This is my third year teaching in the southern hemisphere and it still feels strange to be kicking off the academic year in March! I teach one third-year course this trimester, called Cultures of Design–but if I could rename it, I’d call it Design and Everyday Life. Here are the highlights:

Course description
Original and world-changing design was long considered the product of solitary geniuses, masters and heroes, but recent research has argued that cultural innovation is often the result of everyday actions by ordinary people. This course critically and creatively examines the dynamic and collaborative networks that characterise professional and amateur design today, and prepares students to face the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Course aims
Building on multi-disciplinary approaches explored in CCDN 231 and CCDN 271, this course aims to situate creativity, design and innovation within everyday lived experience. With a focus on critical practice and practical criticism, students will be introduced to social and cultural theories of everyday life and ethnographic methods that can help them understand and explain design in a variety of ordinary cultural contexts. Lectures will introduce students to important concepts in design and cultural studies, and a variety of films, readings, discussions and activities will support further exploration and engagement. Ultimately, students will learn to apply this knowledge through the research and presentation of three artefact ethnographies that critically and creatively evaluate material, visual and discursive culture.

Course content
The course comprises eight interconnected topics of study:

• practices of everyday life;
• object culture;
• aesthetics and ethics;
• creativity and innovation;
• professionals and amateurs;
• technology and media;
• speculative design; and
• possible futures for co-creation.

Each topic will introduce theoretical concepts and related methodological approaches to understanding, doing and explaining design in cultural context. Assignments will require the application of this knowledge to the critical and creative assessment of design in everyday life, and design as everyday life.

Course assignments
To complete this course, students are required to submit and present three original artefact ethnographies, as well as one revised artefact ethnography.

Ethnography involves the systematic exploration, examination and presentation of social and cultural phenomena that make up the lives of people across space and time. Artefacts—objects designed and created by people—have always been central to the expression and experience of everyday life, and can be used as platforms for social and cultural commentary. Artefact ethnographies combine analytical and creative work to explain the social and cultural dimensions of designed objects in everyday life.

Assignment 1: Something Past
For this assignment, each student will select an individual artefact, a class of artefacts, or a single collection of artefacts in order to critically and creatively engage PAST social and cultural phenomena, and how they relate to people, places, objects and/or ideas that exist now or may exist in the future.

Assignment 2: Something Present
For this assignment, each student will select an individual artefact, a class of artefacts, or a single collection of artefacts in order to critically and creatively engage PRESENT social and cultural phenomena, and how they relate to people, places, objects and/or ideas that existed in the past or may exist in the future.

Assignment 3: Something Future
For this assignment, each student will imagine an individual artefact, a class of artefacts, or a single collection of artefacts in order to critically and creatively engage FUTURE social and cultural phenomena, and how they relate to people, places, objects and/or ideas that existed in the past or exist in the present.

Assignment 4: Revised Artefact Ethnography
For this assignment, each student is required to revise and resubmit their favourite artefact ethnography. With student permission, the Course Coordinator and tutors will select up to five artefact ethnographies for submission to the Material World blog.

The submission format is open, but each artefact ethnography must include a 1000-1250 word written component based on a relevant and appropriate combination of academic literature review, observation, creative writing, photography, drawing, video-making, web design, audio recording and/or object creation.

To get started, students are required to complete the following task (adapted from The Exercise Book) for the first tutorial:

1) Go for a walk with a notebook and pay close attention to what’s going on around you.

2) Compose one written page with three sections. Start the first section with “I see…”, the second section with “I remember…” and the third section with “I imagine…”.

Image credits: “Remade” household objects by Jennifer Collier

I took some time off work and had grand plans for catching up on my academic reading and writing, but quickly realised I was on holiday and instead completely immersed myself in highly dramatic and emotive pop culture.

