Dissertation Proposal on Sustainable fashion

DHTP Dissertation Proposal Part 1


We have produced a template for your dissertation proposal, a copy of which is reproduced below. The sections relate closely to the work you did in Level 2 where you investigated a topic by doing a literature search, and using primary research methods such as observations and experiments.

Submission deadline for the final proposal: 5 pm Wed 1 December 2010 - submit via email to your supervisor and to Safe Assignment on the VLE

Please download this form from the VLE.

Please save as a word.doc and change the title to your full name, e.g.: John Smith.doc - do not email the proposal without changing the file name.

Sample template

Student Name Sarah Mowbray

Course Textiles

Supervisor name Mike Press

Email address Scmmowbray@dundee.ac.uk

Date 1st December 2010

Using the template

Enter your personal details in the box above. The email address will be used by your tutor and others to contact you. You must check this regularly for news on tutorial dates.

Read each heading carefully and type into the text box below.

Email your proposal to your supervisor and load it up on Safe Assignment of the VLE

Total word count: between 250-500 words (excluding bibliography).

Working title (max 25 words)

This should give an outline of your research topic. If appropriate use a title and a subtitle. You don’t have to be too specific at first and you don’t have to word it like a question - but you can if you want.

The importance of Sustainable Fashion for the future –

Why do we need to consider this and what effects will it have?

Summary (max 250 words)

Here you should indicate what you already know about the topic. You should already have done some reading around it. Summarise this reading with regards to the research topic and describe the research area.

Sustainable Fashion also known as ‘eco fashion,’ is a topic that I am not too familiar with. I have started to do some research about the topic and I have discovered that it is a very important subject, especially for current and new designers. Sustainable fashion is just a small part of the growing trend of sustainable design. This is where a product/garment is produced with careful consideration to the environment and the factors regarding social issues it may have in its life time. I have found a few designers that are currently adapting to eco fashion. These designers have made a huge impact on the design world and have shown how possible it is to transform re-cycled materials into creative garments. Kathleen Tesnakis is a woman who uses 100 per cent re-cycled cashmere sweaters to transform them into individually designed pieces, such as dresses, skirts etc. Tesnakis has received a few awards for her creative eco fashion, one of which is the ACC award of excellence in 2007. Tesnakis takes careful consideration into her pieces, especially with investigating where her raw materials have come from. This is a very interesting area to look at: the investigation of where materials come from and what carbon footprint is left in the process of these materials reaching manufacturers. Sustainability is becoming more important in the process of design, therefore it will be a huge importance for future designers.

Aims: Why are you doing this? (max 100 words)

These are a general statement on the intent or direction for the research – why are you doing this? Refer to theoretical aims and practical ones where relevant. For example: How might this improve your design practice? How does it contribute to the discourses within your discipline? Who else might benefit from your research? Is it aimed at an academic or a wider audience? What do you hope your research will achieve? State your aims concisely.

I hope to investigate the core depth of sustainable fashion, by looking at the importance of re-cycled materials and what the benefits for the future of the environment will be. I will be looking at where raw materials come from and what effect these materials cause while trying to reach their destinations. Also I will be looking at the process that designers must go through to achieve sustainable fashion lines and the effects on the future. By investigating this subject it will help me to understand the changes the design world is going through at present and how different it will be in the future. Not only will designers benefit from my research, but consumers will also be challenged.

Objectives: What will you produce? (max 100 words)

Objectives are the things you will produce in doing the dissertation, e.g. a review of the relevant literature, a collection and discussion of people’s experiences/opinions, an assessment of a debate or collection of work etc.

Like your aims, these will help your tutor (and you) assess your success. They may change over time but aims and objectives are useful to keep you focussed. Again be concise here – you may want to use bullet points.

• Research existing designers who have adapted to green living

• Send e-mails to these designers, explain what I am doing and ask for some feedback on what they are doing at present with eco fashion

• Find local outlets that are using sustainable fashion

• Investigate these outlets

• Find examples of sustainable fashion

• Compare and contrast sustainable fashion with non-sustainable fashion

• Try and find ways to show effects from using re-cycled materials with non-re-cycled materials

• Gather information from people who use sustainable fashion and compare with people who use non-sustainable fashion

• Research books and journals from past and present

Keywords (min 5 and max 10)

This should be a list of key terms that help us see if you are aware of where your research ‘sits’. For example, if you are writing on depictions of women in advertising your list might include ‘gender, feminism, representation, advertising, semiotics’. Keywords will help you when doing electronic searched for research materials.

• Sustainability

• Green living

• Eco friendly

• Re-cycling

• Carbon footprint

• Eco fashion

• Environment

• Fibre

• Fabric

Annotated Bibliography (min of 12 books, articles, websites)

Place here alphabetically a list of materials which you intent to use for you dissertation. Format these according to the Harvard Method!

Please make sure you have critically assessed these as being appropriate for your topic and write a short paragraph for each one summarising the content and its relevance to your research area.

• Black, Sandy. 2008. Eco Chick: The Fashion Paradox. Black Dog Publishing

Current reviews of this book look promising. They state that it is a “must have” book for
Designers and fashion students who want to discover the world of eco fashion. I will definitely
Invest in this book for my research.

• Brown, Sass. 2010. Eco Fashion. Lawrence King Publishing, September 2010

I think this will be a good book to buy because it is very up to date as it was published this
Year. It talks about the different current designers who are making a difference with eco
Fashion.

• Fletcher, Kate. 2008. Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Design Journeys. Earthscan UK and USA

This book looks interesting for my dissertation research as it is about lifecycle sustainability
Impacts of fashion and textiles, practical alternatives, design concepts and social innovation.

• Hethorn, j and Ulasewicz, C. 2008. Sustainable Fashion; Why Now. Fairchild Books

This is an insightful book that covers a lot of areas within sustainable fashion, such as, factors, effects, who to consider, what to consider and how to change the readers thinking into a green way of thinking.

• Hubble, Leesa. 2010. Re-Fashion, Re-Purpose; Designing With Sustainable Style. Surface Design Journal. v 34 no 3(Spring2010) p16-21

This article goes into great detail about present designers using re-cycled materials to Create sustainable fashion.

• Kilby, Jay. 2009. Eco Fashion Fabrics. Copper string Journals.

An insightful article on eco-friendly and non-eco-friendly fibres.

• Lee, Matilda.2007. Eco Chick: The Savvy Shoppers Guide To Ethical Fashion. Octopus

This may be a good book to read up on as it will offer me information on how other people Like the author of this book, feels about eco fashion.

• Pledge, Earth. 2009. Future Fashion White Papers. Earth Pledge

This is a collection of essays by scientists, retailers, farmers, dyers, models, and others in the In the industry, including Diane Von Furtsenburg, Julie Gilhart and Shalom Harlow. This will Be great research data for me as it holds thoughts and opinions of everyone related to the Fashion industry.

• Polder, Kim. Website: http://www.ecofashionworld.com

This is an eco-fashion website that is a great resource to all the designers, brands and Stores involved in the eco-fashion world. The website is constantly collecting information And gathering photographs From all over the world. This is to create an exciting insight Into the amazing possibilities for “green dressing”.

• Shi, Amanda. 2008 Website. http://www.avitastyle.com

This is a website formed in aid of AVITA CO-OP which is located in Hollywood, California. It is a shop/website for sustainable fashion and uses only re-cycled materials such as re-cycled sweet wrappers, Coca-Cola bottles, re-cycled rubber etc. Everything is one of a kind. Below is a link to see this shop on you tube;
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuOrCR4HkiE
This is exactly the information I need to gather for my dissertation, sustainable fashion in action. It shows how successful eco fashion can be.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_1j5vDEZDo

Sustainable Fashion; why now? (analysis of book)

SUSTAINABLE FASHION: WHY NOW?


J. Hethorn and C. Ulasewicz

(Fairchild Books, 2008)


Fashion and sustainability together, is an issue that has been around for many years but has only become important within the last 15 years. This book investigates the relationship between fashion and sustainability and the importance the two have on the apparel industry. The authors Hethorn and Ulasewicz include a combination of interesting essays within the book that present a range of reflective perspectives. The book is constructed of three main parts: “Connecting With People On Sustainable Practices”, “Production and Economic Processes In The Global Economy”, and “The Environment, The Planet and Materials Used In Fashion Making”.

