Topic 1 Final Reflection

My topic is Migratory Bird and Border, Migratory birds go on seasonal travel do definitely will go cross the border. so around this idea, I am open to exploring and researching my topic.

I make this system map with my team during class, and the function of this map offers obvious positives for the whole process. It is like a guideline to start research. But also making this system map is the biggest challenge for me. because at the beginning I don’t have any idea about what is Migratory bird, have no idea about the relationship between migratory birds and borders too, so this map helps a lot to find out the relationship if your topic combines more than one element.

What did you learn?

I’ve learned a lot of things, especially the system map, it is a very important key when you have no idea about your topic. it can help you to find out many different ideas relative to your topic.

What might you do differently in terms of process or content?

the form which is the way I am going to deliver my topic. I have a hard time making decisions to represent my migratory bird. I thought to go with a storybook or map, but all of them were hard to link back with my metaphor. but I made a lot of changes from the very beginning.

What was inspiring? What parts?

The image and the tone of my project part took a lot of time for me, I draw a lot of pictures as references. I researched many migratory birds, and compare many different color tones that I am going to use. finally, I used the Rococo color tone because it is also a way of metaphor, if people didn’t pay attention to this moment, will lose the beautiful creature very soon.

Revisit the assignment prompts: how did your project relate to the original prompts, in terms of critical lens, audience, tone, etc…

I thought the Len tone become softer, became easier to accept. the way becomes more gentle but powerful( because I have learned more details about my topic, and found more resources to support my topic. ), in the beginning, the prompts were paler. and weak.

How did you balance research and experimentation? Which is easier for you? How can you focus more on the areas that you shy away from

research is easier for me, because of all the information just over the internet. but experimentation going to take a lot of time from people. I did most of part of the research, took the experience from people who already researched a similar topic, learned a lot of experience from them, and combine my situation to make my work happen.

Bibliography :

Contributors to Wikimedia projects. “Symbiotic Bacteria – Wikipedia.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 4 Apr. 2006,

• What did you learn?

For the assignment, I learned how to find the path to do critical experience work from an initial topic. Thoughts and forms are deeply interwoven, making this kind of research a unique experience.

For the presentation part, I would rethink about how to organize and show the content to the audience in a short time.

• What feedback did you receive? Any reflections on critique itself?

Some suggestions are about better ways to deliver the idea and information, such as font size (revised, seems better now) and the content after the user answers. I’m glad that the critical thinking about indirect taxes resonated. I would like to know more about the audience’s further thoughts while the presentation time was limited.

• What might you do differently in terms of process or content?

Choosing one aspect and narrowing down the topic may extend the topic more concisely to audiences. It’s also important to exchange ideas with others earlier.

• What was inspiring? What parts?

The process gives me a new perspective to think about things. A small topic can lead to a lot of deep thinking. It makes me more curious about the world.

• Revisit the assignment prompts: how did your project relate to the original prompts, in terms of critical lens, audience, tone, etc… 

The topic “salt” under the theme “borders” was strange to me initially. So I’ve been looking for the connection during the process. In the end, the project focuses on relations between countries and inside a country, which closely ties to the prompt.

• How did you balance research and experimentation? Which is easier for you? How can you focus more on the areas that you shy away from

I would say… both are not easy for me. I felt stuck on both sides. However, next time I’ll figure out ideas first, even if they are rough. I feel like the form can promote ideas, and more ideas also promote the form. And talking about ideas with others is a good way to move further.

• What did you learn?

In doing this project, I learnt how to apply what was taught in the class – a systemic approach and conceptual tools for a research-based art practice, including systems map, interview and experimental making. It is a good hands-on experience to deal with a real assignment.

• What feedback did you receive? Any reflections on critique itself?

I received useful advises from peers – Jamie suggests to use the users’ personal data to generate code of arms. Also, Yuqian asked about if Coat of Arms is a good thing or not today, which posted a question  – what’s its value for today.

• What might you do differently in terms of process or content?

I am thinking it would be better if there is another web version with the physical booklet. More elements can be provided, then users can have a more interactive experience in designing his or her Code of Arms, and also users can share their emblems on social media.

• What was inspiring? What parts?

This project is inspiring to me that  – even if working with a topic that you are not familiar or interested in, you can leverage a systemic approach to communicate the audience with the point of view.

• Revisit the assignment prompts: how did your project relate to the original prompts, in terms of critical lens, audience, tone, etc…

I think my project is basically up to the assignment prompts and my original design. But overall I believe I can be more bold to try different things.

• How did you balance research and experimentation? Which is easier for you? How can you focus more on the areas that you shy away from

It is a learning process for me to balance research and experimentation. I was more comfortable with research and deliver the project with the skills I mastered. In the next project, I will try to focus more on experimentation part and delivery the message in a critical way.

I found this project to be interesting and surprising. When I was assigned “gardens” as a topic, I was excited but also hesitant. I wasn’t sure how I was going to approach gardens from a critical lens. After a couple false starts down different paths, I found an exploration into native species, invasive species, and rewilding to be a generative topic for me. I enjoyed thinking of different ways to communicate ideas that I learned from my research. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed researching gardens and nature. I had a lot of fun reading about the different plants, rewilding efforts around the world, and controversy about how we think of plants and nature. For a complete bibliography, see below.

