Based on work by Hannah Perner-Wilson, Andrew Quitmeyer, Rad students, and more!
Online Documentation:
https://justgottokeepworking.tumblr.com/
http://cosmicals792.wixsite.com/hako/product-page/hako
Print Documentations:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1L2OaScYVxEAeFyaGkPNPzqgHi8446Ntr
https://drive.google.com/open?id=188DD4-f4BpOcvuwCuTVFumwOyNyWuOL2
https://drive.google.com/open?id=14w8pgICJ2wRMtF533OxTwlIrlwdlO5zv
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1NTBXyEAgJUr3dP1Wgm8qLko4LeJfmQ45
The movie that I watched was 12 Monkeys by Terry Gilliam. One small design decision that I noticed was the chair that James Cole sat in having the function to move up the wall as the scientists talked to him. It seemed like quite an arbitrary option because whatever that was being done to him on that chair could have been done the same if the chair was not elevated. However, it did make it feel like James Cole was in a giant claw machine and the scientists had control over whatever was going on in it.
GENRE
Dystopian, sci-fi
CHARACTERS
Zachary, Dad, Whales
TECHNOLOGY
Broken hearing aid that allows the character to hear and communicate with whales
PREMISE
Environmental issues and global warming has brought Mother Earth to ruin and not many remain. People are forced to build upwards as everything begins to sink. Many don’t make it. A fisherman and his death son live alone together in the midst of the water and are doing their best to survive. Radiation and other leaks have caused many animals to become extremely dangerous as well, making surviving even tougher. The father also wants his son to hear again and has been trying to put together a hearing aid that will work, but fails time and time again. However, one day his son wakes up realising that he can hear the whales, and what they are trying to tell him is dire.
STORY
Zachary roused awake as a groaning sound swarmed him. “Wait what?” Zachary touched ears. His face was wet, having fallen asleep in tears. The hearing aid vibrated. Another long moan followed. And another one. And another one. A melody. He touched his ear again. He snapped his fingers, and nothing. There was no sound. But the groans? What were they?
He listened intently. For a minute there was nothing but the familiar silence, then came another song. He heard a swish, and it was like the tune of it had changed. He felt… sadness. The tune had now become melancholic.
What was going on?
He took the hearing aid out, and there was silence again…
The cultural probes I came up with were for my friend who makes earrings out of clay.
The cultural probes were made with the intention of getting to know the creative practitioner a little bit better, and also to better understand the creative process that the practitioner goes through as she creates her earrings, with a slight focus on how/where she gets her inspiration for the different patterns and designs that she comes up with.
Questions from the question booklet.
Activities from the activity booklet.
She mentions that her workspace is “always a mess”. Her love for nature is also emphasised through her choice of pattern, but definitely doing her craft in nature may not be the most feasible at the moment.
Gave us the idea for our story world, where people are crafting on the train. Also noted is the need for a flat surface.
Storyworld
There is extreme economic inequality in the nation, small industries are dying out at an extremely fast pace due to the nation’s push for the technology, machine learning, artificial intelligence, etc. Art is increasingly being overlooked and shunned, and practitioners such as clay jewellers are doing their best to survive such that they have to work 24/7, even when they are on-the-go.
Chilli has also become a staple in modern day Singapore and is found in every food item in Singapore. Being fully aware of this fact and the potential that it can bring, clay jewellers has decided harness the power of chilli even after its consumption – to use it as an indirect heat source.
What they did was to create a workstation that they could carry on their backs, deployable when they carry it on their front, allowing them to work on-the-go and even baking their clay jewellery through harnessing the heat source coming from their tummies – a result of their chilli-centric diet.
Cover art
Microfiction #1 – Yukie Miyazaki
Staring intently at the piece of clay in my hands, I feel contentment rise up within me.
The coloured specks sit on the clay perfectly and look amazing.
I blink a few times, trying to ease my eyes from the strain of being too focused. I look up and the bright lights hit me a bit too suddenly. My eyes begin to water as they tried to adjust, and slowly, I’m aware of the chatter and the life of the environment around me.
Ah, life. Something I haven’t had the chance to enjoy in such a long time.
Opposite me stands an older lady, busy knitting away. The yarn is dangling off her arm and almost touches the floor. She sighs, her eyes fixated still.
*Ding dong* “Next stop, One North.”
One more stop to go. My tummy begins to grumble. It took me awhile to get used to all that spicy food, but it’s worth it. I’m finally adjusting, and I quite enjoy it actually. The tummy aches occur less frequently now. I may even be able to try outdoing myself this time.
