Below is the first draft of my Critical Writing for Voice Ball Project. I've also taken this opportunity to organise all my thoughts and did a final conceptualisation on the project.
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Kenya Hara, being one of the most influential designers in Japanese contemporary design today, has positioned human senses as his focal point in design. Looking at a wider scope, he has successfully implemented his exploration of senses into the process of conveying his perception towards the society. In 2000, Hara produced “RE-DESIGN--Daily Products of the 21st Century” exhibition. It showcased several redesigned and redefined daily products that have refurnished their functionality and hence transforming their value in the society. Once, in his book Designing Design, he quoted:
“I believe that the beginning of creativity can often be found by gazing at society from behind, rather than following what society’s gaze points to.” (Hara, 2003)
Kenya Hara’s ideology and work has certainly addressed that human senses as the contact point that connect human with the society, needs to be highly considered as one of the most important agents that determines the success of a communication. In a second point of view, as a designer whom is thoughtful about the functionality of design, society is also the definite platform that one needs to study because it impacts the receiving process of human senses. Like the old saying goes, good design is not being judged merely from the aesthetic aspect, it is the thought behind that made it intelligent. When senses and the influence of society are identified as persuasive power in determining a communication point, now there is a valid reason for designer to think about their relationship for the future development of creative industry.
Having this understanding, the creation of Voice Ball, the interactive piece that is produced by the writer, is based on the intention to show the connection between senses, society and in additional, humanity value. Voice Ball delivers the sensation faculty through the weight, surface texture and sound of the installation. The humanistic value is explored via the commentary on individual’s expression of inner voice. The commentary on society is based on the relationship between the resistances of inner voice towards the suppression of the society’s expectations. The narration is delivered through the senses in contact. When Voice Ball is shaken in hand, the one with the most social expectations is the heaviest and has the softest (inner) voice and vice versa. The greater (is) the social expectations, the softer (is) the expression of one’s inner voice.
Kenya Hara, being one of the most influential designers in Japanese contemporary design today, has positioned human senses as his focal point in design. Looking at a wider scope, he has successfully implemented his exploration of senses into the process of conveying his perception towards the society. In 2000, Hara produced “RE-DESIGN--Daily Products of the 21st Century” exhibition. It showcased several redesigned and redefined daily products that have refurnished their functionality and hence transforming their value in the society. Once, in his book Designing Design, he quoted:
“I believe that the beginning of creativity can often be found by gazing at society from behind, rather than following what society’s gaze points to.” (Hara, 2003)
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| "RE-DESIGN--Daily Products of the 21st Century" exhibition |
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| "RE-DESIGN--Daily Products of the 21st Century" exhibition |
Kenya Hara’s ideology and work has certainly addressed that human senses as the contact point that connect human with the society, needs to be highly considered as one of the most important agents that determines the success of a communication. In a second point of view, as a designer whom is thoughtful about the functionality of design, society is also the definite platform that one needs to study because it impacts the receiving process of human senses. Like the old saying goes, good design is not being judged merely from the aesthetic aspect, it is the thought behind that made it intelligent. When senses and the influence of society are identified as persuasive power in determining a communication point, now there is a valid reason for designer to think about their relationship for the future development of creative industry.
Having this understanding, the creation of Voice Ball, the interactive piece that is produced by the writer, is based on the intention to show the connection between senses, society and in additional, humanity value. Voice Ball delivers the sensation faculty through the weight, surface texture and sound of the installation. The humanistic value is explored via the commentary on individual’s expression of inner voice. The commentary on society is based on the relationship between the resistances of inner voice towards the suppression of the society’s expectations. The narration is delivered through the senses in contact. When Voice Ball is shaken in hand, the one with the most social expectations is the heaviest and has the softest (inner) voice and vice versa. The greater (is) the social expectations, the softer (is) the expression of one’s inner voice.
