Presentations Week 4 - 16.4.13

SPECIALISM PRESENTATIONS WEEK 4

XUE WANG
Do not read out from the paper. No need to read every line in ths life. Just a brief explanation of what is there will be good enough.
What were you trying to show in the picture of two buildings? It was not very clear
Diagrams t show the flow of points - good and clear
Sketch is not clear as there are too many things happening in it.
Good conceptual development and details shown.
I got lost during your presentation and could not see the organized flow of work
Time limit crossed and too long
Your conclusion did not link up the text and the artist with your project
Little more elaboration on the proposed question. I felt that the question was not relevant to the audience.

My opinion on the question:
If I am a single person wanting to buy an apartment for living, I will not consider natural lighting or ventilation more that other factors such as location of place, rent cost, facilities available and so on.
Technology is present to provide lighting and cool environment - air conditioner, fans and so on. Thus while renting a house I would rather consider other factors suitable to the place.

JENNIFER LEONA WIDJAJA
Interesting design name
Clear ideas, good explanation
Map - visual aid, very clear
Dimensions of the site give us a good idea
Vertical Graden - is a concept of alternating green space where green space does not expand horizontally  but rises up high. There is less horizontal space available so we can start working in a vertical manner. This garden can be indoor or outdoor. - very interesting concept
Level change - divides the room and making max use of the space available within the 4 walls
No need to show initial designs - you can just show the final idea
Reading text well liked with project
Clear conclusion
I really liked your presentation! It was well prepared and clear.

My opinion on the question:
My design philosophy for the garment that I am creating in my specialism project is not only aesthetic satisfaction but also eco friendly manufacturing of the garment, in the following ways:
Upcycling (for the producer) - when my garment is made out of old/second hand clothing which reduces my cost of raw materials and also saves the environment from degrading
Multi functional (for the consumer) - according to how the garment is accessorized, it can be worn at the beach, as ready to wear or even at evening parties. Thus the same garment serves different purposes for the consumer.
My design philosophy for this particular project definitely caters to the aesthetic value of the outfit, but also meets the purpose of saving the environment.

RITIKA SAINI
What is a faculty magazine?
Interesting concept, interesting title
Good to add your personal element in the presentation
Why did you choose red, white and black as your color scheme? Explain why you chose the color.
Organized presentation
Good conceptual development

Logo designing requires Typography

My opinion on the question:
In fashion design, there is a lot of graphic designing involved in the process where the product is advertised to the audiences. The graphic design part comes into the picture after all the manufacturing is done and the garment is ready.The logo designing for the brand name, the fashion magazine layouting and composition, the packaging for the garment all involves graphic designing.

Website designs and Magazine layouts (top left) and Packaging (bottom) all requires graphic design

YOFANY SUSANTO
Do not refer to what an earlier presenter has said already. You must explain it yourself again in your presentation.
Editorial layout - has 50% text and 50% images.
Good organization of points
Good conceptual development
When you show a graph, mention the percentages below the bars to show the statistics.
What are family fonts?
Usage of design elements - lines, shapes, patterns, texture, color - is evident - good.
Every detail in the project has been touched upon - even the paper type - elaborate and good.

My opinion on the question:
Which one is more important in my own project - The functionality or the visual candy?
In fashion design, the visual candy weighs more importance at the end of the day because that is the reason why the audience wears the garments - to be updated with the latest trends.
The functionality can be present sometimes in certain projects ( like the eco friendly one ) from the aspect of the designer or the consumer. At the end of the day, people want to wear dresses that look gorgeous and only buy such clothes to maintain social standards. Thus in fashion, eye candy plays an integral role in persuading the audience to buy the garments.

PRESENTATIONS WEEK 3 - 9.4.13

PRESENTATIONS WEEK 3

DANIEL YEO

• Good way to start - makes it interesting and wakes up the audience
• Good explanations and illustrations
• Mind map to convey ideas - good
• Scanned sketches could have been edited and made clearer as it looks hazy

My opinion on the discussion:
Passion is important in fashion because only our passion can drive us to work and develop designs. However, sometimes necessity does also come into the picture. A designer has to think about certain things like his target audience, the materials available to him and the equipments accessible. For example, in India, there is not much market for western wear as much for traditional kurtis. Here it becomes a necessity for designers (who have passion for western styles) to also produce a collection of Indian wear as a back up to survive in the fashion industry. I believe that necessity can go hand in hand with passion. In this case, a fusion between both can produce a Indo-Western line of garments.