First, I’ve been reading a bunch of young adult speculative fiction. I started with Susanne Collins’ epic Hunger Games trilogy (guess where you’ll find me on 23 March ;)), then I blazed through two more wonderful books: Neal Shusterman’s Unwind and Nancy Farmer’s The House of the Scorpion, and now I’m working my way into Patrick Ness’ Chaos Walking trilogy. Despite covering a wide range of content and character types, all these books are examples of incredibly compelling story-telling. (Unwind had one of the most disturbing chapters I’ve ever read.) I’ve also watched a wonderfully cheesy urban fantasy TV series called Lost Girl, which is full of mythical creatures and hott sex, mystery and adventure, good fights and bad jokes, and I’ve started re-watching Joss Whedon’s classic show, Firefly, because I bought a blu-ray copy of Serenity. Like the books above, these stories aren’t focussed on scientific plausibility, but they sure are emotionally resonant.

Second, I’ve become completely obsessed with contemporary country/bluegrass which continues to provide deeply emotional soundtracks for–and poignant stories of–everyday life. For example, I really enjoy Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet, whose Chinese folk-music inflected bluegrass could serve as a soundtrack for Firefly. Listen to the beautifully hectic “Tai Yang Chu Lai Xi Yang Yang” for a taste, or “City of Refuge” for Washburn’s most recent work. I also totally dig Gob Iron’s Death Songs for the Living, which brings an almost unbearable sadness to old classics like “Wayside Tavern” and “Hard Times,” and is worth buying just for their devastating cover of “The Little Girl and The Dreadful Snake.” And if you like weird and dark music as much as I do then you also can’t go wrong with Neko Case‘s “Furnace Room Lullaby.” Then there’s the stunning Goat Rodeo Sessions with Yo Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile–check out this half-hour gig they played at Google. Or if you prefer more traditional, and also incredibly moving, Appalachian bluegrass, I’ve fallen in love with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings‘ music, including “Caleb Meyer,” “Orphan Girl,” “The Devil had a Hold of Me,” “Tear My Stillhouse Down” and “Miner’s Refrain.”

***

Cultural and aesthetic taste is a funny thing: Bourdieu taught us that it is strategic and competitive; we use it to claim or demonstrate our superiority over others.

My own biases in this regard become evident when I say that few things perplex me more than when people completely dismiss popular culture. For example, each time I hear someone say to me that they have no interest in pop culture or that they have nothing in common with people who like it, I feel uncomfortable and maybe, if I detected any pride or smugness in their statement, even offended.

I wonder: What, exactly, do they think pop culture is? Who, exactly, do they think likes it and why?

I also wonder: If they dislike pop culture, what do they think of me? If they want to be distanced from it, how can we ever come together?

***

I appreciate everyday life.

It’s where I feel the warmth of the sun on my bare skin or the softness of my cat’s fur. Where I hear the voices of the people I love or the sounds a cello makes. Where I smell old books or the grass after a heavy rain. Where I see the infinite shapes that snowflakes take or the curious faces of strangers. Where I taste the sweetness of a ripe mango or the difference between rock, ceramic and bone.

Everyday life has provided the setting for my greatest joys and deepest sorrows, my most rewarding accomplishments and most crushing losses–and all the things that happened in between.

It is everything I have ever been and will ever be.

Everyday life holds my stories. All our stories.

***

The story-telling capacities of popular culture can be incredibly powerful social binders if they capture some of these aspects of everyday life.

Mass culture doesn’t need to be associated with the lowest common denominator, but it can represent some of the broadest common denominators.

Shared culture doesn’t need to mean agreed-upon culture.

We don’t need to see ourselves in pop culture as much as we need to situate ourselves through pop culture.

