#IntegrativePractice

[supedium]

Spirituality and Mental Health: A Comprehensive Exploration

https://supedium.com/psychology/spirituality-and-mental-health-a-comprehensive-exploration/ #CopingMechanisms #HolisticTherapy #IntegrativePractices #mentalhealth #PsychologicalResilience #spirituality Spirituality and Mental Health: A Comprehensive Exploration https://supedium.com/psychology/spirituality-and-mental-health-a-comprehensive-exploration/

[mybctexperience]

Surprise Me! Final

The finished presentation:

Team: Caitlin Maeve Kirkwood-Woollams and Sarah Pearson Topics: Phycology, all the different uses of the seaweed are representing the other topics.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ywKa4IBiCjy9GQWRCKVeRGi1u2xU-cTUsBrX9oZYPIU/edit?usp=sharing

[barksbct502]

Week 11

I was indisposed while this session was on, as I was busy doing work for my studio project, but I’ll give it my best shot despite there not being a class recording and not having groupmates.

I kept myself to the 25 minute time limit as best I could.

In 50-100 words write about your strategy - Why and how you are using which methods to address the ‘future university’ scenario: For my method, I used the Lotus Blossom Diagram, which I didn’t enjoy doing a whole lot last time but felt perfect for this. Its great for organizing, compartmentalizing, and visualizing a plan and building on established ideas. My strategy is to create an environment for students, by students. This is done through getting them involved in the design process by changing it based on their feedback, slowly iterating until the perfect balance that will make the most people happy is found. This includes location, layout, activities, appearance , and soundscape among many other factors. 

[qrx9000bct]

University of the Future

The Poi Room

Our university of the future consists of an AI teaching experience designed so each student gets their own personal tutor at the push of a button.  Using human centred design we would conduct mini surveys to determine the best ways our students learn, that way we can tailor our AI tutors specifically to each students needs.  Cultural probes would be used to determine the best ways people interact with AI robots.  This would also act as a prototype to see if Ai robots can effectively interact with humans. 

 We would use curational walking to develop friendly-looking robots, walking through robot factories pin-pointing features that stand out to us in a user friendly way.  Benefits of having AI based one-on-one learning are:

 Each student can learn at their own pace.

 Sickness and viral diseases won’t spread as easily.

Faster and more efficient learning.

Teaching is fair and equal. Everyone gets the same amount of “teacher time.”

Can be done from the comfort of their own home if they choose to.

Powerpoint link: https://autuni-my.sharepoint.com/:p:/g/personal/qrx9000_autuni_ac_nz/EX89qt3a7C1NsByAdZl7nhkB5vY1EhgioIwvbY639RIJ7Q?e=owNhQ3 

By Lachie, Xavier, and Krishant.

[vaanibct]

Integrative Practice - “Get a Book out, Will ya?”

IP02 Final Submission (02-10-17)

Over the course of almost 7 weeks, I have been reading, researching, and looking for connections / links between 5 Creative Areas of my choice, which include, Culture, Art, Language, Film and Yoga. At the beginning, I was quite excited about this assignment as it seemed interesting and quite simple, however, I soon realised the complexity of the criteria which helped me challenge myself to dig deeper and research about the connections that I wanted to create.

My finalised resources for this assignment include:

Geethanjali - Travel Saga. (2016, Mar 10). 25 Amazing Scientific Reasons Behind Indian Traditions & Culture - Hinduism Facts. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/c-M8l2bdG8g

Drake, J. (Mar 2015). Drawing Plays an Important Part in Children’s Emotional Roles. Retrieved from https://www.arts.gov/art-works/2015/drawing-plays-important-part-childrens-emotional-roles

Bonvillain, N. (2003). Language, culture, and communication: The meaning of messages. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.

Frost, R. (Mar 2016). What should be the point of film? Should it for entertainment or to send a message? Retrieved from https://www.quora.com/What-should-be-the-point-of-film-Should-it-for-entertainment-or-to-send-a-message

Garde, R.K. (1975). Principles and Practice of Yoga Therapy. London, Britain: Wolfe Publishing Limited.

