Meta Volume 1, Issue 1 by University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Volume 1, Issue 1:

Meta JOURNAL

UWTSD

Wales Institute of Science & Art

Presented by: Residuum Conference July 2024

About Us

Welcome to Meta Journal: A collection of articles written and curated by the doctoral and master's students on the Professional Doctorate in Art and Design and MA Art & Design courses at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD). Meta Journal is an integral part of our larger Residuum Conference, providing a scholarly platform where emerging voices in the field of art and design showcase their innovative research and creative explorations. Through thought-provoking articles, and visual essays, both our Journal and Conference seeks to foster critical dialogue and advance the discourse surrounding contemporary art and design topics.

The name Meta reflects our commitment to exploring beyond the conventional boundaries of art and design. It symbolises the meta-level reflections and meta-analyses that underpin our scholarly endeavours, aiming to transcend traditional perspectives and push the frontiers of creative inquiry. Residuum, on the other hand, signifies the residual elements or remnants that persist after an artistic or intellectual process—a nod to the lasting impact and ongoing evolution of ideas explored within our contributors works. Together, Meta and Residuum embody our dedication to continuous exploration, transformation, and the enduring significance of artistic discourse in shaping our cultural landscape, and future world.

Professional Doctorate in Art and Design

MA Art & Design

www.uwtsd.ac.uk

Understanding Heritage as a Symbol of the Future

The Use and Evolution of Photography in Jewellery

Yexuan Zhang 8

Changing Craftsman Identity Positioning: Creativity of Emerging Individual Craftsmen in Yixing

Jieming Yang 15

Celtic Dreams: New Visions of an Old Future

Reimagining the Women of the Mabinogion and Why

Holly Elms 25

Communications in a Contemporary World

Cross-media BBC Weather Forecast User Interface

Design for the UK (1954-2024)

Qiyuan Zheng 31

Why is Observation So Important?

Reflections on Photography Course Based on Observational Methods

Xiang Meng 38

Based on Embodied Interaction: A Study on the Diﬀerential Needs of People's Experiences during a Journey - A Case Study of Long-distance High-speed Railways

Pan Su 48

Nostalgia: Lost Past or Lost Future

Explore the Influence of Dreamcore Aesthetics on Cyberpsychology in China

Guobin Su 53

Defining Your Practice as Leading Change

Exploring Optimal Community Cafeteria Services in China: A Design Research Study-----Enhancing Dining Experiences and Eﬀiciency Through User-Centered Design Approaches

Junyue Tang 60

Immersive Imaginations

How do I materialise the unconscious forces in my psyche?

Stuart MacKay 72

Understanding Heritage as a Symbol of the Future

The Use and Evolution of Photography in Jewellery

Yexuan Zhang

Abstract: The invention of photography brought about a paradigm shift in the way we remember things, with photographs evoking memories more visually and comprehensively than written descriptions. Since its invention, photography has been used to create portraits of people as expressions of love or mourning. And almost simultaneously portraiture has been used in jeweller y, becoming a common phenomenon that epitomises the times. In contemporary jeweller y, in particular, it can be seen that the photographic image is often used by artists in their creations, not only to combine new materials and techniques but also to develop new creative concepts. The main feature of photographic jewellery is the inclusion of the body. The body is the mediator of our interaction with the world, all perception and experience must be realised through the body（Merleau-Ponty 2010). Compared to photographs displayed in albums or galleries, jewellery's wearable feature provides a way of connecting the photograph with the body. This article aims to discusses how photographic jewellery interacts with the body and whether wearing photographic-jewellery can evoke memories of the subconscious body finally analysis design strategies for the use of new materials as carriers of image transfer in the creation of contemporary jeweller y.

Keywords: Photography, Contemporary jewelr y, Intersubjectivit y, Body perception

1 Background and Context

Since its invention, photography has been accompanied by "memories of frozen time", where time and space are abstracted in still photographs and time is frozen in the photograph. Memory is 'frozen' and its basic unit is the individual image, and the photograph accordingly 'provides a quick way of recalling memories' (Susan Sontag 1978). The addition of portraiture enabled jewellery to fulfil a range of new functions, including declarations of love and marriage between husband and wife, as well as bonds of aﬀection between family members and even remembrances of the dead. Certainly, the same piece of jewellery may represent love at one time and mourning at another. The combination of photography and jewellery was first used to commemorate marriages, for example, in the 19th century, when many marriage certificates in European countries contained tintypes or silver prints of the couple's portraits. And during this period portrait jewellery took a simpler form, with the main body usually being a round or oval metal box, the back of which was mostly engraved with a declaration of love. When opened from the centre, the left and right sides were inlaid with miniature portraits of the couple, usually taken from an entire photograph and set into the tray of the jewellery in the shape of the jewellery's lining, an opening and closing design that added interest and signified that they would never be parted. This phenomenon has prompted me to think about the 'contemporaneity' of jewellery, for example, what is the function and character of the image in jewellery? What is the relationship between image jewellery and the body?

2 The first meeting of photography and jewellery

In the seventeenth century, before the invention of photography, mourning jewellery was also embedded with miniature oil or dental portraits. However, photography provided a more intuitive and realistic visual reproduction of the experience (Warner 1986). The link formed between jewellery and portraiture was to provide a new means of remembering, explaining the use of portraits to commemorate the dead: memory was an inevitable part of the mourning process, and although there was disagreement as to how long the memory of the deceased could be kept alive, it seemed reasonable to commemorate them with an image of the person who had lived (Emanuel 1979).

A large number of cases emerged during the Victorian era regarding the setting of human hair into photo jewellery boxes. Initially these were made from the hair of the deceased and were thought to be a part of the departed loved one, which comes to keep us company when the loved one passes away as if they are still living in their silent graves (Sandra Kwok 2016) Ironically, during that period there were jewellery makers who actually imported hair into jewellery or sold items woven from this hair and used in conjunction with swan ribbons. Therefore, we can argue that the popularity of mourning jewellery for the Victorian era became a unique cultural phenomenon.

Although mourning jewellery as a Victorian fashion trend has come to an end, the metal locket with a tintype photograph and the practice of creating jewellery in the form of a photograph embedded in the locket continues. And it is safe to conclude that photographic jewellery is no longer a symbolic reminder of the loss of a loved one. Rather, it serves more as an emotional link that creates a visual bridge between the subject and the viewer that transcends time and space. The combination of a portrait photo and jewellery allows the holder to carry the photo with them at all times, reminding them of family, friends and special moments.

3 Research Objectives

I want to investigate what kind of experiences and meanings the interaction between the body and the photographic jewellery can bring to the wearer and the viewer respectively from the perspective of perceptual phenomenology, where the jewellery serves not only the visual level of viewing, but also the haptic perception of the bodily experience. When modern viewers associate antique jewellery in museums with their own physical experience of wearing the jewellery, the intimate connection between these objects and the long-lost bodies of their past owners becomes even more apparent. Our specific perceptions are dependent on the sensory functions of the body, for example, touching the texture of something, smelling a certain odour, seeing a certain colour. These specific perceptual experiences are dependent on the sensory functions of the body (Merleau-Ponty 2010) Imagine holding an oval silver pendant in your hand. First, it absorbs the heat of your hand slowly and becomes warm. Then, its surface is engraved with a floral or geometric pattern that is pleasing to the eye.

Finally, when you open it, you see a portrait set inside. It is a coherent physical experience. The photograph is embedded in the jewellery and interacts with the body through the way it is worn, deepening the body's experience of time and memory. The sensation of the body participating in the artwork enhances the viewer's emotional response to it (Freedberg 2007) Photographs evoke parts of people's memories on a visual level, which includes both individual and collective memories, and the creator has a say in the selection of the photographs, so what kind of subject matter can the images resonate with the body of a wider range of viewers?

4 Case Studies：The connection between photographic jewellery and body memory

Photo jewellery, as a medium for expressing and transmitting personal memories and emotions, creates an emotional connection and resonance between the wearer and the viewer. In my world, I never reach me. Before me and after me, there are others. The subject is always enriched from the midst of other subjects, and it is enriched from the midst of other subjects as universal (Merleau-Ponty 2010). The phenomenology of the body emphasises human interaction and empathy. The wearer conveys a message through the combination of a concrete, materialised piece of work such as photographic jewellery with the body. The content of the photograph may relate to the wearer's personal experience, or to the collective memory of a community of people, or an era of people. And it is through the exchange of bodily experience and co-presence that intersubjective understandings of the world are thus formed. Robert Ebendorf, for example, assembled wet-plate photographs, toys, tin cans, and other discarded objects to create Man and His Pet Bee in response to the work of Robert Rauschenberg and Ed Kienholz, among others. The Art of Assembly. James Fred Woell believed that the value of jewellery should not be determined solely by the precious metal material, and so his 'anti-jewellery' works assembled photographs and readymade objects to comment on the popular culture and politics of the time.

Robert Ebendorf “Man and His Pet Bee” http://collections.mfa.org/objects/456424

Memory works more in terms of frozen images rather than images of duration and movement. (Michael,1995 ) Framed photographs are frequently used as a memory medium in the creation of jeweller y. Contemporary photographic jewellery has broken away from its traditional function of emotional remembrance, The photographs of landscapes, architecture and other subjects have been naturally extended by jewellery artists. For example, artist Namkyung Lee's framing the brooch with the simplest of metallic geometric shapes ,the interior is often inset with acrylic sheets which printed with architectural and street scenes.The material of the photographs is monochrome semi-transparent in order to simulate the world outside the window behind the filtered glass. The figurative photographs and abstract window frames from a symbolic window,and the content of the photographs becomes a link between the creator and the viewer ’s emotional interaction.

Namkyung Lee“stranger”brooch Silver;acrylic printed photograph; 2021https://www.nkjewellerystudio.com/

5. Final Thoughts

Contemporary jewellery's use of photographic prints as material for its creations can be said to draw on some of the expressions of traditional portrait jewellery, but the understanding of the meaning of the photographs is very diﬀerent. From the traditional jewellery of the portrait photo jewellery as a way of remembering loved ones to the contemporary jewellery creation field against the trend of precious materials, the metaphor and symbolism behind the photographs have been explored by jewellery artists. The commemorative and fast-consuming nature of the photographs not only exists in contrast with the form of jewellery, but also has certain functional intersections with jewellery. There is no doubt that the photographs are a richly expressive material with a lot of possibilities, the inclusion of photographic images has brought a new dimension to the content and conception of contemporary jewellery themes. The addition of photographic images opens up new horizons for the expression of contemporary jewellery themes and concepts.

Each of our bodies carries a wealth of memories and emotions, both personal and collective. The things we have experienced, the places we have been, the people we have seen make us who we are at the moment, and putting photographs in jewellery and wearing them on the body space is a way to visualise the memories that have been sealed in our minds. And it is a physical microcosm of our physical experience. Certainly, there is still some controversy about whether photographs can truly evoke people's memories. But as the wearer and the viewer will share a common focus when they engage in aesthetic activities with the photo jewellery, and through visual and tactile sensations, they can complete their mutual emotional communication. In addition, as the body is a dynamic and temporal existence, the use of images for bodily narratives will make the wearing of photo jewellery even more attractive. The use of images to narrate the body will also make the wearing of photo jewellery more attractive.

In addition to the above, photographic-jewellery may also involve body symbols, identity symbols and other aspects that can be discussed, which will continue to be in-depth in my future research.

Bibliography

Merleau-Pont y, M., Landes, D., Carman, T., & Lefort, C. (2013). Phenomenology of perception. Routledge.

Warner P C. (1986), Mourning and Memorial jewelry of the Victorian Age. Dress, Routledge.

