Design Capstone: Progress Reflection (ii)
27 Aug 2023
Written by: Yasmin Dullabh
This is the second status report and reflection of my progress on my capstone project.
[image transcription: "gain more clarity and come to a conclusion regarding this.
potentially making two separate outputs showcasing both is also a viable (debatable) option. this is more work, however, it shows the duality of our lives, showing that they're complex. all of our stories deserve to be shared. both the happy ones and the ones that are, at times, hard to swallow.
week 6: 22.08.2023
"when are is no longer driven by the ambition of a project with which all members of a society can identify, it can be privatised and the critical mind may lose its criteria. It's capacity to revolutionise consequences and situations can be subjected to the watchful authority of experts and specialised institutions. Markets as well as the entertainment and communication industries secure the freedom to instrumentalise works of art at will and to decide what art is and what it is not" (François & Douroux, 2013, p.11).
-> i am making for myself and people like me. not for profit, just to tell stories.
week 6: 22.08.2023
looking at different book binding methods
- 1. interscrew binding;
- 2. saddle stitch binding;
- 3. singer sewn binding;
- 4. exposed spine binding;
- 5. custom boxes/slip cases
(for no.1):
- metal screws & posts hold the pages together
- good for adding new pages & rearranging pages
- however, i don't like how industrial it feels
(for no.2):
- essentially stapling pages together
- it's easy but it doesn't have the same care put into it as the other methods
(for no.3):
- use a sewing machine to sew the pages together
- can have an interesting visual appeal due to diff. coloured threads and leaving threads loose
(for no.4):
- pages are folded into collated pages & then hand-sewn together
- book opens flat - visually beautiful
- time consuming to make
- can be seen through it being exposed
(for no.5):
- way of making a book feel 'fancier' but also helps protect and display the book
- could be an additional option if i have time
exposed spine binding (right now) feels like the best option. it is both visually appealing and also opens flat (which is ideal for the showcase and displaying my final project). if i have the time, making a custom box will add to the visual appeal."]
[image transcript: "week 6: 23.08.2023
*'Unsettling The University' Sharon Stein
*'On Being Included' Sara Ahmed
today i went to a friends sociology class because, well simply, i love the class and i enjoy sociology. the lecture was on being queer at university. the lecturer mentioned the two texts (above) and i felt that they would be relevant to my research. i am going to read them properly later on.
today i began prototyping. well setting up to prototype. i am wanting to experiment with different printing methods for this project to expand my skillset but also to allow for a range of styles to be present in my final prototype.
i am currently making a silkscreen for screen printing. however, it's a budget version. i didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars experimenting with something that could not work or something i don't even like (i don't have the money to do something like that). i got a cheap frame from kmart and some voile fabric from work (it was a remanent for $1/m). i am going to start practising (well testing( soon, i just need to make my image.
week 6: 24.08.2023
today i am working on conversation topics for my unstructured interviews. i decided on unstructured as i want to create conversation, and also to reduce any potential for leading questions but also to ensure that the stories i am telling have not been told to me in a way that i would like to hear.
i think making sure that when talking to racialised queer people i need to make sure to make note of that. being racialised and queer creates an identity which exists on an intersectional axis. these lives and experiences are different to that of pakeha queer people.
tomorrow i am visiting the Art Gallery to look through their archives, hopefully i can find some helpful resources and pieces to inspire and inform my project.
week 6: 25.08.2023
i had unexpected, well really i didn't realise how busy my friday was going to be so i have rearranged my visit to the Art Gallery to a week from now. this gives me more time to wrap my head around the kinds of things i am looking for. i have been told they have a variety of"]
[image transcription: "international series that could be helpful.
week 7: 29.08.2023
workshop planning:
- co design, safe space with conversation prompts.
- making as an embodiment of the conversations
- queer safe space, allowing for unstructured conversations
- ensure that people feel safe and cared for
- how can we go about this?
