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Design Capstone: Progress Reflection (iii)

30 Sept 2023

Written by: Yasmin Dullabh

​

This is the third status report and reflection of my progress on my capstone project.


[image transcript: "week 8: 17.09.2023


today i experimented with connecting pieces of paper alongside using different coloured threads to experiment with texture and colour.


i primarily focused on the use of zig zag stitch. and using pink and grey threads to add contrast.


i want to use pink as the main colour in my project as i am using an autoethnographic approach and pink is a colour that i feel strongly represents me.


i know this doesn't represent all queer South Asians, but it represents this (me) queer South Asian. i am hoping that this, the act of being organically and genuinely true to myself, will be something that people are somehow able to connect with, this being either some or all elements of this way of visualising these narratives.



week 8: 19.09.2023


industry partners feedback

- love forward-thinking, "visionary"

- recommended that i look at Mellow Yellow Aotearoa

- creativeness in queer spaces

- rolling in a good direction

- Sri Lankan actors trying to find a space (Ahi Karunaharan)

- they are on a journey to find more community

- idea to respectfully take ideas and create something that connects to another

- about connections, bringing people together

- draw from allyship in resources for support and voices

- explore more of the "you" in your work

- in ref. to the use of pink yarn

this validated my feelings about my project. it felt good. i am showing this how i want it to be.


week 9: 25.09.2023


we have planned for our workshop, (we being myself & Bee) to be held this tuesday at 5pm. today Bee and i made kо̄rero cards for this workshop. we've organised a mic for recording the session, i will be bringing my own camera to record the session (if consent is given to do so).


a few people cannot make it tomorrow, so we will be holding a second workshop next week. this allows us to learn from where we went wrong/what went well and further refine our workshop."]



figure 1: two pieces of card sewn together using a sewing machine with yarn sewn on top as a decorative feature.

figure 2: the back and front sides of a white piece of yarn, which have been sewn over in vertical lines using a zig zag stitch with two different shades of pink thread.

figure 3: on the left is two pieces of card sewn together in a linear pattern using a zig zag stitch with white and pink thread. on the right are three pieces of card irregularly cut, then sewn together in an irregular pattern using a zig zag stitch with white, pink and hot pink thread.

figure 4: on the left is two pieces of card overlapping each other and sewn together using a zig zag stitch with pink and hot pink thread. on the right is a piece of card with an irregular cut down the middle, which has been sewn back together using a zig zag stitch with pink, white and hot pink thread.

figure 5: seven miniature books, six are bound together using a zig zag stitch, one is bound together using a straight stitch. all stitches are in hot pink and white.


[image transcription: "week 9: 27.09.2023


our workshop on tuesday went really well. we had three people attend (plus myself and Bee). i feel that this was a good number, this allowed for everyone to get their chance to speak but also not feel so overwhelmed due to the number of people present.


i was able to get some gorgeous footage of the workshop, thanks to my amazing girlfriend who helped film the session. Bee was able to get an audio recording of the session which i will get a copy of on monday.


we're hoping to do another session next week. especially for those who could not attend this week. multiple workshops will allow us to figure out what does and doesn't work.


i started experimenting with type design for my zine this week, and exploring layering options. i also created some experimental sewing pieces in the makerspace on tuesday (before the workshop). this was a fun way of exploring the medium of sewing (again).



week 9: 30.09.2023

today i was experimenting with knitted swatches. i am looking more at reds and similar tones due to their expressive nature but also their connection to South Asian culture.


i am wanting to find ways of displaying/visualising my findings through swatches.


74%-> through 100 stitches -> 26 of them being a different colour


74% say that ethnic queer voices are not represented in Aotearoa (Bal & Divakalala, 2022).


the addition of beading could make this more exciting and create (potentially) stronger connections to my South Asian heritage.

-> also allowing for more texture within the piece (win-win)."]



References


Bal, V., & Divakalala, C. (2022). Community is Where the Knowledge is: the Adhikaar Report (pp. 1–78). Adhikaar Aotearoa.



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