The first part presents arguments ranging from the history of the industry to the use of technology to support sustainable practices. Also it talks about strategies being used to inform the next generation of designers on how to include sustainability as part of their everyday thinking. Also the efforts in educating and listing to the consumer, and the ways they can have an impact. I think this is important to my research as I need to fully understand the consumer’s role and how they can in actual fact, help or destroy the eco-fashion world.

The second part addresses the theories and approaches that are starting to change the way we produce fashion and maintain this industry as a sustainable part of the economy. This is also good for my research as this part talks about different fibres and textiles, sourcing strategies and re-cycling which are all important to a sustainable way of producing eco-fashion. In this part of the book, the authors challenge the reader to begin thinking about what creative solutions there are to the issues surrounding sustainability and the global economic health. – Which is also another interesting area to investigate further for my research, because it will offer me arguments on the best possible ways to maintain a healthy economy and green environment and finding the right balance within them.

The final part focuses on what the textile/fashion industry is doing at present to adapt to the environmental issues that has caused global concern. There is an interesting discussion on what possibilities there is out there for the industry to change their use of materials to vintage and second hand garments.

The authors have designed this book to be of importance to anyone with connections to the fashion industry: designers, product developers, marketers, retailers, teachers, students and consumers who also have the desire to help the economy by adapting to green living. I think the authors’ aim in the book is to get the reader thinking about change and the importance it will have in the future. Sustainability is not like fashion trends where it will be tossed out next season, it is a growing trend that will become more and more involved in everyday life.

Re- Fashion Re- Purpose, desinging with sustainable style (Analysis of Article)

Re – Fashion, Re: Purpose: Designing With Sustainable Style


Personal Author – Hubbell, Leesa

Journal Name – Surface Design Journal, v 34 no 3, (spring 2010) p. 16 – 21

Publication Year – 2010

ISSN – 0197-4483

www.surfacedesign.org



This article is to make awareness of how present designers are adapting to environmental issues by using re-cycled materials.

The author introduces Kathleen Tesnakis, a woman who invented ‘e-ko logic clothing’. E-ko logic clothing is made from 100 per cent re-cycled cashmere sweaters. Since Tesnakis started the clothing line, seven tons of post-consumer knits have passed through her hands resulting in more than 30,000 individually designed pieces. Her core collection consists of felted cashmere hats, topless mittens, re-assembled sweaters, skirts and dresses and it also includes a line of re-cycled cotton knits.

The author also explains the process that Tesnakis goes through to produce her sustainable clothing line. A lot of consideration is taken in to account when using re-cycled materials. E-ko logic has received both a nomination for the rising star of 2001 Fashion Group International award and the ACC award of excellence in 2007.

The author includes a quote from Tesnakis which shows her intensions as a designer. Tesnakis also raises a question that is becoming more important to present designers and it should become a vital question to new designers in the future.

Tesnakis explains…”I consider myself a green textile artist and a recycling designer. I am also a green activist by what I do—but I like to open people's eyes in a gentle way. In Troy I recycle NYC textile waste that travels north 150 miles. With all the green washing that is going on, I feel it is important to find out about the real integrity of the products. You can call your work green or recycled—but where are you getting your materials from?"…..

The author also introduces Kate Goldwater, who finds her raw materials from thrift stores or rummage sales and turns them into ‘AuH20’. Goldwater is known for her creative ‘cut and sew knits’. By hacking up re-joining vintage T-shirts into new compositions, she creates a new form of life. Goldwater is also known for her use of collaborating fashion with politics, by screen printing keywords or images of the causes she cares about on to her garments.

Gary Harvey, former creative director of Levi Strauss (Europe), presented incredible gowns made from vintage denim, nylon baseball jackets, trench coats and Hawaiian shirts as well as military fatigues and plastic laundry bags at the Esthetical Exhibition at London Fashion Week 2007.

A quote from Harvey; …..“I believe we can contribute to a fashion revolution”…..

The author is identifying key events that have taken place within the last few years that are now making a difference within the fashion and textile world. Hubble is trying to make people aware of the changes designers have to make in order to help green living, now and in the future. She is raising the awareness of sustainable designing and how it is becoming the next big thing. I believe the key question that the author hopes to evoke in the readers mind is,

…..“Where has the materials come from that made the clothes you are wearing?”

I imagine that the author‘s intention from raising this question is to make the reader more aware of green living and how important it is becoming in saving the planet in the future.

Assignment 3, mind map and group disscusion

This is my mindmap on my dissertation topic; Slavery Behind Weave.....

At the moment this topic i have chosen is not set in stone. I am not totally 100% sure this topic will be suitable as i will need to research it further to find out if i can get enough imformation on it.

I think the child slavery aspect of it will be quite interesting to follow up on, but i am slightly worried that i might not get a chance to get promary research i.e interviews etc. I will need to think of other ways to do this if i continue with this topic.

I have photographs of our group meeting up, but i have to wait and get them off of a memeber in the group who took the photos. They will be posted up as soon as possible.

At the group meeting we had a disscussion about the possible topics each of us could take further. Some of the group members had a very clear picture on what they are going to do their dissertation on next year. Others, like myself were a bit dazed! to say the least! I was finding it rather difficult to think of a topic then and there and start brainstorming on it. I want to have a bit more time to consider what areas definetley engage my interest so that i am fully focused when it comes to the research and writing on it. At the moment, i have a picked a topic but i am going to do a bit more soul searching before i make a definate decision.  The topic i have chosen is of interest to me but i need to make sure it will produce the right information and the right amount of imformation.

Wiki Submission

SOCIAL NETWORKING & DESIGN
Sarah Mowbray

Textiles


Summary Definition


Social Networking is the 21st Century way of connecting with people. Even though we connect with people everyday, such as in the work-place or at School/College and University, on-line is now the most popular way of socialising. There is thousands of people on-line everyday looking to meet and engage with new people from all around the world. Social Networking enables users to create there own profile, which can lead to new and familiar people finding you. Once you have created your profile you can then find friends and share hobbies, interests, photos, videos, links to favourite websites, games and much more. These sites are also used by people who want to make themselves known to important and influential people within their chosen career path. This may not have been possible without the help of social networking. At present, my research shows that the most popular site used is Facebook.


“Facebook has grown to become one of the most visited websites in the world, with over 400 million users to date.” (Prescott, L., 2009)

Image taken from;

http://www.7thfloor.it/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/social-network.jpg


History


Social Networking made its first appearance through BBS, AOL and CompuServe. The Bulletin Board System (BBS), was an online meeting place that allowed users to communicate through a centralised system, enabling them to download files and post messages on to the bulletin board. BBS continued to grow throughout the 1980’s and the 1990’s at which point the internet was becoming more powerful. Even though the internet and social networking was about to change enormously, some services such as Tom Jennings’ FidoNet, linked many BBSes together into worldwide computer networks which managed to survive the internet revolution (Nickson, C., 2009) The BBS may have disappeared from today’s social networking, but it is not lost and it will never be forgotten.

In the 1970’s, a service called CompuServe evolved from being a business orientated communication solution, to a public phenomenon in the late 1980’s. CompuServe allowed its users to access news and events and also share files with other members. Instead of just being able to send messages, CompuServe had something new and exciting; Discussion Forums. These discussion forums allowed people to chat with random other people, about absolutely anything!

“Those forums proved tremendously popular and paved the way for the modern iterations we know today.” (Nickson, C., 2009)

However, the massive growth in social networking today is most likely because of the very well known AOL (America Online). (Nickson, C., 2009) AOL took a huge leap into the social network community. Users were able to search for friends and also create member communities. From the influence of AOL, many other sites started to appear. In 1997, ClassMates.com and SixDegrees.com were launched. SixDegrees.com. is the first site to allow its users to create profiles, invite friends, start group communities and surf other people’s profiles. From here, the world of social networking became a globalisation. In 2002 onwards Friendster, LinkedIn, MySpace, Flixster, Bebo and Goodreads (to name a few), emerged and thousands of people started to join. In 2004 however, was the launch of Facebook.