The exploration of this relationship has recalled an important characteristics of a designer – logical thinking. Although creativity could be sky-high and a designer’s philosophy could be sophisticated, it is the relevance that made the idea realistic. Rational measurements are still an important tool for the design to achieve its objective of communication. Voice Ball is conceptualised according to the term “proportional relation”. SIL International, an international non-profit language organisation further explained it as "a proportional relation is a logical relation that establishes a range of conditional relations that together involves direct or inverse correlation." Also, "logical relation is an inter-propositional relation in which a proposition is related to another, in reasoning, as premise to a conclusion, or an antecedent to a consequent." Hence, logical conclusion based on reasoning is one of the aspects that a designer needs to develop. Without a reasonable mind, design could be aesthetically pleasing, however facing the crisis of not providing a profound solution.
In the RE-DESIGN Exhibition, Kenya Hara used a range of daily products as media to carry his idea of bridging social value and the sensual faculties. He presented the fact that “the resources of astonishing design are found in the context of the very ordinary and casual.” (Hara Design Institute) Not only being the touch point of audience with the design, medium carries another function to amplify the objective of design. In a deeper inspection, Voice Ball also uses a media to expand the idea of social expectations – advertisements. It uncovers the voices of society through different advertising techniques. The influence of advertisements has been expanding since the beginning of trade. As a designer, there is an important call that one has to be aware of the society around, in order to have a clearer stand of one’s own position as a visual communicator.
Advertisement being one of the forces that moves the wheel of a capitalist society has a hidden mechanism to shape and to mirror the society. Either being positioned as an active or passive catalyst of affecting the society, advertisements is indirectly persuading the audience to agree with a role-to-be through a series of “psychographic portrait” (Jeremiah, n.d.) including personal values, attitudes and emotions. In the end, when advertisements are answering the call of the society's desire, it becomes one of the causes that build up the social value, standard and expectations. Inner voice or the personal humanistic traits are then suppressed under the environment in order to be part of the community.
From the objective of investigating the inner voice, Voice Ball has expanded its potential in presenting the truth of the society from the perspective of creative field, and also delivering the sensual experience of design to the audience. The narration also brings out the characteristics and several considerations of being a designer. As society shapes our social behaviour and our behaviour reflects the society, the relationship between society and human is complicated yet it is worth to be explored through design attributes. There are many design graduates every year. The key is who can be a design thinker?
In the RE-DESIGN Exhibition, Kenya Hara used a range of daily products as media to carry his idea of bridging social value and the sensual faculties. He presented the fact that “the resources of astonishing design are found in the context of the very ordinary and casual.” (Hara Design Institute) Not only being the touch point of audience with the design, medium carries another function to amplify the objective of design. In a deeper inspection, Voice Ball also uses a media to expand the idea of social expectations – advertisements. It uncovers the voices of society through different advertising techniques. The influence of advertisements has been expanding since the beginning of trade. As a designer, there is an important call that one has to be aware of the society around, in order to have a clearer stand of one’s own position as a visual communicator.
Advertisement being one of the forces that moves the wheel of a capitalist society has a hidden mechanism to shape and to mirror the society. Either being positioned as an active or passive catalyst of affecting the society, advertisements is indirectly persuading the audience to agree with a role-to-be through a series of “psychographic portrait” (Jeremiah, n.d.) including personal values, attitudes and emotions. In the end, when advertisements are answering the call of the society's desire, it becomes one of the causes that build up the social value, standard and expectations. Inner voice or the personal humanistic traits are then suppressed under the environment in order to be part of the community.
From the objective of investigating the inner voice, Voice Ball has expanded its potential in presenting the truth of the society from the perspective of creative field, and also delivering the sensual experience of design to the audience. The narration also brings out the characteristics and several considerations of being a designer. As society shapes our social behaviour and our behaviour reflects the society, the relationship between society and human is complicated yet it is worth to be explored through design attributes. There are many design graduates every year. The key is who can be a design thinker?
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This is an uncompleted writing as it only focuses on the conceptualisation of the project. The execution of the project will be developed further in the next writing.
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