Week 11 – Mobile Media in Asia

How do we use mobile phones?

Nowadays, Mobile phones have extraordinary features and technologies that are constantly evolving. Soon, the only thing we will need to bring with us is just a mobile phone. Mobile phones in the past have only one function – that is to call and receive calls. When compared with the phones we have now, the phones in the past are known to be brick size phones to us. As technologies evolve, more applications or features are added to the phone, causing consumers to want more.

Mobile phones are now embedded with GPS tracking system – allowing us to send information of our locations and post it on the web for all to see. Is this freedom or stalker behaviour as now parents are able to stalk children knowing where they are out and about.

And in Japan, the ‘kawaii’ look is in. Girls accessorize their phones with crystal stuck on beads that define who they are or which group they belong to. So now mobile phones are more than just for communicating purposes, as now they act as an accessory to display to people.

So, is technology slowly controlling us – driving us crazy to the point we are loosing ourselves?

Week 10 – Politics of Indonesian Pop Culture

Wayang has been passed down from generations to generations and have been a tool to teach moral principles to the younger generations. It has been said that both moral and religious principles are embedded in Wayang.
So I’d say Wayang is to be considered as a Folk Culture rather than a Pop culture because many villagers have regarded the teachings of Wayang to be highly respected because of its story tales and myths.

ARTS2213 Week 9: Eating in Asia

After reading this week’s reading about the types of the eating behaviours and trends towards eating, when talking about whether or not Western Influence is strong in Eastern countries like Singapore, Malaysia, China, Japan etc.. I don’t think you can measure it like that. Each culture has its own special features and attractions and in this globalised society we’re living in, I think we are beginning to appreciate the different foods that are out that in the market rather than just focusing on ONE specific type of food since we can now learn the good things of cultures.

The popular trend towards Eastern food suggests that the West are beginning to accept the wide range of Eastern foods. I guess it is also because more people from Eastern countries are fleeing to Western countries to develop or make certain foods known to the world. To say McDonalds is dominating the world is wrong because just because they have chains all around the world and even in Eastern countries doesn’t mean that people are choosing it more than the Eastern foods because McDonalds is fast food where as other dining is not – so I don’t think you can compare those…People are buying and consuming more McDonalds because of its convenience, they just haven’t got the time to experience other foods. So both Western and Eastern influence of food have made a positive impact on the globalised food culture today.

Week 8 – Political election

Politicians are increasingly using different forms of entertainment to interact with the citizens rather than preaching policies after policies. This is evident in most contemporary popular culture where prior to election, media will emphasize on the different political campaigns to rally voters. I guess for politicians to be in touch with citizens, they have to to withdraw their roles as being a politician and become the ordinary every day living citizen just to see things their point of view instead of politicians’ point of view- otherwise, there will always be a barrier between them.

Entertainment is the best form of communication because everyone loves some sort of entertainment and it is something people watch. In most Asian countries, tv channels organise and produce tv shows to invite guests to be on the show so that when politicians enter the show, the role as being a politician are not seen but rather, he/she can give citizens a different view of his/her personality apart from being a politician. In one of the readings, it mentions that we live in a mediacracy rather than a democracy because often, it is the media that influence/form the way we see things (should i say, package everything nicely together in the hope of making us believe as well). And entertainment and media has a very strong connection there so it is using this connection that can bring closer the gap between politicians and citizens.

Week 7 – J Pop

I find Korean Pop and Japanese Pop very similar in some respect. Contents of music and dramas are similar and of course their values and styles are very much the same as well. I guess what distinguishes J-Pop from Korean Pop is the Japanese-style ‘Pop idols’ that is so popular in Japan. The ‘life-sized’ model or figure celebrity carries with them indicates they are not living in their own world, but rather, together with people (fans based) in a community. The ‘cuteness’ in Japanese idols are also expressed where girls generally smile with bared teeth and clear, sparkling eyes (Aoyagi) while male idols adopt  a more ‘stylish’ or ‘cool’ appearance. So is one wave following another?

Post modern people (especially in most Asian countries or in some Western countries) are consuming more Japanese products as Japan has always been known to be a technological advanced country. Industries such as electronics are highly favoured, as well as its ‘cute’ products. Since Japan is a booming and flourishing country and fans all around the world are attracted to their manga & anime, Japan is now under the spot light. But can consumers forgive Japan’s past history?  Are they willing to accept Japan as a whole or will they just accept the new while holding grudges to their past?