Facebook was founded in February 2004 by a Harvard Psychology student. Marc Zuckerburg created Facebook as a way for other Harvard Students to meet new people and to keep up with the news and events around campus. As Facebook became more popular around the University, it soon became accessible to other Universities such as Columbia, Yale and Stanford.

“According to an internal survey completed in September 2005 more than 85% of students of the enlisted universities had a Facebook account and at least 50% of them were accessing the website daily.” (Montefusco, A., 2010)

Facebook allows its user to create in-depth profiles with features to add hundreds of photos and videos. Users can also list their interests, hobbies, family members, current location and schools/colleges and/or Universities attended. Members can use the features to find friends, surf their friends profiles, leave comments, and use the chat box to have one on one conversations. Facebook has become a phenomenon over the past few years with millions of people using it everyday.

“By 2009, our parents joined, our long lost cousins joined, and we had to debate how to handle at least one friend request from someone who was mean to us in high school.” (Prescott, L. 2010)

Social Networking & Design
As a fellow user of social networking and a growing Textile Designer, I have found many advantages of using these social networking sites. People can use the sites to post their work on their profile and write up explanations, thought processes etc. for the world to see. This is an excellent way of making yourself known in the design world. Not only is there Facebook that is used worldwide, but also, especially for designers, is other things like Blogger, WordPress and Twitter. These sites are especially designed to post work on to and enable you to connect with existing designers and artists.

Other area that can be looked at within social networking & design, are the actual design aspects of these sites and how they represent good design and bad design.

An example of good design; If you are surfing the web, looking up sites or trying to find a specific designer, once you have found what you are looking for, you can directly post the link on to your social network profile. This saves time writing down exactly where you found the designer or website and it also gives other people a chance to see the link on your profile and experience it themselves. It may even be a video from youtube.com of how to do a specific technique or how to learn a specific skill. This shows how connections can be made between possible clients or employers.

“The idea is that when you're reading or watching something that you think is cool, you don't have to copy and paste the URL back into Facebook in order to share the link with your friends. Instead, with one click you get to check out a preview, choose how you want to share it, and then distribute it. You can share content with anyone, even people who aren't on Facebook yet.” (Hughes, C., 2006)

An example of bad design; unfortunately, not everyone uses these sites for the reasons they were designed for. Facebook especially, cannot stop someone abusing the site if they have used false personal details. This is an example of how these social networking sites can be dangerous, especially to the younger generation. People can form private illegal groups to share illegal data.

“A convicted sex offender who set up a host of Facebook accounts to share up to 100,000 indecent images has been jailed for four years” (Williams, D., 2010)

“Investigators from the UK-based Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre found Ian Green had established three private Facebook groups to share the illegal content.” (Williams, D., 2010)

Overall, social networking, when used responsibly, can be an exciting way to connect with the world and open up opportunities that would not otherwise be possible.

Bibliography

Internet


Hughes, C. 2006. Facebook Share, available at;

http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=2215537130


Montefusco, A. 2010. The History of Facebook, available at;

http://www.suite101.com/content/history-of-facebook-9217306



Nickson, C. 2009. The History of Social Networking, available at;

http://www.digitaltrends.com/features/the-history-of-social-networking



Prescott, L. 2009. (Principal, Research-Write) Social Networking By The Numbers, available at;

http://www.research-write.com/2010/social-networking-by-the-numbers.html



Williams, D. 2010. Facebook User Jailed For Child Porn Network, available at;

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Facebook-User-Jailed-For-Child-Porn-Network-Convicted-Sex-Offender-Ian-Green-Shared-100000-Images/Article/201008415707474?lid=ARTICLE_15707474_FacebookUserJailedForChildPornNetwork:ConvictedSexOffenderIanGreenShared100,000Images&lpos=searchresults


http://www.whatissocialnetworking.com/


Books

Magid, L. 2007. Collier, A. 2007. (publication unknown) MySpace, a parent’s guide – Safe online networking for young kids.

Mind Map

Design Studies - Group Meetings

For assignment 1, we were asked to meet up in group we had been assigned to, and discuss what topics we are each going to write about. Myself and Jackie went up to the graphics department to wait on the others. As we waited we discussed between the two of us, possible ideas. I was leaning towards either, Celebrity & Design, Gender & Design or Social Networking & Design. When the others appeared, we had an in-depth discussion about what was best suited for each person. Everyone already had some idea of what they wanted to research and write about. I then decided on Social Networking & Design. No-one else wanted to do that which was fine, because they said they had done something like it last year with Jonathon Baldwin. The other topics chosen in my group are:

Ethical Labour & Design


Social Sustainability & Design

Environmental Sustainability & Design


Fair Trade & Design


Education & Design

So, after the meeting, i started doing a mind map on social networking…..

im back :)

Hi, i have decided to return to blogger, wordpress was a nightmare!!! I am now in 3rd year so i am about to post up some work for some design studies asignments.

new blog!!!

just to let you all know that i have now moved to a new site called wordpress. you will find me at http://sarahmowbray.wordpress.com/ see you there :)

Assignment 5

Assignment 5 A - The Proposal

For this assignment, I will be looking back to the topic I researched in Semester 1 to propose what the next steps would be. The topic I researched was on 'New Brainwave Technology'. I researched things like, Neural Control of Hand Movements and Contact Forces from the Journal of Neuroscience and The Mind Map Book by Buzan. This information was more to do with how the brain works as this was the closest information I could find relating to brainwave technology. I also looked in to brainwave technology that is at present, undergoing investigation and development. Brainwave technology is still in development, so there was not much I could find out about the topic from secondary research. I found that my research for this topic was hard to understand. This is because, how the brain works is very complex and just reading about it was slightly confusing. I feel that if I were to do some primary research, I would be able to hopefully understand the topic a bit better.

Reading over my research from Semester 1, it shows that the research I found was more to do with how the brain works and how different parts of the brain are used. The information I was hoping to find would have been more to do with brainwave technology. I did find a mind-controlled wheelchair and car by the company Toyota, however it was still not the information I was hoping for. I was trying to find information on how to use the brain to control something completely, without using any other method of movement i.e. no use of hands/feet or body.

As my secondary research was not the information I was hoping for, the next step I would take is to do my own primary research. I was thinking back to the experiment I did for my second assignment in semester 2. I found the experiment to be very enjoyable and the information I gathered was very useful to the task I was undergoing. The experiment was about the concept of Polysemy. The experiment involved asking people questions and using images. However I do not think that this type of experiment would be relevant for my research at this point. This is because my topic is on new brainwave technology and the concept of Polysemy has nothing to do with what i am resarching. Also, people who are not familiar with the complexity of the brain, will not know the answers to my questions. Questions that I do have however, could possibly be answered by people like, brain surgeons and neuron scientists.

This brings me to believe that conducting interviews with brain surgeons and scientists, could be successful in gaining as close to the information that I need as possible. I think that this method of primary research could be successful because if I interview people that have an understanding of this topic, I am more likely to gain the information that is relevant to my research. Also, it will possibly help me to understand the topic better myself. To make sure my results are reliable I would conduct interviews with a range of brain surgeons and scientists from different locations. Places such as, Glasgow Royal Infirmary and The Institute of Medical Sciences in Aberdeen are possilbe destinations to conduct interviews with people who are studing the brain. From my previous experience of using interviews as primary research, I would make sure that this time I use a more comfortable approach. By this I mean that I would start by using light conversation with my participants, to ease them in to the interview and I would make sure that they feel comfortable enough to answer my questions. I would then analyse the results from the interviews to look for similarities and differences.

