Introductory practice case studies
Publishing Multiplatform
Social Change UX
Academic Creative Practice
It was great to listen to the three different case studies showing the different kinds of projects that can be done in this module. It has made me both incredibly excited and incredibly scared to get going. The case study I feel is the closest to the practice I want to pursue is the Social Change one by Joseph Pochodzaj. It particularly struck me when Joseph described how to better come to an understanding of your practice:
Designer makes an effort to be self aware
Think more broadly about graphic design and how you can challenge traditions
Address pressing issues in society directly [1]
It also resonated with me when Joseph was saying that in order to pursue a project you should be not only passionate about it yourself but also consider how you treat the 'other'. Especially when it comes to political or sensitive topics. You don't want to completely alienate people with design, I've always believed design can be a way to bring people together and overcome damaging assumptions so this stuck with me after the lecture.
I also found Ben's lecture on academic creative practice really useful. Academic writing is not something I have done for many years so a reminder of the process and tips for what to do and what not to do very insightful and certainly something I have noted for use later in the project.
Exploring these different areas has made me consider the projects I have done previously and which of these, if any, I want to continue for this final project.
Previous Project Consideration
I have decided to outline my three most successful (personally and academically) projects so far for this masters to consider whether I want to develop any of them for this final project.
1. Period Poverty Campaign
I came up with a three pronged campaign to help tackle period poverty in the UK. This included:
Poster
Guerilla marketing campaign putting posters of Boris Johnson with a tampon and moon cup up his nose and
blood splattered on. Each poster would be lino printed with different blood splatters. They would be put up all over London at tube stations and on the street.
Installation
Nelson’s Column would be turned into a giant bloody tampon and the fountains in Trafalgar Square would be
turned red.
Direct Mail Out
An envelope containing a bag of fake blood and a paper towel would be dropped on every MP’s desk, with the idea of challenging them to spill the blood (same amount as a woman loses in a period) and try and wipe it up with the paper towel (something commonly used by people who can’t afford sanitary products).
Summary
I really enjoyed creating this campaign because I really care about the issue of period poverty. I think it was a successful project as it stretched me as a designer and made me come up with ideas outside of my comfort zone. My initial idea was a poster campaign however after researching and gathering feedback I realised that it needed to be more than that. This is when I added the installation and direct mail out campaign which I think really brought the project to life.
There is definitely more that I could do with this campaign, for example developing these initial ideas further and adding to them. However, although it is something I care about it is not necessarily personal to me and I think this is important for the final project. I think I need to look into a couple more of my projects to decide which ones to take forward.
2. Umba the Space Whale
For the Shop challenge during the Studio and Entrepreneurship module I created a children's book called Umba the Space Whale. It was designed to encourage creativity in children and have them design planets to think about other worlds. The moral of the story would be everyone is unique and should be valued for that. I also designed a travelling exhibition. One of my fondest memories from first school is having my drawings displayed in an exhibition, I was so proud and this is a feeling I want to encourage all over schools now. There would also be a sculpture of Ümba with a slot in the top to post drawings of planets and aliens. It would travel round the country visiting schools and children's libraries to encourage both creativity and engagement with Ümba.
This project made me realise that my passion for design lies in authorial projects. I have loved this process form beginning to end and I think it shows with the amount of work I have put in to it. From mocking up the book, gallery, online gallery and sculpture to looking into kickstarters and production methods I really believe Ümba the Space Whale could be a successful children’s book.
I really enjoyed this project and could definitely think of ways to develop this further however I'm not sure it's really digging deep enough for my final MA project, it may be a little too surface level.
3. Grief
During the Histories and Futures module we had the cultural essay task. This was by far the most nervous I have ever been for a project as I was unsure about my skill as a writer. However by playing to my strengths helped me and I developed an installation as well as a book. Grief is something most people have experienced and I wanted to explore this through spatial design and audio, fully submerging the listener in my essay.
By picking something so personal to me I had to dig really deep to develop my article and I think it really paid off in the end. Not only was it the highest mark I have received for a project but it was also the one I have been most proud of. I can definitely see how I could carry on this theme into my major project as there is so much more I want to explore within the theme of grief.
Summary
In conclusion, the theme I want to continue with for my MA Major Project is grief. I think death is still a taboo subject and it is something not talked about enough, both death itself and the subject of grief. I found it really hard when my Nan passed away last year partly because no one had ever really spoken about it, I didn't have the tools I needed to process it properly. I know I won't be able to help people process grief through this 24 week project however, if more is said on the subject this could help people open conversations more.
Research Question
Initial Thoughts
Grief is such a vast subject area I need to start narrowing down my field of research. The four main areas I am interested in exploring are;
Processing grief
Collective grief
Digital legacies
Remembering people
While there is a lot of overlap in these areas (as shown in the mind map above) I think this was a really useful exercise to understand where my interest really lies. Currently I am leaning more towards digital legacies because it's not something I have seen much about, so there should be a gap for a studio based project of this kind.
Possible Research Questions
Grief is such a rich subject are, I think because death is still a bit of a taboo. I found it relatively easy to come up with questions. From the ones listed above I have narrowed it down to the following three:
Can we use technology to remember people in a more tangible way?
Can you curate your own digital legacy to leave behind for your loved ones?
How can we transform rituals of collective grief to fit in with current, more secular times?
After getting feedback from Ben I have decided to go with question number 3 -
How can we transform rituals of collective grief to fit in with current, more secular times?
Definition of collective grief
Collective grief happens when a community, society, village, or nation all experience extreme change or loss. Collective grief can manifest in the wake of major events such as: war, natural disasters, or others that result in mass casualties or widespread tragedy.[2]
Like individual grief, collective grief is about a loss of control, the inability to change the situation and bring back the person or the people they have lost. It can feel completely overwhelming and when seen on a national scale can be devastating.
So many things can cause grief other than the loss of a loved one. In recent times we have seen so many different ways grief can manifest and reasons people feel a deep sense of loss. These include:
Loss of health - The Pandemic
The pandemic is a very recent, very real example of collective grief. Not only have 6,324,112 people died worldwide [3] but it has had a ripple effect of anxiety and depression all over the world. It is a real time example of the way people are handling to collective grief of massive loss and a big change in their personal circumstances and mental health.
Loss of freedom - Overturning Roe v Wade
Recently in America they have had a massive step backwards in women's rights as they overturned Roe v Wade which protects the reproductive rights of women, including access to safe abortion. Women all over America are distraught and the Uk are watching hoping we're not next. It's a scary time to be a women and the grief felt over the loss of rights in America is being seen all over the world.
This is a really interesting demonstration of grief as it's not the loss of a person that is being felt, instead it is the loss of basic human rights.
Looking into different types of collective grief has made me realise how vast this subject is. Collective grief is such a complicated and unfocussed topic that I may have to rethink my question, or at least make it more specific.
How can we transform rituals of grief to fit in with current, more secular times?
By removing the word collective, I have brought the focus down to an individual dealing with grief. I think this will help centre my project and make it more manageable to design something that could help people with remembering ones they've loved and lost.
Draft Treatment
References
[1] Mazé, Ramia http://speculative.hr/en/ramia-maze/. (Accessed January 2020)
[2] Rehman, A. (2021). What is Collective Grief?. Available: https://www.griefrecoveryhouston.com/what-is-collectivegrief/#:~:text=Collective%20grief%20happens%20when%20a,mass%20casualties%20or%20widespread%20tragedy.. Last accessed 23 June 22
[3] World Health Organisation. (2022). WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard. Available: https://covid19.who.int/. Last accessed 26 June 22.
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