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How what it project, shaped what others think?

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A PhD investigation on comm. design contribution on Malaysian Identity by Nurul Rahman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.
Based on a work at www.nurulrahman.com.

Now when you read this title what do you think can go under ‘it’? It in this context could be any form of media, but what I want to discuss today about ‘it’ falls under comics. So ‘it’ in this column means comics, yes only comics, because under comics there’s comic books, comic strips and perhaps other ‘unknown’ type of comic.

Next questions is the question that I asked at the top (title). So what do you think? Let’s makes it easier in putting comic in the sentences. So ‘How what comics [it] project, shaped what others think? What I’m asking here is the role of comics. Hmm..but what is comic? Well, if you look at the comic definition in www.dictionary.com then the meaning of comic is this – a comedian, a comic book, comic strips, comedy shows or a behaviors that could induces smiles or laughters. Yes, I did said comics is just comic and nothing more, not comedian and not the act of making others laugh.

Sadly because of this ‘unpopular’ areas or medium, people don’t really understand what comic is. The word comic are broadly use, in different situation, depending on the purpose. It is also because comic is not something that are educational appreciated, it use to be considered as a bad influences. But not anymore. Nowadays comic are much more popular, between children and adults. It has become an exclusive desire artifacts for some and cartoonist has become as popular as an artist.

Back to the question asked – what influence or impact does comic have in our life and how it can influence our thinking process or our lifestyle? First, lets see where can we find comics? Traditionally we could only in find comic in newspapers (classic), in children books, in comic books and in magazine. But nowadays we could see them in advertising, in poster and in many other promotional items. So in conjunction to this, comic is no longer a medium under other media, but it is the medium by itself, therefore as what McLuhan (1954) stated “The medium is the message” – comic is the message. Comic has its own ‘content’ through the message it carries , except the content of the message have extended to certain human understanding of comics. Therefore the meaning of the ‘content’ of comic could change and evolve through time. Now if we see the use of new media on comic, this is happening because comic could give meaning and its own interpretation of comic with out reading what it contained. To include comic in advertising work is to create the feeling of comedy, relax, take it easy kind of meaning. Then the content of the comics comes in.

McCloud in his most influential book ‘Understanding Comic’ (1993) describe his extended meaning of comic and shows examples on how to read and understand comic, breaking it into different parts. Comic is a the most subtle communication medium to communicate. Through comic one can express, tell, suggest and perhaps persuade others for different purpose.

understanding comics

To be able to read comic, one needs to understand the culture background of the comics, a western comic could portray towards Western lifestyle and so on with others cultures around the world. In contrast to this, comic also is a medium of study, one could examine the culture, identity, background of others from different countries through comic. So how does this influences what others think?

Well it is a norm human reaction to imitate others, particularly when is it different from others. Lifestyle, fashion, trends, custom etc, are something everyone of use appreciate, and want to learn or at least curious enough to know. This process could shape our thinking, our views on something and perhaps could even alter our behaviors.

Of course this blog hopes to stimulate some awareness or discussion about design, and guess what, comic is part of communication design. Have a think..Now, what do you say again about comic…is it or is it not influential?

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Identity : Constructed

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A PhD investigation on comm. design contribution on Malaysian Identity by Nurul Rahman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.
Based on a work at www.nurulrahman.com.

As you can see I haven’t been writing much in this blog, I’ve been super busy trying to finish up writing up my PhD. But this blog is here and still very useful for me to reflect back my work and throw out some ideas. Many ideas from this blog have brought me long way in my research and some are just left behind as I did not have time to make it happen. Hopefully in future this blog will be much better use than now. I wish to continue some of ‘wish’ and hope it will come true one day.

Well, at this point as I mentioned I’m trying to finish up my writing. I’m in the middle of writing up 2 chapters, both are about medium, different medium that are used in communication design. Or it could also be defining the role of communication design in my research. I assumed it’s both but I really need to be able to articulate my thoughts clearly.