Another method of primary research used in Semester 2, was going out and about and observing people in different situations. If I was to use this method for my research, I would have to think of what type of people I would need to observe and in what places these people would be, for my results to be successful. Observing people in situations where they need to use their brain to do something, would be a good start. Even something like, observing a life drawing class. From this I could observe what people see and how they interpret what is in front of them. People will have different drawings infront of them which will be interesting to evaluate the similarties and differences on how different people's brain's see different things. From this observation I would want to get inforamtion that shows that every brain is different and the power of the brain is different for everyone. However, the information I would get from this would not be as relevant as the interviews. It would not be as relevant to the topic of 'new brainwave technology', but it could give me information relating to how the brain works. I will not get answers on how to use brainwave technology to move objects using only the power of the brain. This method of research could be a starting point to help move further towards the findings of 'New Brainwave Technology'. To make sure I got consistent results from this method, I would have to first of all observe similar people i.e (of a certain level of education) and then compare the results. Then I would have to observe completely different people i.e (of a level of lower education) and compare their results also. I would then compare both sets of results and analyse my findings.

If I were to think of other ways to research this topic, I could possibly contact the company Toyoto and ask them if they would be willing to participate in an interview. I could ask questions like;

Are there any designers on the project, if so, what do they bring to the project?

Explain any failed attempts and how they went wrong?

Who was involved in the test runs of the products?

Is the project expensive?

Will the research benifit the future?

I would futher think about other questions while in the interview so I am not just reading off of a list. This interview would give me information that I need about the experiments they are currently undergoing involving brainwave technology.This could be more useful than the way I researched their experiments in Semester 1. In Semester 1 I used secondary research to read about Toyota's mind-controlled wheelchair and car. When reading about their experiments, it was hard to understand. If I were to use primary research methods instead and contact Toyota directly, I would possibly recieve information that would clarify what I did not understand before.

However, I feel that using the method of interviewing people will be the most successful for my research. This is because my topic is very complex so I would need to speak to people that understand it. The other methods of primary research could be helpful, but not as helpful as the interviews. Conducting interviews with people like brain surgeons and scientists and even speaking to a designer from Toyota, will give me the information that i am looking for and by listining to these people it will help me to understand my research so far. Using secondary research is more about reading up on things, and because my topic is difficult to understand, using primary research will definetley be more benificial.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Buzan, T & B (2006) The Mind Map Book, Division 1 - Chapter 1, BBC Active

Chib, VS (2009) The Separate Neural Control of Hand Movements and Contact Forces,Journal of Neuroscience 29

http://www.engadget.com/Toyato-mindcontrolledwheelchair

Part B

Assignment 5 Part B


At the very beginning of Second Year, we were given a brief relating to the word 'Culture'. This was to be my own interpretation, so I was able to go in any direction I wanted. I chose to investigate Buddhist Symbolism. As this was my first project of Second Year, I was obviously not as confident as I am now. I did not really understand the importance of Primary and Secondary research. As Buddhist Symbols is not something I could go outside and draw, I got a lot of my information from Secondary research by looking at books and information on the internet. The information I got however, was limited due to Wikipedia being an unreliable source. Also I was not successful in finding good images of the Symbolism. If I got the chance to do this project again from the beginning, I would have definitely used some of the research methods I was taught in Design Studies.

I started the project by doing a mind map. At this stage, I did not know the proper ways of using mind maps and brain storms. In Semester 1 we were to use these methods in certain tasks. By learning about these methods in Design Studies, I learned how to use the methods properly and how to get beneficial information from them. If I could do my mind map again, I would know how to do it properly this time. By doing it properly I could have possibly taken more information from it and had a better understanding of my project. The mind map I did was basically a mess and I could hardly understand what I had written.

After doing my mind map I started doing some secondary research. I first of all looked for information on the internet. If I were to do this project again, this time instead of just typing in 'Buddhist Symbols' into 'Google', I would have also considered using cross-search which is an online search tool. I would use this tool because, the results I got when using it for the first time in Semester 1 proved to be were very helpful. There is so many more reliable sources on cross-search and the amount of sources to chose from is overwhelming. With more variety in my research, I could have taken my project that little bit further. By this I mean that if I had better resources, my drawings could have had more information in them, leading to better results in the development process. When I first used cross-search I did not think it was necessary and I thought it would just give me the same information as I found on other search tools online. I was wrong! The information on the internet is not always reliable for example Wikipedia, in which the information can be written by anyone. Using cross-search I would be able to discover more books on the topic that have more information and images on Buddhist Symbolism and I would be more confident in trusting this information. When I looked for books in the college library, again I was limited to what they had. The books had little or no images of Buddhist symbols, and the images I found on the internet were not as good as I had hoped for.

In Semester 2 we learned about Primary research methods. One of which is how to conduct interviews to gather information. I think that this method would have been of particular use because I did no primary research for the project and this method would have allowed me to venture out-with the studio. If I were to conduct interviews, I would perhaps go to some Buddhist Temples and interview people who are there at the time. I may ask them to tell me about their religion and try to get an insight into the symbolism of the culture. If I could get them to explain the symbolism, It may have helped me to do better drawings as I would have a better understanding of what it is that I am drawing. I would also use the time there to look around the temples and extract information to use for my drawings. This could have allowed me to have more drawings in my sketchbook and also, by being in the presence of the religion itself it would allow me to get a better understanding of the culture.

Design Studies has really opened up so many things to me over the two semesters. When Design Studies first started, I did not see the connections between my studio work and the Design Studies work. Over the year I have started to make the connections with design that is all around us with the work I do in the studio. When doing some of the assignments I started to notice design issues. For example, when observing people in the subway I was beginning to see the design connections like why the layout is the way it is etc. I now look at things around me alot differently too, for example, while standing in a bus station I now look around me and observe other peoples' behaviour, even if I don't know that i am doing it. Then once I have observed their behaviour, I question the things they did and try to make connections through design. I do not just see myself as a textile designer any longer. I now see the many issues I have to consider when designing that does not just involve what materials to use and what colours to use. I totally appreciate Design Studies so much more now. Even though I am still learning, I think the Design Studies programme contains excellent information and methods that will benifit me as a growing designer.

Assignment 4a - choosing a topic

The topic i chose for this assignment is 'What object do people treasure the most and why'. I thought this would be an interesting one to do as it will give me interesting results on how similar or how different people are. I first did a mind map on the topic to see what kind of things i wanted to find out. This helped me to come up with some questions to enable me to collect this information. I interviewed three people for this assignment. I gave them all a Participent Information Sheet and they all signed a Consent form. They were all happy enough to be interviewed and for me to use their answers in my blog. I used a semi-structured approach to the interviews which lead me into different questions and more information which was what i wanted. Here is a ROUGH guide to the questions i asked. ( Where appropriate, i asked other questions relating to the answers my participants gave me).

1.What is the layout of your bedroom?

2.What objects do you have in your bedroom?

3.Do you have anything that was given as a present?
                                             - where do you keep them in your room?
                                             - is there one you like more? why? is it sentimental?
                                             - who gave it to you?

4.Do you have anything you bought yourself?
                                              - where do you keep these things?
                                              - how much did it cost?
                                              - what made you buy this?

The first few questions i asked because i wanted to get a feel of what kind of person they are and the things they like. By telling me about their personal space, i was able to see what kind of things they believe to be of value to them and why.

5.What kind of things do you carry in your handbag? (female), wallet/pockets? (male)

6.Have you ever lost/miss placed or had something stolen from you that made you upset?
                                              - what was it?
                                              - who gave you it? did you buy it ureself?
                                              - did you get it back?
                                              - why were you upset?

7.( I then looked to see if the person was wearing any jewellery and asked if they could tell me about what they are wearing, i.e who is the items from or did they buy the items themselves, is it sentimental, how long have you had them for, etc)

8.If your house was on fire and you were to vacate immediatley!, but you were allowed to grab one item only, what would it be and why?                                                        

9.I then asked them the actual question  - what object do you treasure the most and why?

The last lot of questions i asked, really told a story about the person's feelings towards certain objects. This helped me to gather the information i needed for my analysis. 

THE INTERVIEWS. Part B

The first person i interveiwed, was a female of 18 years that i dont know very well. She is my youngest participent, which I thought would be good to get a range of ages to see how different or how similar their answers would be.

I felt as she was younger than the others i interviewed, her answers were not as descriptive and she was not really sure on what to tell me.However, i encouraged her to tell me what ever she wanted to and this was the results i got; (i will list her answers in the format of the questions and this person will be reffered to as person A).