Reading these books, along with looking for information using other resources (such as YouTube videos, documentaries, E-Books, online articles etc.) I was very educated. However, when it was time to start integrating these sources, I was confused and asked advice from one of the Lecturers. They helped me realise the importance of having close and strong links (sub-connections), rather than having a weak individual relationship. After tackling this part of the assignment and gaining new and useful knowledge, I moved on to create the Literature Review. As the brief states, the “Literature Review can be in the form of written text, video or audio recording, poster and when questioning Laurent, he said that it can be in any form, but it’s main purpose it to successfully showcase the connections.

In terms of the Presentation, I finally decided on displaying a “mind-map” of my findings as, in my opinion, it was a creative, visually aesthetic and a tangible way of demonstrating the connections between the 5 disciplines. I reached this conclusion after testing other ideas and going through lots of iterations, as can be seen in my previous Blogs and Instagram pictures. However, I was particularly inspired by Natasha Jen’s talk where she said that “Creative thinkers need to surround themselves with evidence.” And I thought, what better way to show that than through images, drawings, sticky notes and string.

Overall, I am very happy with the final outcome because it clearly states the connections between my five areas, along with physically showcasing them through the use of joining pieces of strings. I made the “mind-map” in a way that it allowed the viewer to look closely and touch it in order to notice which board linked to which Creative Area. I had hidden the names of the disciplines under the related emoji, which added an element of mystery and surprise. However, hanging the cork boards was one of the most difficult tasks because it was quite hurtful to push the pins into the wall. But before than, I was finding it hard to decide where to present the Literature Review in the Studio room because most of the walls and surroundings were dirty and untidy. In the end, I placed the boards on a wall in the kitchen area, even though it was chipped and marked. I decided that this would add an aspect of creativity, because designers are mostly surrounded by mess, so the chipped / dirty wall could represent the fact that mind-maps and ideas are not particularly organised.

Before the end of the lesson, I asked for feedback from Laurent (which I will state in the following Blog post) however, he helped me realise that there are certain things that I could have improved, which related back to Time Management. So, next time, I would definitely work on using my time wisely and more purposefully. In terms of Presentation, I believe I could have organised and displayed my work in a better way - for example, I could have placed the boards together (touching each other) so it would signify the strong connection. I also could have added more pictures and words to each Creative Area, however, I didn’t have time and I had thought it would look too busy (which in a way, it should have looked like). Nevertheless, I will use this as a learning experience and Blog about my mistakes so that I can refer back to them and not repeat any silly errors in the future.

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[pezbct-blog]

IP02 Submission.

”Explore concepts, issues and problems from more than a single disciplinary perspective. Introduces methodologies for integrating knowledge and practices from different disciplines and allows students to both comprehend and directly address complex issues.”

I have used the term “creative link” flippantly throughout my research, however after reviewing my weakest connections I have classed a creative link as any practice, attitude or ideology that exists and plays a defining role within multiple fields. Although it isn’t quite as simple as one broad and insightful link which unites five seemingly disparate domains of knowledge, it is clear all fields I have analysed are driven, in some way, by innovation; a desire to introduce new methods, ideas, or products into already established practices. I will touch on two distinct relationships between three fields respectively, which I believe reflect how such innovation is achieved through a multidisciplinary approach and, more holistically, the dynamic process which delivers such innovation.

Historically, innovation is thought to be the achievement of science and technology [1] but after reading Dagmar Steffen’s paper titled the semantics of Innovation it is clear that in order for  something to be truly innovative it must embody fundamental ideas or values. Therefore products which don’t employ such innovative technologies can be innovative in the way they are a symbolic expression of socio-cultural ideas. This is where Design, Contemporary/street art and Innovation are intrinsically linked. For the purpose of describing this relationship in a coherent way I will mention design and contemporary/street art in the same ilk, as contemporary/street art although not functional or an essential part of our lives is a reflection of the social climate, in order to engage people it speaks to issues pertinent to the time, much the same as the semantics of design draws upon symbolism to evoke emotional responses. Both fields use symbolism in unique ways but to similar effect.