Through this blog, I have meet many peoples that have similar interest, and shared different thoughts. Most of all I have received many supports to get this PhD done. It is not really about this PhD, I think it is mostly about the topic that everybody wishes to know what the conclusion would be. Identity..hmmm almost everybody interested in it and Malaysian are not left behind. It’s been 51 years now that Malaysia managed to survive and stand alone. Thanks to all the Malaysian who makes this happen although some of them are not being thank or mentioned in many ways…

I went back to Malaysia to present a paper in a International Postgraduate Conference in Penang. This is not my first time presenting at a conference, but this is my first time presenting a paper in conference in Malaysia. It was an interesting experience. Why do I say that? Well, I found the conference is not really about sharing the knowledge, and value the research that been taken forward but it is more about showing off the research work and hoping to get some recognition from it. Some are more about the conclusion of the project rather than reflecting the whole research process. What a shame I said to myself as I knew some participant comes all this way to listen and share the space to gather knowledge about particular topic like myself. Yes I’m sounding like I’m ranting about it, I guess I’m just disappointed. Even worst when it comes to my paper presentation.

I presented a paper on a topic of my very first project in the beginning of my PhD. I was determined to know what others think about the notion of Malaysian Identity. I used an online forum as a research method to undertake this questions. In my paper presentation I did mentioned before I started discussion about the paper that my research is based on a practice based design research and it’s undertaken under a communication design projects. And I continued my presentation giving a brief explanation on practice based design research.

In my paper I discussed about “What is practice-based design research?” (Rahman:2008). It is a research methodology that utilizes the characteristics of design as a means for knowledge creation. Its involves a process of researching by, in and through design practices. Archer (1981) defines design research as “Design research is systematic inquiry whose goal is knowledge of, or in, the embodiment of configuration, composition, structure, purpose, value, and meaning in man-made things (artefacts) and systems.”

Then I continued the presentation more about my project, the contents, the methodologies, participants etc. Although 20 minutes will never be enough in explaining the whole project. Of course some are of the informations are left behind. But at the end of this presentation I received several interesting questions. Some are about the design research and some about the issues that relates to identity. I received very limited positive inputs of the paper in this conference. Others are more about their concern on identity issues. One just asked me ‘What will be your conclusion on this topic? What do you think is Malaysian Identity?

Hmmm…there I’m standing alone thinking how do I answered this questions. First I said that my research never intended to define what is Malaysian identity, but it is about understanding different methodologies that could be taken forward as a way to understand and hopefully to be able to show how identity have been presented and projected to others.

Second, I think identity is not something that can be defined or to be symbolised to something. There’s not correct representation of it and I don’t think it even could. Identity evolved and it accumulates not only one but many different values through culture, tradition, political, lifestyles, history, economical issues etc. Identity cannot just taken from something and project it to others without any historical, political or any other issues above attached to it. Identity is a constructed and it’s involved political reasons.

In Richard Robbins (1999) book called a book called Global Problems and the culture of Capitalism, he discussed a chapter on the construction of nation-state. He presented few examples on how the nation have been constructed and some convincing methodologies. Few authors such as Eugen Weber, Eric Hobshawn and Linda Coley are widely mentioned throughout one of the chapter.

Although there are many other scholar, many of them are nationalists from various persuasions argues that nation state are constructed based on the expressions of preexisting cultural, linguistic, religion, ethnics, or historical features shared by people who make up or who would make up the state, some general view that are more certain aiming scholars, is that nation-states are constructed through invention and social engineering.

But Eric Hobshwan suggested that tradition must be invented. People must be convinced that they share or must be forced to share certain features, such as language, religion, ethnic group membership, or a common historical heritage, regardless of whether they really do.

Then Linda Coley (1992) discussed and showed illustrated examples through painting how the national identities is constructed through critical understanding of nationalism and ethnicity. Her case studies are based on the Great Britain and she discussed her case through Britons. She showed examples and focussed on the issues of ethnicity and religions as the main ways to construct the nation in Great Britain.

“Thus, one of the most effective ways to construct a nation is to create some Other against whom members of the nation-state can distinguish themselves. That Other needn’t be a country; it may be a category of persons constructed out of largely arbitrary criteria, such as racial characteristics or religion. Thus, a group may insist that only people of a particular skin colour or religion or who speak a particular language can be a members of their nation.” (Robbins:2008:116)

Eugen Weber (1976) discussed on the Frenchmen and the nationalism in France. He discussions focusses based on the language, bureaucracy and education system in France and how this contributes in constructing the nation. He claimed that national unity in France was also the evidenced by the growth of patriotism. Even though it is not a obvious as much as American nation building, French have much more subtle ways of provoking and constructing their nation. This is not to say as Weber pointed out, that the French were unpatriotic, only that they had no uniform conceptions of patriotism. As he said “patriotic feelings on the national level, far from instinctive, had to be learned”.

