meisdesignthesis

[meisdesignthesis]

Puppies Puppies, Dylan Spaysky, Nolan Simon at What Pipeline, NADA

[meisdesignthesis]

02 Read Write Make Reflect

When I begin any project I feel vulnerable. My ideas are often surface level because there is no context, no concepts and sometimes no function. But I still have passion to make spontaneous ideas happen, even if sometimes they don't make sense or seem to hard. An idea for me can come quickly, but the support of a concept or deeper meaning to a project is always difficult to verbalize. I like the thought of ideas, but I get stuck committing to my original ones. In design, in photography or in anything, a hard work ethic can overcome the lack of commitment that is first questioned at the beginning of a project. I guess this kind of sound contradictory.

It helps to talk to other people about my work. But this is only in the comfort zone that keeps me in my box of personal opinions. Talking to other people about my work outside of my comfort zone has kept me in a self box of personal opinions. This is becuase I find it difficult to ask other people to contribute to my idea as a solo creative. Only this past year, I have been better at expressing my interest in other people's opinions knowing it will benefit my skills and designs. But this would not have happened if my  peers and advisors around me cared as much as they do. Knowing that there is interest and support all around, the drive to commit to an idea and follow through is easier than at the beginning of an idea.

[meisdesignthesis]

PechaKucha

20 X 20, A list of rapid ideas//

To begin, I chose this image of the icons of weather patterns as the first inspiration to my  senior thesis. Recognizing that everyday the New England weather changes drastically form a warm temperature to a below freezing in what should be a semi-consistent weather season. So what is out of whack? Why is the climate changing.  Global warming has been an issue consistently for a long time but there has not been any drastic progress to turn the human behaviors around to help save the planet from total destruction.

In a previous project, I created three pieces of garments expressing labor concerns in garment factories around the world. I was interested in fashion, political issues and the exploitation of the workers. By using the similar methodologies I’d like to explore climate change and effects of the fashion industry in this project.

This is a funny image. Through experience I know that I am no fashion designer, or master sewist. I want to borrow techniques and ideas from fashion. Timothy Morton, an environmental philosopher at Rice University terms the word Hyperobject and uses it to understand global warming. Hyperobject is any idea too large for us to think about with evidence right in front of our eyes but we know that this “thing” lets say global warming, we are obligated some how to care. He quotes this, “I can’t see it. I can’t touch it. But I know it exists, and I know I am part of it. I should care about it.” This helps to understand that we see the effects of climate change, the forest fires, the rising sea levels, the unpredicted weather patterns, etc. which are part of global warming but we do not actually see global warming as a physical object. The question is how can I activate the big idea of global warming into a more feasible  visible object?

In current events, the UN Climate change conference in Paris has discussed the issues of climate change and what the fashion industry should do to contribute to the global conflict. High end brands are grouping together to make a pledge to lower their carbon emissions in their making of products. Designer stella McCartney is taking action as a fashion model to sign the France COP21 to push designers to be more sustainable. Some designers are prohibiting animal fur in their creations of clothes.

Aren’t these animals cute? They are the brand identity of climate change and the rising sea levels. I don’t want to see them go extinct or die. I want the to be in a happy habitat. I want to make a difference for them and I am willing to change my carbon footprint to save their lives. I am willing to change but who else will too?

25 billion textile per year from the U.S 82 pounds of textiles thrown away per U.S resident. 82% of the washed clothes go into our landfills. 15% of clothes get donated. Textile waste is projected to increase to 35.4 billion pounds 2019. This contributes to the climate change issues. Textiles do not decompose easily and many of the fibers cannot decompose at all. 1.2 billion CO2 emissions/ year form clothing factories. Clothing mostly made in asian countries rely on coal fueled power plants. An enormous use of water to make clothes. Solution is to change to low carbon products.

In the early 16th century, there was a period called the little ice age, and this painting is a representation of that occurrence. During this period the temperatures were way off becuase it was freezing cold in August. Designers needed to invent something to keep people warm and they invented fur clothing that is shown in this renaissance painting. Designing for new trends.

Going on now in London at the V & A museum. It is an exhibition of previously made Dior dresses and gowns on private exhibition. Simple, powerful and luxury fashion.  

Save the Earth collection by designer Yuna Yang creates environmentally sustainable clothing designed to respect both the plant and the people who make the clothes. She aims to be ethical in her approach and uses recycled material and organic cotton. She quotes “Designers have a responsibility to contribute to social movements while making beautiful clothes.”

