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Connected, but not really. A mnemonic design that symbolizes the identity of the millennial society as a whole in our country. Millennial culture is an account of the modernistic epoch we find ourselves in. Due to the said fact, most often traditionality and heritage are considerably subsidiary to the vast range of expeditious developments in our society. I believe if you were to ask a person our age on the significance of heritage and if they would take the initiative to purchase items of such relevance, majority will opt for something which is trendy, futuristic or even minimalistic, straying away from the traditional approaches of design. Yet I believe we still hold a sense of pride and appreciation for these physical emblems of our long-established placed identity of local Malaysians. Designed with the approach of looking through the millennial lens in the abstract world along with the incorporation of elements in a more orthodox composition language, intended to symbolize this juxtaposition of the old and new, how even through modernity our heritage is where our culture originates and will always strive in our daily lives.

As a copper block for batik printing is a play on positive and negative space through elements, I wanted to embody it into the design where a single linear element for example transitions from positive to negative dimensions, giving that duality in design while further promoting connectivity of the two. Linear elements are indicative of motion and connectivity that combined with the most basic implied element of design, points (inspired by the cecek sawut daun motif) tell the second story directly relating to the design concept of “connected but not really”. The points reflect every individual millennial in society, stagnant in our own lives but we are yet connected in our collective identity and experiences, an illustrated connection between us. A breakdown of elements will demonstrate the planes and shapes that act as the platform of articulation, where the expression of linear motifs and their language is as if imprinted onto the two-dimensional forms, further demonstrating the ingrained identity we share individually and its impact on our daily lives.

The placement of autonomous elements in a conflicting composition is what I believe demonstrates the cohesion of the many facets in the design as a whole in contrast of placing it in adjacent manners.

Truly inspired by the intangible interconnection among us – the people, I hope that this motif, is able to express that and speaks to everyone on an interpersonal level!