Intercultural design

Intercultural design

week1-week 7

DONG XINNBEI / 0359733

Dahelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media

Introduction

                                            

Understanding of cultural sensitivity

1）Cultural sensitivity means that we need to be sensitive and pay attention to the influence of cultural differences when facing people with different cultural backgrounds.

2） The same behavior or speech will have different understandings in different cultural backgrounds; Secondly, cultural differences lead to differences in details in many interpersonal interactions and social situations. The inability to perceive and mediate these differences due to different cultures will easily lead to contradictions, misunderstandings and prejudices in cross-cultural communication. Improving cultural sensitivity can enhance the understanding of people's thoughts and behaviors in different cultures, and also enhance the ability to communicate with people from differentcultures.

3） First of all, we should recognize the diversity and equality of cultures; Secondly, we should not only think from the perspective of our own culture, but also combine with the culture of the other side to look at the problem from multiple perspectives. Finally, we should learn to integrate our own culture with other cultures to form a culture of integration.

Meaning of paper cutting

Paper cutting has been around for more than two thousand years. The earliest evidence of paper cutting has been found in China. For the Chinese, paper cutting was invented as a way to pray to God either with different colors of the paper-cutting or with different shapes of the papercutting.

For example, some people cut the paper with the dragon; some people cut the paper with the hill; some people cut the paper with the river. People believed that by cutting paper into small paper cut shapes, they could ward off evil spirits. They were also supposed to bring good fortune. This makes papercutting a symbol of wealth and prosperity. 

（https://www.angeloaccardi.com/what-is-papercutting-art/）

Introduction to the types of paper cutting

Paper cutting is one of the traditional Chinese manual arts, with a long history and profound cultural heritage. According to different classification methods, paper cutting can be divided into many types, the following are several common types:

1. Paper-cut: Paper-cut is one of the most common types of paper-cut, with a long history and unique style. They are usually cut with red or colored paper, in various shapes, such as square, round, diamond and so on. The patterns are rich in content, including flowers and birds, fish and insects, figures, myths and so on. Window flowers are mainly used to decorate Windows, walls, etc., to add a strong holiday atmosphere to the living room.

2. Animal paper-cut: Animal paper-cut is a kind of paper-cut based on animals, including dragon, phoenix, lion and so on. These animal images are usually given a specific symbolic meaning, such as animal paper-cuts are mainly used in festival celebrations.

3. Character paper-cut: Character paper-cut is a kind of paper-cut based on characters, characters usually have a unique form and action, character paper-cut is mainly used for festival celebrations, cultural propaganda and other occasions.

Paper cutting is a very fine manual art, you need to master certain skills and methods to cut out good works.

Here are some basic patterns on display:

Figure 1.1

Figure 1.2

Figure 1.3

The meaning and origin of paper cutting: 

Chinese paper-cutting is a folk art that uses scissors or carving knives to cut patterns on paper and is used to decorate life or cooperate with other folk activities. In China, paper-cutting has a broad mass base, is integrated into the social life of people of all ethnic groups, and is an important part of various folk activities.Paper was invented in the Western Han Dynasty BC. It was impossible for the art of paper-cutting to appear before that time.However, at that time, people used thin sheets of material to make handicrafts through hollow carving techniques. However, they were already popular before the advent of paper. , that is, using the techniques of carving, engraving, picking, engraving, and shearing to carve patterns on gold foil, leather, silk, and even leaves.

Figure 1.4

Project 1: Proposal

A proposal to concretise ideas, supported by research, for a final design revolving around a given theme that reflects students’ understanding and interpretation of global issues and design aesthetics.

Important Reminder: 

Please focus on discussing the theme of this session and delve deeply into the issue of cultural sensitivity in design. Conduct research on the respective cultures before delving into discussions on cultural sensitivity. 

Faced with this issue, cultural sensitivity in design is inevitable. It is necessary to discuss this phenomenon, present reasonable explanations, and propose ways to mitigate cultural sensitivity.  

First and foremost, we need to propose a preliminary idea based on design principles as a starting point for our research discourse.

Submitted projects are required to explain the topic of the study, the original idea, as well as examples and references using material from the corresponding culture.

 Idea proposed and premilinary research 

For this research project, we need to select a culture for discussion and study. After group deliberation, we have ultimately chosen Chinese paper cutting, which not only represents the era but also embodies an inseparable aspect of traditional Chinese culture and design. It is recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of China, serving as a representative of traditional art and symbolizing China's history.