Week 5 – Bollywood

In one of the articles, it states Bollywood ‘exists on a lower tier, little brother to the big brother of Hollywood…’ (Jones, M, 2009). It refers to to the Hindi-language film industry located in what was then Bombay, nowadays Mumbai. It is merely one area of film production in India that center on the lives and domestic rituals of Indian families…(Jones,M,2009).

Many Bollywood films produced often reflect the struggles in lower class families that address particular social issues. While this is the purpose for producing films such as ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, it has been suggested that the targeted audience often go to watch films like that just to escape from the reality. While the film depicts real life faced by Indian families, however, as suggested by critics, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ fails in connecting with to the tragedies depicted on screen since the films starred non-Indian people. Those in directing or casting in the film do not have to live with the hardships in India that’s why it is hard for them to connect with the story. This then comes to the Rasa theory.

The Rasa is what brings out the flavour in most Bollywood films. It is the emotion that an audience undergoes in the enjoyment of a performance. It is the actors and the performance that dictate these emotions. This differs from Hollywood films as actors have to adapt to the character’s role. But rasa is a pure expression of of emotion which something Hollywood films may not be able to adapt to.

So what does it mean for Bollywood and Hollywood? Will Bollywood be able to be as big as Hollywood? Although there has been films in which Indian films try to imitate Western films and vice versa, I think the context of these films are quite different. As one watches an Indian version of a Western film, he/she might find it funny whereas indians may find it the opposite because in some way or another, the film relates to him and his culture. So because of the cultural differences and different contexts in which films are produced, I think Bollywood will not be able to spread/ globalize because its culture may not be widely accepted or understood As both genres of films are in some ways influencing the other as such (don’t get me wrong, i think it is good that this is happening), I just feel audience of Indian films will be better suited with films that directly pinpoints its culture without any other cultures embedded within it otherwise it won’t be as successful but at the same time, I’m appreciating the way both Bollywood and Hollywood films are influencing each other.

Week 4 – Korean Wave

The Koran Wave is described as ‘a surge in the international visibility of Korean culture’ which began in East Asia, and continuing to expand in United States and Europe…It is a phenomenon that is manufactured by the South Korean state.

In my opinion, the Korean Wave has spurred a lot of attention as it has given the world a taste of Korean culture – in terms of its TV, film and music industries. The success and popularity of the Korean pop culture is due to the revival of its own culture when Sopyonje (the film) was produced in 1993. Because this film was expected to draw limited interest, it ended up breaking box office records and became the first Koran film to draw over a million viewers in Seoul alone. Not only was the film successful, but government’s initiatives and the involvement of Multinationals Enterprises was behind this move to create a cultural industry in Korea.  The Korean media industry did not stand a chance had not the Korean Wave came about since it mainly imported Hollywood films – resulting in a loss of national identity in Korea. However, it is no longer the case that one way flow of Western media context exists due to the increasing contraflow in international media (Thussu, 2000).

In one of the readings, Lin and Tong have noted that K-Pop contents are so popular are due to the hybridization of tradtionality and modernity in most of its films and dramas. While most of them embrace traditional (Asian) values, it also packages with attractive modern and trendy aesthetics. Concurring themes in these dramas or films are evolved around friendship, love, family and moral values are interpreted as ‘Confucianist values’ but they also possess ‘modern qualities’ that people can relate to in reality. I personally think Korean films and dramas address the moral values in the Asian culture and is capable to send certain message to all age groups.

One might ask, why does it have to be K-pop that attract a lot of attention worldwide? All other Asian countries have the same values anyway, so what makes K-pop so popular and widely accepted? I think contents produced by other Asian countries have their own style in portraying these values and themes, but what makes K-pop so popular is the history of Korea prior to this liberalization. Korea was repressed by the main powers in history, even by its neighboring country Japan so for Korea to step out to promote its own culture is highly commendable. It is also a sign to show the world that Korea will no longer live under other major powers but make a stand to show what it has to offer.