Sontag, Susan (1978), On Photography, Penguin Books, London, p. 11

Freedberg, David, and Vittorio Gallese. (2007), Motion, emotion and empathy in esthetic experience. Trends in cognitive sciences 11.5: 197-203.

Emanuel Lweis (1979) Mourning by the family After a Stillbirth or Neonatal Death

Lewis, E. (1979). Mourning by the family after a stillbirth or neonatal death. Archives of disease in childhood, 54(4), 303-306.

Merleau-Ponty, M. (1942). La structure du comportement.

Changing Craftsman Identity

Positioning: Creativity of Emerging Individual Craftsmen in Yixing

Jieming Yang

Abstract: This paper explores the multiple identities associated with handicrafts, which are significantly diﬀerent from the usual impression of older craftsmen in China's mainstream media. Through my own experience as a traditional craftsman and my interview records with foreign craftsmen, I found that although they favor the image of "craftsmen", they do not completely identify themselves with traditional craftsmen, who are usually characterized by adhering to traditional styles and craftsmanship and from the local master-apprentice inheritance system; but they do not consider themselves artists either. Their introduction of self-identity is sometimes adjusted according to the occasion and target audience, and creativity is emphasized in their self-positioning and becomes a means of gaining industry recognition. Based on this discussion, this study provides a new perspective for understanding the impact of craft immigrants on the local handicraft industry and provides a reference for the modernization of other traditional handicraft industries.

Keywords: Yixing ceramics, artisan identity recognition, craftsmanship, China, ceramics

Introduction

Yixing is a city in eastern China, famous for its long history of ceramic production. It is known as the Pottery Capital of China and has a ceramic-making tradition of more than 1,000 years (Zhang,2014). Independent craftsmen were once a marginal group in Yixing's state-dominated ceramic industry, especially in the 1960s and 1970s, when most of Yixing's ceramic studios and workshops were incorporated into state-owned porcelain factories. It was not until the late 1970s, with the implementation of market- oriented economic reforms, that the state-dominated manufacturing system established under the planned economy began to disintegrate. Economic reforms and marketization in the 1980s led to increased privatization, and small businesses and workshops began to flourish (Xu,2022).

Since the 2000s, some young craft immigrants have emerged: they usually come from all over China, and sometimes even from other parts of the world; these immigrants are creative, independent, and sometimes art-oriented; many have obtained higher education degrees before coming to Yixing, but not necessarily in ceramic-related subjects. Unlike the older generation, the new generation of craft immigrants usually do not learn and practice ceramic making through kinship, apprenticeship, or work experience in state-owned porcelain factories. Instead, they attend training courses, learn from other craft workers, or teach themselves. Although these immigrants often engage in ceramic production, they do not necessarily take craftsmanship as their primary occupation, nor do they necessarily want to stay in Yixing and establish their own status.

Apprentices in a Yixing workshop, photographed by the author

While there are titles and artisan categories issued by industry associations in traditional ceramic production, a new generation with a greater emphasis on creativity has emerged. This new group is repositioning their identity, while also reflecting the changing patterns of craft labor and the general trend towards individual craft enterprises.

Related research

The issue of craft identity involves the diversity of how craft labor is organized and perceived. Howard Becker pointed out in the 1970s that the organizational forms of the craft world have become increasingly complex, dividing craft workers into ordinary craftsmen trying to make a living and artist craftsmen with higher goals (Schmidt,2015). Since then, research in the fields of sociology, anthropology, and art history has explored the blurred boundaries between crafts and art and the shifts and power dynamics between them.

Since the 2000s, with the rise of e-commerce, the creative economy, and the revival of the global craft industry, scholars have discovered emerging groups of craft workers and new forms of craft labor. For example, Susan Luckman places crafts in the contemporary creative economy and proposes the term “craftpreneur” to describe those craftsmen who develop online businesses, make and sell crafts in online and oﬀline craft programs (Luckman.S,2020). Trevor Marchand, in his ethnographic study of elite woodworkers in London, proposed the term “professional migrant” to describe learners who decide to leave their original jobs and turn to craft careers. In his study, many professional migrants choose crafts because they see it as a more meaningful way of working and living than before.

Recently, Jochem Kroezen et al. identified diverse categories of crafts from the perspective of organizational research and proposed four diﬀerent modes of crafts: traditional crafts, industrialized crafts, technical crafts, and creative crafts. They showed how these categories prioritize diﬀerent factors when coordinating work and rely on art, market, class, and community (Liu.R,2023).

These studies show that since 2000, the complexity of craft identities

has gone beyond traditional labor-intensive stereotypes; they enrich our understanding of crafts through new identity categories, from laborers, artisans, and craftsmen, to entrepreneurs, designers, and artists.

Research gaps

Existing literature focuses on craftsmanship research in the global North, with little attention paid to the dynamics of craftsmanship in emerging economies such as China. Although Jingdezhen and other Chinese ceramic centers have attracted the attention of some scholars, research on craft immigrants in Yixing's ceramic industry and their changes in identity perception is still in its infancy. Most studies on the identity of craftsmen focus on the boundaries between traditional craftsmen and modern artists, and pay less attention to how these identities are redefined and adjusted in practice in the context of contemporary economic and social changes. Especially in places like Yixing, how the emerging culture and multiple identities brought by craft immigrants aﬀect the self-perception and social identity of local craftsmen has not been studied in depth.

At the same time, existing studies often focus on the economic behavior and market strategies of craftsmen, while ignoring the complexity of craftsmen in identity perception, cultural integration and community interaction. Yixing's craft immigrants not only bring new skills and business models, but may also have an impact on local social structures and cultural traditions. A systematic study of these changes will help to more fully understand the role and status of craftsmen in modern society.

Based on the above research gaps, this study aims to explore the impact of craft immigrants on the identity perception of craftsmen and the significance of these changes on local culture and economy through a survey of craft immigrants in Yixing's ceramic industry. This study will provide a new perspective for understanding the complexity of contemporary handicraft labor and identity cognition, and provide a reference for the modernization of other traditional handicrafts.

Research Methods

My apprenticeship began in 2012. I was a traditional craftsman in the master-apprentice system. Since then, I have come into contact with some foreign craftsmen and have collaborated in subsequent work. At that time, I still felt that the issue of self-identity recurred in our daily communication. So now I conducted some video interviews with them, asking them how they call themselves and how they view diﬀerent craft identities, and selected two representatives. In the following, I will explore how they define themselves and emphasize the importance of creativity in their experience, while pointing out the new cultural characteristics they reflect.

"People have to walk on two legs" - Interview with Xiang "In school, I like to be called an artist, but when facing customers, I will call myself a craftsman"

Xiang came to Yixing when he was still a student, lived in a local craftsman's home to learn skills, worked in a college after graduation, and made his own works in his studio after work. Xiang's identity cognition reveals the complex and multi-layered self-identity of craftsmen in modern societ y. In the context of this interview, Xiang's experience reflects his transition and adaptation between diﬀerent roles, and how he finds meaning and balance in these roles.

From the perspective of the researcher, Xiang's identity cognition reflects the flexible adaptation and self-positioning of modern craftsmen in diﬀerent social roles. He freely switches between artists and craftsmen, which is not only a career choice, but also a manifestation of self-identit y. The two identities of artist and craftsman are not opposite, but complementar y. In creation, the identity of an artist makes him pursue uniqueness and creativit y, while in production, the identity of a craftsman makes him focus on practicality and precision. Through this dual identity cognition, Xiang can show his professional ability in diﬀerent situations, find a balance between art and craftsmanship, and achieve a state of self-realization.

" This is my business" - Interview with Lili "I run this shop and have workers under me. I feel more like a businessman"

Lili is a cheerful person who has been in Yixing for more than ten years. She was initially an apprentice of a traditional craftsman. Later, she opened her own studio. As her business developed, she recruited more workers and opened an online store. Now she is mainly responsible for management rather than production. She said that if nothing unexpected happens, she will continue to live here and run her own business. Lili's identity cognition shows the role transformation and adaptation of modern

craftsmen in the market economy environment. Through the interview with Lili, we can explore in depth how modern craftsmen redefine their identities in entrepreneurship and management, and find a balance between traditional skills and modern business. From the perspective of researchers, Lili's experience reveals the new role of modern craftsmen in the context of globalization and market economy. They not only need to inherit and carry forward traditional skills, but also need to have business sensitivity and management capabilities. Lili's identity cognition reflects the balance between commercialization and specialization of modern craftsmen. She is both a inheritor of traditional skills and a participant in modern business.

Lili's story provides us with a perspective to understand the new identity of modern craftsmen in the social and economic transformation. She not only shows how to succeed in the market through innovation and adaptation, but also emphasizes how modern craftsmen can achieve wider influence and greater career achievements through commercial means while inheriting their skills. Through Lili's research on identity cognition, we can better understand how modern craftsmen find their own path between inheritance and innovation, as well as their multiple roles and values in contemporary society.

Limitations and shortcomings of the study

Although this study attempts to explore the impact of craft immigrants in the Yixing ceramic industry and the changes in the identity

cognition of craftsmen, it also has some limitations and shortcomings. First, due to the particularity and complexity of the research object, the selection of samples may aﬀect the generalizability of the study. The case study method adopted in this study limits the representative analysis of a wider group and may not cover the diversity and individual diﬀerences of all craft immigrants.

Time and resource constraints may aﬀect the depth and breadth of the study. The field survey period of this study is limited and may not capture the evolution and deeplevel impact of long-term craft immigrants on the identity cognition of craftsmen, as well as their long-term impact in the local economy and culture.

Finally, this study mainly focuses on the impact of craft immigrants on the identity cognition of craftsmen, and pays less attention to the impact of other social factors and external environment on this process. For example, policy changes, market demand and globalization impacts may have important impacts on the behavior and identity cognition of craft immigrants, but they are not fully covered in this study.

Therefore, although this study explores the impact of craft immigrants in the Yixing ceramic industry, the research results need to be understood and interpreted in the context of the above limitations and shortcomings. Future research could further deepen the study and understanding of this topic by expanding the sample size, adopting more diverse research methods, and considering a wider social context.

Conclusion

In investigating how modern young self-employed workers in Yixing oscillate between diﬀerent craft identities, I found that various craft categories have emerged in this traditional handicraft town. Although emerging handicrafts, lifestyles, and identities have injected new impetus into Chinese handicrafts as a form of cultural production,

egalitarian discourses still exist around the diverse identities of Yixing's handicraft workers. That is, each identity choice is based on diﬀerent reasons and should be respected. Traditional craftsmen stand out with their expertise in traditional techniques and perseverance. Ordinary craftsmen or workers are characterized by the consistency and machines used in the ceramic production process, and this technical expertise deeply influences the younger generation of Yixing's handicraft workers. Artists emphasize the artistic value and philosophy of their works and prefer to make their products completely by hand.

The innovative potential and business capabilities of entrepreneurs are amazing. The recently emerged young self-employed, the "craft immigrants", stand out in this field, and their creativity, new knowledge, lifestyle, and culture are highly respected. Self-employed entrepreneurs strive to diﬀerentiate themselves from existing categories, adopting terms such as creators, ceramic makers, and ceramic makers; these terms suggest working methods that combine creativity with new lifestyles and cultures.

In Yixing, a famous craft town, the transformation of craft workers' identities reflects the diversity of contemporary craft labor and represents the context of craft research in the Global South. With the emphasis on creativity and its emerging culture, young craft workers in Yixing seek new professional and social identities beyond traditional craftsmen and artists. In this process, through the negotiation of multiple identities within the ceramic center, they also hope to gain recognition and status in the Yixing craft communit y.

