mySDstudents

CC2426 Leungpo's group remarks 3: Presentation 1

2008-04-10T06:43:00.001-07:00

Up-to-date notice: http://mysdstudents.blogspot.com/

Brief presentation on Monday 14 Apr (10am - 1pm/ ALL class):

1. Report from the field:

What to report:

What is the major activity taking place there?

What is the relationship between the place, object and the people? (what, who, how?)

Draw one page to report to the class at Wanchai(draw on A3 paper)

Please revise everything and present all your findings with a few sheets of A3 papers/ no more than 10 pages of powerpoint. (All material has to be in English)

2. Research proposal:

a. What:

Area of study (roughly defined)

Basic information about that place you found from secondary material (major activity, spatial characteristics, demography and etc / cite your references)

b. Why:

Why you want to study that place? What relationship do you have with it?

c. How:

Method- how you will study that place? (what to observe? whom to do interview? when you will visit? etc...)

> present in class with no more than 10 pages of powerpoint.

> give me one page of A4 written summary of your proposal.

Each group would have about 15 mins to present, and then we'd have discussion. Try to ask constructive questions to your classmate.

CC2426 Apr 11 Fri Fieldwork in Wanchai

2008-04-08T06:24:00.000-07:00

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CC2426 Leungpo's group remarks II: Fieldwork in Wanchai

2008-04-07T07:07:00.000-07:00

I just revive my blog for my polyu students: http://mysdstudents.blogspot.com/ (I will post note and ref for your on this blog. pls check. you may also exchange ideas on it. )

10:00 Briefing Roof garden, Bowrington Road Market, Wanchai鵝頸橋街市天台花園

10:00-11:30 Observation at your field:

gp 1. Bowrington Road Market 鵝頸橋街市

gp 2. Lockhart Rd 駱克道 (菲林明道至馬師道一帶)

gp 3. Time Sq. & Russell St. 時代廣場羅素街一帶

gp 4. Causeway Bay Centre灣景中心

gp 5. Jardine Bazzar乍甸坊

11:30-12:30 Report from the field- go back to our gathering place.

(You may take tunnel bus to go back to CC college. It's about 15 mins travel. )

Preparation and equipment:

Sketch book, digital camera, map, few pages of A3 papers - and your attention to details.

What to report:

What is the major activity taking place there?

What is the relationship between the place, object and the people?

Draw one page to report to the class (draw on A3 paper)

More useful ref:

網絡‧社區http://www.hkcommunities.net/home.php

Hong Kong Place香港誌http://www.hkdatabase.com/

Planning Department香港規劃署http://www.pland.gov.hk/index_c.html

活在觀塘http://kwuntong.wordpress.com/

要較感性的讀物，可翻翻各種香港文學和藝術作品，例如小思、吳吴、魯金、陳慧、西西、潘國靈、也斯、白雙全、江記、智海......Please suggest your favorite English reading.

Remarks:

Do you know how to search in the library? Do you know how to use date base to assist preliminary research?

CC2426 Leungpo remarks 1

2008-04-07T06:31:00.000-07:00

CC 2426 Study Trip Project Leungpo's group (class 204)

Leungpo:

leungpo@gmail.com

http://motat.blogspot.com

(I am part time tutor, pls contact me through email. sorry, I have no office in the school no tel provided.)

Place: Venue Rm704

Schedule:

	Mon	Wed	Fri
wk 1 7-13 Apr	project brief grouping	10:00 Site visit brief 10:30UG03 Mass lecture 12:00 tutorial after lecture	Site visit 10:00 Wanchai (meeting place-tbc)
wk 2 14-20 Apr	Presentation: report from the field + research proposal (group)	Leungpo's lecture: "studying culture, going to the field"	Report from the field (group / individual)
wk 3 21-29 Apr	Report from the field (group / individual)	Report from the field (individual)	Report from the field (individual)
wk 4 28-30 Apr	Presentation preparation	Final presentation	no class
wk 5 (optional)	optional meeting for report review

Meeting time: 10:00-1:00 (unless special notice)

Meeting session:

group 1 10:00-10:30

group 2 10:30-11:00

(break)

group 3 11:15- 11:45

group 4 11:45-12:15

group 5 12:15-12:45

Do not late for your session!!! No consultation after assigned time.