I start packing up to get ready to alight. I look around once more and catch a glimpse of the lucky few, those that can afford to simply do nothing. They don’t realise how good they have it. But who do I have to blame? No one but myself. I should count my blessings while I still can.
Microfiction #2 – Johan Ng
“Hey mom, can we please have something else for dinner?”
“Honey, you know that this is all we have, now be a good boy and eat your dinner.”
“But it is too spicy and my stomach hurts….”
“That’s the point, you will have to get used to it eventually. Now, come over here, ill get that fixed up for you.”
Mom places a thin patch onto Thomas’s stomach. The colour of the patch turns rapidly from brown to bright red. Thomas heave a sigh of relief and mom gave a huge smile.
“Seems like today the output is good as usual.” Mom removes the patch and attaches it to the worn-out television.
Bzzt* Bzzt* ….. Bzzt* Bzzt* …. Static noises comes out from the television and colour slowly returns to the screen. The broadcast seems to be the ever so famous cooking show called C Padi’s kitchen, featuring all sorts of cuisine that could be made with the wonder spice of chili.
Microfiction #3 – Muhammad Hazzry
Life is good. Business is booming, money is flowing, food is always on the table, family is healthy and living without any stress. In fact, life is grea- *BAM*, someone walks into me at full speed. DARN IT, just when I was about to feel good about life in general, something had to dampen my spirits.
“Oh? Jewellery made of clay? Wow I can’t remember the last time I saw these, or any form of art, for that matter”, I thought to myself as I observed the lady hastily picking up her work; some of which did not survive the fall. I decided to set my anger aside and help her instead.
“Thank you, you’re very kind.”
“Hey don’t mention it, just watch where you’re going next time yeah? It’s a good thing neither of us got hurt.”.
“O-oh… okay, sorry. I should go. Thanks again.”, as she rushes off, continuing on her craft, or at least what’s left of it. After what just happened, you would think she would just focus on the commute no? No, she STILL decides to work on-the-go, as she fades into the distant crowd. Unbelievable.
Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, life. Life is great. I continue to stroll towards my workplace, just a two minutes’ walk away from the MRT station. Thank god for the fully air-conditioned pathway as well; I don’t know how I could survive in the modern heat, especially after that hotter-than-usual pancakes this morning. But it’s fine, that is how life is now, and it’s great.
I observed my friend, Rickie, who works at Naked Skin Tattoo (@rickiestattoo). She has been a practicing tattoo artist for 2 years now. She first started by doing hand poke tattoos!
Tools used
Process
The design is first printed out on some sort of transfer paper, which will then be transferred onto the skin, acting as a stencil for the tattoo artist.
The artist will then check with you if you are pleased with the placement of the design before getting you to lie down while she steralises the needle and prepares the tools that she needs.
She then cleans the area that the tattoo is supposed to be on and begins tattooing the person, using tissue to wipe off any blood or excess ink that comes off during the process. At the end, she cleans the area once again with some sort of gel.
Worksite
Her worksite is a small space within the tattoo parlour itself and is cordoned off through the use of curtains, kind of like those in hospital wards. Her total work area is about 2x4m, with enough space for a tattoo bench, a small trolley desk (where she keeps her tools and needles) and about two stools. The whole tattoo parlour was quite dark (maybe to add to the scary vibes of it) so she had a super bright ring lamp in her work area as well.
Pain points
I think some problems that she might face would be the ink from the image transfer smudging, especially if the area where the person wants to get inked on is under your clothes, so after she transfers the image on, you’ll have to make sure that nothing touches that area for a bit.
Another pain point could also be that some clients may move around while being tattooed (for example if they are very animated people and move unconsciously) or if they are ticklish, or shiver out of pain. This can make it difficult for the artist as it affects the lines that they draw, and could cause them to make a mistake.
Additional notes
While researching about tattoo artists, I came across another artist who specialises in fine line tattoos (@eatdiamonddust on Instagram). Besides her work being very nice, she really takes pride in her work and doesn’t tattoo designs that she doesn’t think are nice nor does she do cover up work because she respects other artists work. I think she’s really cool.
My friend has an online business making earrings with oven-bake polymer clay. She explores the medium through different colours that can in turn create different patterns, and through different shapes as well, allowing her to create a myriad of designs.
Process documentation
My friend usually begins with an idea of what the end product of the earring will look like. With that idea in mind, she selects the colours of the clay that she will be using and sets them aside. She has a piece of baking sheet set up on her table for her to roll and flatten the clay on so that the clay will not stick to the surface of her table. She then rolls the clay into her desired design before poking holes into the pieces of clay (to attach the earring hooks) and baking them.
