23 January, 2018

we live in messy conversations

located at lively intersections of past, present & future;

where future is not just hypothetical

but always actively emerging out of our exchange with the world.

- John Cage

Light projection on trees & buildings,
Singapore Night Fest, 2017

#2

Guest Speaker: Markéta Dolejšová

potential future developments for digital culture and art could include art that simulates more of the other senses - such as touch and smell, giving the user a more rounded experience

DESIGNING FOR HUMAN FOOD INTERACTIONS

MAPPING

"Maps are not copies; they are projections"

subjective cartographies

Urbano Monte World Map, 1587

Map of London poverty, Charles Booth, 1889

Moon, Asa Smith,
1850

the purpose of maps;

"maps exist because they are, always have been and always will be, one of the fundamental means by which human beings represent information; with which we translate, codify and make reality intelligible."


// today: learned about the concept of mapping and its applications in different aspects. always though of "maps" in a literal sense i.e. geographical representation of a country's relative location. it was interesting to learn its different forms and uses.

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ISSUES WITH CONTEMPORARY FOOD SYSTEMS

#3

30 January, 2018

Exhibition: Radio Malaya and 17 Volcanoes

//I found today's lecture rather insightful and thought provoking - it gave me a new perspective on the applications of digital art and culture in food, given how food was never an aspect I considered to have applications in digital art.

What i found particularly interesting was critical and speculative design. For a large part of my education, much emphasis has been placed on rote-learning; it was nice knowing that there existed a space for individuals to share and explore ideas left to one's imagination.

Of the many critical and speculative designs that Markéta shared, the two that caught my attention the most were "Smog Tasting" by the Center for Genomic Gastronomy and Chloé Rutzerveld's "In vitro ME".

"Smog Tasting" caught my attention because it turned air pollutants into something more tangible. There has been much talk about about air pollution, but little has been done to stop it from worsening. As per the proposal of the design, "harvesting" the air, whipping it into something edible and then serving it to various stakeholders would allow individuals to understand the implications of their actions on the quality of air.

"In vitro ME" caught my attention due to the simultaneously grotesque but riveting features of Rutzerveld's design. Upon learning about the design and its desired objectives, it definitely made me think twice about my current meat consumption patterns and the sustainability of it.

// we were tasked with taking part in the "The Parlour of Food Futures" activity, which required us to envision possible food futures based on cards selected from the "Food Tarot" card deck. The card we received was "Pro GMO". My group got together and this is what we came up with -->

Forum response:

1. What are the three main approaches to critical design practice?
the three main approaches are (1) for designers to be reflective of their own designs and continually looking at ways to improve their designs (2) to look at things from a wider perspective, i.e. seeing the big picture and (3) to create designs that would contribute to the different discourses in the political and social avenues.

2. In your own words, how does speculative design differ from conventional/commercial design?
speculative design involves getting one to come up with possible solutions to either an already existing or potential problem without limitations. that said, this does not discount the fact that critical evaluation takes place in order for such solutions to be concocted. On the other hand, commercial/ conventional design is more profit oriented - this means to say that such designs are created with the goal of satisfying current consumer needs and wants, ultimately tarnslating these needs and wants into profits that can be earned by an organization.

3. Discuss the current criticism of the current dominant approach to speculative practice: "Eurocentric ... excessive focus on aesthetics, tendency to escape to dystopian scenarios, vanity and separation from the real world."
I am inclined to agree that the current approach to speculative practice is largely eurocentric - for instance, BiteLabs promotes the idea of creating celebrity meat for consumption grown from tissue samples in the form of artisanal salami, white many of the celebrities featured being 'white'. that said, the current approach to speculative practice might be largely eurocentric due to how most developed countries are european/north america. being a developed nation means that fewer resources need to be invested in developing technologies that would result in tangible benefits for the nation, instead, there is more room for creativity to be explored. this might explain why the approach to the practice is largely eurocentric - because many of the industry players are from europe and they cannot possibly come up with speculative designs as a potential solution to a problem that exists in another culture when they might not be aware of what is culturally 'wrong'.

forum response:

1. In your own words, what purpose can a journal serve in the creative process?
Journals serve to act as a space for one to conceptualize and organize their thoughts. it allows one to have a better idea of what their thought process was like as well.

2. Why is it valuable to refrain from editing your brainstorming process or discarding 'mistakes'?
this is because leaving these 'mistakes' in the journal would allow one to look back on their journey to the eventual conceptualization of their idea. it would also allow one to see how far one has 'improved'.

3. What is the difference between primary and secondary sources? Why do you think it is valuable to include both types of sources when doing research?
a primary source is evidence obtained firsthand, direct from the source itself while secondary sources could be the opinions of others.
including both types of sources are important because it adds depth to the research as well as gives one new perspectives.

4. How do you think each level of analysis in the constructive critique model can be useful when incorporated into your journal?
it could be useful by ensuring that we fully engage ourselves with the art piece rather than just look at it at a glance. this ensure that proper evaluation is done. it also gives us a greater sense of awareness of the various limitations we set for ourselves when it comes to exploring ideas.

5. Based on the overview of each exhibition (17 Volcanoes and Radio Malaya), how would you connect each of these exhibitions to your own personal understanding of digital culture?
Radio Malaya was, to me, a showcase of the evolution of art representation and the how technology has impacted the ways in which art can be exhibited. It had aspects of a very traditional take on what digital culture is - for instance, many of the works featured were paintings or sculptures made using traditional methods of cultural art representation. These art forms were expressionistic and impressionistic types of realisms. That's not to say that the exhibition only restricted itself to the use of traditional methods of creating art - for instance, modern "art making tools" were used in Debbie Ding's The library of Pulau Saigon, where the pieces showcased came as a result of 3-D printing.

17 Volcanoes on the other hand, made full use of technology in order to showcase the various research findings obtained. The exhibition space itself was dimmed, with light emitting from the digital displays. This ensured that the pieces received nothing but the viewer's full focus.

17 Volcanoes Exhibition

// week 3 forum response

// week 2 forum response