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Is there any vernacular Malaysian Design?

Time have fly fast, year 2008 is now reaching at the end. Moi? I’m still in the progress of writing up…It’s been a hard year for me although I have to admin I have learned a lot. Few weeks ago I presented a paper in ICPE’08 (International Conference of Postgraduate Education) organised by USM in Gurney Hotel, Penang. As I imagined the crowd is not from the design background therefore the critics and comments I received is different, positive at least. It is interesting to see what others who come from non-designed background think about design project. I think designers should present more in the conference and write, it is very important to make others understand what we’re doing, and by doing so we will get a better idea and understanding of what we’re doing or working on. I have learned this process while teaching. I’ve been teaching more than 5 years now, casual, part-time and full-time. I found myself fascinated with the student behaviours and reaction with the subject. I came to understand that teaching requires a never ending learning process. To teach is to learn, by doing so one will never stop learning.

In our day to day life, unwittingly we practice this process. Progressively we learn and teach regardless the small actions, issues or thinking. And we talk about it to our families, friends etc. For example, we learn to have a breakfast everyday, by observing or by learning it from our parent. Breakfast, depending which cluster or ethnic group one belong to have its own way. It can be heavy, light, spicy, sweet, etc. Then we practiced and teach it to our children or friends. It is by nature a way of practicing our life..anyway..I shall not continue this discussion until I can articulate this topic clearer.

In relations to my blog title, I’m still asking the question about the notion of Malaysian Identity, I wonder if I ever would have the answer, or not? But I’m hoping I would be able at least to understand a lot more about Malaysia and its intimate connection to the design practice.

To open the new year event I will be giving a talk about Malaysian Design in particular on a topic or vernacular design in Malaysia, whether it is genuine or merely a copycat act. I’m exited about this topic and hoping to get something out of this discussion with other Malaysian designers.

Meanwhile I’m still continue writing my pieces of collected design exploration through my PhD. Rewrite is the words that I’m now more and more getting comfortable with. It is now my close friend. If you in KL and interested to listen more about design in Malaysia and its relation to identity please do drop by to www.kakireka.com on the 14th of January 2009.
Creative Commons License
A PhD investigation on comm. design contribution on Malaysian Identity by Nurul Rahman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.
Based on a work at www.nurulrahman.com.

I havent been writing much in this blog lately, not that I dont have anything to write but I been busy writing somewhere else. I have some thought now and then, I wish I could go online and see how it goes but sadly its just not as easy as sketching. Well, I should start by wishing you my friend who regularly spend time reading my 5 cents ideas and thought about design checking whats new in my blog. To you I wish Happy New Year and hope this year will give us more guts in provoking design studies, practices and theory around.

Ive been travelling around for a short break, and presenting paper in a conference. Now I have arrived and settle where I came from in Melbourne as I have a lot more to finish, the unfinished research. While Im travelling, in the country I spend most is France, not all region but some places, enough to realise some interesting fact about French or I could say in this case it is not only on France but many other country. Language is very intriguing. Not all countries speak English although it was claimed as the most important language in the world. Indeed, is one of the languages that will allow us to communicate to other, after all almost everybody at least knows one words in English, thanks to film and music industry.
While laying in front of the television after lunch in Reims, I turn on the remote to see whats on. Yes, I know most of the people know this but for me its shocking. Why everything is in French? We could view this from different angle. I ˜m looking at it from identity issues, mainly national identity. Clearly language is another medium to connect and to be able to communicate to each other. Apart from the language also represent or identify almost which country the person comes from. Lying in front of the tele I was wondering, could it be possible with the standardized the language French thinks other people around the world speak French? Every France citizen or permanent residency speaks French. How does the authority get to this? Definitely tv program and promotional advertisements is one of the way to construct this idea. When nothing else is use except one language, one dont have much choice then start learning or else would be left all alone. This idea has strong relation to choice and freedom.

