Participatory design methodology:
through using public’s objects and stories LO MingShum
Participatory design methodology:
through using public’s objects and stories LO MingShum
Participatory design methodology _preface 05
The Artful Dodger _to use 07 _to make 25 _to design 47
Through Using Public’s Objects And Stories _introduction & statement 61 _elements 71 _methods 77 _result 99 _notes 101 _bibliography 103
Acknowledgements _105
content
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Participatory design methodology _preface 05
Participatory Design Methodology is my research subject within my MA academic year. A series of experiments were done before I developed the method: Through Using Public’s Objects And Stories. The Artful Dodger is an outcome as well as a process. It helped me to clarify different issues, such as the way of engaging the public within a project. i.e. Should it be in the physical level or in the ideological level? Before explaining the design method, I would like to start the book with a series of images of how The Artful Dodger engage with the public in the following three levels: to use, to make and to design.
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The Artful Dodger _to use 07
In this life, one thing counts In the bank, large amounts I’m afraid these don’t grow on trees, You’ve got to pick-a-pocket or two. [...] Why should we break our backs Stupidly paying tax? Better get some untaxed income Better to pick-a-pocket or two. [...] Robin Hood, what a crook! Gave away, what he took. Charity’s fine, subscribe to mine. Get out and pick-a-pocket or two. [...] Take a tip from Bill Sikes He can whip what he likes. I recall, he started small He had to pick-a-pocket or two. [...] Dear old gent passing by Something nice takes his eye Everything’s clear, attack the rear Get in and pick-a-pocket or two. [...] When I see someone rich, Both my thumbs start to itch Only to find some peace of mind We have to pick-a-pocket or two. You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two, Bart.L (1960)
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to use
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to use
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to use
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to use
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to use
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to use
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to use
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to use
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The Artful Dodger _to make 25
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How the chair look like before it became The Arful Dodger
During the making process of The Artful Dodger, the technician in the wood workshop had constantly provided me with their support in both physical and ideological levels. It has been this participation that affected the work outcome.
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to make
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to make
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For safety reasons, some of the machines in the workshop can be used by the technicians only. John was helping on trimming the chair base.
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to make
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to make
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Phillip and Stef were working with me on the junction method and detial between the new base and the old chair.
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to make
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Some of the making process were not possible to be finished by one persion.
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to make
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to make
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Although I understand that physical and repetitive input from the public is not an ideal way for participatory project, I believe it is important to include all the different ways in the process as part of the studies. Tina and Sirine were helping me to sand some of the seat panels.
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to make
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still images captured from an interview footage 20 February, 2012 Feng Shao, Stamatina Liagki & Zoe Socratous
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The Artful Dodger _to design 47
This experiment started with collecting ideas from people through interviews. I have asked the participants the following questions: • • • • •
How have you ever mis-used a chair? What function you really like rather than just sit on the chair? What is the most extraordinary experience you had when you were using a chair? Can you tell me a story about you and a piece of furniture? Do you remember a film that there is a piece of furniture and which played a very important role?
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Throughout the interview with nine of my classmates, I have collected different stories. I tried to visualise them through sketches. Among all the stories, the following one interested me the most (extracted from an interview to Shao Feng on 20th February, 2012):
Me: Question number four, can you tell me a story about you and a piece of furniture? Shao Feng: Okay, hmmm...do you know when you’re using a sofa at home, and sometimes you’re losing some stuff in the gaps, so when I was like... Me [interrupted]: It’s so disgusting when you clean the gap! Shao Feng: Nooo! This wasn’t disgusting. Me: You found a diamond ring? Shao Feng: I found money, a COIN!!! It was my second year of primary school, I was really young, and the first time I found a coin in the gap of the sofa, I was so excited!! I spent the whole afternoon trying to find more! Me: May be I should make a chair with multiple gaps to hide coins!
to design
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Sketches inspired by Shao Feng’s experience.
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Having influenced by different artist, such as Ai Weiwei, I decided to use an existing chair to develop the project. This broken chair used to belong to my flatmate. When he threw it away, I saved it back to my room and use it as a trash bag rack.
to design
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Sketches based on Shao Feng’s experience and the found chair.