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Zhang, Z., 2014. Research on the creation and craftsmanship of Yixing purple clay art. Dongwu Academic Journal, 2, pp.142-147. Available at: http://www.cqvip.com/qk/71159x/201402/48960933.html

Liu, R. (2023) ‘Identity Navigation and Self-Positioning in a Changing Craft World: Creativity and Cultures of Emerging Self-Employed Craft Workers in Jingdezhen’ , The journal of modern craft, 16(2–3), pp. 135–154. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/17496772.2023.2269671.

Concha, P. (2016) Book review: craft and the creative economy by Susan Luckman. London School of Economics and Political Science.

Knott, S. (2023) ‘The Pursuit of Pleasurable Work: Craftwork in Twenty-First Century England, Trevor H. J. Marchand (2021)’, Craft research, 14(1), pp. 163–167. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1386/crre_00100_5.

Hughes, C. (2012) ‘Gender, craft labour and the creative sector’, International journal of cultural policy : CP, 18(4), pp. 439–454. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2011.592187.

Xu, Y. (2022) ‘Craft Production in a Socialist Planned Economy: The Case of Jingdezhen’s State-Owned Porcelain Factories in the Mid to Late Twentieth Century’ , The journal of modern craft, 15(1), pp. 25–41. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/17496772.2022.2050479.

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Celtic Dreams: New Visions of an Old Future

Reimagining the Women of the

and Why

Holly Elms

Mabinogion

Abstract: As a writer who focuses on mythology and fairy tales, and who is deeply interested in the stories of her homeland, it was only a matter of time before my focus landed squarely and intensely on The Mabinogion. These are the stories I grew up with, every year learning a new version, each with more detail as I got older and more able to understand. The following article is about my interest and proposed research into the women of the Mabinogion, as well as the importance of this research, particularly in my field.

Keywords: Mabinogion, mythology, reimagining, women, Wales

Background and Context

To call the Mabinogion Celtic mythology is, arguably, very inaccurate as the Celtic nations covered not only Wales, but Ireland, Scotland and parts of England and France. One could argue that the Mabinogion is representative of Welsh mythology, which admittedly is sometimes how I refer to them, but more accurately the Mabinogion is perhaps the finest example of Medieval Welsh literature. Made up of 11 stories, the core 4 that I am choosing to study being referred to as the 4 Branches, the Mabinogion is a complex, multi-faceted and sometimes rather convoluted account of heroes, princes and magic that shows a deeply sophisticated narrative tradition with a history based in oral storytelling. Whilst the Mabinogion contains a multitude of diﬀerent tales, I have chosen to look at the 4 Branches for two reasons, the first being that they are fairly self contained with little crossover into Arthurian legend, making it easier to focus my study, and the second being that these are some of the most well known and familiar tales, both to the wider public and to myself, making it an excellent starting point for my research.

Situating my Study

In recent years retellings of myth and folklore have seen a massive increase, first with Greek mythology, spearheaded by books like The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller, and more recently with more diverse retellings from own voices authors, such as Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel. Welsh mythology seems to be somewhat left behind. Not only is there a lack of retellings and re-imaginings, but there is also a lack of such things from a Welsh perspective. Whilst the 1960s and 70s saw an inclusion of Welsh myth in children’s literature with ‘the publication of 15 original fantasy novels and the reprint of three others… based directly on the Four Branches’ (Sullivan, p.14, 2011) it has been fairly stagnant since then, with little representation in media for either adults or children.

There is beginning interest, with a complete Welsh language musical about Branwen from The Mabinogion debuting last year, and that makes it the perfect time to examine the core texts themselves. As a

native Welsh speaker I take great pride in these stories and have a great wish to share them. Stories are an excellent way of learning and experiencing the histories and cultures of places, and what better way to introduce others to the complexities of Welsh mythology than by using one of our oldest texts?

Within the 4 Branches of the Mabinogion the female characters with roles large and interesting enough to study are as follows Rhiannon, Branwen, Arianrhod and Blodeuwedd, each with her own sins. Rhiannon, given away by her husband and falsely accused of infanticide, Branwen, punished for her brother’s crimes, Arianrhod, publicly humiliated in a virginity test and Blodeuwedd, a woman made of flowers to be a wife. As Roberts writes:

‘women's roles were passive and part of the background, a necessary excuse for the story to be about men: women meant a piece of land added to a kingdom, spoils of war, goods to be negotiated, a dowry to be paid, a peace agreement between two countries or negotiation between men’ (p.19, 2023).

Despite this they are also presented as having magic powers strong enough to rival the men in the stories.

Research Objectives

However, like all good things, they are in need of upgrade. The women of the Mabinogion are not so much presented as women but as spiteful, vicious and flat plot devices. From Arianrhod and her curses to Blodeuwedd and her infidelity the women in these tales have no identity other than their role in the stor y. Admittedly women in medieval literature cannot aspire to much, however the women from contemporary sources such as those in Arthurian texts or texts like the Canterbury Tales can at least claim a degree of nuance or personality. These phenomena led me to my research objectives, which are as follows.

I am interested in learning why. Why women in medieval western literature were treated this way and why the women in the Mabinogion seem to be particularly maligned. I am also curious if the

women from other medieval Celtic texts such as the Ulster and Fenian Cycles from Ireland are treated in the same way.

Another question that is raised is why did the Mabinogion become so synonymous with Celtic mythology as opposed to being respected as a work of literature? By looking at western myth cycles as well as western literature from around the same time I can begin to understand what, if anything, sets it apart in a way that might have led to this divide.

Research Methods

As a writer, I will of course be using the texts themselves as my primary research methods, as well as articles written about the topics. Narrative inquiry will be the main methodology I use, due to its relevance. But I will also branch out to other media such as adaptations to gain a better understanding of how others have reinterpreted the narratives and characters over time. I will exclusively be using Sioned Davies’ translation of The Mabinogion, due to it s accessibility and familiarit y. In future projects I would be interested in looking at variations in translation but for now my scope needs to be somewhat smaller. Along with researching the texts themselves, I will also look at articles that explain the attitude towards the Welsh language and Wales as a country to see if that has aﬀected how The Mabinogion was and still is perceived by scholars and the wider public. There is a lack of awareness surrounding medieval Welsh literature but also a lack of respect. Many chose to characterise The Mabinogion as Celtic superstition rather than a carefully constructed narrative. Rodway writes, very accurately, that:

‘this must be due to the long shadow of racialist ideas about Celtic primitivism: while sophisticated peoples produce literature, composed by talented individuals with something to say about the society they live in, savages can merely reproduce with increasing incomprehension the superstitions of their ancestors’ (2018, p.11.)

As a natural byproduct of researching them I will also begin to understand this, and hope that through my research and my work in

this field I can begin to dismantle the prejudices against Welsh literature.

Final Thoughts

As feminism, cultural discourse and emerging media develops it is high time that these characters and stories are brought into the 21st centur y. What would we find if we looked at these women in a diﬀerent light, if they weren’t just wives and mothers but politicians and magicians? What would we learn about the heroes if we examined their actions through their impact on others? I doubt they would still earn the title of hero.

Without advocates, stories become lost along with all the wisdom, joys and sorrows that they hold. I have chosen to lend my strength to these stories that I grew up with. I leave you with this, what do you know of the stories that come from your homeland, and, perhaps most importantly, what do you think of the people in those stories? Do you hate them or love them, because at the very least, I aim to understand them.

Bibliography

Becker, A. and Noone, K et al (2011). Welsh mythology and folklore in popular culture : essays on adaptations in literature, film, television, and digital media. Jeﬀerson, N.C.: McFarland. Pp 14

Roberts, L.G. (2023). Singluar Performances of Gender: Women in the Four Branches of the Mabinogion. [pdf] pp19. Available at: https://www.memoria.fahce.unlp.edu.ar/tesis/te.2650/te.2650.pdf

Rodway, S. (2018) ‘The Mabinogi and the shadow of Celtic mythology ’, Studia Celtica, 52(1), pp. 78 . Available at: https:/ /doi.org/10.16922/SC.52.4.

Communications in a WorldContemporary

Cross-media BBC Weather Forecast

User Interface Design for the UK (1954-2024)

Qiyuan Zheng

Abstract: This article reviews the development of BBC weather forecast user interface design for the UK from 1954 to 2024, focusing on analyzing of its visual expression. From early charts and text forecasts to modern interactive graphical interfaces, the design features and technical factors at each stage are discussed. Propose that user survey data presented through infographics can better understand user needs and provide a reliable basis for design solutions.

Keywords: User Interface Design, Cross-media, Weather Forecast, User Perception

Introduction

Weather forecast is related to many aspects such as people's travel and production safet y, and has important research value. Weather forecast information can be obtained through visual, auditor y, tactile and other factors. This study focuses on visual user interface design. Taking the UK as the research background, it explores user perception through research on newspapers, television, mobile applications, etc. from 1954 to 2024.

The user interface design of weather forecast interfaces plays a vital role in conveying information and improving user experience. By reviewing the history of weather forecast user interface design for the UK , we can understand the changes in its design principles and its impact on user interaction experience. Understanding these design processes not only build communication between designers and users, but also provides reference for future design innovation.

Literature review

Eﬀective visual communication design makes information more accessible to target users (O'Conno r, 2015), the user interface design of weather forecast develops with technology and aesthetics, which is a key application area of visual communication design. In histor y, the weather forecast user interface has evolved from simple charts and text to today's interactive user interface design, and its user experience is constantly improving. In 1861, the first public weather forecast was written by FitzRoy (Met Oﬀice, n.d.), which recorded location, general weather and direction of wind information in text and tables. Due to the technical limitations of newspapers' movable type printing, the design of this period focused on practicalit y, while static visuals were relatively limited in terms of aesthetics and user experience.

In 1954, BBC Television launched its weather forecasting service by simple hand drawn maps and symbols (BBC, 2024), which makes it easier for users to understand weather information. In 1974, The initial version of BBC Weather Symbols was designed by Mark Allen (Mike

Afford Media, n.d.), then several redesign versions followed, including 2005 (Mike Afford Media, n.d.), 2009 (Howell, 2011), 2011 (Howell, 2011), 2018 (Macdonald, 2023). Despite the redesign, the symbols are based very closely on the 1974 version (Mike Afford Media, n.d.). During this period, the company transitioned from simple symbols to products with continuous design iterations. It can be seen that the recognition of user interface is always the key point of weather forecast design.

With the popularization of computers and the expansion of mobile applications, weather forecast user interface design introduces animated symbols (Mike Aﬀord Media, n.d.) and interactive experiences (Macdonald, 2023). The integration of 3D global improves the interactive experience in weather forecast interface design and makes user interface design more diverse. With the development of mobile applications, the user interface design of weather forecast is presented on multiple platforms such as mobile terminals. Pandya et al., (2021) present interactive visual designs for mobile severe weather events visualization, which express text and graphics used in the visual display, and the interaction workflow. Reed, Jasko and Senkbeil (2022) discuss weather icons communication between designers and users.

Although the design team continued to conduct design research and practice to explore new designs in 2011 (Howell, 2011) and 2018 (Macdonald, 2023), there were still comments in the results that the design eﬀect was not as eﬀicient as the previous version and that the new version was complex. As a result, this research focuses on three questions:

(1) What is the eﬀiciency of BBC weather forecast user interface design in cross-media?

(2) How does BBC user interface design aﬀects user perception in cross-media?

(3) Why are BBC weather forecast user interface designs diﬀerentiated in diﬀerent media?