So the success of Korean wave can be seen from the statistics. Korean television programming exports have increased so dramatically that in 2003, they earned $37.5 million compared with $12.7 million in 1999 (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 2004). Furthermore, Korea is now the seventh largest film market n the world, with total number of theatre audience nationwide in 2003 standing at around 119 million, up from 47 million in 1992. Even though Korea has the slogan ‘Learning from Hollywood’, I believe it is only in terms of its production techniques that they are learning from them since the themes of Hollywood films and Korean films are so different – both in terms of its culture and language.

When publishing changes, so does society. [ARTS 2090 Distribution Project]

When publishing changes, so does society. Investigate and compare the impact of two
publication technologies, one pre-1900 and one post-1962, on a specific aspect of society (e.g.
education, politics, creative industries, science, entertainment, social relationships).

Publishing is the activity of making information available for public view. In order to make contents available for general public to view, there is a need for different modes of publishing. These modes of publishing enables information to make known and to some extent, it also limits the types to be published. So publishing tools change the way a society behaves and communicates, because it is the society which reacts to the environment. I will investigate two publications technologies’ influence and impact on education to illustrate that as publishing changes, so does society. These publication technologies involve Gutenburg Printing Press in the pre-1900 period and Youtube/Teacher Tube in the post 1962 period.

Johannes Gutenburg Printing Press was the first complete printing press invented in 1436, which changed the face of literature. A printing press is a mechanical machine in which ink was rolled over the raised surfaces of movable hand set block letters held within a wooden form and was pressed against a sheet of paper (Bellis; 2009). This technology was not new since block printing was in place long before Gutenburg invented printing press. China had been carving wood blocks to print books as early as 868 but it had its drawbacks. Its drawback was that a new set of woodcuts had to be made for each book (Dowling; 2005). But invention of printing press overcame this problem. A special feature about the printing press was its movable type system (system of printing that uses movable elements to reproduce elements of the documents. What separated Gutenburg’s Printing Press and other printing press is that Gutenburg Printing Press was more advanced and complete than other printing presses due to his invention of matrix that enabled quick molding of new type blocks from a silver template as well as using separate pieces of metal type for each letter and character to be printed. This allowed the same pieces to be used over again and again to print different texts.

What did this new publication technology mean for the society?
The Gutenburg Printing press was considered to be one of the most significant inventions in the Middle Ages. In ancient times, the literacy rate was low and it was too expensive for individuals to purchase books and manuscripts. Instead, histories and information were passed on from generations to generations through clay tablets, papyrus roll or even via words of mouth. But the printing press changed that. It became the medium for the masses. This process allowed Gutenburg to print an entire book much faster than hand copying or hand writing manuscripts. At this rate, reprinting and reproducing books was much easier than copying and rewriting manuscripts. On top of that, reprinting of parchments meant each reproduction of works would require substantial labour cost as labour was cheap. With the press, it could produce a book much quicker with less effort and less cost.

How did the invention of Gutenburg Printing Press impact on education?
From the words of Marshall McLuhan, ‘Printing from movable type created a quite unexpected new environment- it created the PUBLIC’ (McLuhan; 1962). Gutenburg’s Printing Press had indeed created a new public and atmosphere as it was the age where publishing flourished in a more public way.
In the pre 1900 period, writers of the era were mainly concentrated among the upper ruling class as they were seen to have more power over the rest of society. Thus, class division among the rich and poor was evident. Luckily enough, for those in power that time, the printing press represented a danger to the societal status quo (Bellis; 2009). As majority of the society was illiterate, invention of the press led many to read as they had the motivation to learn how to read and write. With the press, literature was widely accessible since printing press was invented. Because education was only available to the rich, those belonged to the working class had no opportunity to be educated, but with Gutenburg’s printing press, higher availability of printed works was available hence more forms of literature could reach more people.
Also, with reference to McLuhan’s quote from above, printing press also allowed ideas and information to circulate around. Previously, ideas and other discoveries were kept by the author. This meant that information were scarce and society’s knowledge was limited among the rich and educated since they had first priority to everything. But with printing press, knowledge was democratized since knowledge and ideas were published and people now had access to both old and new works to discuss among themselves. Published works stimulate discussions and debates among the public and it is those published works that could further develop and shape society to be a better place for everyone.