Keywords:

Culture, Hong Kong, place: to study the production of culture in Hong Kong, its material existence and this formation in space

What to look at:

Space > place (people, objects, space)

Process book:

No smaller than A4size! 2-3 pages of analysis for each tutorial meetings.

Communication:

Please keep close contact with your group leader, I will inform your group leader for any special arrangement.

Useful website;

http://www.inmediahk.net

http://www.hk-place.com/

SD040 a few more ref- food for thoughts

2005-12-05T07:48:00.000-08:00

Ziteng紫藤 http://www.ziteng.org.hk/
on Holocaust: http://www.holocaust-history.org/
Lily Lau http://www.lilycomix.com/
我在伊朗長大，可在豆瓣的網站找到同好(豆瓣是什麼？你上去便知道！)
我在模達紀事裡相關的舊作：
兩個與政治擦身而過的攝影展
上堂的powerpoint 放在另一個harddisc裡要找找看，遲些上Dman>part time staff>sdpo裡找找看。

Please also think of the following approaches I introduced to you last week：
1. Descriptive (either of realism or expressionsim......)
2. Satire or ironic
3. How to help empower the people?
4. propaganda, advertisment > anti-propaganda, advertisment?

Wish this is helpful~

SD040 visual literacy and social movememt

2005-12-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

just don't want to upload the same things to different blog, pls simply go to my personal blog:
www.motat.blogspot.com and www.inmediahk.net to see more about visual literacy and social movement. photo album of today rally also avaliable at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/56463263@N00/sets/1507923/show/

SD2080 more reference

2005-11-24T22:22:00.000-08:00

呂大樂：城市競爭妄想狂的圖像建築

明報 2005-10-31 論壇 A30 思潮呂大樂

表面上，世界各地的大小城市從來沒有如此自信。上世紀七八十年代不少城市的市政府陷於財務危機(urbanfiscalcrisis)的慘淡歲月已成過去，而自工業革命以來，城市代表現代的同時，也象徵着資本主義的陰暗面、罪惡、異化的狀况，亦隨着邁向後工業化的轉型而出現了轉機，一洗過去污染、罪案、暴力、冷漠等等的負面形象。在剛過去的20年裏，各個城市都在搞復興(urbanrenaissance)。城市故事重新編寫。

實際上，世界各地大小城市從來沒有如此信心低落。城市之間的競爭是空前激烈：所有城市(可能只有紐約、倫敦除外)都為了變身成為「全球城市」(globalcity)而發燒，它們都要跟其他城市一較高下，別人有的，自己一定也要有。官話是互相競爭，共同發展與繁榮。事實上，誰都不懷好意，想取代對手。這是「城際競賽」(inter-citycompetition)的新世界；在全球化趨勢下，參與競賽的單位不再是國家，而是城市。

在這「城際競賽」所推動的新環境下，圖像的建築(iconicbuildings)正在世界各地大小城市湧現或計劃興建之中。當然，我們必須明白，圖像的建築並不完全是新生事物。舉一個例：悉尼歌劇院便是經常為人所引述的、世界知名而且效果顯著的圖像的建築。現在跟以前有所不同的地方，不在於有無圖像的建築，而是當代城市(更準確的說，是支配城市發展的領導人)對這類建築的着迷。今時今日，一些城市會不惜一切而要興建圖像的建築。

簽名式建築只為人有我有

CharlesJencks形容，「好的圖像的建築是縮簡後的單句俏皮話，但它背後藏有好多句。」圖像的建築的另一點特色，是它有着一種謎樣的特質(enigma)。它令人感到迷惑，會產生一種恨──但又不能太過深刻──的感覺。它本身就是一個象徵符號，就是一種功能。當代城市及它們的統治層(由政府領導、議員至資本家)之所以對圖像的建築產生濃厚興趣，願意大灑金錢，非要引來世界著名的建築師為自己的地方興建圖像的建築不可，目標只有一個：為了在「城際競賽」中超越對手，就必須創建一個新地標。

