Intercultural Design / Project
03.01.2022 - 18.02.2022 (Week 1 - Week 7)
Lulu Luisa Linardi / 0349358 / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Intercultural Design
Project
LECTURES
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| Fig 1.0: Thumbnail |
Week 1: Netnography
“A type of online or internet, ethnography; Netnography provides guidelines for the adaptation of participant-observation procedures to the contingencies of online community and culture that manifest through computer-mediated communications.” - (Kozinets, 2010)
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| Fig 1.1.1: Netnography Approach |
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| Fig 1.1.2: Netnography Methodology |
- Archive, data without researcher’s involvement
- Elicited, co-created by researchers and members
- Fieldnotes, observational and reflective notes
Coding -> Noting -> Abstracting -> Checking & Refining -> Generalizing -> Theorizing
Week 2: Culture & Purpose
What we normally define as a culture is only the visible part of it. There are unseen deeper parts of culture.
Fig 1.2.1: Visible and Unseen, Deep Culture
- External Culture (10%) / Surface
It covers behaviors, traditions, customs, which are easily observable with touch, taste, smell, and sound. They are learnt explicitly, consciously, and easy to change, and part of objective knowledge.
- Internal Culture (90%) / Deep
It covers core values, beliefs, priorities, attitudes, perceptions, and assumptions. They are learnt implicitly, unconsciously, and difficult to change, and part of subjective knowledge.
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| Fig 1.2.2: Cultural Iceberg by Edward T. Hall |
Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving.
It is also a way of life of a group of people-the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next.
Culture is symbolic communication. Some of its symbols include a group's skills, knowledge, attitudes, values, and motives. The meaning of the symbols are learnt and deliberately perpetuated in a society through its institutions.Fig 1.2.3: Visible signs
INSTRUCTIONS
Task 1: Proposal
Our group had a first meeting on 3 January, which was the day we were formed. We discussed on which culture should we take and also appointed the group leader. After the discussion, each of us came out with our own idea, which are Beauty Culture, Consumerist Culture, Crunch Culture, Cyberculture/Internet Culture (my idea), Skateboarding Culture, and Tea Culture.
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| Fig 2.1.1: Results from 1st meeting |
On the second group meeting, we finally decided to choose the Tea Culture as our topic. Later on, we did more research on the chosen topic and made 2 drafts with different topic.
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| Fig 2.1.2: Results from 2nd meeting |
As mentioned before, different supervisors will be assigned to every group, and we got Mr. Vinod as our supervisor! On the first consultation session with him, we were told to proceed our topic and prepare for 5 preliminary ideas. So, on the next group meeting, all of us shared our own idea and had a little discussion on it.
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| Fig 2.1.3: Results from 3rd meeting |
Mr. Vinod said that he likes some of our ideas and told us to relate them with the purpose and theme. So we did more research on the ideas and finally decided the final 5 preliminary ideas to go with. I’ll give simple explanation of the ideas here.
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| Fig 2.1.4: Results from 4th meeting |
Fig 2.1.5: Cup Sleeve References |
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| Fig 2.1.6: Cup Sleeve Sketch |
Fig 2.1.7: Tea Tags Packaging References |
Fig 2.1.8: Tea Tags Packaging Sketch |
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| Fig 2.1.9: DIY Matcha Set Kit References |
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| Fig 2.1.10: Bottle Packaging References |
Fig 2.1.11: Chawan Pottery References |
Fig 2.1.12: Chawan Pottery Sketch |
Here is our group's Proposal slides and the presentation video.
Fig 2.1.13: Task 1 - Presentation Slides
Task 2: Data Collection/Field Study
For the second task, we were to collect data and do based on the Research Questions and Research Objectives that we had created in our first task. Our group decided to go with the 5th preliminary idea, which is Chawan Pottery. As seen from our proposal, originally our group planned to visit two pottery places, which are Tenmoku Pottery and Soil of Art, both located in Selangor. However, it turns out that Soil of Art is moving to a new place and hasn't finished its renovation, and Tenmoku Pottery didn't reply to our email, so our plan to go was canceled. At last, we decided to have the online interviews, do a survey, and find out more things from published material.
Data Collection Methods:
1. Online Interview via Whatsapp Text
This online interview was done by our teammate, Shamiella, interviewing a Japanese person, named Mako, who is a friend of Shofwa's friend. As her nationality is Japanese, we asked basic questions on what she knows. She explains that tea ceremonies have a beautiful charm focused on the spirit of hospitality and Wabi-Sabi. It is done during special occasions, and anyone can engage in it if necessary equipment is available. Though it is mostly practiced in older generations with its traditional connotation, it’s not restricted to a certain age as the main purpose is learning to be in harmony with nature and respecting people and things through the quiet making and tasting of Matcha.