Methodology

To understand user interface design for BBC weather forecast in the UK in Cross-media background, the research conducted mixed method. Qualitative part research use Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA: Smith, 1995; Smith and Osborn, 2008; Smith and Nizza,2021). Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis explores individual experience and nature (Giorgi, 2009), employing this phenomenology, audience’s media preferences for visual information of weather service can be found more eﬀectively, thus, the first research question can be addressed. The definition of Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) can vary, however, this research context highlights user experience as valuable data for weather forecast information design product optimization. In addition, semi-structured interviews will be employed as a method of data collection in this research. According to Stevenson (2012), this research method can hierarchically divide the importance in the process of user information acquisition through behavioral analysis of participants' usage preferences, so as to better guide design practice and provide a diﬀerentiated solution for user interface design for BBC weather forecast in the UK .

Furthermore, the information dissemination efficiency is different between medias (e.g. newspapers, television, public screens, smartphones, etc.). High-quality weather information dissemination efficiency can save users time and cost. To achieve this, semi-structured interviews are highly appropriate to this topic. Firstly, according to Starr & Smith (2023), the data obtained through semi-structured interview should have a open environment to obtain primary data on people’s individual experiences. Secondly, the data is neutral. By comparing the information of different participants and analyzing it to obtain appropriate results, the research can be made more objective. Finally, semi-structured interviews should avoid leading language. Through the observation of interviewees, observation data can be obtained to conduct precise analysis of user behavior and habits, which can provide a basis feedback for the information design, at the same time, it helps to establish a scientific evaluation system to guide cross-media user interface design for BBC weather forecast in the UK .

Discussion

This study uses historical design as an entry point to explore user perceptions of weather forecast information. At the same time, it also understands user feedback through tables and semi-reconstructed interviews, which has guiding significance for subsequent design updates. It is a manifestation of the beautiful interface, but also the user experience.

In the process of conducting semi-structured interviews, the research needs to find suitable interviewees. For example, with the informed consent of the users, a user preference questionnaire should be conducted to understand their views and expectations on the design. Questionnaires can also be administered online, which helps make the survey environmentally friendly. Regarding the limitation of method, the content analysis used in the study can make up for this shortcoming. Through the comparison of the foreground and background in the image (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2006), the visual research path of image content analysis can make a diﬀerence in vision and design. Analysis is supplemented.

Communication can improve by systematically well-designed infographics, data visualizations (Monoyios et al., 2024). By improving the accuracy of information communication in user interface design, it may provide eﬀicient services for weather forecast design. Designing products needs to serve users. It can be seen that suitable user research can better present weather forecast user interface design products that meet user needs. The research focuses on design research to explore user perception of weather forecast user interface design, and presents the research report in the form of infographics to investigate the evolving user needs. Moreover, its history at diﬀerent stages, questionnaires and case studies provide directions for future design.

Reference

BBC (2024) BBC Weather at 70, Available at: https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/research/television-weather/ (Accessed: 4 July 2024).

BBC (2018) BBC Weather launches redesigned service, Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-42945768

Fairbairn, D., & Jadidi, M. N. (2013) Influential visual design parameters on TV weather maps. The Cartographic Journal, 50(4), 311-323.

Howell, L. (2011) New look for BBC Weather website, Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2011/10/new_look_bbc_wea ther_online.html/ (Accessed: 4 July 2024).

Hunt, R. (2007) The end of weather forecasting at Met Oﬀice London. Weather, 62(6), pp.143-146.

Jebb, A.T., Ng, V. and Tay, L. (2021) A review of key Likert scale development advances: 1995–2019. Frontiers in psychology, 12, p.637547

Kress, G. and Van Leeuwen, T. (2020) Reading images: The grammar of visual design. Routledge.

Macdonald, I. (2023) Window on the weather: a case study in multi-platform visual communication design, with a relationship to Design Thinking. Visual Communication, 22(2), pp.365-386.

Melnikovas, A. (2018) Towards an Explicit Research Methodology: Adapting Research Onion Model for Futures Studies. Journal of futures Studies, 23(2).

Met Oﬀice. (n.d.) Our history. Available at: https://www.metoﬀice.gov.uk/about-us/who-we-are/our-history (Accessed: 3 July 2024).

Mike Aﬀord Media (n.d.) BBC Weather Symbols. Available at: https://www.mikeaﬀord.com/tv-graphics/bbc-weather-symbols/ (Accessed: 3 July 2024).

Millet, B., Majumdar, S.J., Cairo, A., McNoldy, B.D., Evans, S.D. and Broad, K . (2024) Exploring the impact of visualization design on non-expert interpretation of hurricane forecast path. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 40(2), pp.425-440.

Monoyios, K., Carlson, K., Litwak, T., Marien, T. and Martin, F. (2024) Visuals as a Catalyst for Climate Science Communication. In Storytelling to Accelerate Climate Solutions (pp. 225-263). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

O'Connor, Z. (2015) Colour, contrast and gestalt theories of perception: The impact in contemporary visual communications design. Color Research & Application, 40(1), pp.85-92.

Pandya, A., Popovic, N., Diehl, A., Ruginski, I., Fabrikant, S. and Pajarola, R., 2021. Leveraging Diﬀerent Visual Designs for Communication of Severe Weather Events and their Uncertainty (No. EMS2021-266). Copernicus Meetings.

Reed, J.R., Jasko, S.A. and Senkbeil, J.C. (2022) Weather forecast semiotics: Public interpretation of common weather icons. Weather, Climate, and Society, 14(1), pp.323-335.

Segel, E. and Heer, J. (2010) Narrative visualization: Telling stories with data. IEEE transactions on visualization and computer graphics, 16(6), pp.1139-1148.

Stevenson-Taylor, A.G. and Mansell, W. (2012) Exploring the role of art-making in recovery, change, and self-understanding-an interpretative phenomenological analysis of interviews with everyday creative people. International Journal of Psychological Studies, 4(3), p.104.

Starr, R.A. and Smith, J.A. (2023) Making sense of an artwork: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of participants’ accounts of viewing a well-known painting. Qualitative Psychology, 10(1), p.107. Zheng, Q. (2024) Weather observation [Photograph]

Why is Observation So Important?

Reﬂections

on Photography Course

Based on Observational Methods

Xiang Meng

Abstract: As the threshold for photography continues to lower, virtually anyone can quickly capture images with their devices. However, this technological democratization poses a greater challenge for professional photographers and students studying photography. How can beginners quickly get started, find their niche, and develop their unique visual style to produce diverse and compelling works? This is a critical question for every professional learner today.

This paper focuses on the significance of observational skills in photography training. Drawing inspiration from the book "Learning to Observe on the Road," it summarizes four key pathways for observational training. It discusses the importance of observational skills in photography training and explores the benefits and feasible approaches to incorporating observational training in university-level photography courses. Through extensive literature review and practical teaching experiences, this study aims to achieve the above research objectives. By adjusting course structures and conducting module experiments during the teaching process, observation and data feedback are collected and summarized into valuable insights.

The main conclusion drawn from this research is that training in observational skills is crucial for improving photographic abilities, especially for beginners. Addressing the issue of "seeing" at an early stage helps in forming a personal style and facilitates continuous breakthroughs and iterations. Before students establish their aesthetic systems, courses should guide them to enhance their observational skills. Introducing specialized observational training in foundational courses significantly benefits both photography teaching outcomes and students' professional development.

Keywords: User Interface Design, Cross-media, Weather Forecast, User Perception

Introduction

Observation, a topic closely linked with photography, has been increasingly emphasized over the past two decades. In today's digital age, where technology is ever more accessible, people are inundated with massive amounts of information daily. With just a mobile device, nearly any question can be answered instantly. However, this convenience brings about several issues: firstly, information is often filtered and pushed to users based on algorithms prioritizing quantity over quality, attracting "eyeballs" and "attention" rather than "truth" and "skill enhancement" (Lin, 2014). The prevalence of sensational news constantly tests public trust in the media and increases the cost of media reporting and verification. The overwhelming and complex information disperses people's attention and limits their focus on genuinely interesting content (Gustave, 2015). We no longer experience a natural curiosity that develops into interest and passion for things in the world. The phenomenon of people observing a flower or an insect for an extended time is becoming rare. The loss of focus leads to a superficial and results-oriented societal atmosphere, which inevitably aﬀects all art forms, including photography.

Photography, as an art form, evolves through two crucial factors: technological conditions and personal observational methods. As Akasegawa Genpei said, "What we need is not art, but observation" (Akasegawa Genpei, 2020, P76). Diﬀerent photographers examine the world from unique perspectives, focusing on diﬀerent subjects, forming various themes and techniques that greatly expand the expressive and applicative range of photography. Photography, as an art medium, belongs to the artistic system and shares a high degree of similarity with other art branches like painting, dance, and writing. They all follow the logic chain of input-processing-output. Observation (input) serves as the initial condition, determining the subsequent development steps. Thus, observation (input) is crucial for photographic expression (output). This paper will discuss how observation determines the forms of photography, how to train one's observational skills, and the benefits of emphasizing observational skills in photography education.

The Significance and Origin of Observation

Is observation something that needs training and learning? Some might

think observation is an innate ability, as long as one's visual system is intact and physiological conditions are good, the potential for observation exists. From a biological perspective, this is true but not entirely accurate (Laroche, 2020). The aforementioned observation is entirely instinctual and biological, meaning this kind of instinctual observation has not changed much from that of Homo sapiens millions of years ago. The purpose of biological observation is merely to acquire information, which the brain then analyzes to generate corresponding bodily commands, ultimately serving survival and the need to avoid harm.

Photographic observation, however, is entirely different. It is more of a research-based observation and information acquisition method. Consider this: do two people walking the same path see the same scenery, receive the same information, and focus on the same points? The answer is no, which explains why no photographer can entirely replicate another's style, as they are inherently different individuals (Wigoder, 2001). An individual's observation habits vary with their experiences, personality, and conditions, creating countless possibilities for different observation habits and interests. Photographic observation can be described as an inward-driven, exploratory observation habit that constantly evolves with personal experiences. Observation is something everyone does; it is a physiological response, whereas observation habits are highly personal and closely related to one's worldview, interests, and lifestyle (Basil, 2011). Through self-training, systematic observation with purpose, and summarizing and organizing the results, we see today’s diverse and unique perspectives and photographic themes.

Kogengaku and Learning to Observe on the Road

Observation is not only a way of understanding the world but also a means of expressing oneself. Learning to observe on the road focuses on everyday life research, where everyone can participate. Unlike traditional art forms, the subjects of road observation include manhole covers, fire hydrants, architectural fragments, and repurposed objects like a TV turned into a chicken coop. These objects are unaltered and do not involve formal processing, thus eliminating the notion of critique or appreciation. Ordinary objects like manhole covers or the base of a cut-oﬀ electric pole lack intention and can only be "observed" (Terunobu Fujimori, 2020, P24).

Learning to observe on the road originated from Kogengaku (modernology), which emerged in the 1930s. After the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, everything was reduced to fragments, and people began rebuilding the city bit by bit from temporary shelters. Kogengaku, developed by Waseda University professor Jiro Nakanishi, initially focused on everyday objects like wooden signboards and student uniforms. Over time, its philosophy evolved beyond simple reception and recording. In 1972, Genpei Akasegawa, Tetsuo Matsuda, and Shinbo Minami discovered the "Pure Staircase" outside Shouhei-kan Inn in Yotsuya, identifying an element of "super-art" and later termed it "Thomasson" (Thomassom).

"Thomasson" refers to various useless remnants in urban architecture. Detailed observation is required to determine whether an object is genuinely "Thomasson" or just appears so. Thomasson represents the sum of human behavior, consciousness, emotions, and economic activities, displayed after removing their original purposes (Akasegawa Genpei, 2020, P15).

