Consumerism and Culture

If you have 10 minutes, watch the video. Interesting points.

www.pondaray.com/blog/consumerisms-new-cool-heirloom-culture/

thinking about heirlooms

an interesting perspective on heirlooms:

opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/12/how-to-lose-a-legacy/

twitter & facebook as a daily newspaper

interesting connection between the new and the old (or the new, and the new version of the old):

paper.li/

Great Infographics!

Albeit depressing/politically charged/lefty leaning.http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/02/income-inequality-in-america-chart-graph

Project Brief: Repurposing visual communications tools to tell new stories, or to tell old stories better.

What is a story?

A lesson, a teaching

An investigation

A meeting, a conversation

A mourning, a warning

An unloading

A sharing, a making of meaning

How is this like that?

How is a newspaper like a book?

How is a journal like television?

How is twitter like a newspaper?

How is a book like a journal?

How is a book like a cave painting?

How is a newspaper like a journal?

How is facebook like a book?

How is a book like a website?

How is a website like a book?

How is a book like a tweet?

How is television like a book?

How is a website like television?

How is television like a tweet?

For this project, I will review historical and contemporary methods of visual communication in a broad audit, and will investigate the repurposing of these methods of communication to serve new needs and tell new stories—as well as to inspire the development of new methods of visual communication to serve old needs and tell old stories, better.

I will communicate this information both in written form and as a visual display exploring and analyzing my research. I will also develop a new communicative repurposing of an old tool, and will insert it into the created framework of new and repurposed visual communications tools.

This research and analysis can take the form of pages, as in a book/e-book, which will introduce graphics as characters that will then come together in a comprehensive map/diagram. The completion of this diagram has the potential to reveal interesting information about which communications tools have lasting impact and efficacy, which tools will change, which tools will continue to take on new life.

Project Brief: Finding out Taiwanese cultural identity

This project is aimed to find out Taiwanese Identity. Fist of all, despite all political issues, the major question is: how is Taiwan became Taiwan? Who are Taiwanese people? Tracing back the history of Taiwan, since the early 17th century, Taiwan had been colonized by six foreign colonialist regimes consecutively. The definition of Taiwanese identity has been an ongoing issue for several decades arising from the political rivalry between the Republic of China (ROC) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). Taiwanese are frustrated by the political rivalry which is the cause of confusion both inside and outside Taiwan. After six decades of separation from the mainland, the majority of Taiwanese today seem to have a different interpretation of the name ROC.

Step 1. The timeline of Taiwan (Part 1 8000BC~1957)

Pirates and Aborigines

8000BC Asian peoples settled the island of Taiwan about this time. There were only a small number of Han immigrants and Malaya-Polynesian aborigines who had dwelt on Taiwan for many thousands of years. All the aborigines are Malaya-Polynesian, however, they do not belong to same race. Beside the nine tribes of Atayal, Saisiyat, Tsou, Bunun, Rukai, Paiwan, Ami, Puyuma, Yami, there are Ketagalan, Luilang, Kavalan, Taokas, Pazeh Papora, Babuza, Hoanya, and Siraya, who are commonly called the "flatland aborigines". These aborigines have their different languages and customs, and constitute unique independent societies.

1517 Portuguese sailors named Ilha Formosa (beautiful island), later known as Taiwan.

The Dutch Era

1603 The Dutch fleet sailed toward the Pescadores of Taiwan Straits, and landed on the main island Penghu. This was the first time that Western European power ever set foot on the land of Taiwan.

1622 The Dutch made another attempt on Penghu Island and finally succeeded in occupying it.

1626 May 5, a Spanish fleet, detoured eastern Taiwan coast in order to avoid clashing with the Dutch, reached the northeast tip of Taiwan and named it the Cape of San Diego.

The Era of Cheng Ch'eng-kung (Ming) and Ching

1661 Apr 29, Chinese Ming dynasty occupied Taiwan.

1683 Taiwan was claimed by China's Manchu dynasty after large-scale immigration from the Chinese mainland to the island.

The Era of Japan

1879 Taiwanese residents to choose nationality, deadline on May 8.

1895 May 8, China ceded Taiwan to Japan under the Apr 17 Treaty of Shimonoseki. This followed a war over control of the Korean peninsula. Japanese occupation ended in 1945.