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Tutor, Robin demonstrating the dropping coins moment from the jeans’ pocket
to design
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An experiment to investigate the ideal position or angle for dropping out the coins from the pocket.
to design
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A sketch from Tutor: Robin
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The rocking feature was an important advice from Robin. I then further develop the idea with sketches and mock-ups.
to design
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During the design process, I left the design decision open for discussion with the people surrounding me.
Through Using Public’s Objects And Stories _introduction & statement 61
Ref. Fig.1&2
Ref. Fig.3
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I have always been interested in the kind of works that involve
when a work requires a large amount of physical input or
the public participation in the process of making or in the idea
when a work is about collective memories and stories. It is
generating stage such as Ai Weiwei’s Sunflower Seeds (2010)
more powerful, and easier to strike a chord within the public
[Ref. Fig.1&2] and Zuni Icosahedron’s Black Box Exercise
itself. I believe the connection and association with the
(1995-2005) [Ref. Fig.3]. The former as an installation, which
audience are the fundamental values of participatory work
comprised 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds handcrafted
and this is the quality that cannot be fulfilled by a solo artist.
by 1,600 Chinese artisans. The latter as an art educational
Beside the mentioned projects, there are numerous examples
program for cultural exchange event, where in each event
in different fields that are based on collaborating with the
the participants were given a uniform black coloured box
public, from architectural installation art to city planning, from
for the making of their own work . Juliet Bingham, curator of
graphic designs to documentary films. Some of the projects
Tate Modern commented on the Sunflower seeds (which I
may engage with the public at the design or use level; some
believe it is applicable to the Black Box Exercise as well):
may only work with the public at the making stage.
1
It is about the individual within the mass. [...] There is that sense of insignificance, we are just one of many many people, but also a sense that collectively you have a responsibility and have a voice. What happens when you gather the masses? What happens when you gather collectively? (Bingham to Dennis, 2011)
However, before developing a participatory project that engages with the mass, I seek to build the method.Thus, within the frame of the interior and spatial design MA, I intend to explore and analyse this territory with the collaboration of my classmates so as to develop my own participatory design methodology that I am hoping to apply in the future. What I am trying to accomplish is a method where participation is manifested at all three levels: the idea (design/story); the making (physical/material); and the use (interaction).
Although I don’t think the quantity of the participants is the most important aspect within a project, it makes a difference
introduction & statement
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Ref. Fig.4
Ref. Fig.5
_Application in different areas
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Considering urban design and city planning as part of
people, it made sense for the government and the
the spatial design field, participatory methodology has
developer to cooperate with the local community.
actually been wildly used in contemporary projects
Indeed, the project’s title explained already the idea
such as the West Kowloon Cultural District - A Place For
– (let the) people making (their own) places. This
Everyone [Ref. Fig.4] in Hong Kong and People Making
was a successful collaborative project, but, in terms
Places mentioned in Powell (2004) [Ref. Fig.5]. For
of participation, apart from the level of the use, it
instance, People Making Places was an urban design
remained on the idea developing level. Although
project, which the aim was to improve the towns in
there had been held seminars for local professionals
Yorkshire. The intention of engaging the public was
and workshops for schoolchildren, the actual physical
rather straightforward. Since the place belonged to
engagement was not really possible or necessary in this
Ref. Fig.6
kind of practical project. It rather needed
By comparing the previous examples, a
a rigid structure, planning and a suitable
major difference appears between the two
mechanism to control and manage the
projects with respect to the level of use.
inputs and information from the public,
The Shaving Experience intended to design
which is not the major concern or interest
a shaver that could be suitable for a wide
in my project.
range of users but based on the information
There is another example that was dealing
provided by a small group of participants.
with product designs. The methods they
One may argue how representative will
have been employing are more interesting
the final design be. Basing myself on this
for me to investigate. The Shaving Experience
statement, I think it is interesting enough
by Codesign (2005) [Ref. Fig.6&7] was
and worth developing the following initial
an experiment on participatory design
question: is that possible to make a work
method. They mainly focused on the
based on inputs from my classmate whose
period before the design stage. They also
outcome can associate with the general
introduced the term ‘contextmapping’,
public?
