Embedded Files
" The blank of the unwritten is the challenge we've chosen to face. We face it because, like explorers of the physical world, we want to know more about whereーand why, and howーwe live. We face it because we are, in some way, both satisfied and unsatisfied by what we know.”
" The blank of the unwritten is the challenge we've chosen to face. We face it because, like explorers of the physical world, we want to know more about whereーand why, and howーwe live. We face it because we are, in some way, both satisfied and unsatisfied by what we know.”
After thoughtfully exploring perspective and design, we can begin to think about how are design can create change. I believe all of us want to make a change in some way or another.
IJ20:Visualizing the Invisible
I wrote a reflection on reading and watching articles about the costume design and impact of Black Panther for black youths. I liked the movie when I saw it, but I never noticed many of the costume details shown in the film. I know I am limited to my perspective as a caucasian.
I think this is a really important note, similar to what was explained in the previous section. A design won't be able to address or impact all people, but that doesn't mean it isn't successful.
The costume design was accurate to many tribal colors/ outfits of different tribes across Africa. How Black Panther addressed and destroyed derogatory western views of Africa in a movie that, finally, had the main cast of all people of color, was impactful for black Americans.
Thinking about audience and message pinpointed the invisibles that needed to be addressed so that the team behind Black Panther could create an impactful message that resonated with the people that shared those experiences.
In Module 5, we explored both the benefits and negatives of using plastic in our everyday lives. The documentary Plastic Wars really impacted me. I had heard of plastic being dumped in different countries but the video interviewing different community members hit me more than the image of massive landfills of trash. We researched the impact "recyclable" plastics had on ecosystems and communities. Living in the US, we are blind to our plastic consumption problem.
After understanding the impacts and various community impacts, I then shifted my thinking to how I could design a sculpture that accurately conveys how plastic use disproportionally affects developing countries' people and ecosystems.
I collected plastic bags, plastic cups, straws, packing material, and bubble wrap from the plastic my mom accumulated (she refuses to throw out unrecyclable plastics and reuses single-use bags). I painted a mask and stuffed the rings with plastics around it to give a sense that this person is being smothered and suffocated by the problem. I also wrapped two birds' heads with plastic bags for the ecological impact of plastic. On top of the face, I included a piece of plastic that had the print "contribute to a greener planet by recycling this bag. . . film may cling to nose and mouth to prevent breathing." I thought this was pretty ironic and wanted to exploit it by suffocating the figure in this mask and have plastic go through its eyes, nose, and mouth.
Many people are hesitant to learn about an issue on their own by reading an article or watching a video. An effective sculpture, though confusing at first, gets people to think. Even if its message isn't clear at first, people think to make sense of what they don't understand.
Smothered: Plastic Sculpture from Module 5
Concluding comments:
As humans, we are constantly and desperately trying to make sense of the world around us. But in doing so, many times we limit ourselves to one--our own--corner of understanding. The world isn't compiled of one person's experience.
Instead of cursing the world for what it is, we can begin to explore different perspectives, think about the interconnections between people and systems, and can finally produce and edit a design that can begin to be the change we want to see. We are initially blind to what we cannot see or feel. But they will continue to remain invisible until we turn around and look to the space unknown. From there, we can begin to make a difference.
"With our invisible pencil, we have added a line to her chart of the world"
"With our invisible pencil, we have added a line to her chart of the world"
IJ14: Connecting IDEAS ; Sand and Slag Interpretive Drawing
Quotes taken from Maps of the Imagination: the Writer as Cartographer by Peter Turchi ; associated with IJ08: The View Outside your Window in Visuals
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