In country like Malaysia, if the freedom of choice is so far away and theres not much choice left, nothing much one can do apart from taking the risk rather then taking the risk to be left alone. Dont get me wrong nothing going towards issues such as politics, blog can become a sensitive issues in Malaysia, therefore I have to say it out loud, nothing political in here. Now because of this limited choice to be able to choose Malaysian have lack of design understanding. What is design and what does it mean to most Malaysian designers? I was supposed to give a talk in KL on kakireka small talk in KL organised by Wrega (Malaysian Non Profit Graphic Design Association), but then something came out and we have to call it off. But the topic I have in mind came after my visit in Penang in December last year and Im writing a chapter about it to publish in a design journal.

The issue that Ive found quite interesting is about the vernacular of Malaysian design. Is there any? One could argue and said that there are, depending on what it the word design means to oneself. Some would say no because nothing reach the standard. What standard? Again this also will goes to what they mean with the word design.
If we look at the Oxford Concise dictionary (11 ed. 2004 since 1911), the word design means:
a) A plan or drawing produced to show the look and function of something before it is built or made.
b) The art or action of conceiving of and producing of something
c) The arrangement of the features of artefacts.
d) The propose or planning that exists behind an action or object.

Now what that mean here if we look at most of the artefact that are available in Malaysia from massive advertisement to the one that are photocopy, from the logo of the big shopping mall to the logo of the small hawker shop, regardless what is the visual looks like, the aesthetic part of it, these artefacts does fit in under the action of designing. So back to the question is there any design in Malaysia, the answer is yes, definitely. But whether it can be claim as Malaysian design, we will find out later on. Is there any vernacular Malaysian Design?

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To teach is to learn..

Time have fly fast, year 2008 is now reaching at the end. Moi? I’m still in the progress of writing up…It’s been a hard year for me although I have to admin I have learned a lot. Few weeks ago I presented a paper in ICPE’08 (International Conference of Postgraduate Education) organised by USM in Gurney Hotel, Penang. As I imagined the crowd is not from the design background therefore the critics and comments I received is different, positive at least. It is interesting to see what others who come from non-designed background think about design project. I think designers should present more in the conference and write, it is very important to make others understand what we’re doing, and by doing so we will get a better idea and understanding of what we’re doing or working on. I have learned this process while teaching. I’ve been teaching more than 5 years now, casual, part-time and full-time. I found myself fascinated with the student behaviours and reaction with the subject. I came to understand that teaching requires a never ending learning process. To teach is to learn, by doing so one will never stop learning.

In our day to day life, unwittingly we practice this process. Progressively we learn and teach regardless the small actions, issues or thinking. And we talk about it to our families, friends etc. For example, we learn to have a breakfast everyday, by observing or by learning it from our parent. Breakfast, depending which cluster or ethnic group one belong to have its own way. It can be heavy, light, spicy, sweet, etc. Then we practiced and teach it to our children or friends. It is by nature a way of practicing our life..anyway..I shall not continue this discussion until I can articulate this topic clearer.

In relations to my blog title, I’m still asking the question about the notion of Malaysian Identity, I wonder if I ever would have the answer, or not? But I’m hoping I would be able at least to understand a lot more about Malaysia and its intimate connection to the design practice.

To open the new year event I will be giving a talk about Malaysian Design in particular on a topic or vernacular design in Malaysia, whether it is genuine or merely a copycat act. I’m exited about this topic and hoping to get something out of this discussion with other Malaysian designers.

Meanwhile I’m still continue writing my pieces of collected design exploration through my PhD. Rewrite is the words that I’m now more and more getting comfortable with. It is now my close friend. If you in KL and interested to listen more about design in Malaysia and its relation to identity please do drop by to www.kakireka.com on the 14th of January 2009.

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A chapter to start with..

