TASK 7: Ethnic Masks (Design Authorship Presentation)

What is this?

This is a copy of the presentation I gave today for my peers in the MA Design for Communication class. It uses a very new and innovative technique that I learnt recently from Liana. It is very simple to use, yet looks dynamic and very exciting. It doesn't present slides in linear order like PowerPoint. It's more user-oriented and interactive. Think about it as a big canvas when you can zoom in and out on different object.

How to view the presentation?

There are two methods you can use to view the presentation. Whichever you choose, open the presentation in the full-screen mode first by clicking on the button in the bottom right corner of the window.

Then, (1) simply press the 'play' button in order to process with the presentation in order we viewed it in the classroom. But remember, the presentation was interactive and viewers could choose the places they wanted to visit first on the map of the world.

Therefore, I would recommend that you view the presentation in the order of your individual choice (2). It's like a journey around the world! You can zoom in on any object (picture, text, frame) by clicking on it. Zoom out by pressing the 'space' button on your keyboard. Be adventurous and explore. I am sure you will have a lot of fun with it.

The word of introduction before you start exploring

I chose ethnic masks as a subject of my presentation because I am very interested in original and 'pure' culture. I am attracted to 'pure' custom, tribal traditions, cultures that evolved in isolation from Western influences.

And there is something incredibly mysterious and enigmatic about masks. They are used for protection from real and imagined dangers, for concealment, performance or amusement.

Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes. They are usually worn on the face, although they may also be positioned for effect elsewhere on the wearer's body, so in parts of Australia giant totem masks cover the body, whilst Inuit women use finger masks during storytelling and dancing.
Throughout the world masks are used for their expressive power as a feature of masked performance - both ritually and in various theatre traditions. Masks are also a familiar and vivid element in many folk and traditional pageants ceremonies, rituals and festivals, and are often of an ancient origin. The function of the masks may be magical or religious; they may appear in rites of passage or as a make-up for a form of theatre. Equally masks may disguise a penitent or preside over important ceremonies; they may help mediate with spirits, or offer a protective role to the society who utilizes their powers.

The presentation is also available online at:

http://prezi.com/abunntidtvyn/

My collection

Finally, this is a pick from my personal collection. They are not the original tribal artworks. I buy them on ebay. They were probably produced as souvenirs for tourists, but still, I find them fascinating and inspiring.

RSA Project Final Boards

After weeks of intensive work I have submitted my boards for the RSA 2009/10 competition.
Below you will find the presentation of my project along with the project report I also submitted.

Project Report

The HoneyHome.com is a design project that revolves around the notion of a community focal point. It challenges the argument that large retail corporations are destructive to local communities. Since a local supermarket is a physical place that every member of the community visits frequently, it could, potentially, play an important role in the community life. The HoneyHome.com recognizes that opportunity and provides a new-age community focal point by introducing a new channel for multilevel communication, called ‘The Hive’.

The research into the existing and historic communities revealed that the nature of interaction between people is changing as a direct result of a rapid development in information and communication technologies. As the nature of human interactions changed, we moved away from the traditional model of community. In the ‘Digital Age’ the communities are no longer closed systems with clear geographic boundaries, stable memberships and few linkages with other communities. Instead, they are fragmented, geographically dispersed and, to a large extend, virtual or placeless.

I began to investigate the methods of restoring the lost community focal point locally by improving the communication between communities, supermarkets and individuals. Taking into consideration the role of local media in building and maintaining communities, I thought about designing a local magazine produced by the collaboration of a supermarket with journalism and design students from a local university. It seemed to solve the problem temporarily, but a steady decrease in popularity of print media made me look at digital and more future-friendly alternatives.

Inspired by an ever-increasing use of tangible technologies in our everyday life, I decided to design a digital device, which would create and reinforce links between local communities, supermarkets and their customers. And my idea - The Hive – took a form of a wall-size, multi-touch screen that allows several users to interact with its contents and with each other at the same time.

The very concept of networking derived from social insects, such as ants and bees, therefore, I based the interface design around a simple graphic representation of a honeycomb - the hexagon motif. It represents collaboration and, therefore, illustrates the key characteristic of a vibrant community. The honeycomb inspired the project name and the colours used for the campaign development.

HoneyHome.com does not require extensive advertising. The target audience comes to supermarkets regularly and a wall-size tangible device is almost certain to create a positive buzz within the community. However, in order to encourage people to use ‘The Hive’ and the associated website, a number of promotional activities are recommended.

The campaign logo with a catchy slogan, for example “Sweetening Your Local Community” or “Buzzing With Activity”, could be printed on carrying bags or on shopping baskets and trolleys. Similarly, locally sourced honey could be used for promotional purposes. A label branded with HoneyHome.com logo would inform people about the new service. Given away for free at the launch of the campaign, the honey would also help to leave a sweet and homely flavour on the community taste buds.

Project Logo Design

I wonder how often professional designers can't sleep because of their projects?

I can't sleep almost every night. I go to bed and as soon as I close my eyes the images of my project attack me from everywhere.

Sometimes, it is not such a bad thing. Apparently, the middle-of-the-night ideas might be quite useful as they are normally a little detached from what we're working on.

Yesterday, one of those midnight persuasive thoughts made me change the title of the project from the 'Community Honeycomb' to 'Honey Home' only because the second one rhymes with 'dot.com'.

So I could have 'HoneyHome.com' and my Touch Screen Wall was meant to be accompanied by a website anyway. But this is just a beginning. I could design a campaign logo, banner, floor signs, promotional stall... even a honey jar and label that promotes the idea but also generates profit (needed in order to pay for administrator and maintenance of the Wall).

Searching for 'honey' on Waitrose.com returns over a hundred results. Surely, one of those honey jars could be locally sourced and labeled as 'Honey Home'.

Following the night-time stroke of genius (ha, ha!!!), I started working on potential logos for my project.

Which style will work best for my project?