The duty of art and design in innovation is to communicate a product message and assign meaning and usability to new technology, while technologists are responsible for the science behind these products. This is backed up by the argument that new technology is required as a “precondition for innovative design”[2] as the job of a designer is to integrate new technology into the life of a user. The most typical example of this being the humble radio, as soon after the discovery of electromagnetic radiation by Heinrich Hertz the wireless telegraph was invented. Caught up in a period of rapidly advancing technology and being an entirely new device the first consumer models had next to no usability. “Breakthrough technological innovations might result in products and applications that have no predecessors”[1]. In this case it was the task of designers and artists to implement conscious and thoughtful design to give a sense of cohesion. They needed to turn a specialist piece of equipment into a universal device that would seamlessly connect the world. As a result of breakthrough technological innovations and thoughtful design the wireless telegraph became a semantically well defined product and a stalwart piece of equipment all around the world.

There is also a compelling argument to say that design and art are not only complementary to innovation but are in fact synonymous, as by definition the act of both designing and creating art can only be justified by innovation. “With regard to improvement and making human conditions better off, innovation and design share the same goals” [1]. Regardless of whether these fields are inseparable or simply share an area of intersection, innovation both technical and socio-cultural is communicated through symbolism and semantics, hence why designers and artists play an essential role in the innovation process.

In contrast to the points I have made above, the second relationship I have identified between the fields of psychology, creative teamwork in business and Innovation reflects the subjective and emotional process which delivers such innovation. However with innovation being largely concerned with objective and rational information, little importance is placed in the process which births these new methods, ideas, and products. Uri Alon a Professor and Systems Biologist draws attention to the common misconception that innovation is a series of logical steps between question and answer[4]. The process of innovation requires us to abandon, to some degree, any schema or assumptions based on the status quo. This is something that was identified by Robert Shaw in the text “Extreme teams” as key to building a revolutionised workforce. He highlights flaws in traditional forms of management and stresses the importance of taking the impetus away from top down management which results in the equal distribution of accountability. However when operating outside of established best practices there is an element of trial and error and this is something I have found plays a defining role in the field of psychology and neuroscience. In David Eagleman’s book “The brain” I identified the need for unique and creative approaches in order to unlock the secrets of previously unseen neural pathways[6]. This Trial and error approach is most evident in the work of psychologists attempting to unlock the mysteries of the developing brain in that “your brain is a relentless shapeshifter, constantly rewriting it’s own circuitry”[6]. Therefore no form of practical testing will be the same for two individual cases. Uri Alon also makes the point that when innovating we should strive to operate on the boarder of knowledge, an area where only repeated failure unearths new methods and ideas. This is a idea applied to business by American chain store whole foods as they refuse to operate within a tried and true framework, “Whole foods CEO noted with perverse pride we have been making it up as we go along”[4]. It is this confidence in the ability to break new ground instead relying on established practices that truly progresses each field and drives innovation.

[1] - Steffen, D. (2010). Design semantics of innovation. Product language as a reflection on technical innovation and socio-cultural change, Department of Art and Design History, Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Germany.

[2] Roy, R., & Wield, D. (1986). Product design and technological innovation. Open University Press.

[3] Helfand, J. (2016). Design: The invention of desire. New Haven: Yale University Press.

