All that I looked at this past week...

Project H

On Thursday, March 25th founder of Project H, Emily Pilloton visited Syracuse University. Together with her partner and a van of humanitarian designs, Emily Pilloton exhibited objects that could changed the world. Though a designer herself, Pilloton collected objects that that represented the needs of underrepresented people in the design world. Such objects include the Hippo Roller, which allows villagers to transport 22 gallons of water back to their communities from a distant water source without harming themselves in the process. Another genius design is glasses that allow the wearer to adjust their own prescription without any help from an eye doctor. For people in third world countries who do not always have access to the aid of trained professionals, there are glasses that attempt to recognize that problem. These are just a few of the many objects that have been designed to solve more problems than they create.

Something of brilliance that Pilloton emphasized during her presentation was the need to get the users involved in the design process. The people who would be using the object are the ones who understand the problem the best. Designers are supposed to interpret the problem into a solution, but first they must converse with the experts of the problem. To do this, it is important to be immersed in the community. One question that I felt was left unanswered was, if the objects are often designed for people who have less money, how are they supposed to afford the objects? Pilloton said that Project H was about planet, people, and profit. How does the profit part work out?

I saw...

Texture (of emotions?)

Handmade Nation

On March 8, 2010, Faythe Levine visited Syracuse University to share her experience as an artist with students and the general public. Levine wrote a book called "Handmade Nation" only to later take the initiative of turning her book into an independent film. The film involved revealing the Indie Craft Community through a series of interviews with various people located throughout the United States. Levine ended up traveling to 15 cities to conduct 80 interviews. Though "Handmade Nation" was completely independent, the film took the country by storm. Levine reflected back on some crucial steps she had to take to make her project a success. She emphasized that the craft community is centralized online, so making accounts on different websites played a necessary role in publicizing her work.

Among the interviews in "Handmade Nation" were people who practiced all sorts of crafts and played different roles in the community. Some organizations that were represented were "The Little Friends of Printmaking," "Sublime Stitching," "Super Crafty" and "buyolympia.com." The film captured a culture of people who valued the "Do It Yourself" mentality and freedom through craft. In the film, one person said, don't allow people to "feed you your culture." The Indie Craft Community is very much about finding your own identity through the cultivation of creativity and ideas. The fact that this film was independent only further corresponded with the idea of "D.I.Y." When asked about her next project, Faythe Levine responded that she is currently working on a documentary about sign painting. It is people like Faythe Levine that keep the craft community thriving, and it is our job -as people who have a place in our hearts for such a community- to support our fellow crafters.

Beautiful Losers

Art is a way of coping with our perceived realities. As individuals, we are all separated from one another. While we may live on the same planet in a physical sense, our minds seem to reside on different planes. In this way, reality is an illusion because truth feels different to everyone. Art acts as a sort of window into other people's planes. At the same time, we are still stuck on a different side of the window than the person in that plane. Art as a window will never look the same to any one who looks. Art is an attempt to unify the planes by sharing stories and point of views. This can be helpful because by sharing perspectives, our horizons may be broadened and we might learn something new. Cliches are formed when art fails to present old information in a new way. You can look at something a hundred times, but sometimes the message might not be understood until art tells the story in a new medium. Art has many uses and it is a force that can be used for good or for evil; it is up to us to choose. What reality do you want to adopt and share with the world?

1960s Stereotypes Encouraged

These photos were taken at the Onondaga Historical Association...