which is a technique to ‘gain deeper insight Ref. Fig.7
into the needs and dreams of prospective users of new products’ (Lugt et al., 2005).
introduction & statement
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Nevertheless, those two projects have a similarity in terms of their own nature. They tended to change the role of people from users to consultants, and to collaborate with them for practical or functional reasons, unlike the following examples that have a sense of representation of the individuals, which I find more interesting. Field (1989-2003) [Ref. Fig.8-9] was a site-specific sculpture installation work done by many participants by Antony Gormley. He made it five times in different parts of the world. Field somehow Ref. Fig.8
is the public version that developed from his previous work2. Field physically engaged with the public and became ‘a form of collective making [...] a controlled experiment in collaboration. It engaged and celebrated the contingencies and inspirations of individual and communal activity and creativity are fully expressed’ (Caiger-Smith, 2010, p.50). However, one may argue how creativity can be possibly expressed within the rules set by Antony Gormley: Each participant used the clay ‘to make the pieces hand-sized and easy to hold - to make sure the eyes were deep and close - and to try to get the proportions of the head to the body as it should be (in general there was a tendency to make the heads larger).’ For the way of making the eyes, as first Gormley instructed the participants to make it with their finger, but ‘then as days passed a wetted, sharpened ice-lolly stick seemed preferable’ (Ibid, p.56). Perhaps, the participants’ creativity was expressed through their
Ref. Fig.9
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relative freedom within the loose rules. Thus, each figurine in the Field was different, from the outside to inside. [Ref. Fig.10]
_Freedom for expression In the making level within the method, I believe that the involvement of the participants should not be only on a physical level. I need the stories from them or to provide them the necessary freedom of expression, because I don’t believe in the kind of work that manipulates the public unless there is a reasonable intention exists. Comparing the Field with the Black Box Exercise and the Sunflower Seeds, the all of them were focused on the making process, but only Black Box Exercise engaged with the participants at the idea’s development level. It provided the freedom for the participants’ creation, which make it a successful art education program for cultural exchange. Although there was a theme for each event, the participated students were still free enough to create their own work within the box. It was the idea of the box (receptacle) that have influenced me to start the initial experiment with my classmates (I will clarify this concept further in the methods section). For the other two projects, the outcomes were in a way preconfigured. As mentioned, the fields were still providing certain extent of freedom for the participants, plus the materiality factor (the colour of the clay from the earth) that made the look of the outcome uncertain or inconsistent. While for the Sunflower Seeds by Ai Weiwei, the process of making was more limited. However there was a reason behind, which was stated by Antony Gormley, ‘The 1,600 workers who produced the 100 million sunflower seeds could not be said to have had their creativity extended (though no doubt they felt identification with the work) or their right of freedom of expression particularly enhanced.’ Gormley then suggested that Ai was implying his political statement into the process of making work, somehow he was fighting for the Chinese artisans’
introduction & statement
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Ref. Fig.10
freedom of expression by exposing ‘his ability to exploit their labour’ and this act was ‘intrinsic to its meaning’ (Gormley, 2011, p.50). Barrett wrote on Art Monthly and suggested another perspective: Sunflower Seeds has helped to support traditional craft production in numerous small-scale, village-led workshops. While the prospect of working in a small group and repeating the same few actions day after day may seem like the worst kind of alienated work to many privileged westerners. […] Here, repetitive production is a meditative act rather than the alienated labour of the Fordist factory (Barrett, 2011, p.24). To conclude based on the preceding paragraph. It is not easy to carry the participatory methodology thoroughly through the three mentioned levels within the MA, especially on the level of making. Each of the participants (my classmates) has a tight schedules, it is important that the engagement I establish and require from them is not time consuming. In terms of the project field, I am interested in both art and design project references. Perhaps, there is a place between two areas, the practical and non-practical function. How to make a piece of design that associate itself with the general public through participatory methodology, if the amount of participants is limited? What kind of elements and methods will I need to employ?