PRINT GOES DIGITAL

As the printing press was a turning point in the history books of literature and publishing, it helped bring literature to the masses in the pre 1900 period up to this day. Without the invention of printing press, we would probably still be illiterate and only aristocracy and the rich would be able to read and write, reinforcing the dominance of class division in society.
‘Any technology tends to create a new human environment’ (McLuhan; 1962). As publications technologies are always evolving, human environments are constantly changing. We are living in an era that is commonly referred to as ‘the late age of print’ (Kho;2007) or the ‘post-print age’ (Gunkel;2003). As public as information and knowledge are in this 21st century, the information individuals gain and obtain – no matter public or private media, has become digital. The digital technologies are driving the society forward, especially with the development of Internet and World Wide Web. We are living in a digital age where print only products no longer interest our senses as online publishing has taken over print publications to meet the demands of younger generation.

This is true in the case of YouTube. YouTube is a video-sharing service that lets users upload files onto its server (Educause; 2006; Internet). Ever since its debut back in 2005, it has been successful and popular as it allows users to publish works of their own at the same time streaming videos online. YouTube is a significant discovery as it offers an opportunities for individuals to express personal opinions and feedback not in words, but using technologies to express it visually on screen. The process of uploading and sharing with the public are made possible through the revolution of Web 2.0 technologies.

Is education Ready for YouTube?
YouTube ‘draws users into the experience of viewing videos and engaging with the content as commentators and creators, activities that heighten students’ visual literacy – an important skill in today’s electronic culture’ (Educause; 2006). YouTube isn’t just a creative outlet that allows people to showcase their creativity and to get feedback from and interact with users online, but ‘it’s a chance to redefine traditional education by engaging students in a format more tailored to the Modern Age’ (Cardine; 2008). In a generation which is heavily immersed with digital media, the traditional way of education (students with pen and paper in front of a teacher inside a classroom) is seemingly less influential on students. Most educational institutions – like universities are linked to YouTube, mainly because it has become a site that is home to many projects, instructional videos and professional development (Cardine; 2008). It serves as a communication platform between teachers and students.

TeacherTube
Similar to YouTube, TeacherTube is also a video-sharing site where teachers upload resources, teaching plans and tips and other inspiring films that may help further and broaden students’ knowledge and perspective. It functions like YouTube as members within the community are encouraged to post videos that are educationally beneficial to students, to comment and use rating system to rate and vote the most entertaining clips.
Certainly, having tutorials online enhance the students’ skills with technologies since it is a MUST to be technologically trained in this digital age. Learning from visuals increases our awareness as it is one of our senses to engage with the publics we imagine that are out there. Having this skill to critically evaluate the contents we see on screen, we can apply the knowledge learnt from visuals into our daily lives.

What can we learn from different modes of publishing?

The Printing Press and YouTube/TeacherTube are services that has had an impact on society because of technological advancement. Data has been retrieved in many different ways since technologies are constantly evolving. From these two examples, publishing practices (no matter it is print or digital media- Printing press and YouTube/TeacherTube) have helped form different formations of publics. Print has enabled literacy so that the public could have access to education while digital media have opened a networked of information economy since the publics could contribute to social and political sides of society. Even though there are many differences in modes of publishing nowadays, they have three things in common.
1) They serve to be archives storing more and more information
2) They distribute this information to the publics
3) They bring people and information together to create a better learning environment.

Essentially, different modes of publishing has reassembled the way we interact with data and the publics, and has changed the intensity of our experiences in these media technologies as print allowed us to interact with the text and knowledge from author while digital media has touched on our five senses as we could now decide to dim the screen and adjust volume when we are interacting with Youtube/TeacherTube. Different modes of publishing has impacted and created the publics in one way or another.

References
Bellis, M. (2009). Johannes Gutenberg and the Printing Press. Available: http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/b1JohannesGutenberg.htm. Last accessed 7 June 2010
Bellis, M. (2009). ‘The History of Communication’. About Inc. http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bl_history_of_communication.htm. Last accessed 6 June 2010
Cardine, S. (2008). Is Education Ready For YouTube?.Available: http://www.convergemag.com/edtech/Is-Education-Ready-For-YouTube.html. Last accessed 8 June 2010.
Dowling, M. (2005). Johann Gutenberg. Available: http://www.mrdowling.com/704-gutenberg.html. Last accessed 8 June 2010.
Educause. (2006). 7 things you should know about…YouTube. Available: http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7018.pdf. Last accessed 7 June 2010.
Gunkel, D. (2003). ‘What’s the Matter with Books?’ Configurations: 277-303. Last accessed 8 June 2010.
Kho, N. (2007). ‘The Medium Gets the Message: Post-Print Publishing Models’ EContent: 42-48. Last accessed 8 June 2010.
McLuhan, M (1962). The Gutenberg galaxy: the making of typographic man. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 1-24.

