’t say much about both of them yet because I’m still reading their books. My problems is not solve yet. Back to Johnson, and I’m sure many other author that I dont know yet wrote about similar things about problem solving.

Qoute:
We all know about problem-solving is, surely? We problem-solve constantly. Wake up, problem “ bath or shower? Then another problem “cornflakes or muesli? Then another : bus or train to work? Problem: Latte or cappuccino? Problem: take lift or walk up the stairs? (Johnson, 2002)

True and indeed agree with what Johnson said. For sure problem solving is part of our day-to-day life, culturally. How about in design? Are we solving problems in design context in the way we solved our day-to-day problems? Problems can be viewed in different angle etc. Some can be solved easily, some might take a while, others might take years. In design, solving problems is about getting the job done and making the client happy. Are we seeing the problem here? I guess another important part in problems-solving is, can we see the problems. How can we solve problems if there is no problem appear? How do we discribe the problems? How do we see the problems?

Changing direction..,

Meet Laurene this morning for another research related meeting. Its interesting to see the changes every time I meet up with her. Aha! changes means lots more work to do, Nurul! Last week, before I meet her this morning, she asked me to think about these questions, referring to my research trip this August to Malaysia.

WHAT do I want to do?
HOW do I want to do it?
And one of her favorite questions WHY?

And Ive been thinking about it, one of my plan is to conduct an interview, of course this is a typical research methods, designing a prototype as a probes to be use as a trigger in my interviews. So I started list down all the important reasons and questions I would ask the participants. How many participants I want to get? What kind of information I want to get from them? I also categories the participants to certain groups (e.g. ethnic group, age, gender, location, background).

But then is this what I want to do? What will I get from this interviews? Will the information help me in my research? What is my research title again? Hmmm¦ better get back to that junction Nurul¦

I turn back to the information I got from my online forum, this is the junction where I turn my direction in this research. There are many area that we discussed, I put them in category and identify them with certain topic. What should I do with this information (Cameron Tokinwise hates it when I said data, so I use information instead.) The reason I did this forum is to know what the Malaysian think about Malaysia. So I got the answers from some of the participants. I’m not saying that these answers represent all the Malaysian. Just some of them. I should used it somehow…will think of something..need to read more..dig

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