introduction & statement
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Through Using Public’s Objects And Stories _elements 71
Fig.1
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I believe that if I use the suitable elements to develop a participatory work, even with a small group of participants, the work’s outcome will still be able to communicate with the wider audience. Indeed, those elements are the public’s objects and stories. Here though, I am not talking about them in an individual sense; they are two elements linked together, objects that carry the stories (history) and, stories about objects (experience, memory). Taking the Sunflower Seeds again as an example. Beside the mentioned points about the making of the crafted seeds, there
Ref. Fig.11
were layers of stories related to the actual eatable seeds, which had a strong connection with the people in China. ‘During the Cultural Revolution, [Chairman] Mao was presented as the sun and the people as sunflowers turning towards him, so there is a revolutionary ideology somehow implicit in the use of that object [the seeds].’ Sunflower seeds were (still are) very prevalent in China, ‘people would eat them at commune meetings […] everyone would have big mounds of sunflower seeds in front of them at every event they went to […] they [the seeds] have that resonance of human compassion.’ (Bingham to Dennis, 2011) Although I don’t think that the use of sunflowers seeds can make any direct connection with the western audience, it was the most suitable medium to tell the mentioned stories in this case.
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Ref. Fig.12
By the same token, the objects (materials) in the Field were used with their meaning and stories. For instance, the Field III (1990) [Ref. Fig.11-12] was made in a small village in a place near Mexico City. There are large numbers of brick makers in that area, including one extended family with sixty members called Taxcla who works with Antony Gormley. They were familiar with the clay in terms of brick making. Thus, the material has a strong association with their life. Gormley said that they ‘liberated’ the earth ‘from being the uniform brick’ to the figures in the Field (Caiger-Smith, 2010, p.58). In short, each object has its function, but associations can be sometimes collective, sometimes different to everyone. The notion between the relationship of the objects and stories led me to the following two sets of questions: •
What kind of story I want to tell through the experiments with my classmates? What objects (medium) should I use to tell those stories?
•
What objects should I design with the participatory design methodology? What stories are in there?
Below are the two main subjects I worked with my classmate: The story about how people (my classmate) used to live During the initial experimental stage, I made a collage [Fig.1] to express my unpleasant feeling about the living condition in Hong Kong.Through the collage, I intended to tell the story about how I used to live, or what kind of space and environment I was dealing with. There is a tension between the living
elements
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Ref. Fig.13
Ref. Fig.14
environment and the individuals, which I want to show through
Fig.13-14] by Martino Gamper shared the same thought. It can be
the experiment with my classmates. Since 40 of them are from 19
categorised as participatory work if the unintentional input can be
different countries, the cultural backgrounds are quite different. Also,
consider as a kind of participation. He worked on discarded chairs
each of them has their own personal experience about the place
from London streets and at his friends’ homes for the recreation.
they used to live, which makes the classroom become a library rich
Martino Gamper wrote on his website about the intention behind
of stories about places.
his work:
The furniture’s stories Tables and chairs have always been strongly connected with the public, they are the most common commodities that would appear in everyone’s life, from household, commercial to public environment. Especially chair, most of the people at least own one. It is the objects full of stories and histories, so it is always the perfect thing to design and suitable medium for art to tell stories. It is the ‘Vessels that
I hope my chairs illustrate and celebrate the geographical, historical and human resonance of design: what can they tell us about their place of origin or their previous sociological context and even their previous owners? (Gamper, 2007)
could carry feeling, convey experience’ (a statement borrowed from Antony Gormley about his body cast). I am interested in investigate
In combining that with the previous subjects I arrived to formulate
the stories and history behind chairs, in terms of how people or
an interesting question: How my classmates used to use their chair
the owner used to use it. The work 100 Chairs in 100 Days [Ref.
become an interesting notion to investigate in the experiment.
elements
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Through Using Public’s Objects And Stories _methods 77
This section is about how I started engaging with my classmates and what methods I employed in terms of idea, making and use.
Ref. Fig.15
Ref. Fig.16
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_Rules At the initial stage, I was aiming to design
In my first two experiences, I tried to design a
a “platform” for the public (my classmates)
receptacle for my classmates. The receptacle,
to express or demonstrate their ideas.
on one hand should enable to engage with
It is necessary to have rules to guide
their idea and physical involvement. On the
them and control the outcome. It is like a
other, it shouldn’t require lots of time. Thus,
framework. For instance, Black Box Exercise,
I came up with the idea of making and using
the first layers of rules were the use of the
drawings.