Thomasson's concept signifies that road observation as a way of seeing has produced landmark results intersecting with other disciplines. This observation of "meaningless street objects" transcends conventional observation needs, forming philosophical reflections, impacting social forms, and individual cognitive methods. People’s daily lives are filled with logic and causality, and unexpected conflicts and dislocations are indispensable spices in daily life. Both Eastern and Western photography history has seen photographers develop personal styles by focusing on one direction. Thomasson's emergence is an inevitable result of modern civilization reaching a certain stage, and focusing on Thomasson is a manifestation of contemporary art development. By paying attention to the redundant products of civilization and elevating them to the realm of art, it reflects on and critiques civilization itself, an important duty of modern art.

Besides Thomasson, modern Japanese Kogengaku has developed observation categories like architectural fragments, manhole covers, and road landscapes. Still, they all revolve around the core theme of "observing with one's eyes" (Akasegawa Genpei, 2020, P20). For photography, road observation and typology research share similar characteristics, akin to natural history drawings—a branch of natural history from the European

Industrial Revolution. These disciplines follow a logical thread, finding the inherent logic within what the eyes see (or the object itself), summarizing and organizing them, though their final presentations vary. They ultimately address the fundamental questions of observation: what to observe, how to observe (from what perspective), and how to present (in what manner and angle).

Observation Angles and Training Methods

1. Balancing Novelty and Familiarity

In 1989, Donald D. Hoﬀman, a professor in the Department of Cognitive Science at the University of California, Irvine, proposed the famous "interface theory of perception." This theory suggests that, from an evolutionary perspective, our brains do not necessarily correspond directly with the actual objects in reality when perceiving the world. To reduce energy consumption, our brains often ignore repetitive information, thereby not occupying too much energy of the organism. In other words, in real life, familiar, common, and non-specialized objects are simplified during information recognition to conserve the organism's energy for emergencies. This explains why people tend to overlook subtle changes in familiar environments but maintain high levels of attention, observation, and excitement in unfamiliar cognitive environments.

Applied to the field of photography, the above theory partly explains why photographers need to constantly go out in search of creative subjects and partly serves as a warning for photographic creation: our brains naturally screen out familiar things, thereby reducing observational acuity and sensitivity. It is hard for someone to maintain the same curiosity and exploratory desire for a roadside tree they pass every day as when they first saw it; this is inherently against instinct. Hence, Terunobu Fujimori expressed: in this era, curiosity about things is becoming increasingly important (Terunobu Fujimori, 2020, P26).

One of the most challenging aspects of Kogengaku or road observation is never losing the sense of freshness when viewing things; otherwise, it is just monotonous recording (Terunobu Fujimori, 2020, P82). From the perspective of photographic observation, what photographers need to do is to counter this instinct and discover subjects worth focusing on in the mundane world. In this respect, road observation provides methods worth

learning: by uncovering the beauty in everyday objects, embedding observational skills into every corner of the surrounding environment, and thus finding more avenues and possibilities for expression. The quality of a photographic work essentially develops from a keen observation of the world, forming a unique observational habit through counter-instinct and adjustment. Whether one can consistently and persistently maintain this determines whether the work can establish a system, create a context, and touch the audience, which is crucial to the value of the photographic series.

On the other hand, fun is an inexhaustible motivation for sustaining an activity. "There is no fun in exploration without discovery. If you haven't tasted the joy of discovering for yourself, it's hard to persist in this kind of research" (Tsuyoshi Suzuki, 2020, P260). Finding unnoticed details and discovering a world unique to oneself is one of the ways to realize the value of life. In this sense, photography and road observation achieve a perfect overlap in purpose. As independent individuals existing in the world, people always hope to leave behind some value and contribution unique to themselves. From a biological perspective, it stimulates the production of dopamine. Whether one can find fun in the exploration process and establish a reward circuit in the brain is also an important factor in whether they can persist.

2. The Importance of Persistence

Persistence seems to play an important role in the path of every successful photographer. Stuart Matt expressed similarly in "Think like a street photographer": "Never does that old maxim ‘The harder I practice, the luckier I get’ ring truer than with street photography. You have to put in the hours, pound the pavements, adopt a kind of ‘in it to win it’ mentality if you want to get anywhere."

For photographers, persistence means not only sticking to creative subjects and image shooting but also maintaining observational acuity and breakthroughs. The training of observation, like language and writing, fundamentally relies on daily accumulation, eventually internalizing into one's habit, making it possible to capture scenes overlooked by ordinary people. Only by profoundly revealing the brilliance hidden beneath the surface of everyday life with a unique perspective can the value of a photographic series be achieved, which lies in the personal significance of observation.

Persistence is not easy; it is often accompanied by pain and struggle. Whether one can achieve personal goals and expectations through this nearly self-torturous persistence and reach the deep desires and expectations of the heart or indulge in short-term pleasures is a diﬀicult choice everyone has to make.

3. The Ability to Discover Details

Another key point of road observation is details, which is most evident in the observations conducted by Zyouzi Hayasi, known as the "God of Road Observation." In his observational records, besides conventional items like manhole covers, "he also observes various details like dog feces, gravel embedded in shoe soles, and small holes in brick walls. Everything he encounters seems to emit a special glow" (Terunobu Fujimori, 2020, p119). The Japanese integrate attention to detail into their national character, so when viewing the works of some Japanese photographers, one can feel the subtle radiance flowing on the surface of the works. The impact that a work brings to the audience comes partly from the subject matter, partly from the presentation technique, and also from the time the creator devoted to the work. The weight of a work, or its completeness, mainly comes from the attitude the creator maintains throughout the process from start to finish. How far one can push their observation, how fine the details they can see, has already been answered by creators walking on the path of road observation.

4. The Habit of Continuous Thinking

Thinking is the original driving force of progress; any observation that is not precipitated by thought can only remain superficial. Photography, although an art of decisive moments, requires long-term preparation and buildup before that decisive moment occurs. Some say, seeing is luck, and so is observation. I often feel that photography seems to complete creation in an instant, but in fact, it releases all the previous preparation in that instant. All past ideas, readings, thoughts, changes, etc., are reflected and sublimated at that moment. Effort is always hidden, the role of precipitation is always subtle, and the final effect may only be a small corner of the iceberg. But without the daily accumulation and repetition, how can there be the towering achievements and greatness? As the ancients said, "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; a river flows from small streams." Only by maintaining thinking, being diligent in research, and keeping curiosity can one achieve breakthroughs and give meaning to past attempts and efforts.

Observation in College Photography Education

For a long time, photography, as a branch of arts, has not received as much attention as other traditional art forms in contemporary Chinese higher education. Consequently, photography education has not developed a comprehensive teaching system and evaluation framework. Looking at the photography education in Chinese colleges, it largely follows Western theoretical achievements without placing enough emphasis on the training and cultivation of personal observation skills. Photography art education should not only focus on accumulating professional theoretical knowledge but also inspire students' interest in a scientific and reasonable way, thereby nurturing their unique characteristics. In today's world, where digital devices are highly prevalent, anyone can potentially become an artist. The questions of where professional talent cultivation should head, what kind of talent should be nurtured, and how to balance thoughts and techniques are ongoing challenges for every art educator. Innovation in teaching is not easy; it first imposes new demands on educators. In a constantly changing era, sticking to conventional methods can no longer keep up with the times. Whether from a utilitarian perspective of social output or as an ontological cultivation of art, the photography education system needs to write new answers in the face of the demand for multifaceted professional talent. Cultivating observational skills might provide a new solution to this objective.

1. Observation Skills Training

Firstly, an observational skills training module should be introduced, encouraging students to find subjects based on their interests and spend time breaking through their observations and expressions. From the perspective of teacher guidance, innovative, serial, and detailed forms of expression should be encouraged, enhancing overall observational awareness through the cultivation of the ability to express single subjects.

2. Group Work and Peer Review

Secondly, during classroom exercises and assignments, to eliminate the focus on individual-centric creation in photography, the approach should shift to group-based collective creation and critique. At the beginning of the class, students should be divided into several groups to conduct activities such as peer reviews, photographic analysis, and discussions. Photography groups are particularly suitable for modules that require team

collaboration, such as portrait photography and still life photography. This measure can enhance group cohesion and strengthen the awareness of mutual assistance, fostering a positive atmosphere of helping each other among students.

3. Online Resources and Community Sharing

Finally, relying on online resources and platforms, students should be encouraged to share within communities, form personal creative styles, and build personal brands (IPs). Experience sharing and regular assessments should be conducted based on the results of their online presence and operations.

Photography education is a complex and ever-changing process. In the process of teaching according to each student's characteristics, it is crucial to discover their strengths, accentuate their positive aspects, and avoid their shortcomings. The ultimate goal of education is to not forget the mission of fostering moral integrity while imparting skills.

References

Akasegawa, Genpei, Terunobu Fujimori, and Nobuo Nakamura. (2020). Introduction to Street Observation Studies. Translated by Yanting Yan, Bijun Huang, and Jiaobi Lin. Beijing: Sanlian Bookstore of Life·Reading·New Knowledge.

Lin, Shuyou. 2014. "Why Is the Camel's Reclining Pose So Alluring?" Observer. Accessed December 3, 2023. https://www.guancha.cn/LinShuYou/2014_10_21_278259.shtml.

Le Bon, Gustave. (2015). The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind. Central Compilation and Translation Bureau.

Laroche, H. (2020). "Observation as Photography: A Metaphor." M@n@gement, 33(2), 79-99.

Wigoder, M. (2001). "Some Thoughts about Street Photography and the Everyday." History of Photography, 25(4), 368-378.

Basil, M. (2011). "Use of Photography and Video in Observational Research." Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 14(3), 246-257.

Hoﬀman, D. D., Singh, M., & Prakash, C. (2015). "The Interface Theory of Perception." Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 22, 1480-1506. Brown, D., & Stuart, M. (2023). Think Like a Street Photographer. Hachette UK.

Based on Embodied Interaction: A Study on the Differential Needs of People's Experiences during a Journey -A

Case Study of Long-distance High-speed

Pan Su

Railways

Abstract: This study is based on the research of differentiated needs of high-speed rail passengers based on embodied interaction, and the main purpose is to meet the differentiated needs of different passengers to enhance the high-speed rail cabin experience through service design and interactive products. Starting from the social needs and behaviours, we conducted user research and interviews based on age, travel purpose and cultural background as the main factors to classify the crowd. Based on the interviews and research data, we redesigned the cabin interface and social interaction methods through the medium of physical interaction to optimise the passenger experience.

Keywords: Embodied interaction; Experience design; High-speed rail cabin; User experience

Theoretical research background

John Dewey, in his book 'Art as Experience', mentions that experience is the result of a dynamic, continuous interaction between the person and the environment; the environment and the things in it become the means and medium through which the experience is continually generated and evolved. A complete experience is influenced by the user's age, gender, background, etc., as well as the different processes and outcomes, with the user's body as the medium and emotions as the glue to become a special memory. In this process, the body-environment-interaction medium is closely linked together, and the study of the differences in embodied interaction of each group can balance the experience needs of different groups and provide better services for them. Embodied interaction refers to

the interaction with the environment through the actual movements and senses of the body, with particular emphasis on the close connection and interaction between "body-mind-environment ". The concept of embodied interaction was first introduced by Dourish in 'Where The Action Is', which emphasises the importance of the body's participation in space. Embodied interaction combines the body itself with the spatial and social environments that surround it, and relies on the body's direct participation, based on a phenomenological perspective that sees the body as a medium for perceiving and understanding the world.