The feedback I received on my atlas was generally positive. The biggest piece of constructive feedback was that the second piece in my diptych, the one about native flowers and plants, was not developed. I completely agree — it was the one I had thought about much less, and it didn’t fully fit into my overall theme or visual language. Since sharing my work with the class, I have done a revision on that piece in order to make it fit more with the visual language and to incorporate more thoughtful text into the image. I’m not totally sure that it’s all the way there, but I feel that it is much closer. Here are the two final pieces, and a link with thumbnails and an appendix below:

Link to the atlas: https://bubble-nemophila-4cd.notion.site/Garden-Atlas-b5907c31acea4750b6827b12ab98e1c8

Balancing the research and the experimentation was challenging. I dug into the research and had so much fun with it that I didn’t start experimenting soon enough. I really loved the experimentation once I began, and next time I will begin this process much sooner. I can see how the research and the experimentation could really exist as a conversation, and I am excited to attempt that mode in the future.

I think that my guide did a reasonably good job of following the prompt. My lens through which I presented the topic was the lens of the plants. I was attempting to have the plants give some advice, so in that sense I suppose it is usable. And my hope is that it brings to light some of the complicated — and maybe misguided — ways that we think about different plant species. I hope it also helps people notice the plants around them more, even the unassuming plants.

One thing that I could have developed further is the audience. I had not considered the possibility that the plants would be communicating to each other, and I thought that was a really interesting suggestion that might be fun to play with.

Bibliography

Beveridge, Ross, et al. “From wastelands to waiting lands.” City, 26:2-3, 281-303. 2022. DOI: 10.1080/13604813.2022.2040200

Kumar, Rishi. “Nature Does Not Exist.” Farmer Rishi, June 19, 2021, https://farmerrishi.com/blogs/farmer-rishi/nature-does-not-exist

Lawton, Philip et al. “Natura Urbana: The Brachen of Berlin.” The AAG Review of Books, 7:3, 214-227. 2019. DOI: 10.1080/2325548X.2019.1615328

Nugent, Ciara. “Take a Walk on the Rewilding Side.” Time. September 13, 2019. https://www.scribd.com/article/433010469/Take-A-Walk-On-The-Rewilding-Side

Rivera, Fernando O. “Urban Wilderness: Rewilding our Concrete Jungles.” Crit, no. 88, 2021, pp. 66-69. ProQuest, http://proxy.library.nyu.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fscholarly-journals%2Furban-wilderness-rewilding-our-concrete-jungles%2Fdocview%2F2546190734%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D12768.

Sturgeon, Amanda. “Rewilding: Stepping Back to Take Action.”  Architecture Australia, July 2022. https://architectureau.com/articles/rewilding-stepping-back-to-take-action/#:~:text=Economically%20driven%20development%20has%20left,help%20our%20natural%20systems%20recover.

Westrem, Scott D. “Making a Mappamundi: The Hereford Map.” Terrae Incognitae, 34:1, 19-33. 2022. DOI: 10.1179/tin.2002.34.1.19

Woodward, David. “Reality, Symbolism, Time, and Space in Medieval World Maps.” Annals of the Association of American Geographers, vol. 75, no. 4, 1985, pp. 510–21. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2563109. Accessed 15 Sept. 2022.

Zefferman, Emily P., et al. “Knoxville’s urban wilderness: Moving toward sustainable multifunctional management.” Urban Forestry & Urban Greening in Elsevier, September, 8, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2017.09.002

• • What did you learn?

  Even though I have down a lot of research in my undergraduate school, the first guide project remind me how to do a critical research and how to effectively find the key information I need. Second, the interview I did was really helpful. I learned how to design the interview question in order to gain useful information for my guide. Third, I learned to draw a concept map while analyzing a topic. After making a concept map, I can be more clear about what system and stakeholders could be for my topic. Fourth, I have learned how to use a visual metaphor to demonstrate a thesis or concept. 

  • What feedback did you receive? Any reflections on critique itself?

  I have receive a feedback from Monika. From the feedback, I noticed that my guide is missing some sort of text description. It may confused audience and hardly expressed my intention. Also, the visual transformation in female’s part is not obvious and clear. As a result, the distinguish between male and female’s condition is not highlighted. Audience may feel lost if I don’t claim my intention. I really agree with Monika’s statement; and during the process of creating the guide, I actually considered whether the form of gradually lighting female’s quilts was a good way to present female’s ability and aesthetics. If I use some shape changing and more colour transformation, my intention might be more distinct for presentation.

  • What might you do differently in terms of process or content?

  Just as I have said in last question, I will change the shape and hue of cloths and quilts. I used p5.js for the guide, however, I will use Unity which is more powerful.

  • What was inspiring? What parts?

  For me, considering a meaningful metaphor is really inspiring to me. I am excited to think about creative form of guide. Words are too plain to express an idea, so if I use images to indirectly present a concept, I believe it will have a more impressive consequence. Considering the different possibilities of metaphor can make me think deeper about my topic.

  • Revisit the assignment prompts: how did your project relate to the original prompts, in terms of critical lens, audience, tone, etc…

  I believe I have a very clear critical lens because my intention of the guide is to present gender inequality in Chinese handcraft field. I spent a lot of time to do the research about the social issue about my topic. Also, during the process of creation, I had consider the stakeholders who were also my target audience of my topic. I used a serious tone when I presented my guide. What my guide lacked was a clear intention as the visual transformation is ambiguous and indistinct. 

  • How did you balance research and experimentation? Which is easier for you? How can you focus more on the areas that you shy away from

  For me, research and experimentation can not leave with each other. The foundation of experimentation is research. Also, the output of research is through experimentation. In my condition, experimentation is easier as I am a practical person. I was in computer science program, therefore, I have the practice of trying when I don’t know how a thing work. However, research is really necessary. It can give us a more comprehensive understanding of a topic. It allow us to think about the root and fundamental logic. Even though it is confused and aimless to read a bunch of texts and explore an unfamiliar area at the beginning, we will have great pleasure after knowing and understanding an unknown fields of knowledge.