[4] TEDx. (2014, June 12). Uri Alon: Why truly innovative science demands a leap into the unknown. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1U26PLiXjM

[5] Shaw, R. B. (2017). Extreme teams : why Pixar, Netflix, AirBnB, and other cutting-edge companies succeed where most fail. New York City : American Management Association, [2017]. (pg 6 - 9)

[6] Eagleman, D. (2017). The brain: the story of you. New York: Vintage Books. (p. 14-15)

[joshbaxterbct]

Entanglement

Todays process

To be perfectly honest the concept of today’s lecture seems to be a very hard concept to grasp. In terms of today’s activity, I do understand the idea of what we were doing however I am struggling to draw the lines between what we have done and movement as a topic.

 The from my understanding in the simplest form todays lecture was about thinking of movement not as a means of a physical change but a relationship between two things. When we think of movement normally we think of it in relation to the things around it. But something can be still moving even if it’s not to us. Like I say the exercise which you can see bellow which was all about connecting nodes, points of data that are the same but exist in different scenarios makes sense. However, as I have already said I’m finding it hard to draw the lines to exactly what is going on. My guess is the purpose of this I believe to show the how things can be intra-connected as opposed to interconnected. The difference being that intra and opposed to inter defines the two things to be in mutual existence as opposed to separate objects. It was a really interesting exercise as it went to show how as a group we have many similarities we have. Even as individuals we are quite different across the whole group there are so many connections.

 After class I had a discussion with James just to try to clarify exactly what he was trying to get across, there was a point where I thought I may understand however I feel there was just so much content today it became very difficult to draw those lines to the relativity of movement. I could understand the examples given around quantum mechanics and the resent teleportation of a particle of move than 500 km using the same theory used in todays exercise. But I am still trying to get my head around how something can be considered as moving although its not. I suppose it is the difference between thinking of movement in terms of a relationship rather than a change between two things.

 He did give me some points to think about though that although I am unsure how exactly they link with today’s subject closely links with the Wairau Valley project. I expressed my thoughts on how so far in my experience of the school environment I’ve found it to be an extremely happy place. What I put it down to was the value the kids have for the little things. I explained how previously Miranda had got us to do an exercise whereby we had to limit our sensual ability and it wasn’t until we did this that we realized just how hard moving becomes. In my observations, I have noticed how when the children move challenge themselves it brings them complete utter joy. I remember at one of our previous group meeting one of the students came and sat with us and picked up one of the nodal disks we had brought along. He immediately began hitting it with the stick that went with it. The look on his face was that of complete excitement. Preforming the simplest task had made him so happy. Something a normal child would probably not even bother doing. James made a nice explanation of this.

 Take the act of putting your hand on a back of a chair we put our hand on the chair but don’t think about the actual act of the movement all we think about is the end goal reaching the chair. To me this is interesting as what I have observed so far of the kids of the Wairau Valley school is that their value is actually in the movement itself rather than the end goal of having your hand on the chair. For me it raises the question as to what it is that is part of movement that brings them so much happiness. It may be like the saying you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, I don’t know. In the coming days, I hope to further observe the children and really get an understanding of why movement brings these children so much happiness.

 How this relates to today’s topic I am not entirely sure. However, the conversation flowed and ended up where it did. Although I am a little puzzled, I’m sure over time I will begin to grasp the thinking behind todays lecture and draw the lines between things. Despite todays confusion I am still happy as I still managed to find a line of movement to interrogate and look further into, which has me really excited and interested as to my we all can see movement say such a joyful thing!!

[synergybct]

Further Experimentation

Upon considering different interpretations of my object, I began to notice the similarity between the circular shape of the ring combined with the sheen and color with the Gargantua, the black hole depicted in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (2014). Read further to see my experimentation and thoughts behind the process.

I opened up Photoshop and started to play around with an image I had taken of the ring, as seen below. 

I found that if I overlayed the ring over the black hole and performed some manipulations to the colour and shape, I could create interesting images. I tried a variety of different manipulations such as radial blurs, spherical conversions, polar coordinate effects, and many more.