It has been a while since the last time I wrote in this blog. It’s not that I’m no longer involve in writing, instead I still do. I’ve just been busy writing for a chapter for my PhD. This chapter is about the case study that I undertake in the beginning of my PhD. I was searching for Malaysian Identity. To search for this identity is very close to impossible, at least I think so…

I started to look what is not Malaysian Identity? Actually quite a lot, and some can be confusing because ti can be part of identity but it is not belong to the Malaysia. For example rendang (Malay think curry sause that were cook usually for celebrating the first day after Ramadhan – fasting month. Rendang is claimed comes from Indonesia, and lots of indonesia are ready to fight if I said not them. Come to think about it, it is not impossible that the rendang comes from Indonesia. But then though time, rendang that were brought to us in Malaysia are now adopted in the Malaysian taste and flavor. Therefore there are the version of the rendang that could identify that it comes from Malaysia. Instead of claming that the rendang is from Malaysia, we should acknowledge that it is not but mentioned that it is an adaptation of the original rendang from Indonesia.

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Defining my argument…or not?

Back to my PhD, I really have to be clear here that it is not my PhD intention to define or discover Malaysian Identity.

I think it will take ages to do it, even still I dont think we could ever articulate what is Malaysian Identity. Also I agree with few scholar and author (Anderson, Hall, Babha) arguments that in a big picture identity itself is constructed. In my context, I’m arguing that Malaysian Identity is constructed, therefore there are no real identity, what we have in Malaysia is the ‘imagined identity’ where most of us believe that it real. (e.g. part of history, education system, administrator etc.). That is not my main argument. It is just part of the journey. My research is interest in in the role of communication designer in the process of constructing Malaysia Identity, the visual rhetorics in shaping this ideology (e.g. Malaysia Boleh!, Uniquely Malaysia etc.) At this stage I still didn’t have the clear view of what is my argument – I sort of know it but still I can’t articulate the argument.

Question from Andy – “Identity is something virtual, everything is constructed, images, texts form a simulation. So how you want to identify the identity of being Malaysian?”

In the beginning of my research I’ve explore different project as an attempt to search for Malaysian Identity at least the element of it. I found Lat Cartoon is interesting, partly I think because I grew up with it and also I think he could be called a social commentators. I’m using Lat as a case study of my research, looking at Lat as a communication designer and as a cartoonist. Now I’m writing about Lat in my 1st chapter. By the way do you know how to get in touch with Lat?
Please email me – nurul.rahman[at]rmit.edu.au

Later on after Lat explorations – I did a project called ‘searching for Malaysian Identity’ – I decided to asked around what other people think about Malaysian Identity – Malaysian and non Malaysian – so I produced and designed a website called – www.malaysianidentity.com as my 2nd PhD project. Now I’m also writing up a chapter about it. I have presented in few design and cultural studies conference; and published paper in relation to it. The outcome of this website is the most interesting and significant to my PhD research. All the projected idea about Malaysian Identity promoted by government and Malaysian brand/products is there. That’s the idea people have about Malaysia. This is Malaysia and that is Malaysia. We are unique and different from others. Are we? Why?
That process has leads me to this questions – What makes Malaysian believe that the image projected are their identity. Why no questions or contesting if they disagree with it? Or they did? Indeed, it is not just in a day these notion of identity is constructed, it takes years of building this believe, and it is still under construction isn’t it? Each year there these notion of identity will be presented through different angle and views. Like in branding there’s alway a target audience but using different tactic to sell the idea. In Malaysia, most of the idea is projected through visuals, most of it because we don’t really have a reading culture therefore visual is the best way to persuade the nation. Plus Malaysia is a nation that believe in visual rather than doing the research or dig information about it, which is pretty easy to deal with. That might be one of the reasons why Petronas won the advertising award most of the time. Using past history to bring back the spirit of ‘nationalism’.

One of the interesting discoveries that I found while doing this research is I found that Malaysia/Malaysian – culture, behaviors etc, are very similar to American. Remember the American Spirit? Hmm…We’re not far from that. The ‘Malaysian Can Do It’ spirit. Neither the Singaporean. Knowing that it is since our independence day, American influences are already been around (New Strait Times 1957). My hypotheses are due to why we act similar to American or influence by American is because we’ve been colonised by English, therefore we tried to somehow to get away from being colonised by English/British. Unfortunately we still been colonised by them and America.

