CCDN 331 Rap 5: Hacktavisim: Design + Activism

In this week's lecture, we were introduced the topic of "Hacktavism" which is Design + Activism. We started off the lecture with another guest lecturer, Walter who spoke to us abut his previous work with hacktavisim and what it actually is. He sai that hacktavisim is the use of computers and computer networks to help promote such things as political ends, human rights, freedom of speech and information ethics. It is carried out under the premise that proper use of technology can produce results similar to those of conventional acts of protest, activism and civil disobedience. The term has been around since 1995. He showed us on this website moddr_ his previous work consisting of such thigns as the "Pirates of the Amazon" , "web2.0 suicide machine" and "commidify.us". I also liked the term that this was also known as a sort of "Cyber Terrorism". 

Critical Selfie Final Critical Statement

For this project, I explored one of the critical statements that we were given from the first project. For my final, I took 8 images sequencing with the narrative of -

 "Design should inspire people to see the world in a new way", and to what extent is graffiti socially acceptable, and socially noticeable? 

I explored the way we as human beings, don't usually pay attention to the little things whilst we are living our daily everyday lives. When it comes to graffiti or "bombing", we hardly notice it unless it's all colourful and fills up a whole wall. But how about the little stuff? The calligraphy that artist and taggers do when they want to make themselves known, to show that they are not afraid to prove to themselves and everyone else that they can tag. 

With my images, I explored streets and places in Wellington that go unnoticed, and graffitied it myself. Not actually physically do it but photoshopped it in. I wanted to show different areas that can be graffitied, and areas that usually wouldn't be graffitied that would be more noticeable. As you go through each photo, the graffiti gradually gets more noticeable, and socially unacceptable, as compared to the start where it's most likely socially acceptable, since it's hardly noticeable. By doing this, I explored a new way in seeing this world of graffiti, and to get people including myself to actually pay attention to the little things that are right in front of us. 

Also on that note, my haiku - 

"What cannot be seen,

Can sometimes be beautiful,

Or just wreck your day."

This sums up and backs up my narrative more but elaborating that we cannot see graffiti right in front of us, but when we do, we either think it's beautiful and a work of art in the calligraphy form, or ruin your day by knowing that's its ruining public property. In other words we ask ourselves, is this graffiti a form of activism, art or just plain vandalism? 

I'd also like to add that I graffitied my photos using the words from my haiku.

Critical Selfie Final Haiku

Critical Selfie Final Images

CCDN 331 Rap 4: Material Culture + Globalization

In this week's lecture, the topic of the Material Culture and Globalization was introduced to us. I found it interesting how different cultures had different values of things, which takes me back to the research I did for the first project where I had the statement - "Design should be sexy" and explored how different cultures have different points of views when it comes to design's being "sexy". There was also a fact where apparently the happiest people in the world were stated in one single place, due to their state of living or what not. I disagree with this since different culture's especially myself being Filipino, value things and see things differently from other people and other cultures. I think back to when I was in the Philippines, and seen little kids as old as 5-10 running around laughing and having a good time, but yet looked back at the lifestyle they were living and obviously came from a poor family. And yet they did not care, or knew what it was like to be rich. They were happy the way they were, and I thought this was a god example on how we as humans in the different cultures, value things differently especially relating it back to the material world.

Critical Selfie Stage Two

From my feedback on the first stage with my initial idea and first shoot I didn't quite like where the project was going for me. It was very uncomfortable and I felt too "seedy" doing what I was doing, so I have decided to change my idea up a bit but will run with a critical statement however. The statement that I have decided to go with for this stage and for the final is "Design should inspire people to see the world in a new way". So to go about this, I decided to do the opposite of my previous stage and ventured out to places and streets in Wellington that were a lot less populated, where it gave me a chance to really look around in my environment and to critically analyse my idea and approach. I noticed by walking down alley ways and some certain streets, that people never really pay attention to their surroundings and are always busy with something else like their cellphones. I stopped for one second and payed attention to what was around me, with the exception of my camera I noticed a lot of things that could be changed and seen differently. 

One experiment I conducted on a few people I know was that I first off showed them this photo: 

I then asked them what they thought about this photo and they simply said it just looked symmetrical and was of the McDonald's on Manners St. 

I then showed them this picture, which was the original:

They were surprised and shocked at how they didn't even notice the one little change to this image, and had seen something that looked normal into a completely and entirely new way.

So I then went on and conducted and took more photos similar to this one, but with graffiti instead to see if people can realise how plain something can be, but in reality can be turned into something fun and exciting.

Here are some of the photos:

Other photos that I would be interested in doing this too: