Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Class Brainstorming

During my day to brainstorm, this is what we came up with:

Brainstorm Topic:
Ways to facilitate interaction btw people in communities.

People want to feel useful and wanted


People want a sense of Community again
- like the Gilmore Girls

What’s been done in the past?

Who wants it today?

Is there a current version?
Community newsletter, connecting people/ services
Welcome people
Holiday Cookies
Progressive dinners

Obstacles
People have communities
People are busy
Who will participate?

Product: The result of gathering people


Website-
Engage with 3-5 people per week that you come in contact with on a regular basis, comment about it on a blog.
-Craigs List
- Baltimore Freestore

Object-
- jewelry talking stick/ community stick- share stories- on blog, event to start the ball rolling
-People add to an object, community sculpture
-swap crafts. Art swap, unify
- Bigger and Better game, trading, rearranging objects, bartering,

Non- Art object
-Making the community a better place, gardens, Living room, barnraising
-Community event- games, walking, something athletic, hiking, event that utilizes other’s skill sets, party, information sharing, each person can bring someone- subvert chain letter
Places?
- Locally like Art Dept
Or World

Tuesday, October 9, 2007


Love courier service
Austin Texas
personally delivering messages around the city

"a city-wide experiment in saturation, communication, and contagion made manifest through mediated acts of love."


http://www.get-pink.blogspot.com/
CouchSurfers333,377
Successful Surf or Host Experiences244,662
Friendships Created294,511
Positive Experiences435,250
Countries Represented223
Cities Represented32,021

CouchSurfing is a worldwide network for making connections between travelers and the local communities they visit.

CouchSurfers333,377
Successful Surf or Host Experiences244,662
Friendships Created294,511
Positive Experiences435,250
Countries Represented223
Cities Represented32,021

"CouchSurfing seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance, and facilitate cultural understanding."

The two of you walk around the neighborhood and meet some of his friends at a lively cafe for dinner. You stay up late sharing stories and getting to know each other. Martin recommends some interesting places you might like to explore around the city. When he returns from work the next evening, he takes you to his favorite pub and you tell him about your adventures. The two of you laugh and connect; you make new friends at the pub, and you're grinning the whole walk home along the canals.

As an example of a good surfer, you do as much as you can to give back to your hosts. This includes doing simple things like, for example, washing the dishes, making dinner or helping out in some way. Maybe you have a special skill you're willing to share?

In each location you've met some great people and gotten to experience being a part of the culture through your connection with your host. You go places you would have never read about in a guidebook, meet interesting locals, and spend time bonding with your host. You're actually experiencing those "deep and meaningful connections" you've read about on the site, and you're making friends for life.


http://www.couchsurfing.com/

AAR's Continued

Identify Current Social Issues

This section was a bit overlooked in the process, I did research about mental health, about school shootings, and why they happen. I nor anyone else in class brought in subject titles of topics we were interested in.

Develop Critical Thinking

I think the critical thinking was there, and the process was shown a bit in the powerpoint, but it should have been more thoroughly documented by blogging. I failed to read enough articles that oppose my point of view.

Brainstorming Methodology Training

Although it was not blogged, we each had in our notes, many ideas to address the problem. We referenced this in our powerpoint as well.

Design Research

oops

Monday, October 8, 2007

Design Project Ideas

Title of Project:

Community Building

(or) Interactive Community

Problems:

Lack of communication with those around you.

Non friendly atmosphere

Creates loneliness, lack of information, depression, substance abuse, and many other social problems


Because of:

Exclusion created by technology: computers, video games, i-pods, schoolwork, not joining extracurricular activities, cell phones

social norm stigma

NY Syndrome: cities- people walk by you and never talk to you. People everywhere but nobody talks….is this for protection??

Small Town Feeling- (Arkansas)-everyone knows everyone else’s life story, everyone smiles, everyone waves

Want to create:

Information sharing

In touch with others

Social atmosphere available for out of college living

Opportunities for fun, social events for all ages

Less school shooting occurrences

Sense of community

Solutions:

Online? Like facebook? Myspace? Local networking blogs?

Music

Social events

Church events

Clubs: special interests

Job networking

New mothers group- my mother and her life saving playgroup

Obstacles:

Funding?

Participation?

How will it be different than myspace or facebook?

Opposing viewpoint:

People are not friendly in certain situations for a reason

People are not friendly all the time for protection

There is nothing wrong with being alone

More commutation will make it easier for sexual predators

Research/ new ideas

Blessed Unrest

New format? Should I do jewelry??

Love Curriers – getpink.blogspot.com

Places like starbucks- good feeling, place to nurture communication

Couch surfing

Product Ideas:

Something mass produced?

Symbol of communication? Symbol of community?

Ancient symbol?

Jewelry, silver wire designs,

Using a sign for communication, going back to our roots as human beings.

www.aboriginalartpaintings.com/symbols.html


http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.aboriginalartpaintings.com/images/symbol_community.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.aboriginalartpaintings.com/symbols.html&h=194&w=164&sz=9&hl=en&start=8&um=1&tbnid=G2pAg4ySFLLAyM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=87&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsymbol%2Bcommunity%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN

Talking Stick Idea:

A piece of jewelry to be passed around

While they have the piece, they go to social events they havn’t had the courage to go to, or talk to a friend they havn’t made time for, or started a polite conversation with a stranger, ect. They write about it on the blog/ website I make.

Graphic Design Idea:

A symbol or a graphic design that advertises my blog/ website, put on mass produced items, to reach more people. Ex. Soap, shirts, bags, jewelry. Fun T shirts.

Public Instillation Idea:

New Format idea, creating a sculpture or object that represents my idea, with the blog address on it.

Social Design

Design: the shaping of products and services

Social Design: the creation of social reality, or the design of the social world.

Is a design process, improving human well being and livelihood.

Victor Papanek- designers have a responsibility because of their ability to affect the world at large with their unique skills, and through good design. Designing for people’s needs rather than wants. Including designing for the Third World. Designers have to choose what they want to design for.

Sources: Wikipedia