How many American movies in Malaysia? We even have similar culture, if we really think about it. We’re scared of nearly everything. We even have the same sculpture artist for our national monument – the ‘Iwo Jima’ monument and ‘Tugu Negara’ are sculptured from the same artist, an Austrian Sculpture artist. What a coincidence? Even our flag looks similar. Why? Because our Malaysian flag is based on the idea of freedom in United State of America – therefore it was designed very similar to it. We also use a lot of national icon as a way to promote the nationalism spirit. Are Malaysian patriotic? or nationalistic? This is for our future communication designer to discover and investigate later on…Hopefully it will be useful enough..

What I’ve written above is some of my research discoveries through reading and analising the printed visuals (50 year period of time) that I’ve collected when I went back for my research trip a year ago. I’ve spend nearly 3 weeks traveling around peninsular Malaysia and Broneo (only Sarawak) and spending time in National Archive, libraries and Museums. I still didn’t see any vernacular Malaysian design still, most of them are standard version kind of design, is it because that most of our design school is looking up at the Western or European design as our leading design?

So, in relation to what I have wrote before, it is my PhD aim to be able to used my research materials/artifacts as a way to teach design students in Malaysia. Instead of reading or looking at the Western design, we should look and study our own design as a way to understand our identity, to be able to critising and contesting it, and perhaps by doing that we designers or the future Malaysian designers will be able to come to an understanding and to be able to create a vernacular/ distinctive Malaysian design.

Questionsfrom Andy – “After you deconstruct it, do u want to put a new image or create something new?”

Hell no! nothing close to it..I don’t want to spend time creating something new like everything in Malaysia. It’s always about creating new innovation, products, terms etc. Very little about maintaining and nurture the process. To understand the whole process is to reconstruct and reconstruct, then we will be able to preserve and maintain it.

Peace!
What do you think?

Email me at nurul.rahman[at]rmit.edu.au

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some thoughts about my research..

I’ve realized that it is a complex issues about Malaysian Identity and no way in 3 years I could find an answer of what is Malaysian Identity, better get far away of that issues, although it is connected to my PhD. My research is not about searching for Malaysian Identity.

What I’m interested now and hopefully it will be clearer later in my writing, is the role of communication designer in regards to the construction of Malaysian Identity. Do designers conscious of what their creating in their process of designing? Do they reflect on their design process? Or does designer aware of ‘myth’ that the designer’s created through their visuals making? My concern also about design education curriculum in Malaysia – to narrow it down USM can be a case study.

What kind of knowledge are we teaching in Graphic Communication. Imaged, when I first arrived thinking of pursuing Master and PhD. Without knowing these names – Derrida, Barthes, Lupton, Papenek, Schon, Saussure, Foucoult, Hall etc. How many literature reviews we actually did in our design degree course? or even write about it? I have to read and covered them along while working out what my PhD is all about…and yes…apart from trying to get my grammar on the right track. I wonder if Malaysian design students are critical enough toward the graphic/design artefacts around them or merely think its another piece of graphic design artifacts? ‘Take it as it is’.

How can the design educator nurture the design student awareness of ‘myth’ they might create in their process of designing? Structuralism and deconstruction process in design, reflecting on the practices as I came to understand that it is a significant process of graphic design studies/research. Should it be part or it is already part of our design curriculum in the university?

My aim in this PhD is to produce a pedagogical approach [still not sure about the product though, any thought? ]- criticizing Malaysian graphic design artefacts and through this questioning the Malaysian Identity as I think that it is closely related. I argue communication designer contribute in the process of shaping Malaysian National Identity, through the process of branding, promotions, creating an identity etc. Now I need to write about it…

Any thought?

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NewViews Exhibitions

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A PhD investigation on comm. design contribution on Malaysian Identity by Nurul Rahman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.
Based on a work at www.nurulrahman.com.

Got my poster accepted for an online exhibitions – Newviews Design Conference
Here’s the link. There’s also an exhibition running in Melbourne Museums, have a look at the Newviews websites for more information. Graphic Design Posters and graphic design discourse is part of the program on the opening days – 15 November 2008. Prof. Teal Triggs from London College of Arts will present a talk about Scissors and Glue in the postgraduate public talk.

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Selamat Datang Ke Malaysia!