Simply overlaying a manipulated version of my ring wasn’t doing the trick for me, it didn’t have that spark of creativity when you know that you’ve made something you can be proud of. So I took another approach on the black hole idea, instead opting for a less realistic yet more traditional depiction, as seen below. I used a variety of manipulations such as ripple and zig-zag effects, bloating/stretching/compressing areas of the image, as well as other manipulations to attempt to depict gravitational lensing in action. I think it turned out quite well. 

The image below was produced using only Photoshop, the above photo I took of my ring, and a starfield stock photo I got online.

[thekreativeone-blog1]

The difference between Blog and Vlog

*A blog originally came from the word “weblog” or a “web log”. You can think of it as an online journal or diary, although blogs are used for much more now, like online journalism. ... *A vlog is a video blog post. The term can also refer to a blog made up entirely of video blog posts. --- Laurent and i had a conversation about blogs/vlogs and the difference. this post is inspired by that convo. 

[aimatapittmanbct-blog]

Overall Connection and starting the final

Overall Connection: How things change over time due to modern influences?

Thinking about connection between my five subjects, I took notes on important points I felt were important for the essay. Also to make sure I didn’t forget anything while writing. Taking advice from the lecturers, I try to carry my notebook with me everywhere, so I can note down all my random thoughts throughout the day.

I found that I had quite a few good points that would surely turn out to be a lot of content so I thought about how I would present my findings and connections across the chosen topics. Seeing as art in one of my main interests, my go to was a visual installation or poster. The idea would be to draw symbols of each topic in the form of an old traditional motif and somehow link them together in a full Polynesian design. But I felt that this didn’t communicate all the points that I wanted to talk about.

So, I thought the best option for me was to write an essay.

While writing the essay, I found that the content I had on Emotions and Astronomy didn’t have as strong a connection as the other 3 to my overall link (change over time due to modern/Western influences). And as a result, I have taken them out of the final essay and just gone with Traditional Patterns and Tattoos, Polynesian Navigation and Cook Island dancing. I’m aware that these subjects all stem from one culture, and this is what I said I wouldn’t do in the beginning. But I feel that the connection I have chosen fits the remaining three subjects best.

[kalebuchanan]

Object Interrogation Turn Around

I started out by interrogating a tree. I soon realized this ‘object’ I had begun to interrogate was in face alive and was not inanimate. I tried to justify this by saying  -

“For this assignment I was aiming to interrogate an ‘inanimate object’, and yet the tree was both alive and moving naturally with the wind. I then searched for the definition of inanimate to see if, although I was stretching the definition a tree is still considered inanimate.

 With the first definition from the Miriam Webster dictionary, a tree cannot be considered inanimate

 ‘: a thing that is not alive, such as a rock, a chair, a book, etc.’

 However, further definitions define it as

‘:  not endowed with life or spirit

:  lacking consciousness or power of motion’”

I wasn’t able to justify myself interrogating the tree, because even if I interrogated it well there was potential that I would miss the key word in the brief of ‘inanimate’. I stuck with the tree, as I felt I was in too deep to change, and didn’t have full understanding of the desired outcome. I began the interrogation, but found it hard since I had to go to Albert Park to interrogate the tree. The only successful piece I had from interrogation was this distorted image. 

After Monday’s integrative practice with Laurent, I now full understand my aim and with that understanding has come the motivation to restart my interrogation to create a bricolage of art from the interrogation of an object. I chose the tree in an attempt to diverge from the common objects others had already picked, and in an attempt to be original. The object I have decided to use now though, is my 100 years of ANZAC 50c coin.

[mybctexperience]

Surprise Me! Part 2

Narrowing down our subjects and making some connections.

Norse/Viking Art/Mythology, Cryptology, Phycology.

Possible extra connections with, Religion, History, Psychiatry/Psychology.

We’ve decided to go with a final choice of Norse/Viking Art/Mythology, Cryptology, Phycology, and Religion. Doing research and creating our connections.

Our tentative connections with a little bit of research, (more to be done before solidifying) typed out in a less confusing list:

Norse/Viking to Cryptology - Scandinavians (Vikings) were at the same time as the Romans, they raided each other a lot.