1. Person A has a bed, her room is small, white and plain.

2. She has a bed, television and dvd combo, chest of drawrs, cd-rack, posters, cd,player, photoframes (all of her friends), jewellery and a jewellery stand. I asked her what cd's she listens to most often and she said, Lady GaGa, Cheryl Cole and JLS.

3. A present that she has been given is her jewellery stand. It is from her sister and she has it on display next to her television. She informed that it is not really of any value to her. It was meerly a gift at christmas time.

4. Things she has bought herself are things like, cd's, jewellery, dvd.s, clothes and a playboy lamp she said is her favourite item in her room.

5. In her handbag she carries, her mobile phone, lipgloss, a mirror, a lighter, perfume and her purse. I asked her if these possetions are important in her day to day life and she replied that she could not go through a day without her phone. The rest of the items she said are to simply fill her bag.

6. Something she had lost that was very upsetting, was her SIM card for her mobile phone. I asked her why this was so upsetting and she replied that everything is on her SIM card like her friends phone numbers and photos. So she felt that she was not in reach with everyone else and felt alone.

So far i have gathered that she uses her phone everyday and could not live without it. It is a possetion that means alot to her.

7. I looked to see if she was wearing any jewellery. She had one ring on her finger. She said it was from her sister and she has had it for about a year. It was her sisters old engagment ring from a previous relationship. She has mentioned her sister a few times now so i asked her if her sister is someone she looks up to and is influenced by. She told me that they are very close and she is a huge influence on her. Everything in her room is influenced by her sister, even the clothes she is wearing. The ring she was wearing is very precious to her and she said she would be very upset if she ever lost it. She explained that her sister is not very well at the moment and the ring is the one thing she has been given by her sister that has ment the most to her.

8. The one thing she would grab from her burning house would be . . . her mobile phone. I was positive she was going to say this! I asked her what about things your sister has given you etc, and she replied that again, everything is on that phone! Phone numbers, photos, videos etc. She said that her reasons for choosing her phone is because she likes looking at her photos for memories of nights out and she couldn't go through a day without texting!

9. When i asked her the actual question, her reply was the same as question 8! her mobile phone.

The second person i interviewed was a male of 25 years. I dont really know this person either. I thought that because he is my oldest participent, he gave more imformation in his answers and he was more relaxed than the younger female.  ( I will refer to this person as Person B, where needed).

1. Person B has small bedroom that is shaped like a coomb which he says makes the room even smaller. He has a three-quater bed that takes up most of the space. Behind his bed he has a long shelf where he keeps most of his things.

2. He has a bed, units, television and dvd combi, dvd's, cd's, playstation2, guitar, small pres up grips, washing basket and a waiste bin. In a wooden box that he made by himself, he keeps things like aftershave, cleansing products, hair products, smelly stuff, pens, chalk for pool que and keys for his band room. In a cabinet that he also made by himself, he keeps all his important things like, letters and documents. He has a drawer where he keeps his bracelets, bangles and knecklaces. He aslo has a drawer specifically for his belts. He told me that he keeps his clothes seperated into coloured sections in a precise layout. He keeps all of his white socks in one drawer, and his black ones in another.

I gathered that he is a very organised person and he takes car of his bedroom and the things that are in it.

3. Presents he has in his room are, dvd's, aftershave, cd's and clothes. He said that nothing he has been given is of any sentimental value. They are just gifts. He does not have a favourite present.

4. Things that he has bought himself are basically everything that is in his room he tells me. He says he has spent alot of money over the years on his bedroom and the things that are in it. He said that he loves collecting dvd's! The first dvd's he ever bought were Mall Rats, Chasing Amy, Happy Gillmour and The Waterboy. All of these dvd's have either Adam Sandler or Ryan Reynolds in them. These are his favourite actors he tells me. His collection consists of 162 dvd's, from the last time he counted them.

5. I asked him what he keeps in his pockets on a day to day basis and he replied that he keeps just his wallet and his phone on him at all times. I then asked what he keeps in his wallet, and he said just the same as everyone else, cards, recipts, money and photo's. I asked him what the photos are of, and they are of his friends ans some of his family.

When he said ''just the same as everyone else'' and then he mentioned photo's, i gathered that photos must be of an importance to him beacuse he assumed everyone carries photo's when infact not every one does. So this shows that he ''un-knowingly'' keeps photos that mean something to him.

6. When i asked him this question about something going missing etc, he automatically said dvd's! He said that dvd's go missing out of his room and he hates it!! He does not like people in his room touching his dvd collection. He also told me a story about something that he lost that made him very upset;
A couple of years ago he was in the Merchant Navy and on one occasion, they were to dock at Majorca for a couple of days. When they arrived in Majorca, he went and bought a disposable camera to take photo's of there night out in Magaluf. He said he used up the whole camera that night and it was one of the best nights he has ever had! Unfortunatley, he lost the camera in Majorca and only realised this when they had left to go back to England. He tells me that this was the most upsetting thing he has ever lost as he has no photo's of the experience, and now that he is not in the navy anymore, he does not see many of the friends he made. The photo's were to be a keep sake and a memorabelium of that occasion where all friends were there together.

7. I could not ask this question as he was not wearing any jewellery.

8. For this question he said he would save his photo's. He has photo albums of friends and family, from very young so he would definetly save them. His explanation was that, photo's can not be replaced. They are a memory to look back on. Happy or sad, of loved ones and occasions. Nothing can bring back a photo memory.

9. When i asked him the actual question, he said probably his mobile phone because he uses it every day, and it has all of his music on it, photo's, videos and is a way to keep in touch with people.

The third person I interviewed was a female of 21 years. I sort of know this person but I know nothing about her personal lifestyle. This person was very expressive with her answers and I gathered alot of good information from her. She was very relaxed and willing to share her stories with me. (I will refer to her as Person C when needed).

1. As you walk in to her bedroom there is a double bed straight in front.She has a bed side table with a crib next to it. Then there is a washing basket and a radiator underneath the window.She has a built in double wardrobe with mirrored sliding doos, which faces the bed. There is two large, leather storage boxes in the corner.

2. Objects in her room are, a teil lamp, sented candles, painted teil mirrors, sea grass ornament, oil burner, television, dvd racks, photo-frames, jewellery stand, money bank, tall iron candle holder, white curtains wit teil circles on them, in different shades of teil, three different shades of teil vases on window shelf, minx faux fur throw on bed, silk cushions and a painted canvas.

3. A present she has in her bedroom is her jewellery stand. It is from her best friend for her 18th birthday three years ago. It is on display and she said it is special to her because of who gave her it and why it was given. (18th birthday). Another present in her room is a hand painted canvas on her wall. It is from her best friend again for passing her driving test two years ago. She said it is also on display on her wall and again it is special to her because of who gave her it and when. (passing her driving test). She tells me that her friend means alot to her and any present given by her, will always be special.

4. Bought items in her room she tells me is mainly everything. She has bought quite alot over the years fot her bedroom, which has cost her quite alot of money. She even painted her room by herself.  She likes her room to be a certain way, organised and sophisticated. Everything in her room matches she tells me. She likes her candles and teil ornaments, but could not live without her flat screen television which is on the wall.

5. Things in her handbag are, mobile phone, keys, make-up, perfume, baby wipes, hair brush, nail varnish remover, nail file, lip balm, cigarettes, lighter, hairspray and her purse. I asked er if there was anything in her handbag that was used every day and she said, not really they are just things to keep in the handbag that might be needed at some point through the day. I asked her how often she uses her mobile and to my surprise she said she hardly ever uses her phone. It is not something she needs all the time.