圖像的建築是當代城市的紀念建築(monument)。傳統的紀念建築有它們的內容：宗教的、紀念戰爭的、展現政治權力的、向犧牲者致敬的、紀念起義、革命及其群眾的……但令當代城市及其統治層變得瘋狂的，不再是宗教或政治元素(前社會主義制度下的城市只有拆掉革命、人民紀念碑)，而是經濟及其相關的競爭手段。當代的圖像的建築是以自身為中心的，成與敗取決於它能否成為地標、符號。今天，好些城市重金禮聘世界著名的所謂「簽名式建築師」(signaturearchitect)在市內設計一幢大樓，為的就是證明它們跟其他「全球城市」一樣，也有這些建築師的作品。

這是一場城市與城市之間互相攀比的「遊戲」。在全球化的壓力之下，城市的統治層深明跨國資本游走於全球空間，而且不斷按其利益計算的需要而移動。要成為「全球城市」，便有必要提高城市的吸引力、「全球性」。而最快捷的提升競爭力的方法，不是在深層的人民素質或社會軟件方面投入(因為收效需時太久)，而是轉而搞包裝、市場推廣。新的手段是「城市推廣」(placemarketing)、「打造城市品牌」(citybranding)。興建圖像的建築是手段，而它的意義就在於有效地、順利地完成這種手段。所以，圖像的建築本身就是它的功能。

市民毫無感覺

作為當代城市的紀念建築，圖像的建築是對外的。當地的市民可以對它毫無感覺，而它的風格通常都是跟原地周邊環境有着強烈對比的。情况往往是「簽名式建築師」將他的個人風格延展至一個新的城市，就像他到了一個城市後揮筆簽下大名一樣，是城市變為了他的作品的展覽館，同時也因他的建築而添了新元素。

圖像的建築是自我中心的。它的意義只能從近乎患上妄想狂狀態的「城際競賽」才能解讀出來。本來，城市與城市的競賽應該是在地方特質、文化、(廣義的)資源、軟件、網絡等不同方面的比試。現在，大家放棄了在地方建設上做工夫，只求興建圖像的建築能帶來意想不到的效果。

圖像的建築的湧現，錯不在於FrankGehry、NormanFoster、RemKoolhaas。圖像的建築本身也不是一個問題。我同意貝聿銘的說法，要有好的建築，我們需要有修養的建築物的主人。

我對西九龍的天幕設計本身沒有很大意見，只是想搞清楚為了什麼而建、為了表達些什麼而建，而不是對圖像的建築的拜物式崇拜。

參考書目：1.CharlesJencks.IconicBuilding.London:FrancesLincolnLtd.,2005.

2.TimCresswell.Place:AShortIntroduction.Oxford:Black-wellPublishing,2004.

中文大學社會學系教授

發窮惡第二集：亞洲文化合作論壇─宣示文化含金量

http://www.inmediahk.net/public/article?item_id=80792&group_id=48

from particular issue to its social meaning

2005-11-24T22:09:00.000-08:00

Dear all, I know you must be very confused on how to understand and analysis how a particular issue could be analyze on a wider social dimenion. Here is one case on the French roit recently, wish you may learn from it.
梁文道：法國的騷亂我們的警號
http://www.inmediahk.net/public/article?item_id=80691&group_id=53
there are lots of debate on various issue on the inmediahk.net , pls see if it is helpful.
add oil and see you on Monday!

SD040

2005-11-22T18:55:00.000-08:00

Hi! It's nice to see you all in my class, especailly those I met in the interview. I wish you could learn in an enjoyable way in this course.

Task of the first stage:
Fri- decide the topic >select five keywords or key concept to explain the soical meaning of the issue> compose a short statement base on the key concepts * please also consider the topic should be interested to you and has the potentials to further develope in stage two.

Mon- 10 mins presentation: elaborate your statement with images and words

Please note that the two lecture we give in this course does not only relate to SD040 project, but could help you to equip youself in future in research and transfomration of ideas. We put much effort to prepare it, please don't disappoint us!