- reflections, ensuring that we are making sure everyone is okay
- checking in, post workshop check ins
- pre & post reflections
- concerns: racism, homophobia, transphobia
- relying on the assumption that people attending wouldn't hold these views
- need to be aware of any conversations/attitudes as soon as they come up and shut them down (respectfully).
- emphasis on safe space. allowing people to leave at any time without explanation.
- minimum five people
- allows for different perspectives & so that the facilitators (Bee & myself) do not out number the people attending
- people can bring their own projects, but we will also have materials available.
- don't have to be out to attend.
- max. around ten people
PROMPT CARDS:
* prompt words
- if people need help or are stuck there would be example questions on the back
- identity
- individual
- community
- identity through project work/creative work (coursework, personal work, etc.)
- a project that you're most proud of (design + personal)
- about joyful identity experience
- belonging, proud
- cultural connection
- sense of belonging
- something about chosen community and affirming identity
- feeling safe, finding people. an experience where you felt safe.
- agency & empowerment through making
- favourite memory making something
- someone who has expanded your own"]
[image transcription: "understanding of your identity.
NOTES FROM BEE RE: WORKSHOP PLANNING.
we feel that a round table will make people feel more included - less hierarchy"]
[image transcription: "week 7: 01.09.2023
from the introduction of the journal article 'Queer Theory and Native Studies The Heteronormativity of Setter Colonialism' Andrea Smith.
focus on the importance of recognising that for queer POC there is a double challenge. we exist in opposition to the standard. our experiences are different to that of our white queer peers and our cis-hetero POC peers. for me, as i take on a decolonial approach to design i must simultaneously be taking on a queer approach. decolonial practice isn't just for those who have been colonised, it is for all of us. for everyone who is impacted and oppressed by our colonial patriarchal capitalist system. freedom is not truly freedom until we are all free.
week 8: 12.09.2023
we have just gotten back from break, and honestly am feeling quite overwhelmed. my mum has been in hospital for a little under a week now, so my time has been focused on looking after her, as well visiting her at the hospital. so this should technically be week nine, but i was unable to do any work so it is week eight.
from my conversations with Diana, i need to start visualising my project, this makes my project more accessible and easier to digest. this is something"]
[image transcription: "i sometimes struggle with. i might use sewing stitches or crochet chains as assets - ways of connecting, and binding together
- on a personal note, my grandmother made all of my mum and her siblings' clothes
growing up, she knitted my baby blanket and so many of my jumpers and cardigans as a kid. my grandmother sews, knits and crochets, my mum knits and crochets and i also sew, knit and crochet.
india has a strong history with textile production. the impact british colonisation of india on textile production in india is significant. i think this could be an interesting touchpoint, however, this is not the main focus of my work.
week 8: 13.09.2023"]
[image transcription: "today i experimented with sewing paper using my sewing machine (as shown over there)
i tried with a straight stitch, zig zag stitch, blind hem stitch, scallop stitch and stretch stitch. i also varied the tension to get a feel of the different looks and effects this has.
i am currently learning more towards zig zag stitch as you do not have to reverse stitch to secure the ends in place, which is very important because it is very hard to fix sewing mistakes with the paper due to the permanent holes they leave behind.
i want to explore this further in the week using different coloured threads. i want to further explore how dynamic this could be.
i am leaning into the singer sewing binding method as my plan C. however, hand binding my work is ideal. grounding my work in a 'craft' centred practice, to me, is vital for my project. that is the only way i can truly show the deeply personal, intimate and vulnerable nature of my project. moving away from a mainstream automated tech-focused design approach."]
References
Bambra Press Pty Ltd. (n.d.). A Guide To The Types Of Book Binding. Bambra Press Pty Ltd. https://bambra.com.au/news/a-guide-to-book-binding-types/
François Hers, Douroux, X., Debaise, D., Pontégnie, A., Katrin Solhdju, & Hancock, C. (2013). Art Without Capitalism. Les Presses Du Reel.
Smith, A. (2010). QUEER THEORY AND NATIVE STUDIES: The Heteronormativity of Settler Colonialism. GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, 16(1-2), 41–68. https://doi.org/10.1215/10642684-2009-012