The Symposium in the course

So, we had done the symposium. I felt nervous, but I finished finally. It was a nice experience.

The main topic of this symposium is ‘I buy to belong’. We should talking something about this and make it relate to our projects. My topic is ‘From Curiosity to Addiction – why to buy, belong to what. I started with a case study – smoking, which was about my project. Then I talked about my thinking about curiosity and addiction in normal buying. I feel curious to want to own goods, then I belong to a member of group to support some designers. It seems that this idea is abstract, but it exists in the society. We don’t realize this sometimes. Maybe it can be understood as someone is a member of LV. He/She has a partiality for products of LV. This situation sometimes can be said as a ‘addiction’. Because the concept is abstract and time is limited, so maybe my presentation is not so successful. However, I enjoy sharing this with others.

My classmates also shared their ideas about ‘I buy to belong’. They also combined this with their projects. For me, I gained a lot of new ideas about ‘I buy to belong’. Actually, I think if we could make our topics combine together, it would be better. Anyway, this symposium is successful.

Addiction

This work is made by Anthony. He said people used this kind of packet to pack cocaine. He chose the beatuiful pictures to be the surface of the packet, which were attracted. Is this packet as a symbol of addiction? Anyway, I found something about the symposium from this work. These little packets inspired me.

That is, what the meaning of addiction? Drug, Cigarettes, Alcole will make people have addiction. However, this is just something make your body want. What about general goods? Can they make us be addicted to? What the meaning of addiction here?  

'I buy to belong' -- Symposium

Now, we are going to have symposium whose topic is ‘I buy to belong’. What is ‘I buy to belong’ mean? It is likely explaining the progress of consuming. How can I combine my project with this topic? Maybe I can think about the progress of people start smoking. At first, people just want to try the feeling of smoking. This is pushed by curiosity of people. If people continued to smoke, they would be addicted to nicotine. The ‘buy’ is because of curiosity? Then belong what? People who continue to smoke belong to smokers. Maybe I can think about this and make it clear.

'Lost' -- Kathy Prendergast

This work was made by Kathy Prendergast. She expunged all places names of North America’s map except names which had the word ‘lost’. It is an emotional work. Maybe you will feel lost when you are looking at this work. Its form and its idea are combined very well. It makes me think about my work—the book I made. What feelings of audience will be when they are looking at my book?

Reference: http://www.englandgallery.com/artist_group.php?mainId=98&media=Prints&_p=1

Women from Antwerp in November -- Chantal Akerman

Finally, I found this video which about Chantal Akerman’s ‘Women from Antwerp in November. This work is about women smoking. The video focused on faces when women smoked. When they were smoking, they were also doing other things. Although the film just had a few minutes, it would made people feel it was not enough. This feeling is just like the addition of smoking. It is a interesting work which can pass emotion to audience.

http://www.artivi.com/encounters/akerman.php#share

Thinking about Symposium

My project is about smoking, then another word comes out - addiction. I searched this kind of symposiums on the internet. Most of them are talking about drug or alcohol addiction. Some of them are talking about smoking addiction, but I can't find much information. This is a video about addiction.

Actually, it is hard to combine addiction with design and this topic is not so interesting. However, I think before addiction, it is curiosity to push us to try something. Everyone has curiosity and it can help us to explore. I think it is a interesting topic for me to talk about in the Symposium. I need to do more research about it.

The Changing Situation and the Unchanged Profit

David introduced an article to me, but it was in 'The Independent Newspaper' and it was in overdue newspaper. So it was difficult to find this newspaper. Finally, I cound't find the newspaper, but I found it through internet. You can read it in this link:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/the-unstoppable-march-of-the-tobacco-giants-2290583.html

The author Emily Dugan wrote this article to summarize the situation of cigarette industry in the world. She showed a lot of datas to explain this sitiation. Every year there are more cigarettes consumed around the world though people made many compaigns to persuade people not to smoke. Meanwhile, it seems that the main market of cigarettes begin to change from developde countries to developing countries.

Many countries in the world try to clamp down on cigarette because more and more people were killed by smoking. In order to earn more money, tobacco companies are always having methods to solve these problems. Nowaday, more non-smoking compaigns are developing in the world.

After reading this article, I think we want to reduce cigarettes consuming, but it is a long struggle. The situation will chang with time, but the profit will not changed.

'Smoking Addiction' - Made by Anthony

This work is made by Anthony. He is very nice to pay close attetion to my project.

There are three small things in the box. One you can pull the paper out, just like people alway smoke one by one. Anthony said it was like addiction. One is not completely finished yet, I think. There is cigarette paper in the box too. Anyway, thanks, Anthony. It is a intertesting thing.

Non - Smoking Signs outside LCC

Outside the building of LCC, there are many new non-smoking signs on the ground. I knew a lot of students smoking outside the building when they had break time. It is interesting to see these signs on the gound. Will people not smoke in this place? As I saw one day, people were still smoking there. Anyway, I think it makes a new attemp - 'No Smoking outside the building in London'.

Smoke and Minors - Teenagers smoke

I read an article 'Smoke and Minors' today, which made me think about my book 'Nobody Claim'.

It wrote, there were more girls smoke than boys. There are many reasons for girls to smoke. They think smoke can make them look older. They like feeling grow up. And smoking can keep them close to others, just like social. What they care in their ages is fun.

After Unit One Assessment, I got some feedback. I began to think about what my audience are. In the situation I said above, teenagers become somkers. However, my book will not affect them. They won't care about butts in the streets. So what about adults? Maybe they will care, but what kind of adults? Non-smokers? Smokers? Or both? What their feelings will be? Maybe I need to ask myself more questions.

Thanks, Ant.

Reference: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jun/03/teenage-girls-smoking-more-than-boys

Green Cigarettes - New packages of tabaccos in Australia!

I just read an article which Anthony sent me. It said packages of cigarettes in Australia would changed. Like this:

 Photograph: Simon Belcher/Alamy/Photomontage by Guardian Imaging

'Will it work?' As Patrick Kingsley asked. Maybe color will affect people's emotion, but facing to addiction, will green take effect? At the begining, people may be shocked by this design, but will this reaction make people quit? I don't think so. People will be familar with this package when time passed. So at that time, people still smoke. It won't make any different. Some people may think green is ugly, but it is just color. Non-smoking advertisements today have more 'ugly' pictures. Sometimes thesd pictures are also taking little effect. Actually, I don't think this green packet is ugly. I think it is interesting and special! I will buy one when I see it.   

Reference: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/01/green-smoking-australia-cigarettes

Exhibitions in Tate Modern

Today I went to Tate Modern to watch some exhibitons. There are some new exhibitons, which I feel happy. After these exhibitons, I had deep impression on several works. I spent much time in watching Taryn Simon's A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters. She used photos to express what was dead. 'Dead' here is not saying people die in a natural way. War leads more people die in some countries. Simon took photographs of people who had bloodlines with each other and arranged them in order. You can see there is descent traced through photos. However, who knows will they have next generation.

It seems that we have a peace world now, but not all of countries in the world are peace. There are strong countries and weak countries. They are not balance actually, so there are still wars in this world. This situation can not be changed by normal people, but we can present this to the world and let more people know this.

Besides, a Korean Artist called Do Ho Suh made a work to express 'space' is interesting. He said 'The  space I am interested in is not only a physical one, but an intangible, metaphorical, and psychological one. For me, 'space' is that which encompasses everything.'

Reference

http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/CollectionDisplays?venueid=2&roomid=6819