Description

Finding Defininition:

Oct 5th 2021

Decolonization

To understand "Decolonization", We need to know what "Colonization" is first.

"Colonisation is invasion: a group of people taking over the land and imposing their own culture on Indigenous people (Explainer: what is decolonisation? (theconversation.com)."

Decolonization demands to counteract this through direct activism and helping marginalized groups effected by colonization. An example would be India regaining independence from England in 1947 after world war II.

Sustainability

"The definition of 'sustainability' is the study of how natural systems function, remain diverse and produce everything it needs for the ecology to remain in balance (What Is Sustainability and Why Is It Important? | EnvironmentalScience.org)."

An example of sustainability impacting businesses and people's behavior: Companies like Starbucks now use paper straws instead of regular straws to reduce plastic waste. Plastic materials are not sustainable because they can be toxic to animals and take up to 450 years to decompose.

Technology

"Technology, the application of scientific knowledge to the practical aims of human life or, as it is sometimes phrased, to the change and manipulation of the human environment (technology | Definition, Examples, Types, & Facts | Britannica)."

An example of changes of human life occurred due to technology: We now have the options to shop online and have a virtual social life because of the invention of the Internet.

Exhibition Road - Primary Research

Oct 8th 2021

I went to Victoria and Albert Museum today and found some pieces related to decolonisation, technology and sustainability.

Decolonisation

The following information was found at the museum:

Wooden chair
1985
Designed by and made for Huren Marsh
Sycamore, beech plywood and rosewood veneer inlay

The face-like shape of this chair's backrest is inspired by the Ghanian fertility doll Akuaba, while the seat and legs nod to early 20th century European design. Jamaican-born Huren Marsh designed the chair while studying furniture and product design in London. Influenced by African artefacts he saw in the city's museums, Marsh wanted to create furniture that went beyond the contemporary European style he was being taught at university.

My thoughts:

This chair shows the artist's willingness to fight against Eurocentric styles in furniture and product design. To me, his profession had been "colonized" as contemporary European furniture are considered mainstreaming. This is decolonization in a way that another nation's identity shines through Eurocentrism.

Technology

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The following information was found at the museum:

Snorkelling mask fitted with
Charlotte valve
Designed by Isinnova, Italy
Maufactured bv Oldrati. Italv
Injection moulded plastic

This snorkelling mask is fitted with a Charlotte valve designed by Isinnova, a 3D-printing company based in Brescia, Italy. The valve converts the leisure item into a fully functioning CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) mask, needed to provide assisted breathing.

In March 2020, hospitals in northern Italy struggled to treat the vast influx of patients suffering from Covid-19 due to shortages of respiratory equipment. Retired doctor Renato Favero contacted Isinnova with the idea to repurpose a full-face snorkelling mask into a CPAP mask. Working in collaboration with a local hospital, the team rapidly developed a 3D-printed prototype. Once successfully tested, Isinnova printed the valve for immediate use. They also approached a local firm, Oldrati, who injection-moulded the valve to speed up supply.

Isinnova made the design files for the Charlotte valve freely available online. The design has been downloaded more than 2 million times and the repurposed masks have been deployed in countries including Brazil, Spain, Morocco, Australia and the Philippines.

My thoughts:

A very good case for how beneficial technology could be during these crucial moments. 3D printing made producing 3D objects easy and accessible to more people. This makes me want to explore the potential of technology by using a 3D printer to produce art.

Sustainability:

The following information was found at the museum:

Lamp
2012 (manufactured)
Designed by Wadongo, Evans
Produced by Sustainable Development for All-Kenya

This solar-powered lamp is called MwangaBora, Swahili for “good light”, created by Kenyan engineer Evans Wadongo. The lamps are designed to be manufactured by members of rural communities in Kenya to support the development of small business and encourage education amongst these communities.

My thoughts:

This shows that sustainable energy like solar power can achieve greater purposes than just sustainability.

Drawings that I made during the visit:

First Visual Practice

Oct 17th 2021

My first practice was inspired by Tippoo's Tiger, an mechanical toy crafted for Tipu Sultan, the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in India, when I went to Victoria & Albert Museum on 8th October. It represents a tiger savaging a European man. Sultan used the tiger systematically as his emblem and this toy expresses his hatred of his enemy, the British of the East India Company.

I appreciate how this piece shows Sultan's wish to fight against colonization through graphical violence, which I find somewhat empowering. It makes me think of the role that violence plays in the process of decolonization.

I read an article about "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51139005.amp), which is a term in Merriam-Webster's dictionary. It unfairly vilifies MSG, a flavoring agent frequently used in Asian cuisines, by claiming that it gives you headache and dizziness. which is found to be unscientific. The term is blatantly racist and I see this as a form of colonization on Chinese culinary culture. Colonizers see Chinese culture as something inferior and try to change it.

I drew this illustration below using brush pen and crayon. I used my own hand as a reference for this drawing. It demonstrates a giant hand picking an eighteenth-century colonizer up using chopsticks like he is a piece of meat. The article mostly made me feel angry, and I wanted to turn the anger into an illustration that delivers the message of fighting against racism through direct action, just like the tiger above tearing a colonizer apart.

I really like the fact that this illustration gave me the direction of what I wanted to do next. I would love to explore on different ways to display my art.

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Second Visual Practice

Oct 17th 2021

I saw those flip phones invented in the 2000s at Victoria & Albert Museum. As someone who spent his childhood in the 2000s, they felt nostalgic as I dreamed to have a flip phone as a kid but never got one. They also reminded of my favorite musicians, movies and TV shows from the 2000s.

I used acrylic markers to draw this illustration. I made the bubble that includes titles of the musicians, movies and TV shows pixel-like to fit the 2000s aesthetic.

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Designing Patterns for Ceramics

Nov 25th 2021

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I drew this design for a ceramic dinner set digitally. MSG was first prepared by Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese Chemist and found from Kombu, an edible seaweed. I was inspired by this and created a seaweed monster that essentially replaces the role that chopsticks play in my previous illustration. Decolonizing Chinese food can simply be about expressing my love for Chinese Culture, so I created drawings of food items e.g. dim sum and take out containers as the supporting part of the design.

Transferring My Design to Ceramics

Nov 7th 2021

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I wanted to use my design on ceramic utensils because they are traditionally used to serve Chinese food and I was making a response to racism shown towards Chinese Food. This idea also creates a pun as China (the nation) is being displayed on China (the material). To make this happen, I put my artwork on a ceramic transfer sheet and cut each individual design out before soaking them in water. Then I placed the soaked pieces on the ceramic utensils before firing them to stabilize the pigments. Eventually, I removed the plastic on the surfaces of the utensils and they were done.

I love the fact that the outcome demonstrates the possibilities of displaying my art on different medias, it inspired me to present my work more creatively. If I were to improve this, I would have made my own ceramics instead of purchasing them online, creating them from scratch makes a more deserving ownership. Furthermore, I wish the illustration were more than just lines, by having more colors involved could make the outcome more robust.

Final Outcome

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Intro to - Exhibition Road

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