Topic selection and research

For this project, we also need to explore the cultural sensitivities within the culture we have chosen. Therefore, our topic is the cultural sensitivities within the art of Chinese paper cutting. Through preliminary research, we have discovered that Chinese paper cutting contains many elements of traditional Chinese culture. Moreover, Chinese paper cutting is highly integrative; it serves as a medium for artistic expression, portraying various aspects such as festival customs, well wishes, and the Chinese zodiac. Furthermore, paper cutting art can also function as accessories or decorations.

Proposal Powerpoint

Figure 2.1

Proposal Presentation Video

Figure 2.2

Project 02: Data Collection

 Students will conduct a data gathering collection process about the culture with relevance to the theme and your research objectives.

 Important Reminder: 

Based on the preliminary research in Project 1, Project 2 requires the collection of materials from various sources to be used as part of the subsequent research discourse. These collected materials and artifacts need to undergo data analysis, with each material being analyzed in detail to ensure coherence.Introduce each artifact and ensure that they align with the

accompanying descriptions.

 Data collection methods：

 （1）Online Research：

 In our online research, we wanted to search for the meaning and origin of the different symbols of paper cuttings, and we also wanted to study how paper cuttings can be used in design.

 （2）Online Survey：

 Our online survey was conducted through Google Forms, and we went through both English and Chinese, two languages that allow us to collect more data from different masses so that we can better analyze it in the design language.

Data Collection Microsoft powerpoint

Figure 3.1

Final Project

Upon the completion of the research, data collection, participation in all class lectures and tutorials, presentation of a complete proposal and research data, students are to produce visual design outcomes related to their interpretation of the given theme.

Important Reminder: 

Based on the previous data analysis, students are required to present the final design reflecting their interpretation and definition of "Framing," while considering cultural and aesthetic aspects balanced with their design knowledge. The methods utilized can extend to manual techniques as well as data editing on design platforms for the final design creation.

Final Powerpoint

Figure 4.1

Final Presentation Recording

Figure 4.2

Final Design

Figure 4.3 Final design in JEPG

Figure 4.4 Final design in JEPG

Feedback

week 1

In the first week, the supervisor introduced to us the tasks and knowledge to be acquired in this module. The focus of this cross-cultural design is mainly on the study of cultural sensitivity,

exploring various perspectives and insights. We were encouraged to select topics of interest within this research direction to discuss cultural sensitivity. We were divided into small groups for research purposes. I chose Chinese traditional paper cutting as my topic and gathered information about paper-cutting as well as examples of its applications in daily life.

week 2

Based on our understanding of last week's class, we were divided into teams of six people each. After our discussions, we decided to pursue the topic of paper cutting that I had chosen in the first week. Over the following weeks, we will conduct research and discussions on paper cutting.

week 3

In the third week, each of us made contributions to the group's research by searching for various types and styles of paper cutting, as well as works representing different eras.

week 4

In the fourth week, we needed to design our final project through visual analysis. In the information we found, we discovered that paper cutting is widely used in jewelry, clothing, packaging, as well as items like red envelopes. We drew some paper-cut patterns to apply to our designed products. After discussions, we decided to use the dragon as the main theme for our product design.

week 5

During this week, we have completed the design of the products. I printed the designed paper-cut patterns onto the shirts and changed the traditional red color of the paper to golden yellow, which visually enhances the attractiveness. Additionally, golden yellow is a traditional color in Chinese culture. To achieve perfection, we placed the designed shirts in a rectangular box, making the presentation more complete. On the front of the box, we utilized red specialty paper to design a paper-cut pattern related to the Spring Festival and affixed it to the box as a symbol.

week 6

In the sixth week, we need to organize all the research materials into PowerPoint to complete the final project.

Reflection

After completing this module, I believe that intercultural design is a crucial field involving designing and communicating across different cultural backgrounds. This helps to realize that one's design decisions may be influenced by culture and can aid in understanding the differences between other cultures and one's own. 

We were divided into small groups to complete tasks, which was also a great exercise. When engaging in intercultural design, it's essential to examine biases and assumptions to avoid imposing them on other cultures or overlooking important factors from other cultures. Intercultural design requires respecting and embracing diverse cultures, rather than simply imposing one's own cultural perspectives onto others.