***

Cat breading

“Forget planking. All the cool kids are putting their cats in bread and taking pictures of them looking like little yeasty lions.” – Gawker

“This is why the Internet exists. The long march of human progress has finally ended; we have reached our destination. Rest and rejoice in our accomplishments.” – Neatorama

“The concept is so wonderful it seems shocking that no one thought of cat breading before and many are questioning how they failed to spot the potential of placing their pets head into a slice of bread.” – TNT Magazine

“Some observers believe placing bread around animals is cruel…So far, no cat breaders are replying to allegations of animal cruelty.” – Digital Journal

“The whole thing seemed like an elaborate inside joke, spoofing the nature of short-lived crazes which are more likely to be talked about than actually participated in.” – The Daily Mail

Jonny Wan – Dragon

Happy Chinese (Lunar) New Year!

2012 is the Year of the Dragon, traditionally associated with energy and change, good luck and good health.

Given a rather inauspicious start to the calendar year–two long-haul flights in two weeks, followed by almost immediate and prolonged immobilisation due to my dislocated kneecap, ended up causing a couple of large and scary pulmonary emboli–I’m really looking forward to what the mythical dragon will bring.

It’s Chinese tradition to sweep away any bad fortune from last year to make room for the good, and in doing this I’d like to acknowledge the good I’ve already seen emerge from the bad:

PE is a life-threatening condition that will involve at least six months recuperation and a lifetime of watchfulness, and I want to thank Dr Cookson at City GPs, who promptly turned a routine check-up into a trip to the emergency ward; Dr Eberhardt and Dr Perrin at Wellington Hospital, who diagnosed me and started treatment so quickly; the incomparable nursing staff who took such good care of me during my first-ever stay in hospital; and all the medical staff who continue to help me recover. I’m thankful that my body, mind and spirit weren’t ready to give up, but without the dedicated efforts of all these people, it’s possible that I wouldn’t have lived to see another day, and for that I will be eternally grateful.

I also consider myself fortunate to have experienced the extraordinary kindness and generosity of spirit that some people so naturally and freely share. I’m grateful to have learned the difference between fair-weather friends and soul-mates, and for the chance to let the people I love, both old and new, know how much they mean to me. I also appreciate the opportunity to prioritise my own values and desires–instead of too often doing what others expect of me. For example, I actually enjoy doing less, this is the only kind of fame to which I genuinely aspire, and I honestly believe that it’s the little things that are most important. This year, I want to read and write more–and not for work. I want to listen to music without doing anything else at the same time. I want to grow strange little plants and practice abstract embroidery. And I want to swim in the ocean and walk in the sun.

Best wishes for the Year of the Dragon everyone!

Thanks to all our friends and colleagues for an inspiring 2011, and we wish you much joy and adventure in the coming year!

Baaa by Cyriak (Thx Adam!)

2011 was a busy and rewarding year for us. I had the pleasure of learning about farm tech at Fieldays in Hamilton, shearing and woolhandling at the Merino Championships in Alexandra, and sheep breeding and judging at the Canterbury A&P Show in Christchurch. I presented a remote lecture at the Edinburgh School of Art and a live seminar at the Royal College of Art in London. Ben Kraal and I led a workshop at Communities & Technologies 2011 in Brisbane, I gave the opening keynote at Web Directions South in Sydney, and I presented our research at Critically Making the Internet of Things in Umeå. In addition, Sam Carew and I made a couple of educational videos, and Hamish McPhail, Peggy Russell and I designed a fictional farm.

2012 promises more fieldwork, a few articles, and a really fun design project I’ve been working on with Jonathon Toon. Unfortunately, I dislocated my kneecap just before Christmas and have weeks of rehab to look forward to, so there won’t be any travel for a bit. On the upside, my lack of mobility means I should have more time to read and write–so stay tuned for more frequent updates here.

Cheers!

Dear Diary,

I arrived in Umeå this morning for HUMlab‘s Critically Making the Internet of Things conference, which starts tomorrow and has a really interesting line-up of presentations and workshops that I’m looking forward to. I don’t actually have an abstract for my talk, but will post my slides online afterwards.