1945 Oct 25, Japanese surrendered Taiwan to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. The island was returned to Chinese control following the Japanese occupation during WW II.

The Era of Chiang Kai-shek

1947 Feb 28, There was an anti-Kuomintang demonstration on Taiwan. As many as 20,000 civilians were massacred by the Kuomintang (KMT).

1949 Sep 21, The Communist People’s Republic of China was proclaimed under Mao Tse Tung with Chou En-Lai as Premier.

1949 Oct 1, Republic of China (Taiwan) was formed on island of Formosa. The Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek had been defeated and fled to Taiwan and took control. Chiang Kai-shek established the “temporary” government of the Republic of China in Taipei and established martial law.

1949 Dec 7, The Nationalist Chinese government escaped to Formosa.

1949 Dec 8, The Chinese Nationalist government moved from the Chinese mainland to Formosa as the Communists pressed their attacks.

1949-1987 The Kuomintang (KMT) ruled Taiwan under martial law during this period.

1950 Mar 1, Chiang Kai-shek resumed the presidency of Nationalist China in Taipei.

1951 U.S. aid to Nationalist China, now on Taiwan, is resumed. The American M.A.A.G.(Military Assistance and Advisory Group) begin operation in Taiwan.

1953 Jan 30, President Dwight Eisenhower announced that he would pull the Seventh Fleet out of Formosa to permit the Nationalists to attack Communist China.

1957 May 24, Anti-American rioting broke out in Taipei, Taiwan.

1957 Paraguay began receiving economic support from Taiwan in exchange for supporting Taiwan at the UN.

References from:

http://members.shaw.ca/wchen88/intro.htm (video)

http://69.89.31.55/~taiwandn/ChinesePage.htm

http://members.shaw.ca/leksu/mainp1e.htm

http://timelines.ws/countries/TAIWAN.HTML

Project Brief: An Exploration of the Past in the Present for the Future

Clas-sic (kla-sik) adj.
Belonging to the highest rank or class
Serving as the established model or standard
Having lasting significance or worth; enduring
Formal, refined and restrained in style
Simple and harmonious; elegant like the classic cut of a suit.
(http://www.lenovoblogs.com/designmatters/2006/09/what-makes-a-design-classic/)

Within the world of design of the past century or so, some take the honor of being "classic", while others feel dated, or worse, forgotten. From furniture to fonts, what is it about these design classics that create a sense of value generation after generation? Is there a set of conventions that carry across different design categories to create classics? Some designs, despite being dated today, carry the instant feeling of an era. What is the value of such time capsules today beyond a page in the history books?


My intention for this project is to explore these concepts in relation to sustainability. Some designers today feel that a pursuit of more "classic" and "timeless" design features combined with the use of more durable materials is the ideal path to a greener future marked by less consumption. But in a more mobile world with rapidly changing needs, is this realistic? Can designs motivate us to treasure objects more and consume less or do our lifestyles trump any real behavior change? Should safe disposability be more of a focus than the creation of heirloom culture?

My former co-worker's trendy (yet ironically named?) clothing company.

The answer may not be as simple as one or the other. Smart hybridization is another concept worth exploring within this arena. Examining the life cycle of certain things or the lifestyles of certain types of people may inform designers to make better choices in this regard. Can we make classic designs adaptable to the feeling of each era? Can we re-incorporate dated designs to create fun and daring new combinations?

For this project, I hope to investigate these concepts in a visual way that provokes conversation, proposes answers, examines those who have provided answers, and perhaps even raises new questions for the future.

What some people have had to say about it:

From 2009:
http://www.dwell.com/articles/compostmodern-09-saul-griffith-demands-heirloom-design.html

From 1999:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/what-makes-a-design-classic-1115520.html

From 1985:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1985-05-19/news/8501310660_1_eames-chair-design-classic