Norse/Viking to Cryptology - The Vikings used Runes, an ancient alphabet that isn’t used as promptly today, it can be used as a Cypher.

Cryptology to Phycology - Enigma machine was used in WWII to encrypt the Narzi messages, seaweed and algae was discovered to be able to be dried to create gunpowder in WWI.

Cryptology to Religion - The Caesar Cipher was written by Julius Caesar, he had gotten himself to god status in the eyes of the Roman Empire, among the other roman gods. Or at least as their main messenger/descendent.

Religion to Norse/Viking - Paganism, and it’s adoption by the vikings, as just an add on to their own religion when they settled in areas that already had those beliefs.

Religion to Norse/Viking - Paganism, and it’s adoption by the vikings, as just an add on to their own religion. Todays pop culture and interpretation of that.

Religion to Norse/Viking - How has it evolved to today?

Religion to Norse/Viking - Todays pop culture and interpretation of the old ways.

Phycology to Religion - Asian culture and it’s beliefs of how Seaweed was used in ancient medicines and herbal remedies.

Phycology to Norse/Viking - Using the algae and seaweed as a food source, medicine, and or fishing lines.

[barksbct502]

Week 10

This week we explored the concept of ‘Systems Thinking’ where each element in a system is affected by other elements either directly or through several degrees of separation.

How could you use systems thinking in your creative processes?: I could use it for seeing how one variable in a program could indirectly affect another for debugging, or for measuring how much supply is needed to meet demand. How could this method complement (or contrast) another method we have explored in CTEC500?: It reminds me a little bit of the Lotus Planner that was explored in week 6, and it could also be used in tandem with it to see how the changes would affect other changes, as well as their effectiveness at solving the issues they were put in place to rectify.

[qrx9000bct]

Loopy Diagrams

This week we were instructed to make a series of “transition diagrams” to show differences can occur by changing or adding things to the diagram.  

We started with a Foxes and Rabbits, and had to add a series of “changes” to cause a difference in the diagram, while also keeping a balance within each change.  My group started off with adding Grass, therefore the Grass would decrease from the Rabbits feeding on it, but would increase when the Rabbits got eaten from the Fox.  Next we added Hunters and Seasons, the Seasons would decrease the amount of Hunters hunting, as some parks only allow hunting in certain parts of the year, and the Hunters would decrease the number of Fox and Rabbits.  However, the Fox and Rabbits would increase when the Hunters decreased.

To view the full Rabbit and Fox diagram click here.

Secondly we had to prove how Damp housing can lead to Deprivation.  For this we branched off into sickness, rheumatic fever, leading to time off school, low income jobs, then low income families, and then deprivation.  The next step was to come up with a solution to this, we came up with an idea to launch a policy for a requirement for better building standards for state housing, including existing state houses, along with a higher standard for all new homes.  This would prevent the damp housing issue, eliminating all of the following symptoms to damp housing.    

To view the full Damp Housing Loopy diagram click here.

I enjoyed this exercise, I can picture myself using it to see what effect a design/idea could have in it’s chosen environment.  It can also be used as a brainstorming tool, to see who or what your idea could be used for, whether its people, transport, or communication etc.  

[vaanibct]

Time Management

This week has been sooo hectic. Apart from Uni and BCT, I have other things going on which is making life difficult, but I’ll work through it. Firstly, I’m so glad about finishing and submitting the Integrative Practice assignment. It was quite a learning experience and I have gained useful knowledge that can be beneficial in the future. I haven’t had time to look at the brief for the next assignment - the Portfolio - but I’ll look at the Brief and start thinking about it after the Introduction lecture next Monday.

Secondly, I’m feeling good about how we’re progressing with our Studio II Final Project because we’re finally getting things done. I think we’re a bit behind schedule so I’ll make a list of everything we need to do so that we can get back on track. I feel like we’ll need to start staying in late and work harder after this week because we don’t have much time left (31 days to be exact) and we still have a heap of work to do.