TRISHA SHUKLA

• Appealing visuals - images
• Diagrams - visual aids
• Good explanation
• Conclusion missing

My opinion on the discussion:
is very important in fashion design, when we choose to work with a particular fabric/ color / silhouette, it might not work in the end and give that aesthetic appeal that we wanted at the start.
For example, in my current specialism project, I wanted to use a particular knitted fabric (100% Rayon) to make ruffles on the garment because I liked the colour and pattern on it and it was going with my theme well. When I made the ruffles, I saw that it would not hold up as I wanted it to because of the heavy weight and flimsy nature. I was unhappy. However, I opened it up and started exploring it and converted it into a hair band for myself. Thus, we learn from experimentation and should not take failure as a setback.

GOH CAI JUN

• Project requirements well explained
• Good development of project
• Clear concept and elaboration
• Charts explain the content well

My opinion on the discussion:
In India, artists do face sensitive issues in their works. Earlier, it was criticised and considered ethically incorrect and immoral. However, now such topics are accepted with an open & broader mindset of the masses, and are also important as they are an effective medium of conveying a message to the audience or make them aware of an issue. Anyway, the censor board hides nudity and does not let the audience exposed to it. Also, movies like My name is khan and New york have been based on issues like Racism. Another example, Slumdog Millionaire by director Danny Boyle was based on Child Labor and won 8 awards at the Oscars. Thus, media is a good way of communicating to the masses.

A still from Slumdog Millionaire

MY OWN PRESENTATION:
My presentation went off satisfactory however there were certain areas pointed out that I should improve on. Firstly I realized that I was speaking too fast because I had to deliver a lot of content in just 20 minutes. However, i must pause at regular intervals, and make eye contact with the audience to allow them to register the information given.
Also, I must briefly state the points written in my slides and not just explain 2-3 out of all as that would show carelessness on my side.
Another useful comment made by my lecturer Janet was to remember where my emphasis on the garment is - the ruffles or the gathering. My emphasis is on the ruffles hence it should be made more prominent.

My garment illustration showing ruffles and gatherings.

Presentations Week 2 - 2.4.13

SPECIALISM PRESENTATIONS

TRISHA HARIRAMANI

• Good description, clear ideas, clear presentation slides, good visuals
• Video added - good way of explanations 
• Keeps the audience awake, not boring 
• Good information given
• Instead of pointing out what it is, you could have written what it is below the illustration on the slide itself.

My opinion on the question:

Within a fashion collection, unity can be achieved in all the designs by including a signature style in all of them - a typical style of a silhouette, a colour scheme, or a design element (for e.g., bows or laces in all the garments). Fashion illustration clusters have several models standing in different poses but what unifies them is their heights and their body shapes. In garments, a particular element, like the signature print/pattern of a designer is present in all his garment which unifies them and gives it identity.

Louis Vuitton's latest collection 2013 - what unifies them all is the color blocking pattern and the silhouette style.

SHIERLY NATALIA

• Attractive visuals
• Need not read every line on the slide, instead face the audience and interact
• Spelling errors
• Good explanation of idea development
• Moving too slow
• Good reasoning
• You could have shown how the natural dyes are made - using cucumber/flower.
• What is that silhouette called?
• Detailed explanation of every point, but it is becoming too long and elaborate.
• You should have shown a sketch of how your final garment looks like.

My opinion on the question:
Eco friendly fashion is here to stay for long, because of global warming and environment degradation. Brands are eco conscious and are taking steps to protect our earth. It just needs to be brought across people to create awareness. The sustainable fashion industry is a new and developing one, that has come up just a few years ago. It is a developing industry and will create market for itself. Once people are informed of the possibilities and necessity to save the environment, the market will last long. Hence it is not a temporary industry.

