Creative Insights
A Sweet Farewell to Creative Theories
Today marked the final class of our Creative Theories module, wrapping up an incredible journey of creativity, exploration, and learning. The atmosphere was lively and filled with a sense of accomplishment as we reflected on how far we had come. To make the occasion even sweeter, our professor treated us to chocolates, and a few students joined in, adding to the celebratory mood. It was a delightful way to end the semester, quite literally with a sweet tooth!
The session began with Rachel reviewing our group work and progress. Her feedback was overwhelmingly positive, which was both encouraging and motivating. She provided thoughtful guidance on how we could refine and finalize our ideas, leaving us inspired to push our projects to completion.
Later in the day, around noon, we had the privilege of attending a lecture by Rokhshid on sustainable materials. Her insights were both fascinating and deeply relevant, especially as we’re incorporating sustainable elements into our ongoing project for the community center. The talk connected well with our current work and gave us new perspectives to consider as we continue designing.
After the lecture, we transitioned into hands-on project work, fully energized and ready to bring our ideas to life. The day was a perfect blend of learning, creativity, and celebration, leaving us with lasting memories and valuable lessons as we move forward.
As the semester draws to a close, we find ourselves deeply inspired by the words of Jane Bennett, whose notions of vitality and material vibrancy resonate profoundly with our creative journey. In the heart of the Place Fratton Community Center, we—the collaborative team of Tracy, Lili, Niki, and myself—have decided to focus our collective energy on a single transformative space: the expansive basketball court.
This choice, like Bennett’s reflections on the entanglement of human and nonhuman forces, feels alive with potential. The court will evolve into a multifunctional haven, capable of embracing a diverse array of community activities: a joyful wedding celebration, an intimate gallery exhibition, and a shared community meal. With ingenuity as our guide, the design features expandable seating and tables that press into compact stacks, patiently awaiting their next purpose.
My artifact—a reimagined piece that sings with human interaction—echoes this spirit of dynamism. Its ability to produce melodies through collaborative effort feels perfectly aligned with the court’s new life. This reimagined space, then, becomes more than a venue; it becomes a choreographed dance of functionality and creativity. By morning, it might host yoga or dance classes, where movement becomes music, each pose or step activating the vitality of the artifact’s tones. By evening, it could transform into a hub of connection and celebration.
In Bennett’s poetic vision, materials and objects are active participants in our world. Guided by this philosophy, we are not merely designing for the community; we are designing with the community and the vibrancy of the materials at hand. This space, like Bennett’s philosophy, pulses with possibility, a testament to the harmony between design, purpose, and place.
Cho et al (2010)
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Music serves as a means to restore one's authentic self through yoga; "My vocation is to perform music for yoga." I perceive it as a distinct discipline that necessitates the practice of yoga postures and the development of an introspective approach to music. Playing music and practicing yoga are not inherently connected, particularly if one perceives yoga merely as a form of physical gymnastics. I perform on the guzheng, a Chinese pentatonic harp, and create sound textures, melodies, and rhythms that align with the class's tempo.1 This endeavour emerged from the convergence of two pursuits to which I dedicated considerable time, yet saw as distinct. Besides fulfilling market demand, it addresses a superior requirement by fostering innovative thinking in relation to an original artistic practice"
Khalsa et al (2009)
Khalsa, S. B. S., Shorter, S. M., Cope, S., Wyshak, G., & Sklar, E. (2009). Yoga ameliorates performance anxiety and mood disturbance in young professional musicians. Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback, 34, 279-289.
22nd Nov 2024[WEEK 8]
Today began with a small yet unexpected adventure. I got lost in our building, hunting for the photo studio where I planned to capture detailed shots of the artifact I’ve been crafting over the past three weeks. This piece—an interactive musical instrument repurposed from an old rocking chair—felt alive, echoing Jane Bennett’s Vibrant Matter and her ideas about the agency of objects.
Afterward, our group gathered for a quick briefing before heading to Fratton Community Center to take measurements. Immersed in the task, we worked efficiently, wrapping up in about an hour. The day’s final stop was St. Mary’s Church, where we admired our classmates' glowing jellyfish installation, a piece that beautifully embodied Bennett’s notion of "thing-power"—an artwork pulsing with vitality, especially under the night’s glow.
In every step, objects and spaces seemed to guide our journey, reminding me how interconnected we are with the vibrant world around us.
15th Nov 2024[WEEK 7]
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8th Nov 2024[WEEK 6]
Turning Furniture into Art: An Interactive Musical Experience `
Today marked an exciting milestone as we finalized a unique piece of furniture that goes beyond conventional use—it’s an instrument that invites interaction and play. Designed to keep people engaged, this piece comes alive when two people work together: as one person lifts it, the structure opens up, revealing hanging sticks that the other person can use to produce tunes. It’s a beautifully articulated balance between art and functionality, encouraging collaboration as users explore its possibilities.