Group Xenon’s direction statement

Xenon Directions

The gentle caress of wabi sabi and nature has left Team Xenon in a wishy-washy state where our conversations often lead to the beauty of drifting clouds and impermanence of falling flower petals. Our understanding of the first ‘Inspiration Cluster’ has led the group to concentrate not only on nature but on nature’s effects upon man-made structures/objects.

The beauty that we will try to depict will not be of grandeur or revolution. Instead it will be represented by the tacit simplicity that nature holds. For example a single ray of light through a hole in a wall, cracking statues under the might of rain or even the sound of the wind, singing nature’s song.

Team Xenon’s aims are to create a project that embraces nature’s ideals as well as using wabi sabi’s principles as foundations. Hopefully these basic ideas can evolve into something that technology can capture and explore.

Inspiration Paper on Cluster 1

MDCM2003 Concepts

After reading inspiration clusters 1-3, I have been inspired by the ideas presented about Wabi Sabi in cluster 1.

Is art tied with conventions? Are we restricted to create works using specific materials? Do artworks need to be created with particular materials in a certain way for it to be considered as an artwork? The Wabi Sabi design of Japanese art is the opposite of the perfectly aligned and constructed works we once come to know.

One of Japan’s foremost English –speaking authorities, describes Wabi Sabi as ‘An active aesthetical appreciation of poverty’ (Daisetz T. Suzuki).  To appreciate the aesthetics in artworks, one must lift the heavy weight of layers of layers of materials.

The imperfect, naturalistic and simplistic designs in Wabi Sabi art, through the use of organic materials has made me realised not all artworks need to be perfect to be considered as art. The lack of shiny materials used aims to emphasize the details and the craftsmanship of the artist in the time that it was produced, so that as audiences, we may better relate to the artist’s intentions and inspirations.

I like the idea of simplicity in Wabi Sabi art. When I come across architectures and works that makes me go “WOW”, I immediately think it is impossible for anyone to have built or came up with the idea presented. It is often the complexities and the overcrowded materials that divert our attention to the technical side of things. The simplicity in Japanese works focuses on the essential part of the design and does not pretend to be anything else other than what it really is.

Also, the uneven textures and irregular forms presented in Wabi Sabi provide a strong bondage between the artist and the artwork, as though the work itself is alive and breathing. These qualities of Japanese art portray their values in achieving beauty in imperfection and to accept the natural cycle of growth, decay and death.  From this, Japanese’s Wabi Sabi works celebrates the cracks and crevices and all the other marks that time and weather.

Having some idea about what Wabi Sabi art is about, I would like to focus on elements that associate with wind, since wind is not something we can predict. The influence of wind on wind chimes, depending on the speed and which direction the wind is coming from, will produce various pitches as the wind hits the wind chimes. Through videoing different stages of the wind chimes (documenting the wind chimes with no wind, to wind chimes hit with different speed of the wind), I am thinking of creating layers of wind chimes in different stages and emphasize on the pitch of wind chimes, as the pitches and sound produced are determined by the wind.  I believe interesting outcomes will come out from this.

Sources of light and colour can either complement each other or go against each other.  Using coloured cellophane and the different light settings according to the environment (cloudy, sunny, raining, sunrise, midday, sunset), and possibly an object that is placed in the centre of things, I want take advantage of the light to capture the effects of light on object from different angles. Through the uneven textures on cellophane paper by scrunching it, and the blending colours offered by the environment, I wish to display a scene where viewers can contemplate and think about how meaning can be constructed through these elements. From this, the incomplete and imperfect scene allows viewers to develop their own creative mindset and as Sandra Crowley states, ‘because within imperfection is found the allusion of perfection’ [Sandra Crowley (2005). Wabi Sabi Style. Gibbs Smith. 151].

Every piece of material has their uniqueness and value. It is the way materials are utilized, organized, placed and its composition that brings out the beauty and unconventional works, works that are unique – Just the like Wabi Sabi style.