Intercultural Design | LECTURES
04/01/2021 - Present (Week 1 - Present)
Naim Zuki, (0346615) | Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Fig. 1.0, Hulubalang Empayar, (Image courtesy of Fusion Wayang Kulit)
Fig. 1.01, Mat Sheeran, (Image Courtesy of Warner Music Malaysia)
Fig. 1.02, One of Gahara's Line-Ups, (Image Courtesy of Gahara)
Fig. 1.03, Munir Yahya, (Image Courtesy of BERNAMA)
Fig. 1.04, Questions to ponder by Dr Emelia Ong, 18/01/2021
INSTRUCTIONS
Module Information Booklet: Intercultural Design
REFLECTIONS
FURTHER READING
Naim Zuki, (0346615) | Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Intercultural Design
Lectures
LECTURES
Introduction
Ah, the New Year. Usually, that first step into the new semester is a refreshing start to another academic journey that is filled with uncertainty, awe, and excitement. Taking the first step into a new tomorrow, as some would say. So
here I am, taking that first step... out of my bed, still in my
pajamas, incredibly sleepy, hair as messy as a bird's nest, but into the new
tomorrow nonetheless. Hopeful, as a rebirthed university student ready to take
on what Taylor's Design School has to offer. With new and familiar faces all
around, the energy I'm feeling from this class is impeccable. Here lies the
start of my 6 feet journey.
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Lecture 1 | Netnography
Seeing so many lecturers in one class was something new to me and having that
amount of collective knowledge presented in such an enthusiastic manner was
enlightening to experience. The briefing process was relatively easy to follow
and their talk on intercultural design excited me. Although, I do wish we get
to go on those trips our seniors made during their time in this module. But
nonetheless, thus began the first lecture of the semester: Netnography.
Netnography is an online research method that is akin to its more traditional
and well known method: ethnography. Essentially, netnography is a
specific set of research practises related to data collection, analysis,
research ethics, and representation, rooted in participant observation.
Originally developed by marketing professor Robert Kozinets, he explained that
the major characteristic of Netnography is that it focuses more on the context
of the data collected and looking into the meaning of said data. For example,
who shares certain news articles and how they share them?
Now, how does one conduct Netnography? Well, data collection for netnography
relies entirely on the internet. Whether one relies
an inductive or a deductive approach, research and observation rely on three types of data to be collected, ie.
Archives, Elicited, or Fieldnotes. The lecturer's also made sure to take note
that ethical netnography must be practised in order to be
respectful of people's privacy. These ethics consists of identifying yourself
to your peers, asking for permission and consent, consulting with credible
sources, and citing/crediting appropriately.
Why netnography you ask? That's because netnography provides a high scope of
potential valuable data, overcoming geographical limitations, provides an
opportunity for unexpected findings and the collected data are relevant and
contemporary. However, it should also be taken into consideration that
Netnography is largely empirical and not contextual, researchers may not be
familiar with online platforms, and data collection and analysis may be
time-consuming or may have invalid data.
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Lecture 2 | Consultation Period
In the first week of the semester, the lecturers of this module laid down
the weekly planning of the lectures, practical sessions, and consultation
periods. So during this session, which is a general consultation period,
there was a particular question that I found really interesting. The student
Sheikh asked a question regarding what constitutes as cultural
appropriation, to which Ms Jinchi gave an interesting take on the topic. My
key takeaway from her answer was that cultural appropriation happens
naturally when different cultures are integrating with each other. Her
best example was how food changes as different cultures assimilate with each
other.
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Lecture 3 | Guest Lecture; Mr Tuntoy, Ms Natasha
Mr Tuntoy is, in short, a brilliant man. He's mainly a character designer who's had experience in the field for many years before he and his partner Take Huat found Fusion Wayang Kulit. During his talk, he gave an insight into his journey when founding the organisation. What caught my attention during this talk is Creative Alchemy, a term used for combining two totally different elements, which in this case is the traditional Wayang Kulit with modern and contemporary characters and stories. He noted that Creative Alchemy has been around for a while and can be found on shows like Fred Flintstones, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and even Star Wars (George borrowed the idea from Akira Kurosawa's 1958 samurai classic and turned it into a galactic experience). From all the examples he's given, he said that this technique of creative thinking is a way that we designers can approach when creating something "new" and exciting.
