Customising Modern HK needs:
Reinforcing HK Local Cultural Identity with our milk tea
SD 3473 Design History 2 with Philippe Casens
Milktea.lab DorFunLaw Studio Dorcas Wan 15071207D
Francis Fung 15082378D
Wendy Law 15020579D
Thanks
to Dorcas’s immense creative power and resourcefulness,
Francis’s wild imagination, articulate organization ability and strong social awareness, Wendy’s working efficiency, delicate and careful character, and our tutor Philippe’s patient guidance, we, the milk tea lab / DorFunLaw Studio (in Cantonese, it means “much fun indeed”) are joyfully delivering 3 directions , 3 developed concepts and more ideas as creative solutions in response to Hong Kong cultural identity crisis [PROBLEM]. The redesigning practice is focused on our significant cultural design icon, our intangible cultural heritage, the symbolic energy drink that dissolves the essence of East and West, the
Hong Kong style milk tea
[WHAT].
NEW REALITIES, NEW ROLES FOR DESIGNERS Essay Competition Design Academy Eindhoven
Designer’s Unpredictable future
//Designers will become more individualized and perhaps isolated; having a sense of the common threads that link society will ground them. As with any phenomenon with mass appeal, different levels of specification can determine the demise or success of a common goal.// As a result, our discussion topics are broadly covered to avoid marginalization. The beauty of this project is that multiple ideas can be shown together even if they clash in order to ‘feeling the times’.
REDESIGNING
CULTURAL ICON & EXPERIENCE
HK style milk tea: Popular and Low-profile cultural symbol Knowing that this is not a typical tangible industrial product this course has been introducing, we hope to introduce it and clarify its equal importance as with others. Considering the HK milk tea a product preserving qualities from different cultures, we find its local existence and influence made to dining culture immeasurable. It is always fascinating to know how diverse roots it has: the delicate combination of tea and washing wisdom from Chinese, multi contextual i.e. morning and low tea, feature from British, while South East Asian disseminates the unique mixing motion of tea with milk from high perspective and precision. After all these years, it has evolved into our locational-specific “silk stocking milk tea”, thus added a crucial element on our typical HK dining table.
With a yearly consumption of 1 billion cups, the milk tea has been associated with one of the most representative cultural symbols, Cha Chaan Teng, its most delivered and consumed place. In fact, this all-time favoured local restaurant takes up 90% of the sale of Black & White condensed milk, revealing the close relationship these 2 cultural symbols share. With their economical price, ensured quality of food and service, these 2 icons have been representations of Hong Kong people’s fuel: a rewarding/ calming object during our tough daily life. Milk tea is even described as the “spiritual drink” of the local.
FOOD DESIGN food design: the history of the liquorice wheel by designboom
//Since the mechanization of the food system that happened during the industrial revolution, food designers work on things to eat, giving them a certain style and function. they not only make sure that food and drink fill our stomachs, but also that the eating process is practical and appeals to all the senses – so that we’re hungry for more.//
As a Theme of Reflection about local cultural identity We believe the silk stocking milk tea is perfect for boosting the present and future Hong Kong people’s interest towards local culture, thus strengthening our sense of belonging and reinforcing local cultural identity. Be it in whichever directions, we hope that the milk tea tasting/ delivering/ ordering experience can reward the tired Hong Kong customer, soothe their exhausted and somehow, lost soul. Not being die-heart Hong Kong Milk tea fans, the team has striven to explore not only the cultural / design icon itself, but also the new role of designers and rising non-industrial design industry. In this project, we design not only conventional products that are meant to be mass produced and consumed, but more importantly, innovate the experience that the icon bridges between customers.
RESEARCH
● ●
Globalization & TNCs monopolyse cultures into commercial products Boosting economic development over cultural/ innovative creative industry; profit maximization
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Vague identity on “local culture” ○ ○
●
cuisine seems to be everything drinks are less often brought up
Huge gap between tech. development & socio-political set-up
CULTRUAL REMIX: HISTORY
●
PRESENT & PROJECTION
ORIGINS:
CN: delicate combination, brewing & washing tea process UK: diverse contexts SE Asia: crafting tea prodution model
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Dai Pai Dong Tea Room
BOOSTERS: UK businessmen, HK bar tenders
Intangible cultural heritage
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glorified local cultural top sale product (1 billion/day) that reinforces our identity in the global village
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Associates with HK spirit:
convenient & fast: long opening hrs, short serving time, guaranteed taste economical dining choice 1 Old/ Traditional
workers’ energy drink #take a break # HK people’s morning ritual ●
Unconscious influence on aesthetics perceptions
● ●
2 New/ Chain stores
Fusion of food Fusion of serving/ dining 3 from mainland
X feeding humble class tourist spots
more popular, commercial
MAKE OUR OWN TEA
REINFORCING LOCAL CULTURAL IDENTITY
VENDING MACHINE Interactions retreat to that between machine & human
Extracted Cha chaag Teng visual elements Various color tones of milk tea Emphasing HK lifestyle - Effecient, quality
VISUALS
Creative solution 1: the Vending Machine We imagine that Hong Kong will become a place that values material quality, service efficiency over human interaction, it is a time of people having less bonding, within 10 years’ time in anther more “cold” universe (hopefully not the one we are living in). Therefore, we have come up with the idea of a vending machine that provides automated customization of Hong Kong style milk tea drinking/ ordering experience. It emphasizes solely the cultural icon itself and eliminates the interaction to that of customer with machine only. Extracting the customisable elements of the tea: milk to tea ratio, smoothness, cold/ hot, or even type of tea, we choose to present options, pricing and detail description and decorate overall appearance with reminiscent elements from Cha Chaan Teng such as mosaic floor tiles and handwritten Chinese characters. Customers order their drink without saying a word, but only by selection: from preferable milk to tea ratio by looking on the color palette, to feel the smoothness by touching the button.