6. Things that have been lost/damaged or stolen; she told me that she had three teil ornaments on her window shelf, and her cat jumped up and pushed them on to the floor. They all smashed unfortunatley. She had to by replacements, but she could not find the exact ones, which was upsetting for her. She said they were perfect on her window shelf, they matched all the shades in her bedroom.  Another story she told me is that she was given a beautiful siver choker as a present for Christmas, by her mum and dad. She said that she wore it all the time and it was perfect with every outfit. Unfortunatley, while on holiday she lost the choker and she never found it. She said she was really upset, especially because it was from her mum and dad so it ment alot to her. Also, she told me of when she was younger and how her most favourite ornaments misteriously smashed. When she was about 9 or 10 years old, she went to visit her Great Aunt. She said she absoloutly loved this women and was very upset when she was told her Great Aunt was very ill. Person C was given the chance to pick something out of her Great Aunt's bedroom, to have when she dies. Person C chose two ornaments which were of two women in lovely yellow corset dresses with their hair all nicely up in curls. Her Great Aunt soon died after that and Person C was given the ornaments. She said she loved them to pieces and she had them proudly displayed on her unit in her bedroom. Her mother told her she was not allowed them and they were to go in the bin because they were ugly. Person C was very upset and angry with her mother but she cried and cried until she was allowed to keep them. One day Person C came home from school, to find her ornaments missing. She ran through to the living room and demanded them back from her mother. Her mother told her that when she was dusting Person C's bedroom, she ''by accident'' knocked them over and they smashed. Person C was devistated. She knew her mother was lying and she delibiratley did this to get rid of them. Person C said this has to be one of the most upsetting things she has ever had taken from her. It is because it was from her Great Aunt when she died. Person C said that she will never forget that traumatic day, and she has never forgiven her mother, even though she still denies smashing them on purpose.

7. I looked to see what jewellery she was wearing, and asked her to tell me about it. She was wearing a diamond ring that was giver to her for her 18th birthday from her mum and dad. She said she loves it and it is very precious to her. She was also wearing a silver braclet that was given to her for her 16th birthday from her brother. She said it is also very special to her. I noticed she was wearing a silver choker, like the one she had described that she lost on holiday. She told me that her older sister was given the same one by her mum and dad and she saw how upset Person C was when she lost her one, so her sister kindly gave her the one she had to replace it. Person C said this item of jewellery is the most precious out of everything because of the story behind it.

8. Something she would take from her burning house would be . . .a box of bits and bobs she has collected since she was little. In the box are things like photographs, old school reports, baby tags from when she was in the hospital, a gold baby ring she was given by her grandmother, school photo's, a stuffed animal she has had since she was born and a few other things. She said she would have to save this because it is a box of her life and nothing in there can be replaced.

9. I then asked her the actual question and she said the object she trasures the most is a box of old rings that has been passed down the family for generations, and she now has it to pass down to her family.

Part C - The Analysis

After i had done the interviews i read over all of my notes on each particapent. I felt that Person A was a bit too young to understand how to answer my questions in depth. She was very quick with her answers and she did not give me any stories about her possesions. However, from her answers I think that she is very close with her sister, and she tresures things given by or relating to her sister. So this tells me that she values sentimental things, like the engagment ring. Also, i felt that she valued her mobile phone more than anything. This could be because she is a bit younger and a mobile phone is still very precious to her. It is probably the most used object that every one uses on a day to day basis. As she said, important information is kept on a mobile phone, especially contact numbers. I can see why she values this to be most important because i would certainly be upset if i lost my mobile phone. I have important contact numbers also. Person B was much more descriptive in his answers. From his answers i could tell that he treasures his friends and family over anything. So his photographs are very important to him. This is completley different to Person A. Person A was more interested in her mobile phone, than anything else. She did mention her sister, but she was not as enthusiastic about her family, unlike Person B. Person B was devistated when he lost his camera in Majorca. This also shows his feelings towards his friends and his values towards memories. Person C was also very descriptive with her answers. She gave me the most information and alot of stories. Her age is inbetween Person A and Person B, so i feel that because she is in the middle of the age group, she was better at answering the questions. Person C i could tell is a very emational person and she values things that have sentimental value, like the presents from her best friend and the siver choker from her mum and dad. So as my participants got older, their values were much more sentimental. Person B and Person C are a bit older so they can see the more important things in life, like memories of loved ones, friends and objects that are irreplacable.

Assignment 3 - Design Safari

Observe and Record

For this assignment, I was to choose a public location to observe and record people’s behaviors in. I decided to go with a friend to the Subway. We chose the Subway because it is a popular lunchtime spot, and also because it is one of those places that attracts everyone – not just a specific group which we thought might be interesting to observe how different cultures interact with each other.

As Jackie and I found a table to sit at, a group of school children came in to the Subway. They were very smartly dressed, with blue blazers and ties. They walked in very straight, head held high as if looking down at everyone else. (This could also have been because they were very tall!) As they approached the queue, they huddled together in a group, separating themselves from others in the queue. I think that because the children are in school uniform and they are of a young age, they may have felt superior to others that were in normal clothing. This is maybe due to them having a uniform on and walking in as a close group. This made them intimidating to others and also made them stand out from everyone else.

Once the schoolchildren had left, we focused on a group of Americans that were sitting in front of us, at a table of four facing each other. They appeared to be tourists as there were backpacks underneath their table and their accents sounded like they were from a High-end part of America. This tells me that they are possibly quite a wealthy group of men who can afford to travel around. We also got the impression that they felt comfortable eating their lunch. We thought that maybe they have tried to stick to what they know while travelling over here. By this I mean that they have chosen the Subway, which is open to all cultures, rather than choosing a local pub for a pub lunch. Obviously they would not feel as comfortable in a local pub because it would be a specific group that would go there and they would probably feel as if they did not fit in.

Soon the Americans had finished their lunch and they had left. A man to the side of us had now caught our attention. His age seemed to be late 20’s early 30’s, dressed in a white shirt, a black tie and a black suit. He is possibly a businessman, maybe someone who works in an office and he just wants a quick lunch before returning. He was sitting alone and eating his sandwich very quickly. He was facing away from everyone in the place and he was only looking down at his food or at his table. He did not seem to be enjoying his lunch, as he did not look comfortable at all. He was very jittery and awkward, and it looked like he wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.  In contrast to this, there was an older man sitting by himself in front of the younger single man. The older man looked very relaxed and very comfortable. He was reading a newspaper and taking sips of his coffee. After Jackie and I discussed the two single men, we thought that maybe the older single man is more relaxed because he is use to doing things by himself and because he is older he does not care what other people think of him sitting alone at lunchtime.

As I mentioned before, the Subway is not stereotyped and it attracts lots of different people. So, at the moment we have seen, school children, American tourists, a single businessman and an older single man. We then noticed two old women sitting in the corner, behind the single men. We discussed that the women were using the service differently from the others we had observed. This is because, we did not see any of the others use their napkins until they had completely finished their sandwich and it was used to wipe their mouths. The two old women used their napkins throughout the process of eating their lunch and they also broke parts off the sandwich instead of eating it whole. This suggests to me that perhaps they would have been more comfortable eating their sandwiches with cutlery, instead of using their fingers in front of strangers.

From where we were sitting, we could see the workers behind the counter. They were aligned in a row, carrying out specific jobs. This method of production is known as flow production. Within this method of business management, there are disadvantages to the workers. Using the flow production method, workers are involved in a production line manufacture. This means that each person is set to one job, which can be repetitive and boring. As we observed the workers, they looked bored with glum faces. This does not look good to the customers and it does not make people feel welcome. So, perhaps the design issue here is that the Quality Management needs to be re-addressed. Workers should be able to swap jobs every now and then to give them more of a variety, and this will help to keep the customers satisfied and the environment happy.

Some other design issues were brought to my attention. I noticed that the Subway is a very popular lunchtime spot, with the queue hardly ever budging. Down the side of the queue is people trying to eat their lunch. They are crammed in to the wall and they look very uncomfortable and they do not appear to be enjoying their lunch. I think that because the Subway is so popular, they would be better off investing in a bigger place that can hold their customers properly. This would definitely make people feel more welcome and enable them to enjoy the service properly.
The Subway is so busy and there is a bit of waiting about to do before getting served. Watching people in the queue with their arms folded starring at the workers; I felt that there should be pictures (not of food) or things to read on the walls. This would keep the customers occupied until it is their turn to be served, instead of watching the workers every move, making them feel uncomfortable.

Here is a photo i took, the two old women are at the back and if you look close enough, you can see her holding her napkin. Then there is two school children who appeard after the younger single man left. Finally, closest to you is the older single man reading his newspaper.