Next, for the Physical Computing project, I’m quite worried. Although I have an idea and a plan, I feel like there is no purpose to my Project. I will spend some time rethinking the concept because I’ve dedicated this whole weekend to Physical Computing work. I want to have my idea finalised by Friday so that I can buy any related materials and make a start on coding. I’m quite new to Wearable Technology, and using Lily-pads, so some of my time will be focused on watching tutorials to understand how things work.

Overall, I’m falling behind on my Time-Management due to external influences as well, so I need to prioritise and work faster, in order to finish the Projects. I have made a to-do list for the rest of this week and some things that I need to finish by next week, so I think that by following that, I’ll be able to keep on track and spend less time procrastinating.

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[pezbct-blog]

Creative area 4 - Semantics of Design.

In a previous source I looked into after simply stating design as a field I wanted to look into I found this quote which piqued my interest  “Design is meaningful not because it is pretty but because it is an intrinsically humanist discipline, tethered to the very core of why we exist”[1]. This got me interested in the influence design has on society and alternately the influence of society on design, which ultimately led me to a paper titled Design: The semantics of innovation.

As the title would suggest, Design is stated as going hand in hand with innovation “Mostly, innovation is meant to be the achievement of science and technology, while design as the last element in this chain has the task to introduce the scientific and technological innovation into the life-world of the user”[2].  This paper explores how such innovation is accomplished through  the connotations of artefacts and products and hence their ability to influence and be influenced by socio-cultural changes. As what I just stated encompasses so much (such is the nature of design) the paper focuses on something called the Offenbach approach which in short is the theory of product language and the distinction between aesthetic, indication and symbol functions.

“with regard to improvement and making human conditions better off, innovation and design share the same goals”[2] Immediately the relationship between design and innovation is declared as inseparable because design in principal can only be justified by an innovation. He also goes on to make the point that whilst innovation is typically a term used when referring to scientific and technological disciplines especially in regards to product design for a product to be truly innovative it must embody fundamental ideas or values, and therefore products which don't employ such innovative technologies can be innovative in the way they are a symbolic expression of socio-cultural ideas.

“Alterations of basic societal conditions, socio-cultural upheaval, and the arrival of new viewpoints and values are just as important for the creation of innovative designs or new product languages”[2]

From this I am starting to see a clear relationship emerge between Design, contemporary art (which I will often refer two in the same ilk as they share many of the same motives) and technology and innovation which will be the topic of my final reading. This relationship which revolves around semantics and the relevance of a single artefact within a societal context has a lot in common with a trend I have also picked up on in both business/creative teamwork and psychology and neuroscience in that both of these field are dependant on a moving playing field, probing to find out which areas to explore is a fundamental part of each discipline. All creative fields I have analysed so far are concerned with constant progress however this is defined by different environments be it micro(neuroscience) or macro in a societal context that share many common qualities.

The Offenbach Theory of Product Language:  The Offenbach theory is one of product language which in this case is split up into three distinct areas; aesthetic, indication and symbol functions.  The first two areas are a lot more self explanatory in that they dictate how an artefact is interacted with, often referred to as the  syntax or ”grammar” of a design concept. Symbol functions on the other hand rely on the imagination of the user “knowledge of cultural norms and context is crucial for understanding the message and meaning of a product in the way it was intended”[2]. The point is made that it is this understanding of the context and connotations of a design concept that requires the work of a designer, while specialists such as engineers etc. are largely responsible for the practicalities. 

Main Idea in this text: Both technological and social innovation is communicated through product language within design concepts, therefore it is hard to view the two as seperate. 

[1] - Helfand, J. (2016). Design: The invention of desire. New Haven: Yale University Press.

[2} -Steffen, D. (2010). Design semantics of innovation. Product language as a reflection on technical innovation and socio-cultural change, Department of Art and Design History, Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Germany.