2. Online Interview via Ome TV
For the next online interview, we used Ome TV as the platform to collect our data, which was done by our teammate, Alif, with a total of 10 people were successfully interviewed from 5 different countries. The first question was the types of teas the interviewees preferred, and black tea and green tea were one of the most preferred to consume. Question two was how often, what time, and the reason why they consume tea. To summarize, most of them stated that they do not drink tea that often, which they would consume around 1-3 cups in a week and most preferably consume on mornings and afternoons. The reasons for drinking tea are as seen which are soothing and chill as well as taking breaks from coffee. The next question is, are there any tea culture/ceremonies in the interviewees' country and is it important. Unfortunately, 9 out of 10 interviewees stated that they were unsure but one person responded yes in which the reason is because it unites people. Fourth question was asking them if they knew the process of making tea. In which tea bags is the most common answer and only 2 out of the 10 (which is one person from Myanmar and another from Japan) know how to make tea using other methods than tea bags which are tea sticks and using boiled seed/leaves. Fifth question is, if the interviewees have any knowledge of tea cultures & ceremonies as well as the history of tea and if they have ever experienced it, and most have no idea. Question six involves asking them their preferred or desired teacup design, in which they mostly replied ‘a simple and minimalistic design’ theme. The last question is their suggestions on making younger generations attracted to tea-related topics which we divided into two which are social media and exploration. Under social media are influencers or famous celebrities to promote it in their social media as influencers generally have a huge fanbase that could help in getting attention from younger people. This also means using mainstream media such as Youtube, TikTok, Instagram, etc. Next are using good advertisements and marketing strategies to gain attention. Also, exploration in which it involves visiting places that can help increase knowledge and experience in tea as well as encouraging younger people to participate in ceremonies that involve tea.
3. Survey via Google Form
For the survey, we collected the questions related to our topic and then created a Google Form and shared it with our friends to fill them out. The survey is based on 51 responses. The foremost question asked was whether or not the individual is a tea drinker, with 80.4% stating that they are. Most of the responses we got were from females with 61.7% while 76.5% of them were around the age of 20-30 while the rest, 25.5% were from individuals 19 years and below.
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| Fig 2.2.1: Survey via Google Form |
4. Published Material
Lastly, for the published material, we looked into a book to understand more about the concepts behind the Japanese Tea Ceremony called "Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers" by Leonard Koren. In this book, Koren talks about the definition of Wabi-Sabi in its present time which is beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete, beauty of things modest and humble, and beauty of things unconventional. Wabi and Sabi used to mean different things but nowadays when people say Wabi they mean Sabi as well. Next, Koren also mentions the history of Wabi-Sabi that went through three stages. Rikyu is Sen no Rikyu, the man that brought Wabi-Sabi to its highest development. During Pre-Rikyu, Wabi-Sabi was initially inspired by Taoism and Zen Buddhism. During Rikyu’s era, Sen no Rikyu created a new kind of tea room based on the prototype of a farmer’s hut. However, Rikyu’s aesthetic challenge had created a rift in his relationship with his employer that then ordered for Rikyu’s ritual suicide. Lastly, during Post-Rikyu, the art of tea has repositioned to the way of tea, a form of religious and spiritual training. Koren also talks about Wabi-Sabi’s material qualities which are irregular, intimate, unpretentious, earthy, murky, and simple.
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| Fig 2.2.2: Wabi-Sabi: for Artist, Designers, Poets & Philosophers |
Based on the collected data in these past weeks, our group came with this conclusion: The younger generation is open to traditional tea-making ceremonies such as ones that exist in Japan since many agree that tea culture is an important aspect of their community. However, to educate and appeal to this modern generation, tea has to evolve into a modern look. The essence and influence of Wabi-Sabi of appreciating beauty in the imperfect can still be appreciated alongside modernism.
However, we received feedback from Mr. Vinod saying that we need to restate our final conclusion for the data collection. The Research Questions and Research Objectives have to be related to our theme/topic and also to all the collected data, so we had to make sure the conclusion is stating that our RQ and RO are answered and fulfilled. And finally, we restated our conclusion as seen below.
Based on our data collection these past weeks, we concluded that younger people, mainly Japanese, agree that tea culture is an important aspect of their community. Through interviews, we understand that we can enhance the appeal of Japanese tea ceremonies while increasing its popularity to the younger generation by integrating the essence and influence of Wabi-Sabi of appreciating beauty in the imperfect into modernism such as utilizing social media. From receiving exposition people will start to look into Japanese tea cultures, therefore fulfilling our research objectives.
Here is our group's Data Collection slides and the presentation video.
Fig 2.2.5: Task 2 - Presentation Slides (Amended)
Task 3: Final Project
To complete the final project of Intercultural Design module, students are required to show the final output of their group work for the past few weeks. So, just for a small recap of what we did in Task 1 and Task 2, we chose Japanese Tea Culture as our main topic, which finally became the research topic, "The Art of Japanese Tea Ceremonies", with the theme "Purpose". Our research is to highlight "The purpose of implementing Japanese Tea Culture in the modern generations to help preserve it." For this project, we chose to focus on the tea cultures in Japan. The reason lies within the unique practice of tea ceremonies. After finishing the proposal and data collection, we then decided to work with the Chawan Pottery (one of five preliminary ideas suggested by teammates).