A friend of mine told me about a Malaysian artist called Yee I-Lann who exhibited one of her artwork in Brisbane art Gallery. The interesting part in her digital imaging artwork is the buffalo. Well, if you travel around Malaysia, not only in Kuala Lumpur, Penang or Johor, you could see buffalo around in ‘kampung’ village area. The connection she put together between the image of PutraJaya building and a buffalo, for me is interesting as it somehow shows the different between the rural and the urban view in Malaysia. Noted that there a flag clearly hanging on the road. This is a common situation in Malaysia, if you drive through in the main cities in Malaysia, flags are everywhere.


Yee I-Lann

Roslisham Ismail make another interesting artwork, a form of collage images that could be seen in most of Malaysian printed material. He also add in words or tag-lines that been chattered everywhere in Malaysia. Images of modernity, independence, Malaysian’s icon such as twin tower and the latest is about Malaysian astronaut. Whether this is an image that are obvious in Malaysian’s eyes or an artist view of what he thinks about the identity of Malaysia.


Roslisham Ismail

“Selamat Datang ke Malaysia” is the first survey of contemporary Malaysian art exhibited in Australia by Gina Fairley. Curator Beverly Yong, of influential organising gallery Valentine Willie Fine Art says, “It plays with the idea of contemporary art as cultural expo. We ask: How would we present ourselves to the world? How are we identified? How far is our real experience¦ a reflection of our ambitions?”

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Are we uniquely Malaysian?

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A PhD investigation on comm. design contribution on Malaysian Identity by Nurul Rahman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.
Based on a work at www.nurulrahman.com.

Lat merdeka

GRC Spring 2008 just passed. I think it went well. I’ve learn lot more than I thought I would from the respond of the panel and from others presentation. It’s different feeling after 6 times been through the GRC, this time I was more critical in others people comments on my research, I think I was more confident too in presenting my argument.

In my research, I’m arguing that Malaysia National Identity is a constructed Identity. But how do I relates it to Communication Design and what will be my contribution in this research, PhD? Let’s see who said what about Malaysian Identity?

Shamsul A.B, a Malaysian anthropologist in 2001 wrote an interesting paper questioning on the origin of Malay ethnic identity, the dominant ethnics in Malaysia.

A history of identity, an identity of a history “ The idea and practice of ˜malayness in Malaysian reconsidered argued that the ˜Malay-Malayness identity is not innate as but rather learned or constructed.

As Shamsul wrote:

In Malaysia most historians and other scholars [in the humanities] accept ‘colonial knowledge’ as the basis of Malaysian and Malay history. Moreover, they do so in what seems like an almost unproblematised manner, even though politico-academic attempts are being made to ‘indigenise’ Malaysian history and the ‘Malay’ viewpoint has been privileged. [Such attempts are admirable, and yet it is good to realise that this emphasis on the] ¦ Malay perspective has been primarily motivated by a ‘nationalistic’ need to reinterpret history, and not by the urge to question the ways historical knowledge per se (itself) has been constructed. In Malaysia historical knowledge, a crucial element in every identity formation is still based on colonial knowledge; [¦] “ Shamsul AB (2001)

1957 Adds

Still that does not answer how does this argument relates to communication design. Let me take you through a journey. Most of the visual we see around us that informed and educate us are mainly from advertisements. Communication medium can be powerful sometimes. It can be seductive and provocative, it stimulate our thinking about and towards others such as issues about environment, materials that we want but might not need and etc. Communication designers work closely in this areas that connect to different communication medium. Their roles is to suggest a methods or strategy that could communicate the product, visual, information etc. to the spectators. Most of the time it visual is chosen as one of the medium to reflect to others or to attract the audience. Communication designer is a communication agent that in some ways could create a system for people to communicate and connect to each other. Some of the communication designers role are used for the purpose of selling and not communicating.

The fact that communication designers could be point out as someone who is responsible of making or delivering the selling point to other and provoke other to make action, reflect or believe. Adolf Hitler, knows and understand well the power of communication, most of all the visual language in communication. The use of colors, shape, lines, space, font type etc. are the tools that are use as a way to influence others about German status at that time. However, without strong power control visual itself could hardly work. But together it could create a sense of believe in people’s mind.

“Picture says a thousand words” is an interesting line to start with.

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