Experience with High Speed Rail Cabins

At present, the scope of high-speed rail ride services has expanded beyond the traditional basic services such as ticketing services, catering services and baggage handling to meet the diversified needs and expectations of passengers throughout the travelling process, such as the provision of real-time travelling information, response to emergencies, and caring services for special groups. Passengers are increasingly demanding personalised and intelligent services. Against this background, interactive experience has become an extremely critical part of high-speed rail service. This experience not only involves the direct interaction between passengers and service personnel, but also more broadly includes the communication between passengers and high-speed rail system, such as the regulation of intelligent cockpit environment, personalised configuration of entertainment equipment, intelligent adjustment of the carriage environment and so on. Enhancing the interaction experience of high-speed rail cabins in order to more accurately meet the personalised needs and preferences of passengers has become a hotspot of research in the railway industry and related technical fields.

Main research objectives

Based on the important involvement of the body in embodied interactions, with the high-speed train, a space closed to multiple people for a certain period of time, I would like to explore the variability of experiences between diﬀerent groups of people in terms of social needs.

Why social needs?

In China, we can often see some phenomena and news reports on long-distance trains: some children crying and screaming because the journey is too long and their parents can't calm them down,

some people playing videos out loud on their mobile phones aﬀecting the rest of the people around them, some people with busy work schedules working continuously on very small reclining tables and boards of the train, and a group of people travelling on a trip who can't sit down together, etc.

Different groups of people due to the variability of travel habits and their own various factors, as well as fixed cabin location, resulting in their close proximity in the same closed space for several hours or even more than ten hours, which is very likely to produce a sense of bad experience. Therefore, at present, we mainly want to focus on the age and travel purpose of the differentiated needs to improve the experience, such as the elderly may be the differentiated needs of the ageing of easy to understand the interface operation, environmental control, easy to understand and convenient access to services, etc., and children may be the differentiated needs of the situation does not affect the other passengers, the emotional soothing, the need for games and companionship, etc.. Based on the purpose of travelling, the main considerations are from office, travelling, parent-child and so on.

Why Embodied Interaction?

Embodied interactions are more naturalistic than disembodied interactions, emphasising the importance of physical behaviour and connectivity with the environment and context, making them ideal for solving the problem of diﬀerentiated experiences for diﬀerent groups of people. For example, in the face of the problem of calming children's emotions, consider setting up parent-child compartments that provide family-friendly entertainment content, such as cartoons, parent-child games, and interactive stories in the interface. Provide simple interactive games for parents and children to play together, and increase the fun of family interaction through gestures and touch screen operation.

Research Methods

Proposed research method: based on the differences of the population it is necessary to do field research visits, but before that I will use the literature research method to do sufficient research and analysis on the research object. The idea of the research method is roughly as follows: collect a lot of information about high-speed railway experience and different people's experience needs and feedbacks, classify them by number and content,

and come up with the approximate differentiated needs and their probable reasons, and then communicate with different groups of people through telephone or face-to-face interviews to learn about their basic riding conditions as well as their views and suggestions on the high-speed railway cabin context experience. An interview log or interview document is written after the interviews to further rank and study the importance of differentiated needs. The main way to enhance the experience in my research is to rank the needs based on Maslow's theory of mankind, prioritising basic needs followed by emotional needs. After identifying the degree of need for each metric, service system mapping was initiated and the main key scenario interactions were designed. Once the design is complete, passenger feedback and expert interviews can be conducted to further improve the design and complete the design to optimise the passenger experience.

Some final ideas and challenges

The biggest challenge for me in this research may be how to rank the different needs of different people, how to determine which needs are very urgent; I may take some methods such as setting up some different scenarios for these needs, and ranking the scenarios to the passengers, which will feel very interesting but challenging at the same time. I hope this study can add a little bit of happiness to every passenger 's journe y, and provide some reference for the future high-speed rail travelling experience.

References

Dewe y, J. (2008) Art as experience. In The richness of art education (pp. 33-48). Leiden: Brill Press.

Dourish, P. (2001) Where the action is: the foundations of embodied interaction. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Nostalgia: Lost Past or Lost Future

Explore the Inﬂuence of Dreamcore Aesthetics on Cyberpsychology in China

Guobin Su

Abstract: The article explores the potential impact of dreamcore aesthetics on the development of cyberpsychology and proposes two parallel dimensions to explore this impact. Dreamcore aesthetics is similar to important principles of cyberpsychology, and thus dreamcore aesthetics may increase public interest in the Internet, social media, virtual reality, cyberculture, and other related Internet psychology topics. Mystical commerce, abstract scenarios, future anti-utopias and other surreal content of dreamcore aesthetics may also inspire cyberpsychologists to pay more attention to unique Internet concepts and phenomena related to this subculture and to emphasise the importance of deeper interactions between Internet users and their virtual environments, which may also help to reflect on the simulation of future digital societies and on long-term human social development issues.

Keywords: Dreamcore Aesthetics, Cyberpsychology, Digital Aesthetics, Digital Creations

Introduction

On the one hand, we proposed that the features of dreamcore with digital psychedelia and virtual romance would benefit the development of cyberpsychology by increasing the public's interest in the internet, social media, virtual reality, cyber culture, and other related internet-based psychological topics. Additionally, the dreamcore aesthetics featuring mystical businesses, abstract scenes, future dystopia, and other surreal content can also inspire cyberpsychologists to pay more attention to the unique internet concepts and phenomena related to such type of subculture, and highlight the significance of in-depth interaction between cyberspace users and the virtual environment which is also synergy to reflect on the simulation of future digital society and long-term issues of human social development.

The dreamcore aesthetic style, or dreamcore for short, is a recently emerging internet-based subcultural and aesthetic style. The core elements of dreamcore incorporate themes with virtual culture, surreal concepts, futuristic resistance, lo-fi aesthetics, urban mysticism, Y2K era, digital psychedelia, and more. The concept of dreamcore has been prevailing over social media platforms such as TikTok, Reddit, and Instagram. These platforms have collected up to over 160,000 videos and millions of visits which are labeled under the hashtag of #dreamcore. Due to the popularity of dreamcore aesthetics and similarities between dreamcore content expertise and important principles of cyberpsychology, herein our paper explores the potential influence of dreamcore aesthetics on promoting the development of cyberpsychology in the Chinese cyberspace by two parallel dimensions.

Dreamcore Aesthetics: Origins and Characteristics

Dreamcore is a new art form from the past in the hearts of most people born at the beginning of this century. It refers to an emotional niche and dark academia core, focusing on the curious, cyclical past, deep-headed portrait, depression, parallel time and space, rainy forests, and whether the world is enchanting. The rectangular mantle is enveloped with a soft layer of dim and vicious lace. It originated

from dark academia, which has gone from niche to aesthetic, to the sexiness of sadness—anxiety and depression that makes us mesh. Apart from nostalgia, people seem to be moved. Like Dark Academia – a fancy interior but clean with a sharp scalpel—Dreamcore leans towards tender pet. (Wu, 2022)(He, 2023)(Ginter-Agreda, 2024)

Cyberpsychology: Understanding the Intersection with Aesthetics

The aesthetic experience in the cyber field should not be confined to the perception stage and self-introspection. The discrepancy between the virtual and the real world exposed in cyberspace generates a more comprehensive aesthetic category type, such as living experiences, psychological phenomena, and social phenomena. It turns to people, and it absorbs traditional aesthetic experiences, understanding the appeal of rational aesthetics, and the transformation to emotional aesthetics in an electronic atmosphere where people engage.

Encountering digital adversarial technology and psychological disturbance, its open and scalable digital logic becomes hypersensitivity to the immediate effects regarding beauty enrichment capabilities in the digital anonymity period in which people experience. Cyberpsychology research bridges the relationship between aesthetics and psychology while the speed of making judgments affects the business relationship and monitors the interruption between semantic representations and affectivity for information recognition mismatches on the determination.

Cyberpsychology adopts an interdisciplinary teaching method, consolidating the research field into two branches. Cyberpsychology as a term can refer more generally to the behavioral and psychological impact of digital environments. The more user-oriented subject is digital aesthetics or cyber-aesthetics. Mainly influenced by H. Jean-Jacques, the concept is the immediate aesthetics experience of the digital interface, as the new platform for aesthetics experiences and the interface closest to the user. Digital aesthetics extends traditional aesthetics experience, integrates and combines new cyber technologies, making it easy to explore the aesthetic community of

interactive art, media, and cyber-environment. The aesthetics of digital art involves research in digital aesthetics with medium specificity and a history together with traditional aesthetics properties and function. Especially in museums displaying artistic works by digital production, there are studies hidden in the interdisciplinary area of art history. (Béland, 2024)(PIGNIER, 2023)

It is in the synthesis of a bridge linking aesthetics and psychology, with a focus on new technologies and human behavior, that the interdisciplinary research field of cyberpsychology takes place. Cyberpsychology surrounds the virtual user inside the computer screen. It explores the individual's behavior, thinking, and emotional responses in response to digital representation and the group behavior of individuals online. Cyber-psychoaesthetics, established by C. Galera, applies aesthetic concepts on online platforms holistically, including content aesthetics like visual design and communication aesthetics like online interaction and identity. It treats the virtual environment as a technology mediation to the human brain, studying users' emotional and cognitive responses to diﬀerent aesthetic features presented by digital interfaces and stages of social interaction, and how it aﬀects user behavior.

Implications and Future Directions

Throughout human history, within each culture, there exists a strong association with human creation. Thus, humans always try to define, observe, and control these creations. Digital humans created by digital artists or from mathematically driven procedural models (rule-based generation or physically based) have enjoyed a period of slow evolution due to the restriction of the power of the hardware. But recently, due to the rapid growth of computation power, it is not only crucial to observe and articulate the phenomena of cultural meaning within digital social society but also to manage digital creations that can clearly present a human's life with complete ontological characteristics. With the current multimedia storage capacity, which allows an individual the ability to obtain this skill, one can present the knowledge or mental processing independently or interactively in

seminars, class reports, regular academic reports, or participating in online discussions. Therefore, humans have begun to integrate digital technologies. Accordingly, once the digital technologies are infused in the cultural creations, new modes of digital creation methods, including digitized animation creation, required technology for museums, or digital creation debuts.

Plans for the exhibition

My original field of study was related to cyberpsychology, and it started with my interest in an emerging art form called " core aesthetics ". You've probably heard of this before - weirdcore, poolcore, dreamcore, even bloodcore, barbiecore, etc. Since about 10 years ago, a group of internet users have been spreading the word around this art concept. Although it has always been a minority art form, after 2022, along with the popularity of the Internet culture called "back room" and " liminal space", more and more people have become aware of this unique way of expressing aesthetic nuclei. Various kinds of "nuclear " culture are gradually becoming known.

Unlike any traditional art form, this art form is completely digital, and the threshold is very low, you almost only need a mobile phone can be called a creator. Therefore, anyone can easily join in this creation and even define and plan a nuclear art concept exclusively for themselves.I am particularly interested in the two art forms of Chinese Dreamcore and Millennial Dreamcore, as they resonate very well with the Chinese Internet, and there is a large group of enthusiasts who create art around this theme.

There is no doubt that this " core aesthetics " originated in the Western Internet communit y, but when this art form came to China via the Internet in recent years, it changed in a way that, as their names suggest, creators from diﬀerent regions seem to have a very diﬀerent understanding of the same theme. Obviously, this is deeply connected to local history and culture. Based on the theories of cyberpsychology and analytical aesthetics, the state of mind and social psychology reflected behind it are also the focus of my

attention. As a unique cultural phenomenon, Chinese Dreamcore has experienced drastic value changes and cultural collisions in Chinese society during the process of rapid modernisation, which has made Chinese Dreamcore a collective unconscious projection to a certain extent. By analysing the spiritual dilemma behind it, we may be able to understand more deeply the spiritual world and cultural anxiety of contemporary Chinese people.