This project is all about creating furniture that doesn’t just sit in a space but performs within it. The piece invites people to engage, touch, and play, turning the everyday act of using furniture into an immersive experience. Through this interactive approach, we hope to inspire others to see furniture not just as a static element, but as something that can be expressive, dynamic, and, above all, fun.
This old wood holds a unique charm, and giving it any other paint would risk losing the character it’s gained over time. With just a little more polish, it’ll be ready to add an engaging, timeless feel to any space it inhabits.
30th Oct 2024[WEEK 5]
Exploring My Vision in the Workshop: A Creative Day with My Instrument Design
Today, my vision for my current project has become a bit clearer. I could see how my piece was evolving into something akin to an instrument that could produce “tunes,” and I felt inspired to push its boundaries even further. I had extra furniture pieces left to incorporate, and as I worked, I kept the keywords I’d chosen in mind, ensuring that whatever I created would resonate with those themes in the end.
There’s one full-body-sized piece that I’ve become particularly attached to. Part of me doesn’t want to dismantle or alter it any further, so I’m envisioning it as a door—one that can open and close for the “instrument” I’m crafting. It’s as if this piece has a life of its own, offering a sense of mystery and interaction to my design.
Today was especially productive as I had the workshop to myself; it’s consolidation week, so the space was quiet, and I got an early start. Being in the workshop alone gave me the freedom to focus, experiment, and truly immerse myself in the creative process. I’m excited to see how this will all come together!
25th Oct 2024[WEEK 4]
Today was a hands-on, intense day for our 1:1 furniture project. We started with a gathering to view each other's full-scale furniture pieces. After some insightful feedback from our professors, we headed straight to the workshop. My furniture, an old piece without screws, needed to be sawed down to dismantle it – an effort that took most of the morning. By lunchtime, I had completely taken it apart, allowing me to recharge and reflect on my next steps.
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Over a conversation with Belinda and Rachael, I realized that our goal is not to reassemble these pieces into another form of furniture but to transform them into something sculptural, playful, and abstract. This freedom opened up a new creative path, pushing me to think beyond functional forms and into expressive shapes and compositions. We have a generous three weeks to explore this transformation, adding a fun experimentation layer.
Interestingly, the verbs I chose to guide my design shifted too – now centering on "Symmetry," "hook," and "perform." They resonate more closely with what I envision creating, hinting at balance, intrigue, and interaction. Here’s to hoping this journey unfolds into something exciting and unexpected!
18th Oct 2024[WEEK 3]
In today’s class, we read a few pages from Jane Bennett’s work, selecting words that caught our attention. For me, the standout words were “Intractability,” “vivid entities,” “discipline,” “Miracle,” “Junk,” “Object,” and “Perception.” From there, I focused on three: “Miracle,” “Junk,” and “Perception,” and explored their verb forms: “Miracle,” “Waste,” and “Perceive.”
Following this, we were assigned an exciting task: to find a piece of body-sized furniture. The challenge lies in dismantling it and reorienting it into a completely new form, which will push us to rethink structure and function. We’ll also create a 1:1 drawing, including both plan and elevation views, to represent the new configuration.
Additionally, we discussed LiDAR scanning and how this technology can be incorporated into our projects, adding another layer of precision and creativity.
To top it all off, we had a potluck in class today, with dishes from various countries. It was a delightful experience, and everything was incredibly delicious!
11th Oct 2024[WEEK 2]
Site Visit Experience: St. Mary’s Church and Fratton Community Center
Today started early with an exciting site visit to St. Mary’s Church. For me, it was especially memorable as it was my first time stepping into a church. As I entered at 10 a.m., I was instantly captivated by the intricate architectural details that defined the space. We were given the chance to explore the entire church in depth, and as time passed, we meditated and sketched our feelings, capturing the atmosphere both inside and outside the church.
The church's surroundings were equally peaceful, with open spaces full of trees, gardens, squirrels, and pigeons. We spent some time interacting with the animals, feeling connected to nature. Over lunch, our conversation turned to imagining how the church might have looked 1,000 years ago, 100 years ago, and even just 10 years ago—a topic that sparked curiosity and discussion among the group.
Our second site visit of the day took us to the Fratton Community Center, a lively space with a gym, sports facilities, a cozy café, and offices on the upper floors. The goal of this visit was to gather ideas for potentially redesigning the center to enhance its functionality for the local community. We were given a guided tour by the management team, offering us valuable insights into how the space is currently used and what improvements could be made.
Both visits left us inspired and we are eager to dive deeper into the design possibilities of the Fraton Community Center
4th Oct 2024[WEEK 1]
"Every great design begins with an even better story."
We began our second semester by introducing ourselves and our backgrounds to create a new story and learn new things. At around 11am, a group came in and spoke about the Voices from the Depths installation in St.Mary's church.
as we were going to leave the class for lunch we were asked to draw a random line on the black sheet stuck on the wall as part of our creative exercise.
after an hour of break, we divided ourselves into 3 groups with black sheets to draw our imagination to open up our creative side.
SCANED CHAIR
A good start. Keep documenting your work and stitching between the text and words you are reading and your making project.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Belinda. Yes I will try to document the words too.
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