30x30x30cm box. It is a physical limitation.
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The second layer was the theme, a topic
As mentioned in the previous section, “how
for the creation and expression. [Ref. Fig.15]
people used to live” is one of my directions.
The box is a receptacle, which physically
In the first experiment, I provided my mates
carries objects that represent stories.
with an a4 paper (as a receptacle) and asked
There was also a sense of equality, where
the following question: Can you draw a space
everyone was working with the same rules
with these materials, which can represent
and environment. Another example was One
where you used to live and where you are
and Other (2009) [Ref. Fig.16] by Antony
from? Using this method, it didn’t ask for
Gormley, where he used the 4th plinth in
much time from my classmates, since they
Trafalgar Square as an actual platform for the
could draw as much as they want. [Fig.2-8]
public expression. Each participant had one
However, I believed that it was important to
hour on top of the plinth being able to do
have a certain extent of consistency in each
almost everything within the space.
of the outcomes.
China, Huizhou
Korea, Seoul
15+ different places including Qutar and UK
Korea, Seoul
Japan, Tokyo
Iran, Tehran
Japan, Tokyo Fig.2-8
methods
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Ref. Fig.17
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Therefore, I introduced more rules in the following experiment. With reference to Gormley’s Allotment (1995-2008) [Ref. Fig.17], 15 rules3 were set by Gormley to collect the measurement data from the participants, and then transformed to concrete rectangular body cases. In one of the projects in Malmö Konsthall, Sweden, 300 sculptures were made based on the information given by the 300 hundred local people. With this method, a strong association between the work’s outcome and the participants was built up even though there were no self-expression activities taking place. As a result, the rules summarized below directed my mates during the second experiment: Square Paper. •
Using the bottom two guidelines, create a (isometric) square or rectangle
•
Using the third vertical guideline create the height
•
If I say this is your room, please draw the door or entrance, what is the material of the door?
•
Draw something next to the door
•
Draw one or more than one window
•
Draw a table
•
Draw one or couple of chair
•
Draw an object on top of the table
•
Draw a bed
•
Draw a bookshelf
•
Is there a stair or ladder? Draw it if yes
•
Is there a rug? Draw it if yes
•
Is there any painting or display? Draw it if yes
•
Draw something outside the window
•
Draw yourself in somewhere
methods
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Fig.9-14 (six of the examples)
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Beside those rules, I also provided some materials:
classmates in all three levels of participation.
a sheet of 297mm square paper in 140gsm with 3
However, I preferred to develop a method that
integrated guidelines, a few colour drawing pen.The
can produce three-dimensional rather than two-
outcomes from 22 classmates [Fig.9-14] are quite
dimensional outcomes.
different yet more consistent than the previous test. Some kind of aesthetics quality had also developed. Moreover, this experiment had a sense
_Interviews
of psychological test, since how they drew might
Interviews were the major way for me to gather
actually reflect their personality or subconscious
the information from my mates, no matter whether
mind. However, this subject is out of my concern, I
at the idea or making levels. It is an action finalized
would leave it open to judgement of the audiences.
to find responses. As a matter of fact in the first two
Apart from the drawing done by my mates, I looked
experiments I requested my classmates to draw,
for images of the places where they are from, and
dealing with the physical involvement and the idea
then displayed them together with their drawing
generating level. In the following examples, I tried to
within a critique (yet considering them as displayed
focus only on getting their ideological inputs. First,
in an exhibition). [Fig.15-16] In a way, it is true to say
through this method I can control more the making
that ‘the makers were the only audience the work
process by myself. Second, it revealed to be a less
needed’ (Caiger-Smith, 2010, p.50). The participants
time-consuming method for my classmates. Within
can see how different they drew between one
the same context on cities and how they used to
another and to question: Is that because we are
live, I asked four of my classmates the following
from different places, different cultural background?
question:
Or is that because we have different personal experiences?