SD2080 tutorial V 07.10.05 (2005/06)

2005-10-09T00:59:00.000-07:00

Gillian Naylor, “The Survival of the Craft Ideal”, in Joycelyn de Noblet ed., Industrial Design: Reflection of a Century, Paris: Flammarion, 1993, pp.110-118.

John Ruskin & William Morris- art & craft:

- as agents of social, moral, aesthetic reform (110)

- humanism & standard”- work, product & life (113)

- sanction experiment of both: individualism & the collective; tradition & avant-grade; promote regional & national identity > democratic process, i.e. proto-modernists (113-left)

- contribution of Morris: i. designer & artisan become a occupation; ii. Aesthetics of design: from pure commodity to symbolic production, democracy of caft-base design

~ disadvantages: expensive and exclusive without aims of machine (113-mid)

Viennna Model: Werkstatte (exclusivity):

- Josef Hoffmann & Koloman Mose: “ establish intimate contact btw public, designer and craftsman- without aid of the machine” ; bourgeoisie, cosmopolitan, urbane; stylistic innovators: wealthy, fashion-conscious avant-garde (114-left)

~ war time reflection: Adolf Loos brought the issue to a nationalistic level: “modern spirit is a social spirit, …not just for upper crust but for everybody.”

~ Christopher Dressen, W.A.S. Benson- machine & electricity

Scandinavia Model (beauty for all):

- standardization & interchangeable: Typeomobel (type finiture)(114)- domestic order & unity: Karl Schmidt, Richard Riemerschmid (Germany); Gustav Stickley (US)
- in Europe: machinery has to be concealed (117)

Bauhaus:

- Walter Gropius: difference btw industry & handicraft: subdivision of labor & through control by one-hand

- Introduction of industrial production, Fordism in production: standardization of components; standard maintained by standardization; functional but aesthetic assembly line, disposal less (117)

- Herbert Read (Art & Industry 1934): artist give form to material; involve in city planning; artist orders materials which they combine the highest degree of practical economy and spiritual freedom

- Universal aesthetics (118)

Swedish Grace:

- democratic

- utility & beauty; local & vernacular craftsmanship renewal; industrial machinery with craft-man prototype

Dieter Rams, “Omit the Unimportant” in Victor Margolin ed., Design Discourse: History, Theory, Criticism, University of Chicago Press, 1989, pp.111-113.

- omit the unimportant in order to emphasize the important

- good design as little design as possible; harmonious form by employing simple means

- functions as self-expression instead of expressing the product’s functions (111)

- long-living; discipline

- 1. function and attributes are directly understood, i.e. self-explanatory; 2. the fewer the opportunities used to create informative design, the more design serves to evoke emotion

- fashion: new, strong, exciting, aggressive signals

Assignment I:

- from particularity to generality

- choose a “real” object that you process, study in particular: how is its outlook (material, style…); how does it come to your home? What is its cultural dimension?

- return the object to a type: e.g. telephone- communication tool to personal accessories; find out the history of the type

- self-reflection: can you take any key ideas you learn in class to articulate the above?

Bibliography

References:

Abbas, Ackbar, Hong Kong: Culture and the Politics of Disappearance, (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1998). (first published in 1997)

Abbas, Ackbar, “The Last Emporium: Verse and Cultural Space”, in Introduction by

Periodicals and Newspapers:

Art Currents, (Hong Kong), no.12/13 (October 1987). (magazine in Chinese: 《外邊》(香港)，第12/13期，1987年10月。)

Chinese General Chamber of Commence ed., Journal of the Chinese General Chamber of Commence 1933, Hong Kong 1933. (original text in Chinese: 《香港華商總會年鑑》(1932)。)

Clarke, David, ‘Between East and West: Negotiations with Tradition and Modernity in Hong Kong Art’, in Third Text, no. 28/29 (1994), pp.71-86.

Clarke, David, ‘The Culture of a Border Within: Hong Kong Art and China’ in Art Journal, vol.59 no.2, Summer 2000, pp.89-101.

SD2080 tutorial III 23.09.05

2005-10-09T00:58:00.000-07:00

Kevin L. Stayton, Vital Form, 2001.