For this reason, I have joined the group of these art creators, trying to learn how to create with this style of art. So, for this exhibition, I am trying to train a model of AI painting and produce some works with this model. In order to better fit the theme of this exhibition, Residuum, I may target the content of the images to make it look more like a nostalgic art form.

References

Wu, H., 2022. Lost items and exposed shame–dreamcore's inheritance and transcendence of liminal space and defamiliarization. Journal for Cultural Research.

He, M., 2023. Manifesto of Poor Images: Re-imagine Guggenheim in the Post-digital Age.

Ginter-Agreda, J., 2024. Liminal Space: The Transient Experience of the Architecturally Obsolete.

Béland, M., 2024. Nietzsche as Stylist: Aesthetics and Philosophy.

PIGNIER, N., 2023. 4 Semiotics of Digital Design: From Ethos to Ethics Nicole PIGNIER EHIC, Université de Limoges, France. Analyzing Websites .

Defining Your Practice as Leading Change

Exploring Optimal Community Cafeteria Services in China: A Design Research Study-----

Enhancing Dining Experiences and Efficiency Through User-Centered Design Approaches

Junyue Tang

Abstract: This study examines the current situation and development trend of community restaurant service design in China and analyzes it in comparison with community canteen models in other countries. Through case studies of community canteens in several countries, the similarities and differences in their service design, user experience and operation models are analyzed. The study found that community canteens in different countries have significant differences in terms of menu selection, space design, service processes and cultural adaptabilit y, which reflect the diversity of community cultures and food habits across countries. This study emphasizes the importance of cross-cultural understanding and user-centered design approach in optimizing community canteen services in China, and combines product design visual design and interaction design through service product design to produce a complete community canteen service design system that meets China's national conditions.

Keywords: Community Cafeteria；User-centered design；Service design; User experience

With the acceleration of global urbanization and demographic changes, community canteens play an increasingly important role in the lives of urban residents. Community canteens are not only a place to provide food services, but also an important part of the daily life of community residents, carrying rich and colorful social activities and cultural exchanges. However, with the change of time and the development of societ y, the lifestyle and consumption habits of community residents are constantly evolving and adjusting.

As one of the main customers of community canteens, the dietary preferences and health needs of the elderly are quite diﬀerent from those of young people. With the aging of the population, the health awareness and dietary needs of the elderly are increasing, and they pay more attention to balanced nutrition and healthy diet. Therefore, how to provide the elderly with catering services that meet their tastes and health needs has become an important challenge for community canteens. At the same time, with the increasing demand for community canteens from emerging groups such as young people and oﬀice workers, the service content and quality of community canteens need to be constantly upgraded and improved to meet the pursuit of fast, healthy and diversified dining experiences by these groups.

Against this background, it becomes crucial to conduct research on community canteen programs. By gaining an in-depth understanding of the dietary preferences, lifestyles and consumption habits of community residents of diﬀerent age groups and with diﬀerent needs, designing and implementing a set of diversified and personalized community canteen service models can not only satisfy the residents' lifestyle needs, but also promote communication and interaction among community residents, and enhance the community's overall quality of life and sense of well-being.

At present, community canteens in China are facing multiple diﬀiculties in their operation, including rising operating costs of community canteens, including labor costs, food costs and rent, which makes the profit margin of the canteens diminishing. The management level of some community canteens varies, and there are problems with food safety and hygiene environment, which aﬀect the image of the canteens and user

satisfaction. The service quality of some community canteens is not high, and there are problems such as bad service attitude and uneven quality of meals, which aﬀects the customer's consumption experience. With the popularity of take-out, fast food chains and other forms of community canteens, community canteens are facing competition from various aspects, making the original business model of thin profits and high sales more diﬀicult and other problems.

The bottom-up membership system of the U.S. Rural Mutual Aid Elderly Community is a non-profit membership-based volunteer organization that mainly supports the operation of the organization with membership dues. With cost-eﬀective neighborhood mutual aid and the services of external service providers, they help members who are aging in place to improve their self-care ability in a timely manner, so that they can live independently, safely and comfortably in their own homes or familiar communities for as long as possible. Japan's “aging in place” model of neighborhood mutual aid model of aging government financial support, donations from caring members of the community and public welfare organizations, the elderly to join and pay dues, and so on. The “old and young composite” type of old age, strongly advocate intergenerational exchanges and learning, the elderly as a social resource to focus on, and in the community to build a “composite care center”, the community of the elderly and young people to participate in the community, by professionals and volunteers to provide services. In Germany, “multigenerational living” is a way of providing services to the elderly. Germany's “multi-generational living” model of family-type mutual assistance among the elderly “Multi-generational living” is one of the forms of expression of the elderly living alone and single-parent families living together, the elderly take care of their children, and the single parent takes care of the elderly; the other form is that the elderly help each other, and the elderly who can take care of themselves take care of the elderly, and the elderly who can take care of themselves take care of the elderly, and the elderly who can take care of themselves take care of themselves. In another form, the elderly help each other, with the elderly who can take care of themselves caring for the elderly; in yet another, the elderly provide housing and university students provide services for them, and the two live together. In some cities and towns, there are also community apartments for the elderly to help each other. American Meal

Service Center and PACC Model In the United States, large-scale and relatively mature professional meal service centers have been formed in the communit y, which contain professional dietary institutions such as Citizen Nutrition Institute and Food Supply Institute, and are able to realize the delivery of meals to the door. In the United States, there is also a popular PACE model, which can provide a full set of elderly services. The elderly in the community can not only enjoy diversified services such as meals, housekeeping, bathing and deliver y, but also obtain nursing, medical and rehabilitation services. Nutrition room in the United Kingdom As a country with a relatively perfect welfare system, the United Kingdom has a perfect content of community care services, and the elderly care centers and public-private nutrition rooms in the community provide specialized catering services for the elderly, which can realize door-to-door cooking or delivery of meals to the home. Sweden community central kitchen in the community central kitchen, the elderly only need to spend a small amount of meal and delivery costs, you can get a nutritious meal. At the same time, Helpful Dining Table will also cooperate with relevant organizations, such as school canteens to avoid peak hours to provide safe and preferential meals for the elderly. In addition to community canteens, Denmark has also developed mobile food trucks as a mode of meal deliver y, which enables the elderly to have meals at home on time and is widely welcomed by the elderly.

After learning about referential elderly care models and meal assistance services around the world, I thought of using design to improve the current operation of community canteens in China. By optimizing the service process and the way the canteen moves, the service quality of community canteens can be improved and the user experience can be enhanced. By using intelligent technology and introducing intelligent devices such as mobile payment and intelligent ordering systems, the management eﬀiciency and service level of community canteens can be improved and the user satisfaction can be enhanced. Introducing the function of recording users' diet and nutritional intake to help users understand their dietary habits and nutritional intake more clearly, so as to enhance their health awareness. The system can provide personalized nutritional guidance and advice, and provide reasonable dietary programs according to users' needs and health conditions, helping users maintain balanced nutrition. Personalized recommendation of dishes and recipes

suitable for the user, to enhance the user 's dining experience and satisfaction, and increase the user 's stickiness and loyalt y. The system collects a large number of users' dietary data, which can be analyzed and mined for data analysis, providing valuable data resources for restaurant dish flavor customization and operation.

Cafeteria VI Design This design combines love hearts, rice bowls and emoji to represent the core concept and characteristics of a community cafeteria. The heart symbolizes care and warmth, representing the care and concern of the community canteen for the residents. As a place that serves the communit y, the community canteen is committed to providing healthy and tasty food service, which reflects the care and concern for the health and life of the residents. Rice bowls are an integral part of people's daily lives, representing the importance of food and nutrition. Combining the rice bowl with love expresses the community cafeteria's commitment to providing delicious, nutritious meals to meet the needs of its residents. emoji are emoticons that represent the relaxed atmosphere and friendly service of the community cafeteria. By incorporating emoji into the design, the brand image becomes more lively and friendly, attracting more young people and families to come to the cafeteria, and enhancing the popularity and influence of the community cafeteria.

The service targets of community canteens are mainly residents in the communit y, especially the elderly, children, the disabled and other people with special difficulties. This mode of service, in the context of an aging societ y, provides the elderly with the convenience of daily meals, and focuses on solving the problems of cooking and eating for the elderly in special difficulties, such as those in special hardship, those living alone, widows and orphans, the elderly and the lost. Solving the dining problems of people with special difficulties: f or people with special difficulties, such as the elderly, the disabled, and children in difficult circumstances, they may not be able to cook for themselves or go out to eat due to physical reasons or financial difficulties. Community canteens provide convenient, affordable and hygienic catering services for these people and solve their dining problems. Community canteens, as part of the community's supporting facilities, aim to promote equalization of public services. By providing catering services to community residents, community canteens can bring

residents closer together and enhance community cohesion. Catering enterprises are involved in their construction and operation, so their meal prices are usually much cheaper than those of outside restaurants. This can alleviate the financial burden of the elderly and community residents and enable them to enjoy more aﬀordable catering services. In addition to providing catering services, community canteens can also provide other services to community residents, such as heating food, providing free drinking water, free breaks and free toilets for sanitation workers, traﬀic police and cab drivers, etc., and organizing thematic activities on volunteerism during traditional Chinese holidays such as the Chinese New Year and the Chung Yeung Festival.

Design:

Taken together, the design combines love hearts, rice bowls and emoji, implying that the community cafeteria is committed to providing delicious and nutritious meals with care and warmth at its core, as well as creating a pleasant and relaxing dining atmosphere to bring a better living experience to the community residents.

Intelligent terminal product design at the entrance of the cafeteria: when designing the shape of the terminal at the entrance, it is taken into consideration that the attributes of the community cafeteria cannot only be a charity project facing the disadvantaged groups, but also have the commercial attributes of attracting more people, therefore, the appearance of the intelligent terminal should be designed in a simple and modern way, which is in line with the overall style and atmosphere of the community cafeteria. Rounded lines and simple modeling are adopted to avoid overly complex and cumbersome design.

Considering the installation location and usage scenarios, the smart terminal should not take up too much space and utilize the area of the canteen more eﬀiciently while also ensuring the visibility of the screen and the convenience of the operation, so a flat design and a large 16k screen were adopted.

Durable, easy-to-clean plastic material was chosen to ensure the product's longevity and hygiene. The man-machine size of the product takes into account the fact that users of community canteens may include diﬀerent groups of people such as the elderly, children, the disabled, and young people in order to meet the needs of most people.

Intelligent terminal interaction design at the entrance of the cafeteria: Customers can enter the cafeteria and enter their identity information through the intelligent terminal, thus automatically recording the user's daily meals, as well as recommending the corresponding set menu for the user through the user's daily dietary habits and physical condition information; the user can choose a set menu or a la carte dishes, and the choice of a set menu enables the user to browse the menu of the set

menu, select the set menu, customize the taste, and complete the payment. This way can save queuing time and improve ordering eﬀiciency. The home page of the smart terminal will also provide information on the latest news, specialties and promotions of the cafeteria, making it convenient for customers to learn about the cafeteria's services and oﬀers.

Comprehensively speaking, the smart terminal at the entrance of the canteen can enhance the dining experience of customers, record user information, and provide more convenient, fast, and personalized services, and at the same time, it also provides the canteen management with a more eﬀective data collection and customer feedback mechanism, which helps to improve the operational eﬀiciency and service quality of the canteen.

