Week 10 : Force Connection Part I

Force connection is one of way to solve a problem by making connection of two different items, so it will turn multi functional. It is like a follow up of analogical thinking but this time it needs to be created into a real usable object.

the following pictures are sample of the product.

Teapot + Handle

Source : http://www.uniquescoop.com/2011/07/34-cleverly-designed-inventions.html

Inventor found that tea is often spilled when poured from hot pot, because it has no handle which makes it stable. That is how things created, by observation and followed up with action to make it more functional.

Bath tub + storage

source : http://www.bellasavvy.net/archives/32292

We want things to be neat, and efficient. When something has space inside it, why don't we stuff it?

glue stick + butter

source : http://this-is-mad-ness.blogspot.sg/

We need to prepare few items while spreading butter. Such as butter knife, and butter. It is much simpler to have only one thing which can replace the function of the butter knife, in an effective way. Which apparently by using the concept of glue stick.

what I feel about force connection is how two or multi 'different' items can be turned into one item and support one bigger function which gives more experience for the user in an efficient way. The things around us that we know as one item is not as it used to be before. It is a product of ongoing creative thinking process, that they improve to be something that we use daily. Such as car, which substantial component was wheels and seat, now it has so many things in it. The things that we see now won't just stop there, they will be developed into something unexpected.

the world is keep moving, machines are taking over, and human should level up their competence higher, not to compete with the machines, but to have ideas and create something which machine can not do. 

Week 9 : Analogical Thinking apart II

Simile is an expression of comparing two different object which character has similarity. Simile uses connecting word such as like and as. For example, she is as active as a rabbit, or they fought like cat and dog.

Metaphor is an expression to emphasize the statement using the word of different object. for example, "my heart was torn into pieces". Many piece of work use metaphor, be it in writing or visual image. Perhaps what we see in most piece of modern art gallery adopt the concept of metaphor too.

https://rimproductions.wordpress.com/category/visual-metaphor/

  

https://www.pinterest.com/kwangkookkim/visual-metaphor/

In class we had an activity of filling up quiz to understand more about simile and metaphor. There was around 20 numbers for each type of one to six.The quiz went like this.

 This is a good way to exercise the mind.

 The more we can find relation of objects, the easier it is to express things accurately.

Sometimes our brains are tricked by our vision

 This is when the word got a little bit more tricky.

What I have learned is that the more you can associate thing, the better you get in expressing things, be it through picture or writing. The better you express yourself, the easier it is to get the message delivered to the viewer or audience. Perhaps we have seen many works applying simile and metaphor in our daily life, but we are not really sensitive about it. Understanding and practicing simile and metaphor are significant in stimulating great ideas to come for artist in general, resulting greater piece of work which has stronger meaning.

Week 8 : SAM museum

In this activity, we went individually to SAM museum to apply what we know about analogical thinking. We were to find objects that has hidden emotion in it.

Proud

Happy

Angry

Depressed

Fear

Sad

Calm

Shocked

Anxiety

Confused

Sad

I think the best way to get the emotion from every piece is not by thinking about it because it kills the real emotion, the best thing is by seeing it and feel and sense. Weird how the way they put the color, the way it was positioned, the materials used, the light, and all of that visual element brings out certain nuance.

If we are sensitive with surrounding, we will be aware of million of emotion around us, and it made us a better person by understanding. In design aspect, we will become more sensitive in putting design element, principle, that delivers the message accurately. In dainly life, we will know what is needed, and how to respond properly certain situation.

Week 7 : Analogical Thinking

Analogical thinking is a way of think by seeing relation between two very different things.

In the class exercise, we were asked to train ourselves to think analogically. We were asked to draw 15 pieces of three items (5 pieces for each) that reflects some selected emotions without directly showing a face. the emotions are : Anxiety, Depressed, Fear, Shocked, Stressed, Happy, Calm.

clock

 Candle

Cup

this way of thinking is good to improve the sense of surrounding and proceed it through some thinking process, resulting something new. By being able to think analogically, we open ourselves to be inspired by the simplest thing that we come up with, the most natural source which mostly is unexpected. Helicopter out of dragonfly, Submarine out of whale, and so on and so on. which how most innovation were done. To be able thinking this way, we have to practice it a lot, so the ideas might come more and more advanced.

I love those exercise which pictures I put above. Because to make it that way, I had to sense what those emotions are like, sometimes they popped in clarity, but the other times they popped in form of blurred visualization in my mind. I had a moment to dig it out to see it clearly and finally pour them out into drawings.  

Week 6 : Lateral Thinking

In this week we had interesting class activity related to lateral thinking. Lateral thinking, in a simple way is using imagination to see the problem from other perspective.

The first exercise was connecting 9 dots in one line without lifting the pencil.

The second one was to make one continuous line without lifting the pencil.


the third one, we were given a case of a bee that went in the house through window and went straight to a painting of roses hanging on whiteboard, passing a fresh rose inside the vase. Why would the bee prefer painting instead of rose in the vase?

-the painting has more rose than the one in the vase
-its sense of smell has got broken
-some of its body system/organ got broken so it only could fly straight
-the vase smelled so strong that it hides the smell of rose
-the fresh rose was picked
-the chemical smell of the painting was strong that it blur the bee's receptors signal.
-it was a young rose in the vase (doesn't produce nectar)

-It was not a honey bee

-the bee had enough nectar already

-the kind of flowers on the painting was known producing more nectar than rose

-it was 3d painting
-the roses in painting was much more vibrant
-there was honey drops in painting
-The bee was excited because it was huge painting!
-The artist used honey instead of oil
-the bee was born this way
-the white board where the painting was hang made the bee think it was outdoor
-the bee is a collector
-The bee is more into visual
-the bee suffered stiff neck

Lateral thinking made us think the other side rather than one most people would focus on, so the solving would be most likely much more creative and innovative, where it fits the world nowadays that has such a huge demands on everything.

This remind me of my teacher back then, who was not into book at all but appear really smart, and he was not just theorizing, he was really thinking about one case and compare it to other to find a bridge. The way he learned was by being observant of the current issue, asking opinion of other student in a way that he was really willing to learn, and watched TV. Yet I can say that his perspective of seeing the world was so smart and genuine. I think if we are willing to learn, we can make everything around us into something valuable.