Vitalism:

- Vitalism is the doctrine that "vital forces" are active in living organisms, so that life cannot be explained solely by mechanism. That element is often referred to as the "vital spark" or "energy" which some equate with the "soul". (Wikipedia)

- Belief in life force, essence, distinguished living things from non-living material / origins from Aristotle, the “psyche”(26)

- Heri bergson- faith in vitalism outside of science (26)

- Herbert Read: from the scientific to the poetic, release from materials

	Geometrical form	Vital Form
Historical context	- After WWI - Bauhaus- Europe	- After WWII - US - Influence from surrealism (26)
characteristics	- machine - hard-edged, international (29)	The aesthetics turn: -fluid, organic (24-25) -organic: resembled a living form; “concern to interrelation btw systems & components within larger systems”; biotic appearance to biotic functioning (27) - biomorphic: process & use determined the form~ “ergonmics” (fit to the body 27-28) -form more comforting and humanized
		Design turn: Era Zeisel: - the eautiful & functional - process”- intimacy with human body (lost of meaning in formal characteristics/ pattern of design philosophy Morris Lapidus: - organic forms become style, commercial , female customer (28-29) -popular, softer, vital forms
Political implications		Atomic Age (33-35) - Paul Boyer “schizophrenia of the postwar years”, its destruction and construction - Public perception: microscopic amoeba, life force invisible - The cold war ideology…

SD2080 tutorial III 23.09.05 ‘The designers go to the fair 2: Norman Bel Geddes, the General Motors “Futurama,”

2005-09-27T03:45:00.000-07:00

Roland Marchand. ‘The designers go to the fair 2: Norman Bel Geddes, the General Motors “Futurama,” and the visit to the factory transformed,’ pp 103-121 in Design History: An Anthology, Dennis P. Doordan, editor. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 1995.

Corporate showmanship (105) in 1930s US (depression)

Ford- Walter Dorwin Teague

GM- Norman Bel Geddes- Futurama

- put factory on display (tour of the factory) 105

- educational 103

- self-contained, realistic, practical-minded businessman (unimaginative and derivative)103

- pure entertainment (enliven story of production, comedy)105

- share our world (envisional) 105

- impractical visionary 103/ stage designer 106

(Geddes’s story of success…108-109)

Horizons (1932)

- elements of theater: crowd psychology, social ideology

- industrializing the theater (break from proscenium stage > sense of unity, intimacy audience-participation) 106

- urban planning: rational – streamline (speed & efficiency) – skyscraper & low houses – “no artificial horizons would limit the vision and work of the industrial desinger” 106

- future through research (population, auto Regis, )107

- scale modeling 107

- sidewalk separation of traffic and pedestrian 107

GM- Norman Bel Geddes- Futurama

- modernity, benevolence, forward looking 110

- ind designer takes over the job of architect: (forms follow function) exterior and interior dramatized 111

- the model: (110): biggest…total environment, light, serpentine ride…..

- in focus and sequential , structured control, panorama (control of sight) 113

- model so real: participation- full size model

- theater without curtains113

~ I’ve seen the future

- private firms build the future (new political rheteric)115

- justify the needs of industrial economics, destroy of barriers, building of highways 115

- streamlined future 116- naturalism rejected > illusion of increase the speed> aesthetics116

- give pleasure: emotional response to product 117

- contrast & thrilled entertainment in restful comfort 116

- sound: individual soft but authoritative 118

- space: easy chair – correct sequence, synchronization, attentive with restful comfort 118

- amusement part fr factory to future 119

Critique:120

- PR show not with message but free show of entertainment

- Evasion: no slum, old wine in new pot

- Audience become product on assembly-line

SD2080 tutorial 09.09.05 What is Design & The Green Imperative

2005-09-11T06:09:00.000-07:00

1. Main themes of the two essays?

- what is design? What is not design? (not new but betterment Papanek p.7)

- what new dimension design is now opening up, or obliged to?

- An otherwise of design as materialistic and consumerist (Green Imperative)

On John Heskett, ‘What is Design?’, Toothpicks and Logos: Design in Everyday Life,(Oxford 2002).