I love this idea. Designer Rio Uribe’s at the Gypsy sport runway named Mother Earth meets urban goddess clothes. His designs are bold. He takes risks but his clothes are not function-able, it is more a statement.

Lauren Bowker combines technology and science and fashion into one and names it intelligent textiles. She created this idea that fabric would be able to detect the unseen surrounding particles, like air and matter. Lauren has created a color system that decodes in to our language the awareness of other things around us.

Love her work. Bronwyn Seier. For a Canadian fashion show she won her collection called Made not Born. Her clothes are made with typography that is discovering ad confrontational to the issues of the fashion industry using her own voice. Her aim is to answer the question: How does fashion come to be? Her work is beautiful and exploitative at the same time.

The Last Sweater was designed but Julian Zigerli, but famous musician Casey Spooner is wearing it attracting a wide audience. It is a unique, fun and has a strong statement directly relating to climate change in a designer like way. This sweater was partnered with WWF.

Lina Mayorga instagram pictures. She posts images about sustainable fashion and clothes that are minimalistic, solid colors, and sewn typography. Sewn typography is something I can explore.

An exhibition installation outside the tate modern is a blunt statement. The designer has thought laterally to grab people's attention the melting icebergs in the north. He designer is Olafu Eliasson. This was an effective installation. Painter, Zaria Forman paints giant beautiful glacier paintings. They are simply beautiful and thoughtful.

Solar color dust was an idea I had to explore thermal ink dye. How would thermal ink contribute or not contribute to represent climate change?

Thermal buttons was an idea for my first weekly make. A simple item that begin making people think about climate change issues.

Greta Thunberg a 16 year old girl from Sweden talks to parliament about the major issues and why no one is taking action, she is strong activates and is so smart for a young age. She tells the big people hey need to make a change for the next coming generation. She can be powerful and strong and creative then I can too. Finding that similar inspiration.

[meisdesignthesis]

Design + Research

The first time I heard ‘research-driven practice,’ I was studying at the University of Arts school CSM. I sat next to a full time students in their third year, prepared with a prototype that had been designed in a week with detailed sketches and a polished concepts bound together in a professional presentation. That same day I had nothing to present. I only had a mood board to show and an unclear concept that I had hoped other people were going to help me develop. As an insecure designer the differences in preparation made me feel embarrassed. The students at CSM were well taught to incorporate strong researched content that would support their own ideas. Able to recognize that my process work was not up-to the standards of the other students, it has pushed me to research more thoroughly. If I ever think that I have researched enough then I think I am wrong. Research is an important step in designing. I think you have to be filled with knowledge to execute a well thought out design project.

I cannot define myself as a designer. I don’t know what type of design I want to practice in, I don't know what firm/company I want to work for, and I don’t know what my next concept will be. I need to do more research. Like Synoptic Office says, working alone or talking with the  community is a form of research. And I need to talk to other people to find what it is my next steps will be. To me research always had the that sense of heavy academic information, usually scientific experimentations and long ethnographic papers. But for design, it is the academic information but it is also the inspiration and dissecting of other designs.

[meisdesignthesis]

Week One - Intent

My first weekly make will focus on the research i gather in global warming. I will approach climate change in the angel of one umbrella of global warming, weather, C02, ocean/water, plastic, waste, etc. Carefully selecting words that spark my interest as well as others, I will then create three posters, typographic heavy, on effective statements about climate change. 

[meisdesignthesis]

01 Read Write Make Reflect

Designers care. While reading this short social observation, I began to think about myself. I am a care. I am a designer, and I’m picky. I hold onto other people’s opinions too close to my mind, that the insecurities about who I am, how I dress and what I make, are constantly floating through my head activated by the form of caring. Although I am a “quiet” care person, I won’t dress more the next day and days after to care less, or not make art based on what other people will think. I care to the point that maybe I care too much.

Caring as a designer I have set up walls or obstacles in which I constantly have to throw down. I find caring can sometimes block my creativity and the quest to find my personal style. When caring too much about what other people think of, makes caring annoying.

But I have the care for the functionality of what is good and bad in my mind. So I care about the things that other people don’t care about. And I care to be better. I care to be successful. I care to put in the work. Care drives me to do more, be better, and push the limits.

Designers care to fix things. I want to give a little bit of self-care up to care less. Because caring less allows me to make more, and be more and find the make happy-accidents in my work. Its time I find a balance of caring when designing. I want more happy-accidents and mistakes to discover something new.