PLAYING PROCESS MOTION
OPTIMIZATION
ENHANCING SOCIAL INTERACTION //Design is no longer a question of products and their implementation, but has become a bridge between clear communication and expression.//
Creative solution 2: the set of storytelling pieces
Here user’s ordinary drinking habits are
#Bar counter as theatre
“interrupted” with a set of reflective tools. As the opening of the storytelling performance, users have
The refreshing incidental effect has remained the
to pour tea on the open Book of Milk Tea so that it
sole topic when it comes to HK style milk tea. We
flows to both edges where two customers are seated
hope to bring up its history and production process
and sharing the outcome. The milk-pumper was
in front of the customers by reconstructing the
designed in the same way to encourage discussion.
tasting and making procedures, thus provoke more
They apparently would start conversations when
diverse interactions among users. On the other side
mixing milk in their cups. In the end, the focus is
of the future, we believe interactions between
about customers who take part in the performance
individuals are new needs, especially in such a hectic
can share thoughts, trace stories about the milk tea
city where traditions are fragile and always forgotten
together. We believe more objects can be created in
as time flies. It is also about passing on the culture,
the future to join the family of the set of storytelling
attracting the users more dynamically.
pieces.
A set of helping tools to start conversations To pour tea on the open book so that it flows to both edges where 2 customers are seated and sharing the outcome. They apparently would start conversations when mixing milk in their cups.
The book of milk tea
The milk-pumper
New value of tasting process
A set of helping tools to start conversations
The milk-pumper
The book of milk tea
TAKE A BREAK
Milk refil: top-loaded lid
Cap to be unlocked here
Thermo Twist & Drink Mug that separates milk in the cap, which falls and mixes with tea at the bottom when opened
Combination of present milk tea container material (glass, stainless steel, ceramic)
Power supply from the bottom so that the liquid is kept warm and hygiene
AND HAVE FUN
Creative solution 3: the Thermo Twist & Drink Mug
The whole system relies on the mug and its location. Similar to present street bike-sharing
This time we are focusing the future when the HK style
system, users scan and unlock found mug and
milk tea is losing its competence and probably when
enjoy the drink provided by the previous user. It
the masters of making them are out of the industry,
may sound risky in terms of hygiene, that is why
perhaps within 30 years. As stated in the summary of
users have to register and log in once they drink
research, one of our pessimistic projection is the 2
and pour new tea to keep quality monitored. For
extreme development of Chan Chaan Teng: either being
example, mug containing expired drink cannot be
famous tourist spots or become merchandised/
unlocked. This system we call it the social honesty
“mainlandised”. These tea restaurants will serve no more
give & take system. We hope to keep the masters’
the humble class but tourists, at least they are no
craft in making true silk stocking milk tea through
longer offering what the true local want. Therefore, we
this social design.
are proposing a social game with Iot system and physical product integration.
TAKE A BREAK
+ social honesty take & give system: replace ingredients for next community member
“Where is my nearest milk tea?” combined with IOT system: 1. 2. 3.
spot checking date of renewal unlocking system
AND HAVE FUN
ADDRESSING MATERIAL SUSTAINABILITY //Viewing the icon not only at its “serving” touchpoint, but also the BEGINNING: production, material collection, and DISPOSAL//
mass producing and consuming “natural” human milk
Humans’ inability to absorb all nutrients from cow milk
HUMAN MILK TEA
MATERIAL . TOUCHPOINTS
WASTED FEAST
makes the best of the properties of leftovers outcome that can appear in the cycle, in front of users again
REDESIGNING
NEW ROLE NEW NEEDS PERSPECTIVES
Finding our team working style: to have enjoyed ourselves very much
Conclusion
throughout this project. Each of us has always contributed at own character-given role. Peer-to-peer networking thought out the whole project and more importantly finding our passion of the project. Redefine the meanings of milk-tea: As Designers are the first group of explorer to experience the Design result, we at the end have an opportunity to figure out our root of love to milk tea by absorb into the research and experiment..