Conclusion

Now that we have done the experiment, it was interesting to see how people imagined different things happening within the images. I found that younger people like Lisa who is 14 and the two 1st year's at DOJ, were more creative with thier stories and did not point out the obvious. People more mature however, were able to see parts of the correct story and once the text and fourth image were added, the majority got the story almost correct. Some people did however, have completely different stories to others and this may have been influenced by thier personalities and backgrounds. This is explained in Barthe's essay. So therefore I'm now seeing the connections with Barthe's essay and the experiment. Different people have different views to things and I found that to be true for this experiment. However, I did not feel that the results were all that surprising, simply because anyone who is told to look at images and tell a story will see different things. That is exactly what happened in the experiment.

Adding Text
Activity 2E

Next we asked the same people, but we added a single word to each image-

• Mediterranean
• Pathway
• Rep
• Activity

Here are the results;

Helen

On a Mediterranean holiday
Go for a walk along the pathway
Meets up with rep
Rep takes them on activity

Shawn

Med plane view
Path to hotel to
Meet rep
Rep takes them on activities

Sam and Zoe

Woman flies to Med
Lands on the path
sees a woman on the beach
they found a bridge

From the results it shows that with the text and the fourth image, people began to recreate the target story. Without the text people had different meanings to the images but once the words were added they were able to connect the images together correctly.

The Fourth Image
Activity 2D

The target story from Sarah's Mum, 50 - Primary Teacher is;

Family arrived at coastal village in the Med.
Not long after arriving they followed a road lined by palm trees which lead down to an idillac spot down by the beach.
By chance they got talking to a local lady who agreed to take them on a tour of the beauty spots over the next few days.

The next part of the task was to add a fourth image and ask another selection of people to see if by adding the fourth image, they can come up with the same story as the target story.

Here is the results we got from asking a different selection of people and also adding the fourth image.
(images were in order and with the fourth image)

Helen, 20 - Textile student

Beach holiday
Go for a walk along the coast
Meet a girl sitting on the beach
The girl introduces them into trying new things.

Shawn, Twenty-something - Art student

She's on a plane
They go for a walk
Stops for a drink at the beach
She goes for an excursion in the forest

Sam and Zoe - 1st year Art students

On a plane
Plane crashes
She is the only survivor
She meets help on the bridge

By adding the fourth image it seems that the majority of people we asked are tellling a similar story to the target story. We felt that we did not need any more images to help people get the story right, but with text this might be the key to getting the target story right.

Talk to People
Activity 2C

I asked some family members to tell me a story from the three images. (They put the images in thier own order). Here is what they came up with;

Stuart, 20 - Drum Teacher
Looking out of a plane, going on holiday to Greece.
Plane landed and they take a walk along the coast with some palm trees.
They meet their friend who is waiting for them at the beach.

Lisa, 14 - high shool student
Looking out of a plane that is talking them on holiday to Spain.
They meet a woman on the beach who tells them of a nice walk.
They go on the nice walk.

Audrey, 35 - Care Taker
People going on holiday to the Med.
When they get there they go for a stroll near the lake.
They meet a nice woman who shares interesting sights for them to visit.

Alan, 26 - SalesMan
On a plane going on holiday.
plane crashes and they land near a lake and some palm trees.
They find a woman to help them.

I found that from the people i asked, they automatically put the image of the island first which was interesting. I also found that most of them put the image of the path and palm trees second. 
I did this in a group so we all met up after asking family and friends, and we decided on a target story from one of our results. Our target story is from Sarah Mitchell. Amoung the people she asked, she chose her mum's story of the images.

Selecting Random Images
Activity 2B

The next part of the assignment was to select three random images. Here is the three images that our group selected;

The Rhetoric of the Image - by Roland Barthes


Activity 2a

For the first part of the assignment, we were asked to read ‘The Rhetoric of the Image’ by Roland Barthes. Whilst reading the text we were to try and make connections with what Barthes was saying and link this to our discipline. My discipline is Textiles, so I was looking out for ways to relate the text to Textiles.

On reading the text, I found it very difficult to understand. There were many sentences that I could not make sense of. I tried my best to understand it, so I took notes and tried to put the text in to my own words. Once I had read the text, I got together with my group to discuss what we understood from it and how it relates to Textiles.

Here are a few of the main points I gathered from the text;


The idea that images mean more than one thing (POLYSEMY) but that text fixes meaning.
Important questions raised –
• How does meaning get in to the image?
• Where does it end?
• And if it ends, where is the beyond?
In Advertising, the signification of the image is intentional therefore, advertisers get straight to the point and they know how to target us.
Messages within an image can be broken down.
Colours are significant - they can suggest meanings and stories.
What we see in a photograph is never the same as what we see in real life.
When we look at a photograph we assume the story within it because of who we are and our backgrounds, therefore everyone may see a different story to others when looking at a photograph.
Text is added so that people don’t ask the obvious through words.
Photography – having been there - which is called the spectational consciousness
Film – being there – fictional consciousness
Anthropological – study of people, society and culture.
Lexical – relating to words of a language
We as people cannot see an image without giving it a meaning
There are many connotations for one image - ‘abstract idea from basic meaning’, this connotation also relates to textiles.
Connotations can be rhetorical – ‘idea of ideology’
Images and their meaning can be altered depending on who, where and when they are looked at and what feelings that person has at that time.

So, how does the text relate to Textiles?

Throughout the text it refers to an image having several meanings. As a Textile student, images always mean more than one thing to me. In my sketchbook for example; I start by collecting first hand information. I then use this information to develop in to designs. So, looking at my first hand information, I see more than one possibility to translate on to fabric. The images in my sketchbook suggest several different translations for using on fabrics.

Also the text mentions a connotation of abstracting an idea from its basic meaning. This relates to Tetxtiles in the sense that we as designers, abstract information from first had sources and develop it in to something new.

Another indication I got from the text that as textile designer, in the future it is possible that I will have a different view on my finished products than my potential clients will. Also, because of my discipline I am prone to interpreting clients views in a different way from them. This therefore addresses me that for future reference I will need to think in the mind of a designer, but also in the mind of a client to be successful.

Assignment 1 - The Consumption of Design

Part 1C

For this part of the assignment, every student was asked to find a person that they do not know very well and swap personal photographs with them. I swapped photo's with a girl called Serena who is currently studying Textiles. I do not know this person very well and I have no knowledge of her background or
personal information. She gave me photo's of her bedroom and study area and I gave her photo's of myself growing up. The next part of the experiment was to investigate the photo's and gather as much information as possible about that person.


The first set of photos I looked at are of her bedroom and close ups of objects around the room. At first glance, the main thing that jumped out to me is the colour red. Also the colours pink and purple are evident. These colours show an influence on her personal style, for example, she has a red throw on her bed and a red cushion. She also has a red, pink and purple head board. Pictures on her wall are of shoes, mainly stilettos which suggests she has interest in fashion and high heeled shoes. Also on one of the pictures is the title 'Vogue' which is also an indication of her interest in fashion. I also got the impression that she is interested in the French language as this is present on some of her pictures on the wall. This indicates to me that she is an elegant person who appreciates the beautiful things in life and is able to find something so simple but still be able to find its inner beauty. I noticed that with these elegant possessions, she adds her own style on to them by adding a bit of glamour. An example of this is that, there are two pictures on her wall that are very simple, but on top of them both she has placed a coloured, sparkly flower.

In her wardrobe, the first thing I noticed are loads of browns, blacks, whites and greys with a few flashes of reds and blues. This suggests that she has an her own individual style that seems to be a safe colour palette. The flashes of reds and blues are telling the story of how the person has begun to develop and take risks with her personality and sense of style. The few flashes suggest that she is not yet confident enough to explore her style to its full potential. I also noticed that she has placed her shoes neatly on the floor of her wardrobe in straight line, which suggests that she is an organized person.