Please describe the place you used to live with 20
I believe that the Square Paper is a successful
sentences.
experiment, because I have engaged with my
methods
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Basing on my mates’ feedback, I made four collages, three were two-dimensional [Fig.17-19] and one was three-dimensional: Imaginary cities. [Fig.20] Although I understand that the novel Invisible Cities4 (1974) do not directly relate to my subject, it inspired me to explore the interesting notion between memory/experience and imagination with my classmates.This experiment was the point where my classmates’ memories and my imagination meet. After the experiments about stories and cities, I began focusing on furniture. Hence, I developed one experiment about table-making and three about chair-making.They all engage with the participants through the medium of interviews, but in a slightly different way. 1. The Ideal Table [Fig.21] This experiment was developed from the Imaginary cities, I wondered if it was possible to combine ideas and descriptions from different participants into one single object, and through the object to tell different stories. So I interviewed 18 people, and asked them to describe their ideal table. What I got was a great variety of the materials, forms and functions; some of the answers were related to the cultural background and others were based on function. It is a real challenge for me to put their ideas together. I tried to work between contradictory ideas. For instance, almost everyone desired to have a wood finished table and only one of them said she preferred a glass table, connecting her idea to her practice of putting a source of light underneath the surface when tracing drawings. Those contrasting ideas became one of the major design elements. [Fig.22]
Fig.15-16
Fig.17-19
Fig.20
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Fig.21
methods
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Fig.22
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2. How have you ever mis-used a chair?5 [Fig.23] It is an on-going experiment I did through the Internet, trying to get ideas outside the classroom. Artwork like Smilesfilm (2010) by Yoko Ono who also makes use of the web, the idea is to gather everyone smiling face from every single human being in the world. [Ref. Fig.18] Besides, this experiment was also related to Richard Wenworth’s Making do and getting by. (1993) [Ref. Fig.19] He captured the moment when people mis-used the objects in the daily life. It was about how people adapt themselves in spaces or how they can manipulate over objects. The pictures of the every day events became much more poetic when displayed collectively. Audience can associate easily with it, since we all behave in a similar way with objects. 3. Interviews to 9 of my classmates Being inspired by Richard Wenworth, I decided to ask the following questions: 1. How have you ever mis-used a chair? 2. What function you really like rather than just sit on the chair? 3. What is the most extraordinary experience you had when you were using a chair? 4. Can you tell me a story about you and a piece of furniture? 5. Do you remember a film that there is a piece of furniture and which played a very important role? Unlike The Ideal table, it was not necessary to combine the answers to develop an object. As a consequence to the effectiveness of the questions the answers were so fascinating, whether personal, unique, or common, that they showed the strong connection with the public. For instance, one of Feng Shao’s stories, a mate of mine, was about her experience with a sofa. When she was really young, when found a coin in the gap of the sofa that made her so excited and spend the rest of the day trying to find more of them. I was resonated with this story once she told me, and I believe this story has a potential to be associated with most of the people. For this reason, I decided to further develop this narrative.
methods
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Fig.23
Ref. Fig.18
Ref. Fig.19
methods
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4. One hour model making workshop [Fig.24] ‘You grab a piece of earth and mould it into a shape, just like an extension of your body’ Gormley (2003 cited in Caiger-Smith, 2010, p.56). Having said that my classmates had their own tight schedule, I consider myself lucky enough at having the five of them participating to this. I do believe that in physical engagement is important. The rules were time and materials involved. A bar of clay and metal strips were the material I provided them with, and then I asked to make a chair with a story within one hour. Moulding and twisting the material with their own hand were an expressive method of design. Charles Eames, once said ‘design is an expression of purpose’.
Fig.24
_Collage Besides the collages I did in the earlier experiment about cities, I consider the ideal table as a kind of collage work (in a very controlled way). I also used collage as a way to combine ideas from different small experiments to found objects. What I mean by that is I tried to link up an idea with an existing objects to form a new meaning, so as to associate it with more people. [Fig.25] For examples, the 1001 Qing dynasty chairs [Ref. Fig.20] used in the Ai Weiwei’s Fairytale (2007) gave an extra layer of meaning.There was a monumental quality in it about the present and the past. In other words, he was combing stories of people with chairs, with history. With this method, it also means that, it is not necessary to engage with the same group of people in the three levels of participation. For instance, I can get ideas from group A, making an object with group B and let it be used by A, B and C.
