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.

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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.