Elaine Lopez’s lecture focuses on decolonisation. Her work revolves around shaping her identity through learning more about her culture and traditions. This can be seen in the work of “Bolita” in which she interviews her grandmother about how luck is played through animal imagery. I never realized how much of our design comes from the cultures that are more dominant in our world, the characteristics of white supremacy. Through the exhibition "souvenirs from the futures," we can see the different realities of other cultures. Listening to her lecture made me realise that I should reconnect with my roots, and add more warmth to my work.
Watching her lecture got me mesmerised. My favorite part of the introduction was asking students what our names mean. As our names have stories. Her projects such as "Seat at the table" also included giving voice to the voiceless. A visually striking name to show who is represented. I enjoyed her thorough ideation for this concept using a distinct colour scheme and clear sketches. Especially the concept design for the loudspeaker, one that amplifies not only verbally but also visually. This completely changes the experience for the user. I equally enjoyed her exhibition that honours the deities from Cambodia which allowed people to virtually and fully immerse themselves into the art, culture and religion. Helping other people to be culturally aware with other people in a safe space.
Pascal Glissman's lecture focuses on design and type across countries. His observations include astronomy and other historical artifacts. A significant aspect of design is that it is a method of inquiry and a means of building community. One of my favourite works was typography based on bamboo scaffolding. Using key observations from different countries and understanding their visual differences and digital languages through photographs, typography is made. This diversity helps us appreciate the differences in visual culture between countries. Symbols were communicated through animations, books and symbols placed on the floor of a church as part of another project that I enjoyed. All works were displayed in an informative and structured manner. In the Atlas of Human Impact, multiple languages were used which required strenuous research and data collection. It was truly admirable and inspirational. The biggest takeaway from this lecture would be that including other natural resources such as layers of soil. This made me think of approaching type in a more natural and biological form.
This lecture was conducted by E Roon Kang & Andrew LeClair that discusses design concepts and how each of these design books has evolved. It was insightful to watch design patterns correlate with each design trend through the years. By continuously generating output and writing a command and creating a guide for students and their submissions, "every single interaction" was identified. I like how the current material cover is reflective of gold, using silver foil and black. This evokes a distinct texture and elegance themes. In the timestamp 27:56, I admired the data visualisation of the pages that shows the student nationalities and the country that they were represented in.
The lecture focuses on Kelly Walter's work who talks about her journey of finding and creating meaningful art. Works of diversity, social impact and representation. This can be seen in her poster work where she experiments with type by adding conversations using repetition of words, bold colours and layering. One work that resonated with me was the poster at 8:45 that depicted the objectification and commodification of "Exotic women". The theme of decentralisation was highlighted using sticker-like labels that are usually found on fruits and vegetables. Overall, the lecture also made me reflect on my ethnicity and the importance of incorporating those experiences into my work.