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Ref. Fig.20
The personal stories & ideas
The Ideal Table
One hour model Making Workshop Found Chair
The Artful Dodger
How have you ever mis-use a chair?
Fig.25 (a diagram to explain the linkage between the interviews, found chairs and project outcome)
methods
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The Artful Dodger6 is one of the major outcomes. It is a chair, whose core idea was from the mentioned story about finding coin while the making started with a piece of found chair. The title itself is also an important element to make associations with the public, suggested by Dr Ken Wilder, the tutor of my project (the next section is about the role of my tutors within the participatory experiment). Workshops and tutorials The physical help, ideas, and support within the development of the project coming from workshops and tutorials should also be considered as a part of the participation. During the making process of The Artful Dodger, the technician in the wood workshop constantly provided me with their support in both levels. It has been this participation that affected the work outcome. Tutorials have been like the framework within my own framework, a strong support was so influential to each of my experiments.
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methods
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Through Using Public’s Objects And Stories _result 99
The result of my project is the making of the process rather than the final product, because I aim to investigate and develop my own participatory methodology that can possibly be used in future. Therefore, the documentary of the process is very important. From how to get ideas to how people actually interact with the physical outcome, I have recorded it in different way: filming, photographing and doing sound recording. This information will go in to a website7 as my own record and also to share with people interested in the participatory design method
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Through Using Public’s Objects And Stories _notes 101
1. ‘Each of the participating students to own a black box of his own, sized
From side to side at the widest.
30 x 30 x 30 cm; and then to create something inside the box for their
The height of the anus from the floor.
expressions. Throughout this process, the students would learn about
In profile
the black box, its materials, its physics and its limitations. As for the stage
From the back to the front at the deepest (i.e. from the buttocks to the
where hundreds of black boxes are gathered together for the exhibition,
toes).
every individual student would come to realise the relationship between
The lateral distance from the tip of the toes to the back of the head.
himself and the other participants, and the system around them.’ (Zuni
From the tip of the nose to the back of the head.
Icosahedron, 2006)
The distance from the back of the head to the back of the ear. The distance from the side of the head to the side of the body.
2.
(Gormley, 1995)
Based on his mediation study and the belief in make bodies into ‘vessels that could carry feeling, convey experience’ he had used his own body to
4.
made the ‘very first body-case sculpture, Mould’ and a series of related
It was a book about the Venetian Marco Polo describing his imaginary
personal work in the 1980s (Caiger-Smith, 2010, p.21-22).
cities.
3.
5.
The 15 rules set by Antony Gormley in Allotment:
This is a collaborative research method. Using the Internet (i.e. Facebook,
In front
Flickr & email), I can get different stories from people around the world
The total height from the top of the head to the ground.
easily. The collected images are not only for my own research purpose.
From the shoulder to the ground.
They should also form a creative gallery to share the different ways of
From the shoulder to the top of the head.
using a chair. Then the participants become the audiences.
The width of the head. The height of the top of the ear from the top of the head.
6.
The length of the ear.
The Artful Dodger Originally was a character from the Charles Dickens
The height of the mouth from the division of the lips.
novel Oliver Twist, he was a pickpocket.
The width of the mouth. 7. www.lomingshum.com
103
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Through Using Public’s Objects And Stories _bibliography 103
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Dickie, G. (2006) Intentions: Conversations and Art. The British Journal of Aesthetics, Vol. 46 (1) pp.70-81, <http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID= 44B790AE60E0E87C3C1D> [Accessed 5 March 2012].
Lugt, R., Sanders, E., Stappers, P. & Visser, F. (2005) Codesign, Contextmapping: experiences from practice [internet]. June 2005, vol. 1, no.2, pp.119149. Available from: <http://www.tandf.co.uk/ journals> [Accessed 15 February 2012].
Fibicher, B., Obrist, H. & Smith, k. (2009)Ai Weiwei. London: Phaidon.