For the final output, we first planned to have a physical outcome, however, it was canceled due to some issues, so our group finally decided to work on it digitally. Some ideas that came out after our discussion are mock up design for the teacups, mockup design of teacup packaging, and last but not least is promotional poster. To sum up what we did for the final output, we have 3 different teacup designs, which each of them has its own promotional poster, and one teacup packaging design. We also came out with a brand name for this project, called 'Chanoyu', which is Tea Ceremonies in Japanese.
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| Fig 2.3.1: Final Ideas Development |
We were divided into two teams to create the output easier, which are Teacup Team (Adlina, Alif, and Shofwa), and Promotional Poster Team (Naura, Shamiella, and me). All mockups or design renderings were done by Alif. Here's our final ideas and its output.
Teacup Design
1. The Fisherman by Adlina
Rationale:
Wabi-sabi, a belief and aesthetic in Japanese culture (especially in Japanese tea ceremonies) have a moral precept on focusing on the intrinsic and ignoring material hierarchy. In this design, I want to portray the feeling of being in peace with nature and life without chasing material hierarchy such as fancy clothes, fancy houses and a glamorous lifestyle. In the design, you can see a man fishing in peaceful waters, with a beautiful view of nature in front of him. Wabi-sabi teaches to be appreciative of the present and to see beauty in the everyday. It is reflected back onto the rituals of Japanese tea ceremonies which even in the architecture of the room to be earthy and natural. The experience itself makes you present in time and appreciate the intricacies of making and serving matcha.
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| Fig 2.3.2: The Fisherman Design |
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| Fig 2.3.3: The Fisherman Final Output |
2. Flawed Perfection by Shofwa
Rationale:
Inspired by an art included within Wabi-Sabi, Kintsugi, in which broken pottery is mended in a way that emphasizes imperfections. The cracks are modified to resemble branches and bits of leaves, having both ‘harmony’ and ‘values’ messages.
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| Fig 2.3.4: Flawed Perfection Design |
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| Fig 2.3.5: Flawed Perfection Final Output |
Rationale:
A design of subtle waves, representing detail and meaning in simplicity. Combined with the soothing color, a sense of tranquility is achieved.
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| Fig 2.3.6: Chanoyu Plain Final Output |
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| Fig 2.3.7: Teacups Final Output |
Promotional Poster
1. The Fisherman's Promotional Poster by Lulu (it's mine)
Rationale:
A simple promotional poster which portrays the Japanese Traditional vibes presenting our brand ‘Chanoyu’ teacup design, titled “The Fisherman”.
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| Fig 2.3.8: The Fisherman's Promotional Poster Final Output |
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| Fig 2.3.9: The Fisherman's Promotional Poster Final Output with realistic rendering |
Rationale:
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| Fig 2.3.10: Flawed Perfection's Promotional Poster Final Output |
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Rationale:
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| Fig 2.3.12: Chanoyu Plain's Promotional Poster Final Output |
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- Packaging Design by Alif
Rationale:
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| Fig 2.3.11: Chanoyu's Packaging Design |
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| Fig 2.3.12: Chanoyu's Packaging Final Output #1 |
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| Fig 2.3.13: Chanoyu's Packaging Final Output #2 |
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| Fig 2.3.14: Chanoyu's Packaging Final Output with realistic rendering |
Finally, here is our group's Final Project slides and the presentation video.
Fig 2.3.15: Final Project - Presentation Slides
FEEDBACK
WEEK 1
General Feedback:
- Try to narrow down on parts of the culture you want to focus on
Specific Feedback:
- Make sure to be excited of this idea to keep you guys moving forward
WEEK 2
General Feedback:
- Relates the ideas to the 'purpose' and few ideas could be improvised
Specific Feedback:
- Find out the purpose and how these ideas relate to the theme
- The DIY Matcha Kit can bring a sense of togetherness and the Chawan Pottery idea is interesting
WEEK 3
General Feedback:
- Tied in the 'purpose' to the rationale
Specific Feedback:
- Narrow down the culture to specific parts of it (eg. society, families, ceramics, etc.)
- Reasons on it
WEEK 4
General Feedback:
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WEEK 5
General Feedback:
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WEEK 6
General Feedback:
Think carefully of the message and what you want to say through your designs.
WEEK 7
General Feedback:
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REFLECTIONS
It's the very first time for me to join a class with 100+ peers, so I was shocked at first why is this class have a lot of students. What shocked me more was we have 4 lecturers in the same class. Actually, I was a bit afraid with this class because the topic in this module is complicated, and when we were to create a group consisting people from different courses and semesters, I was so scared that I won't find a group with communicative and it'd be difficult to adapt with them. However, I felt really grateful that I found my current group (Group 4) with very kind teammates, and throughout this short semester, I felt so comfortable working with them. I'm also glad that Mr. Vinod was chosen to be our group's supervisor, since we have met before in the previous semester's class, so it makes the class' atmosphere feels comfortable and enjoyable.
Observations
Findings