Tools Used
The tools that she uses varies from formal tools meant for jewelry making to make-shift ones.
She also makes use of toothpicks and satay sticks in order to poke the holes in the clay, and the oven in her home to bake the clay.
Workspace
Pain points
Another particular issue that she faced was that she found it tough to work with pure white clay as dust got caught on it easily and was very visible (which is why she often had to mix it with other colours).
Sometimes, due to air bubbles, the clay would also crack after being baked.
I visited the Illustration Arts Market (held at Lasalle) over the weekend with my sister, and we had our portrait live drawn by an Tran Tran Thi Huyen, a Vietnamese illustrator based in Singapore. It was quite interesting because there wasn’t an official worksite allocated for the illustrators. There were only two long benches parallel to one another. My sister and I were seated on one side with Tran opposite us. Her tools were sprawled on the remaining space on the bench beside her as well.
Tools Used
Workspace
As mentioned, her workspace consisted of a bench and she made use of her knee to hold up her drawing pad in order to support it. The artist beside her brought her own board to hold up the paper.
I personally think it’s really amazing how she can just draw on the spot without being afraid of messing up or making mistakes, because she is really forced to work under pressure as we (and her other customers) just sit there and watch her illustrate us/them. Each of the illustrators there have their own styles and they really do deliver consistently!
Creative Practice: Foam Sculpting
Tools Used:
1) Callipers
2) Surface forming tool
3) Sandpaper
4) Saw
5) Hot wire cutter
Ideas for tools:
1) Acrylic nail with extendable hot wire attached
2) Hairband that acts as a calliper/ruler
1) The acrylic nail is meant to be solar powered and will extend only when in use. When it isn’t in use, the wire part will simply look like it’s a part of the nail art. This can be useful as it makes the hot wire cutter very much more portable, as well as allows the user more flexibility and control over the cuts.
2) The calliper headband is a piece of fabric that has a wire in it that allows it to be malleable and can be used to tie up hair/ keep hair out of the face. It is an existing accessory. However, instead of just being plain or having prints for aesthetic purposes, it will have measurements printed out on it, allowing users to use it as a calliper/ ruler as well. The malleability of the headband means that users can use to measure objects with irregular shapes as well.
Magnogrip Magnetic Wristband
Practice it works in
The magnetic wristband isn’t limited to one practice alone, and is most commonly made use of by plumbers, mechanics, auto repairmen and any other professional who often deals with small metal tools.
Specific use
The magnetic wristband is meant for holding small metal tools like screws and bolts around the wrist of the user, which is especially useful during handy activities. The sturdier and better quality ones can even hold heavier tools like small screwdrivers.
Mobility
The wristband is very mobile as it is strapped around the wrist of the user, and does not hinder the user’s movement in any way.
Utility vs Fashionability
The wearable tool is very functional, keeping all the metal bits in one place and prevents the user from misplacing them, especially since they are so small and can be easily lost. The fact that the wristband is attached to the wrist also keeps the users’ hands free and allows them to make use of both hands without having to hold on to anything. The wristband should also be quite comfortable due to the padding that is present, and is made from a nice mesh material, meaning that it wouldn’t cause the user to perspire much. However, one issue could be that the nails are exposed and can be easily knocked off should the user not be careful enough. The wristband should not be much of a fashion faux pas and can be easily passed off for a sport accessory or something similar.
Exosuit
Practice it works in
The suit is for underwater researchers.
Specific use
The suit is also dubbed a wearable submarine, allowing divers to explore deep (1000 feet) into oceans for long periods of time.
Mobility
The suit is rather mobile, with 18 joints, allowing relatively natural movement for its user. The suit is described as “a fully-certified submarine in the shape of a human”. It also comes with underwater thrusters that can help boost the user around, improving the mobility of the user in that sense.
Utility vs Fashionability
The suit allows divers deep sea exploration for longer period of time and is generally very practical as it comes with its own life support system and does not require its user to spend multiple days in a decompression chamber following the dive. The suit also allows the user to communicate with people out of water and has cameras to capture images of whatever is going on under the water that can be used for research purposes later on. It comes with claws that can help the user grab objects and cut things as well. Basically all would be nice for a diver to have underwater is now built into this suit and is made easily accessible.
Fashion-wise, it may not be the most ideal on land and would not be very useful either, with it probably being quite heavy.
Yukie Miyazaki (A0157553Y)