Fig. 1.0, Hulubalang Empayar, (Image courtesy of Fusion Wayang Kulit)
In his talk about the character design process for Fusion Wayang Kulit, there was a repeating motif that exists in his team's methods, that is providing a balance between the traditional elements and the modern elements. The team made sure that in order to avoid misappropriating the culture they consulted with the Wayang Kulit Masters routinely to make sure they receive their approval. Following that, during the Q&A session of the talk, there was a certain focus on asking Mr Tuntoy about the stigma that follows such (for lack of better wording) redefinition of the traditional art. From how do designers avoid such from happening, what keeps the team going, and what was Mr Tuntoy's reaction when being questioned that him, being of the Chinese race, making such alterations to the traditional wayang kulit art.
Fig. 1.01, Mat Sheeran, (Image Courtesy of Warner Music Malaysia)
For the first two questions, he answered by reminding us that his team consists of Wayang Kulit Masters (the tok dalang, atok-atok, and cikgu-cikgu) that has learned the concept of wayang kulit for many many years which he made sure to get approval from before continuing on with the character designs. As for the third question, which has one of the best answers I've heard today, he replied by stating that he is a Malaysian, of the Malaysian Heritage, he wants to preserve the culture of the country that he was born in. Which I think, is a beautiful answer.
Fig. 1.02, One of Gahara's Line-Ups, (Image Courtesy of Gahara)
After Mr Tuntoy concluded his talk, Ms Natasha's session came next. Yet another remarkable artist, Ms Natasha is the CEO of the artisanal Batik textile provider named Gahara. In her talk, I find that her line of work focuses more on sustaining the traditional art of batik and how her company is helping in the relevance of batik in today's society. Being born a Kelantanese myself, it was enjoyable to hear someone talk so passionately about the art that I've grown to be so familiar with. She explained the different types of Batik in Malaysia and the historical value it has. She described how traditional batik has different motifs that signify the wearer's marital status, wealth, their positions (within palaces), who they serve, religion, class system, and many more. There was also how religion influenced the art of Batik when Islam came into Malaysia and artisans adopted a more Fauna approach to Batik. Then carried on to explain how batik is made, by showing us the Batik blocks used for printing patterns and canting pens. Ms Natasha tied everything together by reminding us of the importance of protecting this heritage and how it makes us Malaysians unique with our beautiful yet intricate culture.
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Lecture 4 | Guest Lecturer; Mr. Munir Yahya, Dr. Emelia Ong
Mr Munir Yahya is a man with many experiences throughout his life. He spoke of his experiences as a growing designer going through the difficulties of the industry, which I'm very grateful for. What I found captivating during his talk was his passion for respecting other cultures. He mentioned that as a designer, one has to be aware of the different implications their work has on different cultures. His most favourite example in conveying this topic was the different implications of colours in different cultures. For example, yellow in Malaysia represents royalty and richness, while the same qualities are expressed with purple in Japan. These nuances that exist across different cultures can both be a designer's upbringing or their downfall; it all depends on how the designer uses their knowledge to their advantage. Designers also have to be respectful towards their audience, and Mr Munir stresses that being a designer means you're yielding yourself to a life-long journey of learning. For without knowledge, one cannot travel as far as the smarter person.
Fig. 1.03, Munir Yahya, (Image Courtesy of BERNAMA)
Dr Emelia Ong's talk gravitated towards the academic side of design. She explained much of her experiences of being a scholar-turned designer, analysing different works and breaking down her design process. Below is one of the slides that she went through during the lecture.
Fig. 1.04, Questions to ponder by Dr Emelia Ong, 18/01/2021
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INSTRUCTIONS
Module Information Booklet: Intercultural Design
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REFLECTIONS
Week 1
The first week of Intercultural Design was no short of scary. Having that many lecturers in one class were intimidating, to say the least. But they were overall really inviting and kind towards the students.
Week 2
The guest lecture this week was a total treat to attend. I found Mr Tuntoy's experience as an independent artist building a community centred around reviving the art of Wayang Kulit really inspiring. As someone who's been chasing aspirations centred around personal goals, hearing his success story was the push that I need to be motivated to be more confident about my future. Ms Natasha's talk was interesting as well in terms of the knowledge I gained about Batik. I never knew the motifs hold so much meaning during historic Malaya. I'm glad to have had the chance to hear these two amazing people talk about things they are passionate about.
Week 3
Mr Munir's talk felt more like a grandfather telling the stories of his adventures around the world. The way he talked about grabbing opportunities wherever you see them and learning about the different cultures whenever one gets the chance was eye-opening. Ms Emelia's talk was more critical and I find myself questioning the values I practise as a designer.
FURTHER READING
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