 

 

Another thing to strike me about her bedroom is that she still has a single bed. Her bedroom looks big enough to have a double bed so it is interesting that this girl who is no longer a teenager still has a single bed. One scenario of the single bed could be that her parents would not approve of her having a double bed, as this would indicate her growing up and becoming an adult with a developing sexuality. Another scenario could be that she likes to be reminded of her childhood. Every child has more than likely to have started off in a single bed so it is possible she likes to be reminded of a more happier time in her life, being a child with no worries and no stress. Another indication of this scenario is that she has some stuffed teddy bears on a stand. This too could be a reminder of her childhood and of a happier time. The last thing to comment on is that her room is very neat and tidy with little or no clutter, and she also shows good spatial awareness. I do feel though that she may spend more time in her study than in her bedroom due to the lack of clutter and possessions in her bedroom.

The next set of photographs are of her study area. It is clear that this girl likes to read. She has shelves on the wall and they consist mainly of books, with a lot of novels by the author Dean Koontz. She also has books on our planet Earth and of animals and the environment. This suggests to me that she is interested in both fact and fiction, which also suggests that she is well educated and has an interest in learning new information. As she obviously likes to read, I feel that she is the type of person that enjoys her own company and likes her privacy. A photo on her shelf of a camping environment is an indication to her liking nature and the outdoors. This links to the material she reads on animals and the Earth.

On her desk in her study area, the colour red is again very dominant. She has a Red chair, a red lamp, a red flower, red nail varnish, and a red folder. Having red as a favourite colour suggests that she is a very romantic person and very sensual. The book on her desk of what appeared to be of fruit and vegetables gave me the impression that she may like to grow her own and is also maybe garden orientated. A calendar of a polar bear is a clear indication of her being a lover of animals and nature. I also noticed that she has a collection of sun glasses which may be because she either likes them as an accessory or she may be fond of hot weather and being able to go outside. I think that she is a very neat person and she likes to have everything organised. I think this because I noticed that she has everything separated in to jars and containers.

In the cupboard in her study, I noticed that it is not tidy like her bedroom. It feels like she uses this as a secret space to hide things that she does not want others to see. Also there is a poster on the inside of the door which says 'The first Kiss'. This suggests to me that she has a hidden secret of how much she enjoys romance and the title suggests that she likes the magic within a first kiss and the start of a romantic relationship. I have not really seen anything to indicate if she has a boyfriend but from my perception of her either she likes the thought of having a boyfriend or if she does have one then I would think that she has been with this person for a long time. I did see a photo of a man playing a trumpet so this tells me that she has a musical family member or close friend.

The last thing that caught my attention is that she has a big collection of music. Having such a big collection indicates she likes a variety of music from old 60's music to present day pop music. Her interest in a variety of music is directly linked to her style in her bedroom and her study. She has a mixture of tastes and styles which suggests that she is an open minded person and she is not the sort of person to judge others on their appearance or their interests.

Part 1B


After analysing Serena's photographs and once she had analysed my photographs, we met up to discuss what information we had gathered about each other. Serena talked first about her findings. I gave her photo's from my childhood to the present day and I was completely shocked at how accurate she was. Firstly she noticed that in every photo when I am smiling, I do not ever show my teeth. For some reason I do not like showing my teeth when I smile and Serena was spot on with this. She also described my personality to me, some of which I did not even realise until she had said it. For instance, she noticed that I wear a lot of jewellery which suggested to her that I like to decorate myself and I like to be noticed. This is exactly true and she also guessed that I have piercing and body art. She discovered who my closest friend is, how important she is to me and how much she has influenced me throughout my life. It was a little bit uncomfortable that she described me as confident when I am with others but not so confident on my own. I had never really thought of myself like that before but it is a revelation to me. I do not like being on my own at any time and I definitely prefer the company of friends and family which is exactly what Serena thought. I thought that this part of the experiment was very over whelming. Being a research subject is a little uncomfortable as i did not know what that person would discover about me.

Serena gave me photographs of her bedroom and her study area. When we discussed what my findings were I believe she was a little shocked at how accurate I was on some things. I guessed correctly that her favourite colour is red and that she is a romantic person. I also guessed correctly that she is an animal lover and loves nature and the environment. She is a lover of high heels and fashion which I got right, also that she likes French which she actually studied at higher level in high school. I said to her that I thought her parents were maybe a bit strict with her being an adult as she still has a single bed and she told me that her mum is not very comfortable with her having a boyfriend. So my theory was a little accurate. My theory about her hidden pleasure of her poster in her cupboard, turned out to be a revelation to her. She had not really thought about it in that way before but she believes it to be true. I found this part of the experiment exciting. Researching a persons' life through photographs was a challenge but it was interesting to see what things i got right about that person.

SEMESTER 2 - Lecture 1 - follow up work.

The lecture this morning ( friday 22nd January) was called 'The Canon'. It was based on what we as individuals believe is good or bad, and where these influences come from. We were asked to do a series of small experiments in small groups. One task was to make a list of our top 5 favourite films, albums, composers and designers. The aim of the experiment was to see how many people wrote down the same things for these catagories and to determine why these choices were made. For example, when asked to say what we wrote down for composers, everyone baisically wrote the same things - Mozart, Beethoven etc. Most people in this case do not even listen to classical music or even know who these 'famous' composers are. We all wrote these names down because we have heard of them before for being famous and there fore we think that these were the right choices to write down, nothing to do with personal preference. So, to summerise, we are being made to think about these things in the sense that we can not have opinions on matters we have no knowledge about i.e saying that Mozart is the top composer. This may be true but we proved today that we can not say this as we all showed that we have no knowledge of his work, only the influence of others ( media, parents, friends etc) saying that this composer is one of the best. 'We have to make our own opinions and think for ourselves' - is the message i got from the lecture this morning. I do feel though that in some cases, influences of others may become helpful at some point. While reading the handbook the next steps suggest answering the following questions;
Consider how you ended up studying design—who influenced you?

I have always had an interest in art, but thinking back to high school and when decisions had to be made, i never actually chose to go to Art School on my own. I remember in 5th or 6th year when everyone was chosing where to go next and what college or university to go to, i had no idea! My three close friends had decided to go to Graham Street College to do a portfolio and i remember thinking,' i may aswell just do what they are doing.' Ofcourse i wanted to do art, but i didn't no how to go about it or what steps to take. My friends were the ones that got me my application and told me what to right etc. After college it was up to me to decide for my self what to do next. Even though it was my friends that influenced me to take the art\design route, without them i would maybe be somewhere else right now. Thankfully their influnce has lead me to Duncan of Jordanstone and it was the best decision that i have ever made. In this case i am greatful for the influences of others to have gotten me to where i am now.

Who inspired you?

In terms of who inspired me to follow art, i would firstly say my 3rd year art teacher at high school. She was a stand in teacher but became permanent and she was always telling me that she thought i was talented. It was a great feeling being told that you are good at something. So i guess because this made me feel good about myself, it inspired me in the long run that art is what i should be doing. Secondly i would have to say my experience at Graham Street College. It was inspiring because i had an amazing time there and the tutors made every class so exciting which made me realise that i should definetley be doing something i enjoy, and this was it! My first experience in a life drawing class really got my adrenalin going! I loved it! The class i had with Anne was my first experience with design methologies. I loved this class and it was this specific class that opened me up to the other possibilities i could chose from; Design.

Why do you like the things you like?

I guess i like somethings because of influences from friends, siblings, media, etc. My best friend has through the years influenced me on most things i like, i.e she changed my taste in music. This was a clear influencial change because the music i use to listen to is the complete opposite to what i listen to now and its the same as what she listens to. I also use to copy my older sister when i was younger in everything she liked. If she liked it, i liked it. In a way, some of the things i like have been from influences of others, but my own taste has developed from this throughout the years. If it wasn't for my friend i would never have discovered my all time favourite film - Labyrinth! The best film in the world. Most of my fashion taste is from a mixture of influences like, magazines, television, friends, random people in the streets that are wearing something i like etc. So i couldn't have aquired the things i like without some influence of others.

Are ‘taste’ and artistic ability genetic?

In my opinion, i would say that taste is not genetic. It is developed throughout a life time with the influences of the world around us and everything that is in it. A person's taste is forever changing and developing. A person's up-bringing i would say is a big part in this. However, i feel that artistic ability may be genetic as my father, brother, younger sister, and a few of my aunty's are all artistic. Infact a few of my relatives have even went to Art College. So yes, i do believe artistic ability is genetic, even if others believe that this is not the case.