Mitrašinović, M & Traganou, J (2009) Travel, space, architecture. Farnham: Ashgate.
Gamper, M. (2007) The Process of Making One Hundred Chairs. [internet]. Available from:<http:// martinogamper.com/project/a-100-chairs-in-a-100days/> [Accessed 4 June 2012].
Powell, L 2011, ‘Antony Gormley’, New Internationalist, 448, p. 62, Academic Search Elite, EBSCOhost, viewed 29 March 2012.
Glancey, J. (2009) A 4th plinth for architecture?, Building Design [Internet]. June 2009 p. 20. Available from:<http://BT2HA9XT3Y.useaccesscontrol.com/ go?url=/docview/274509831?accountid=10342> [Accessed 29 March 2011]. Gormley, A (1995) ALLOTMENT, 1995 2008 [Internet]. Available from:<http://www. a n t o ny g o r m l e y. c o m / s c u l p t u r e / i t e m - v i e w / id/242#p0> [Accessed 5 November 2011].
Coggins, D. (2007), Ai Weiwei’s Humane Conceptualism, Art In America, 95, 8, pp. 118-125, Academic Search Elite, EBSCOhost, viewed 14 April 2012.
Gormley, A (2011) Louder than words. Resurgence. issue 268, pp.48-53.
Dennis, p (2011) Ai Weiwei transparent communicator: Interview Tate’s Juliet Bingham. [internet]. Available from:<http://ar tradarjournal.com/2011/02/23/ early-signs-of-sunflowers-inter view-tate’s-julietbingham-–-part-ii/> [Accessed 25 May 2012].
Klanten, R. ed. (2009) Once upon a chair : design beyond the icon. Berlin: Gestalten.
Italo, C. (1997) Invisible cities. London: Vintage.
Powell, R. (2004) People making places : imagination in the public realm. Wakefield: Public Arts. Putnam, J (2001) Art and artifact : the museum as medium. London: Thames & Hudson. Rosen, M (2012) Migrations: Journeys Into British Art. London: Tate Britain. Tolstoy, L (1971) What is art. London: Paul B Minet. VETROCQ, M (2009) 'WHO'S ON FOURTH?', Art In America, Vol.97 (9) p.12. Warner, M. (1993) Richard Wentworth. London: Thames and Hudson, in association with the Serpentine Gallery. Zuni Icosahedron (2006) BBE [Internet]. Available from:<http://www.zuni.org.hk/zuni06/ar t_edu_ bbe_e.html> [Accessed 3 November 2011].
Livingston, P (2005) Art and intention : a philosophical study Oxford: Clarendon Press.
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106
Acknowledgements It is a project that cannot be finished on my own, I am extremely grateful to all the participants (no matter in idea, make or use level) in different experiments: (Sorted alphabetically) Alina Valeeva Antoana Kostadinova Petkova Camille Vierin Cristina Gandolfo Dr Ken Wilder Eleni Sophocleus Eleni-Dimitra Douzeni Feng Shao Heymi An Irene Artemi Isabelle Ohm Isabelle Tasseff-Elenkoff Itohan Barlow Jacqueline Yeung Jennifer May Evans Jing Xue John Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sullivan Joonhwan Lim Juelin He Keun Hye Lee Laura Jane Blenkinsop Lianzhong Fu Marjan Salimian Men Sun Lim Miheeka Bajaj
Min-Jungyeom Minkyung Kang Miwa Izawa Mo Jia Napat Jesadapatrakul Natalia Heredia Rodriguez Olga Ktena Peter Maloney Peter Stickland Phillip Rutter Robin Jenkins Roland Joseph Helou Shibboleth Shechter Sirine Chaker Sirintra Aursirisub Soo Ji Shin Stamatina Liagki Stef Willis Tomo Yamane Vicky Philippou Weng Mann Wenhao Yang Yi-Wei Chen Yi-Zhen Lai-Tremewan Zoe Socratous
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Participatory design methodology:
through using publicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s objects and stories Š 2012 LO MingShum All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher. Master of Arts Interior and Spatial Design University of the Arts London Chelsea College of Art and Design 2011-2012
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