ASEEM ACHINTYA

• Clear slides, good explanation of points, good flow
• Good artist reference
• Three Act Structure in a film - quite interesting to learn 
• Good concept
• Map to show Location - good element 
• Mis on sen - means what is in front of you. You can relate to something you have seen before. It tells you the mood and themes. How the protagonist lives his life.
• You showed the video but what was your motive of showing the video? You did not explain what you want the audience to see in the video.

My opinion on the question:
Cinema is not dying. It is entertainment. The old culture of gathering with friends and going to watch a movie in a hall first day first show is still on. Cinema gives people - friends/family a reason to get together and go out, spend time and take a break from the hustle bustle of lives. Watching a movie alone on the laptop removes this opportunity of a gathering. In India especially, the cinema plays a dual role in entertaining the masses, as well as communicating with them about any issue.

AGNES CITTO

• Good explanation of topic
• Good introduction
• Cannot see the concepts on the sketchbook. Scan it.
• No need to show initial ideas. Jump to your final idea.
• Good title and explanation of the title
• You should have explained what is crop top and pencil pants.
• Good information, explanation of reading text and artist reference.
• You should have shown the whole video.

My opinion on the question:
IF there is no development in technology, the fashion industry will survive but will be stagnant. Will not grow as new styles and mass production can happen only with technology. Technology involves machines that can produce garments of high quality and finesse in lesser time thus it meets the needs and demands of the people. The fashion industry is growing by the day and the public wants to be updated with the latest of fashion trends which is possible due to technology. Clothes can be produced for the need of people (without the advancement of technology) but not meet the demands.

SOME POINTERS FOR AN EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION:

• Explain clearly why you choose the topic/color scheme etc
• Concept development & process alongwith your working stage to be shown
• Show sketches and mind maps (development) to make it exciting
• Include a video to break the monotony and prevent boredom
• Show examples to explain a point but not too many examples
• How can I merge my theme and concept together?
• Show the fashion trends that you are taking inspiration from (specific to Fashion)
• Clear conclusion required - your reflections - what you gain from it - what comes up next ?
• Do not use adjectives like "beautiful" because it may not be so for the audience
• Show documentation to prove what you are creating is truly sustainable (Fashion)

Presentations Week 1 - 26.3.13

SPECIALISM PRESENTATIONS

YAO XIAO XIAN

• WHY decorate the pages so much and not keep it simple and clear? The decoration makes it informal.
• Too much text - some key points with bullets could have been used 
• What does Otaku mean? - people in Japan who prefer sitting at home, playing games
• Too much happening in the slides - should have kept it simple.
• The slides shown one by one - design layout, colour scheme, fonts and so on - shows clear organisation 
• The slides were flipped very quickly - I could not read the text on it.
• What is the relation between the reading text and your project?

My opinion on the question:
Things can be discordant but still beautiful at the same time. Things around us in nature are all unorganized - tress, buildings, flowers etc but they are all beautiful. Even in fashion, simple is good in design but at times, a messy look can also be beautiful because of the artist's intention/ material usage in the garment making and so on. Sometimes, designs can be very confusing and unusual like the upcycling work of belgian designer Martin Margiela. His works are discordant due to the kind of material he uses, however, it is beautiful because of his intention behind it of reusing discarded items to prevent harm to our environment.

This evening fur coat by Martin Margiela ( Artisinal collection 2013) seems discordant to the eye. However, it is beautiful because of the medium - it is made of various christmas tree decorations.

REGGY RAYENDRA

• Clear presentation, good title 
• Should not keep notes in hand
• Good way to start a presentation - Quote 
• Should make eye contact with audience instead of facing towards the slides and reading out from a  paper
• Why didn't you find out who invented chopstick?
• Going too fast - could not grab information
• Too much explanation about the project brief - not needed - should go directly into specialism project
• Instead of showing sketchbook, scan and put in the presentation so that everyone can see it.
• Good concept and theme
• Video shown - good way of explanation
• Good Q & A

My opinion on the question:
Social responsibility is a very important factor to be considered while designing any product or garment. Companies should not only think about making profits, but keep the population and the environment in mind. In fashion, Eco fashion is a concept that has come up few years ago to save our environment from degrading. Companies like Levis, Nike, Adidas and designers like Stella McCartney, Issey Miyake are paying much attention to garments that are eco friendly. Also, the health and the working conditions of the laborers in the fashion industries have been looked after, and this step can also be called sustainable.