Further understanding the possibility of Designer roles:
The above ideations help our team to
The Set of Storytelling Pieces comes out as The Thermo Twist & Drink Mug is
have a further understanding of the
to further explore in this direction and
emphasising the blank slate of producible
possible roles of Hong Kong Design.
transfer to the stage of Potential design
possibilities and the thorny
Defined as an existential design, The
which redefine notions of authorship that
considerations of who makes things, with
Vending Machine is inspired by human currently position the personality of the
what and how they make them. Social,
obvious habits and needs. Instead of
maker as the utmost in design identity.
technical and conceptual supports are
adopting a globalized identity, it is
The variables and constraints of
still open. There are many uncertainties
localised, it “started to research on the
fabrication are engineered in such a way
about its feasibility but it is how this
that the consumer feels the freedom and minute aspects that distinguish one place
system can bring people together and
from another, lest these cultural
fractal diversity of nature. Which
enjoy the product in a totally different
idiosyncrasies be smoothed over”.
Re-established the value of the process.
context , method that truly matters.
We hope the above have given you new perspective of thinking. Do share any comments and insights with the milk tea lab. See you.
Do you know? MilK and Tea Food History by Papila
Tea was accidentally discovered that some leaves were dropped to a pot of water (Qianlong empire)
Milk were introduced, human become the first animal species to consume others species fresh milk.
REFERENCE About HK Milk tea*: About food design: 2010 food and design report: https://www.dezeen.com/2010/11/22/food-and-design-report /#the_communal_kitchen Comeptition essay as inspiration: https://www.designacademy.nl/Portals/0/www/corporate/re search/Essay_Milano2011.pdf Global street food: https://www.dezeen.com/2009/02/15/global-street-food-bymike-meire-for-dornbracht-2/ Eating early industrial revolution: https://www.thegreatcoursesdaily.com/eating-early-industr ial-revolution/ https://www.dezeen.com/2012/06/26/technology-and-desig n-the-digital-industrial-revolution/ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/jan/24/glo bal-food-system-report https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJIGfF_Hgb8
*All In cantonese Taste, motion, making https://goo.gl/images/zyqxV9 , http://businessfocus.presslogic.com/2017/11/17/article/43949/, https://www.hk01.com/%E9%A3%B2%E9%A3%9F/128519/%E6%B8%AF%E5%BC %8F%E5%A5%B6%E8%8C%B6vs%E5%8F%B0%E5%BC%8F%E5%A5%B6%E8%8 C%B6-%E5%B8%AB%E5%82%85%E6%95%99%E5%9C%A8%E5%AE%B6%E6%B2 %96%E5%A5%B6%E8%8C%B6%E7%A7%98%E8%A8%A3-%E5%A5%B6%E8%8C% B6%E9%83%BD%E6%9C%83%E6%8E%9B%E6%9D%AF, https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/ICHO/zh_TW/web/icho/representative_l ist_milk_tea.html History: https://kknews.cc/zh-hk/history/8mojakl.html DIY milk tea product set: https://www.ztore.com/tc/brand/%E8%87%AA%E5%AE%B6%E8%8C%B6%E5% 9D%8A-955 https://www.weekendhk.com/?p=640575&utm_campaign=Sharing&utm_mediu m=Whatsapp_Msg&utm_source=Whatsapp Event: Milktealogy:https://m.facebook.com/pg/BlackandWhite.HK/photos/?tab=alb um&album_id=1124805434210868黑白 HK milk tea Day 2014 http://timable.com/zh-hk/event/729406
Related local industry, culture:* Cha Chann Teng as the most representative symbol of HK: https://kknews.cc/zh-hk/food/69v8v.html HK Milk farm, development and renewal : https://hk.news.appledaily.com/local/daily/article/20150414/19111935 https://hk.news.appledaily.com/local/realtime/article/20180402/58021060 Tea farm! Only one in HK- Tai Mo Shan http://www.greend.hk/%E5%A4%A7%E5%B8%BD%E5%B1%B1-%E9%AE%AE%E6 %8E%A1%E9%A6%99%E9%86%87%E7%B6%A0%E8%8C%B6
Thank you
Dorcas Wan 15071207D
Francis Fung 15082378D
Wendy Law 15020579D
CUT FROM REPORT
Conclusion of our learning outcome
Existential
Potential
design
design
NEW REALITIES, NEW ROLES FOR DESIGNERS Essay Competition Design Academy Eindhoven
Designer’s New Position
Existential design
//-as the citizens of emerging economies command a stronger consumer voice, designers will have to focus their research on the minute aspects that distinguish one place from another, lest these cultural idiosyncrasies be smoothed over. ● ●
a complement to potential design it immersed in the emotional, haptic present. //
Peer-to-peer communication // Rigid top-down systems established to optimise mass production in the last century are being replaced by flexible peer-to-peer networks, leading to new aesthetic codes and the destruction of the idea of the designer as author. //
Beauty situated in the details of life ●
● ●
//Human behaviour is increasingly being defined by the incidental effects of industrial design, rather than by the habits and needs that inspired this design in the first place.// consequence:: cognitive disorders modernized countries
Potential design
//Potential design will redefine notions of authorship that currently position the personality of the maker as the utmost in design identity. Potential designers will engineer the variables and constraints of fabrication in such a way that the consumer feels the freedom and fractal diversity of nature, rather than the using limitation of colour palette and size.//
Re-established the value of the process
SD 3473 Design History 2
Customising Modern HK needs Dorcas Wan 15071207D
Francis Fung 15082378D
Wendy Law 15020579D