The color scheme of dark blue and light green is used in the community canteen app design. Dark blue color is usually associated with stability and trust, which brings a sense of security and stability to users. For the community canteen app, users will have certain trust needs when choosing canteens, ordering and paying, etc. The use of dark blue can enhance users' trust in the app.

Light green color is usually associated with nature, health and freshness, which brings people a pleasant feeling. In the community canteen app, the use of light green color may mean that the food is healthy, fresh and clean, attracting users to choose healthy meals and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Light green is also often associated with eco-friendliness and

sustainability. A community canteen app may emphasize the use of organic ingredients, reduce food waste and other sustainable development concepts, and the use of light green can echo such concepts and enhance the user's sense of identity and goodwill towards the app. The combination of dark blue and light green not only conveys the above message, but also provides a good visual experience and a sense of comfort. This color combination can make users feel relaxed and comfortable, enhance their experience of using the app, and increase their retention and loyalty. Taken together, the color scheme of dark blue and light green in community canteen app design can convey positive messages such as safety, trust, health, freshness and environmental protection, while providing a good visual experience, which can help to attract users and enhance user stickiness, thus improving the user experience and brand image of the app. The four main functions in the app design are Member Center, Meal Customization, Diet Report and Friends and Family Profile. Member Center: Member Center is the core module for users to manage personal information and enjoy member services in app. Users can complete the following operations here: view and edit personal information including name, gender, age, contact information and other basic information; manage membership card information including membership card number, points inquiry, recharge and consumption records, etc. Setting Health Goals: users can set their own health goals, such as controlling weight, improving dietary habits, etc., and track the progress of achieving the goals.

Meal customization: meal customization is designed to provide users with personalized dietary plans to meet their health needs and taste preferences. Users can perform the following operations: selecting ingredients and dishes – according to personal preferences and nutritional needs, select ingredients and dishes in the menu that suit you. Adjust recipe ratios: adjust food types, ratios and cooking methods according to health goals and nutritional requirements. Customized Diet Plan: create personalized diet plans, including breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, etc., providing users with round-the-clock nutritional supplementation. Diet report: the Diet Report function is used to record and analyze the user's dietary habits and nutritional intake, providing users with health management and nutritional guidance. Specific functions

include recording dietary data: users can record the types, quantities and cooking methods of the food they consume every day, as well as mark the meal times and occasions. Analyzing nutritional intake: the system will automatically analyze the user's nutritional intake, including the intake of energy, protein, carbohydrates, fat and other nutrients. Nutritional advice: based on the user's dietary preferences and nutritional intake, the system will provide personalized nutritional advice and improvement plans to help users adjust their dietary structure and habits. Friends and Family Profile: the Friends and Family Profile is designed to promote mutual health support and care among family and community members. Create Friends and Family Profile: users can create and manage the health profiles of family members, friends or neighbors, including basic information, health status and dietary preferences. Sharing health information: Users can share health knowledge, dietary tips and nutritional advice with friends and relatives through the app to promote mutual health awareness and behavioral changes. Care Reminder Service: the system will provide regular health care and meal reminder services based on the health information in the files of friends and relatives, helping users to care for the health of their family members and friends.

The use of rounded linear icons in the icon design of the Community Canteen App aims to convey a warm, friendly and relaxed feeling. Rounded linear icons usually give people a soft and comfortable visual experience, which is in line with a scene such as a community canteen that provides a cozy food service for community residents. With the rounded linear icons, the friendly and pleasant atmosphere of the Community Canteen App can be conveyed to the users, making them feel the pleasant experience of enjoying food on this platform.

Reference

[1] Li, L. (2019, March). Spatial pattern and fine design of community elders' canteen based on aging vision. In International Academic Conference on Frontiers in Social Sciences and Management Innovation (IAFSM 2018) (pp. 326-331). Atlantis Press.

[2] Evenhuis I J, Jacobs S M, Vyth E L, et al. The eﬀect of supportive implementation of healthier canteen guidelines on changes in Dutch school canteens and student purchase behaviour[J]. Nutrients, 2020, 12(8): 2419.

[3] Li Li. (2018). Research on the type system and spatial strategy of community canteens for the elderly in the home-based elderly modeltaking Guangzhou as an example. Art and Design (theory).

[4] Zhao Yulin, et al. Research on the current situation and operation management of the community elderly canteen - Take the main urban area of Wuhan as an example. Spatial Governance for High-quality Development - Proceedings of the 2021 China Urban Planning Annual Conference (19 Housing and Community Planning) (2021).

[5] Zhong Xingju, & Wang Liyuan. (2021). Community-oriented: Exploration of the elderly care model from a developmental perspectivetake the co-construction process of Chongqing X community elderly canteen as an example. Social Work and Management, 21(5), 70-82.

Immersive Imaginations

H ow do I materialise the unconscious forces in my psyche?

Stuart MacKay

Abstract

It's a challenging and complex subject matter I’m dealing with but the idea is to make the Carl Jung concept of the archetypes and the collective unconscious more digestible. Possibly helping the viewer of my paintings see them selves in a diﬀerent light. I’ll introduce the reader to Carl Jung’s theories and why Freud and him went their separate ways, explaining briefly the opposing ideas. Then I’ll outline a clearer view of the archetypes in a modern context. Finally I’ll define my ideas that support my paintings.

Introduction I’m interested in the phenomena of the unconscious and how it influences us.

Carl Jung’s theories of the archetypes the collective unconscious and the inner work we can do to reconcile our unconscious and our conscious lives. According to Carl Jung the Swiss psychologist we have a second level of unconsciousness which he called the collective unconscious which is separate from our personal unconscious and this is where we find the archetypes that have a major influence over us.

Research question

How can I delve into my unconscious and somehow attempt to represent the archetypes at work within my psyche? And if I can visually translate them into tangible constructions and gain better insight into the conflicts that exist in me; am I able then to see them at work in on a larger scale, asking the question what unresolved archetypal influences are contributing to societ y ’s failings.

Background of the Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious Freud understood our unconsciousness as a web of unfulfilled sexual desires and past memories that we continually repress causing a neurosis; unlike Freud, Jung believed another layer of unconsciousness was contributing to our unease. He called this the collective unconscious and the archetypes that reside here have been deposited here over the entire time we’ve been evolving as a species. This was the main reason why Freud and Jung ended their relationship, Freud thought Jung was going down a slippery slope towards unscientific propositions about a deeper unconscious that connected every living being and Jung thought we were more than just bundle of repressions driven by a sex-fueled libido. There was something much larger and more powerful at stake, this he believed was the work of the archetypes.

“ The contents of the collective unconscious are archetypes, primordial images that reflect basic patterns that are common to us all, and which have existed universally since the dawn of time” (Carl Jung, The Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious).

“Archetypes are the living system of reactions and aptitudes that determine the individual’s life in invisible ways .” (Jung, The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche)

“...in addition to our immediate consciousness, which is of a thoroughly personal nature and which we believe to be the only empirical psyche (even if we tack on the personal unconscious as an appendix), there exists a second psychic system of a collective, universal, and impersonal nature which is identical in all individuals. The collective unconscious does not develop individually but is inherited. It consists of pre-existent forms, the archetypes, which can only become conscious secondarily and give definite form to certain psychic contents .”(Jung, The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche)

Modern examples of the Archetypes

Its easier to imagine the archetypes as a force or instinct that's been personified to help us understand our deeper selves, a lot like mythology. It's best described in the Star Wars films. Darth Vader represents the Shadow Archetype – something like a blind spot of our ego, everything we dismiss and find unacceptable about ourselves is expelled to this area of our psyche, giving it an extra density the more we deny these darker aspects of ourselves. Luke Skywalker embodies the hero archetypal force within us all. He enters a transformational journey of self-discovery by starting out as a naive farm boy, then eventually becoming a Jedi Knight defeating the evil force of the Sith, accepting his shadow Darth Vader who turns out to be his father and finally returning balance to the force. Hans Solo, the trickster archetype, a lovable rogue bringing unconventional wisdom, an outlaw to the normal rules and regulations. Something I know I have inside of my psyche. The rebel archetype Princess Leia can be seen as a figure of empowerment, representing the selfless fight against oppression and injustice. Obi-Wan Kenobi the wise and experienced Jedi who serves as a mentor figure to Luke Skywalker. He embodies the archetype of the mentor or wise old man, providing guidance, wisdom, and spiritual teachings to the hero on his journey. There are more characters in the film but I’ll spare you the whole list, but the point is, there are personified forces inside all of us, and we can find them and use them to our advantage to give us more meaning to life. The archetypes that aren’t directly referenced in the film are the anima and animus. An archetype I have experienced and find inspiring to make paintings about. See below.

Defining my Ideas

I’m a painter and I’d like to explore ways I can represent the archetypes I’ve experienced first hand. Mainly the shadow, anima and the self, although the self archetype is the most elusive of them all and extremely fleeting but none the less worth attempting to represent. I’m currently exploring an idea which uses sub-cultures. Here’s some examples I intend to use. One of the earliest experiences of sub-cultures I had was seeing the punks cause havoc when I was growing up in South London in the 70s. I used to see them lying down on the middle of the high street refusing to move and hanging around street corners terrorising the public.

My experience of the shadow archetype in my psyche relates to the anarchic attitude of the punks. It refuses to leave and terrorises my ego and the more I try to suppress it the more it shouts, swears and spits back at me. These memories from when I must have only been five or six years old made a deep impression on my unconscious, forming a visual language I can use today to represent the shadow archetype.

The anima archetype which is the feminine psychological qualities that a man possesses, and likewise for the woman, the male psychological qualities a woman possesses. For me it is best described in terms of sub-cultures and the context I’m using is the Hippies. I obviously didn’t experience the counterculture in the 60s but in my teens they had an enormous appeal to me, through the indirect way of the mid-90s Manchester music scene and later my discovery of bands like the Pink Floyd and The Doors.

“Almost all of a man’s sense of value, worth, safet y, joy, contentment, belongingness, and happiness derive from his inner feminine nature … Men, in their arrogance, generally think it is their strength, possessions, and dominations that bring them happiness. But it is not so. Happiness is feminine in a man, a feeling quality and generally mysterious to him” (Robert A. Johnson, Lying with the Heavenly Woman).

The hippies to me represented personal freedom being in touch with the spiritual dimension, letting go of materialism, and all of this centres around the heart or feelings – something that is missing today in the masculine world. I want to use this sub-culture as a way to represent the feminine psychological qualities inside me, therefore representing the anima archetype.

The self archetype is what you embody when you have carried out your shadow work and adapted to the anima archetype. It's the end goal of a process Jung called Individuation (becoming a true individual). Some describe it as a lifelong journey only experiencing it in fleeting moments, others have achieved it more substantially. But essentially its the final resting place where the unconscious and conscious coalesce in harmony.

So now I’ve explained the background of my ideas, and how I’m planning on using motifs in the form of sub-cultures to represent the archetypes at work in my psyche. I want to give you some idea of how I’ll render these themes on the surface of my canvas. I want the surface of the canvas to be like an arena where I tackle the conflicts I experience in my psyche. I want it to appear like the viewer is in my unconscious sifting through the multiple forms of media and real life experiences that have contributed to the data bank that provides my imagination with imager y. The television aesthetic of cartoon monsters to symbolise the shadow archetype, the wild west backdrop of cowboy and Indian films the hero archetype, the real-life experiences of punks and the nostalgic look back at the hippies shadow and anima archetypes. All of these various forms of sub-cultures will be used to represent the archetypes that I experience.