ALMIRA DESIANI KHANNA

• Good explanation of project brief requirements and background
• Clear presentation with bullets for key points
• Good explanation of the artist and reasoning to choose that artist
• Unorganised presentation - swaping the slides back and forth instead of moving in a flow
• Reading text - not very clear

My opinion on the question:
The way an idea is presented is more important than the content (the medium is more important than the massage). An idea may be very simple but if it is brought across in an interesting way, it appeals to the audience. How do brands promote their products and appeal to the audiences? A very simple product like a plain dress or a bag may be advertised in a manner that catches the audience's attention - whether it my the involvement of a well known celebrity, or the photoshoot and the banner of the product which makes it look elegant and classy. The medium of presentation is most important for an company to succeed in the market.

SOME POINTERS FOR AN EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION : 

• Title essential
• Do not read from a paper
• Do not include large chunks of text
• Make it interactive - use the white board / charts / tables etc
• Good organization of slides so that it is not haywire - clear demarcations for sub topics
• Detailed explanation of every point
• Treat your audience as a child - will not know anything
• Content should be strong with depth
• Do not repeat information
• Good Q & A discussion
• Show clear link between the artist and the reading text to your project

Specialism Tutorial - 19.3.13 (Week 11)

CCS SPECIALISM PRESENTATION BRIEFING

Learning aims of our ccs specialism presentation :

• Learn to build a relation between our specialism to ccs classes
• Reasoning and self evaluation, critical thinking, questioning and answering questions

Learning outcomes of our ccs specialism presentation:

• Learn how to present and propose our ideas to an audience (presentation skills)
• Go into in depth research and detail in our individual fields
• Know about the topic and get an overall feel of our specialist area as well as our peers

PROJECT GUIDELINES

1. State an interesting title - why is that your chosen title?
2. Summary of specialism project
3. Text and author and then the artist/designer - basic information about the people
4. Why you chose that artist and how it inspires you for the project
5. Does the text (article/book) inspire you and does it relate to your project?
6. Conclusion - link it all up together to make sense- your audience should understand your creative process
7. Propose a question so that the audience can interact and have a discussion for you
8. Reflect and comment on others' presentation 

TUTORIAL WEEK 7

SINGAPORE ART MUSEUM

At SAM, we were divided into small groups to study an artwork and form our own questions on it based on whatever we have learnt in the last 3 terms. We chose an artwork called The Refuge by Grace Tan, which is an installation made of dress tags suspended from the ceiling along a staircase.

Our Learning Aims was: 

To understand how technology helps/changes the medium of explaining an artwork

Learning Outcomes: 

-To see differences between various mediums 

-To contextualize an artwork

-Realize how conventional material in can be used in a different way

Questions : 

1. How does the video downstairs help to explain the artwork that is exhibited?

2. How do the words on the wall helps to explain the artwork that is exhibited?

3. Contextualize the two mediums. (Video & Text) 

4. Why do you think the artist use these two mediums to explain the artwork?

5. What is your opinion about the usage of a particular medium to convey an artwork? 

This jacket is made of the same dress tags - by Martin Margiela (Artisinal collection) who uses unconventional materials to design ready to wear and haute couture dresses.

_______________________________________________________________________________

QUESTIONS BY THE OTHER GROUP:

1. How important is the placement of the artwork?

The placement of the artwork is important due to the following:

- The seat is located in the centre with lights all around it in a circular shape, thus catching attention

- The artwork is placed in an enclosed dark room so that the blinking lights have a more deep impact on the audiences.

- The artwork is surrounded by many lamps of different sizes, shapes, colours and at different angles which adds value around a simple chair

- The main artwork is placed in a small room attached with a passage that we have to cross. This creates excitement and curiosity among the audience as to what is there.

For the reasons stated above, the location of the artwork plays a great role.