What are the different meanings pg. 3:not of definition but of significance & value) of ‘design’?

i. – pg.1 &2 banal, inconsequential, lightweight, decorative, fun, entertaining, useful in marginal manner and (in the surplus value of market economy)/ (nor style)> no real substance in basic question of (human) existence/ pg. 5: definition by its fields & cannons but not the underlying totality / pg 6: “basic characteristics of human life ; affects everyone in every details of every aspect of what they do throughout each day”; improvement of human-material environment; pg.7: potential in life, possibilities of changes, everyday life in a diversity of cultures/ pg9: “Design is to design a design to produce a design.”: pg. 11 wide spectrum of practice & terminology; pg. 12 arbitrary- compare to other disciplines;

ii. - pg. 13: to define the territory: 1. generic patterns ; 2. history > “human capacity to shape and make our environment …to serve our needs and give meanings to our lives.” (~ give orders to nature) + pg. 18 habitat “unable to distinguish civilization from nature” , “what is to be human” >

iii. pg. 16: design is not about technology but the simple acts of decisions and choices > pg. 17 responsibility: a choices always imply exclusion- i.e. what purposes for who (discriminating design decisions) ; > scopes of design: pg. 19 aspect of human existence: objects, communications, environments and system
iv. what is design history: pg. 20- unlike art history- “layering”

Who knows something about design? How is the process and experience of design shared with non-designers?
A battle between individuals and inhuman collectives- ways of life determined by USA by commercial companies or by designer with human concerns and users? (p. 194)/ which population you serve? the 10% or 90% (p.195, 196) ~ of globalization ~ to be a technocrats or consider the ends design serves? (p.200)

On Victor Papanek, ‘The Power of Design’, The Green Imperative, (London: Thames and Hudson, 1995.

All about humanity: what is humanity (p.7-)
How does Papanek speak of design – in what ways does he emphasize different qualities than those mentioned by Heskett?

i. Pg. 2- human make things ~ joy; pg. 3,4 : playfulness/ playful innovation; bring order to chaos, system out of chaos; human qualities: order, beauty, fitness, simplicity…

What are a designer’s skills? Describe these in a contemporary setting.

i. Pg. 5 ~ please give examples

ii. Pg. 13, 14- changes of our contemporary environment : indoor & disorder with nature~ pg. 17 legacy of modernism and myth of post-modernism ;

Can designers really take ethical positions? (and specifically in relation to environmental issue/ sustaninability)

i. pg. 7designer is accepted everywhere regardless of political systems or religious beliefs

ii. aim of the book: pg. 9 ecological responsibilities: not a fashion but IMPARATIVES; rebirth & re-awakening close relationship between nature and mankind >pg. 10 designer as a profession and as personal responsibility ; ~ no technological fix for ecological dysfunction > pg. 12, 13

iii. pg. 19 “designer as always been also a teacher”- pg. 1 How does it relate? (how does it look) ; pg.20 knowledge-base system

iv. pg. 22“sustainable design”- all design are sustainable design; pg. 24 rich web of interpersonal relationships/ pg. 25 aesthetics sensibility ; pg.27 ethical responsibility and spiritual value

Further reading:

杭間：設計倫理：從人機適合到人際和諧，《觀察家》，2003年6月，頁04-06。

SD2080 T1 what is design and what is not?

2005-09-08T22:50:00.000-07:00

Please think of "What is design and what is not?" after reading the two articles:

1. John Heskett, ‘What is Design?’, Toothpicks and Logos: Design in Everyday Life,(Oxford 2002)
2. Victor Papanek, ‘The Power of Design’, The Green Imperative, (London: Thames and Hudson, 1995.

To further your understanding, you may also read a reference in Chinese, which will provide you more about the context of design in Chinese culture:

杭間：「設計倫理：從人機適合到人際和諧」，《美術觀察》，2003年6月號，頁4-6。
(I will try to get a digital copy and put it in my DMAN later)

++ I am very gald to be with you in this term, as some of you may know, I enjoy teaching when i see my students enjoy learning. Wish we can have a enjoyable time in class and outside class!