2. What is the meaning of "The real meaning of enlightenment is to gaze with undimmed eyes on all darkness"?

This is a quote by Nikos Kazantzakis.

My interpretation of this is that enlightenment can be achieved only if we are ready to to be strong enough to open our eyes completely and take up challenges, however dark/gloomy/scary they might be. Real spiritual or intellectual knowledge gained is only when we are strong to hold ourselves up in the deepest of problems. We must be bold and courageous o face obstacle. This will help us attain knowledge.

3. Are you able to interpret the artist's intention without reading the description?

There isn't a body of text anywhere around the artwork that explains the artist's message. There is just one quote on the wall outside taken from someone else which can be interpreted in various ways. Thus we do not understand what the artist is trying to convey through this artwork. 

We interpreted in our way, that the artist tried to grab our attention and make "interactive art" in a rhythmic manner.

4. Is creating excitement for the audiences is the key to a successful artwork?

Yes, in this particular artwork, excitement is one of the main elements that drives the audiences to interact with the artwork (go and sit on the chair) to see what happens. In this artwork, the artist has been able to create curiosity and suspense in the minds of the viewers. Thus, excitement has made this artwork successful.

5. Does complexity value add an artwork?

The complex part in this artwork is just the innumerable lights blinking quickly at one go. However, the materials used are conventional objects of daily life such as lights and chairs. It is pretty simple and clear, yet very interesting. Thus, any design doesn't need to be complex. Simple is effective in design.

Lecture 6 - 18.02.13

READING IMAGES in a Tech Savvy Society

What is visual literacy? - Being able to read images and make sense of what we see.

Run Lola Run (1998) looks at 3 alternative endings.

READING IMAGES. READING CULTURES:

People nowadays are all equipped with gadgets that allow us to photograph and document all that we see around us. When we go to museums, rather than watching the image, we are more concerned about taking photo of that as proof that we were there. Thus the value of the image is lost, and the orginality also destroyed by the camera.

The crowd around the Mona Lisa

What counts as reality may be very blur. Example - The clown fish is now only known as memo. (In terms of reading narrative language used to describe images)

The cottingley fairies, 1917 - manipulation of photography - the images are actually fake and not authentic (New Media). 

How does technology shape the way we see images? Who sees it and who is authorized to see?

Technology can be viewed as an activity that changes culture. Technology is situated in different contexts.

It is only about power in the social, cultural, political, economic aspects.

Issues of age, wealth, race, education, region. gender etc are the different factors to be considered.

Idea of new technology - everyone asks about what the new technology will do? instead of what it will undo. Who are thw winners and losers in this new technology?

WAYS OF SEEING, WAYS OF BEING:

The role of Facebook, how information is disseminated today, the idea of communities.

New media and cyber culture transforms certain aspects of life and the way people think and act.

"Disasters lie in wait for writers on new media". Ideas are written, but become outdated very soon and does not remain new. This is because of the rapid pace of new ideas coming up everyday. So, what is NEW media?

Cyberspace as a disruptive technology.

William Gibson says "The future's already here. Its just not evenly distributed" (idea of privilege and access) 

Does Virtual space recreates the same dominant (powerful) ideas or creates a different idea?

Cao Fei - her work reflects a world in which cultures have been mixed and diverged as result of rapid evolution. Online is more intense than the real world.

Lynn Hershman, Lorna (1970) - First video work to release on laser disks - Ideas of identity in consumerism, capitalism - Idea of privacy - Relationship between real and virtual world .

We are not shocked by what we see. Every view is obsolete because new views come up. So what now? is what we often ask.

T.J. Clark's The Sight of Death - what do we hope to achieve when we are looking at pictures.

Do we have the patience to just stare at any image for 10 minutes?
I have realized from observing people around me, that the public is like a child. They do not have a large attention span of staring at an image which they pass by. One glance is good enough to register in their minds and they move on. Images are hence manipulated in a way to catch the audience's attention. If they like any image, they photograph it in their smartphones or cameras and move on. Nobody has the want to just stare at an image for 10 minutes and appreciate the beauty of it/ understand the meaning behind it. The value of artworks & images have changed by the years and have been viewed by the audience differently in modern day.