I also spent the afternoon with Anna Croon Fors and had fika (my new favourite cultural ritual) with her colleagues in the Department of Informatics, discussing everything from gender and technology to how GPS equipped dogs are changing the experience of moose hunting.

The restaurant we originally went to for lunch was closed because the owners were fighting (or so a sign on the door said!) but that meant I got to see more of the city, including timber industry sites on the river and new residential suburbs. I also got to meet a super cute Norwegian Forest kitten, who was sleeping on a gorgeous Gotland lambskin. (I have to see if I can get one to take home. Skin, not cat. I already have one of those.)

The weather is mild, only -4 or so, and there is only a little snow on the ground, but the sun set around 2pm and it’s hard not to get tired after that. The upside to the darkness is that you can see lovely Advent stars and candles lighting up everyone’s windows, and the trees are strung with fairy lights that you can see for half the afternoon as well. It will be strange to return to NZ summer after this!

But it’s almost time for dinner, so I’d better go get ready now.

More soon,
Anne

Fieldwork–or more specifically, participant observation–has always been what I love most about my research, and event-based fieldwork has been an important part of my current project. This year’s National Agricultural Fieldays gave me a thorough introduction to agricultural technology and rural computing in NZ, and the Merino Shearing and Woolhandling Competition showed me a new dimension of human-animal relations. But I’ve been waiting all year for the 149th Canterbury A&P Show, and that’s where I’ll be Wednesday-Friday this week.

Today’s NZ Herald has a story about The Show that does a great job of conjuring the event:

“Look at the power in this Angus bull. It looks like a Mac truck and there’s a tonne o’ meat in him. He’s got a nice expression on his face, a calm temperament, a fine pair of testicles. This is a helluva good-looking bull.”

“This South Devon cow, she’s bright-eyed and feminine. And she has nice feet, firm on the ground, and a pretty, chubby calf. There’s a good udder set on her, too.”

Six judges for the Beef All Breeds competition have made their winning choices. They talk about the animals with knowledge, enthusiasm and humour. I’m a city slicker and had no idea that an Angus bull could be so interesting or cattle judges such showmen. The judges, and most of the male onlookers, wear their R.M. Williams boots and belts, their best jeans and town-shirts – cotton, ironed nicely, sleeves rolled up and the top two buttons open showing a tuft of chest hair.

I’m at the Canterbury A&P Show. A&P means Agricultural and Pastoral so this show is all about things rural; the country comes to Christchurch. There are no competitions for sewing, baking or growing and arranging flowers that some shows have … The focus is animals.

[...]

In the livestock pavilion, a vast, covered area, I inch between myriad pens, starting with cattle, moving on to goats, pigs, llamas, alpacas then, finally, sheep. It smells of hay, lanolin from wool and coconut sunscreen from the people walking by. Some animals have rows of ribbons tied to their pens. Others haven’t been lucky and sit, blink and chew, waiting to go back to their fields.

The show is on for three days and these hundreds of animals must be fed and watered; 30 tonnes of grass is trucked in and an enormous amount of hay. There is even a milking machine to which dairy-cow owners dutifully take their prize cows twice a day. The logistics behind this (and the mucking out that must go on because the pens and animals are all immaculate) is impressive.

[...]

I find a shady seat near farmers who are drinking Speight’s and yakking with their mates in a low-toned rumble. Some hold their winning certificates and happily accept congratulations. It’s convivial and friendly in a blokey way. As I leave I notice I’ve had a nice sit-down in the Sheep Exhibitors’ Club.

The Sheep Maternity Ward is nearby and I, with a flock of wide-eyed children, watch a lamb being born. It’s a grunty, messy, bloody process and the floppy, dazed lamb that slides out seems to be yellow. Mum is licking it in a jiffy and when I return half an hour later the smart wee thing is staggering around its mother’s wool looking for a nipple.

I, too, need food but the A&P Show is no place for a vegetarian. Avenues of food stalls are selling pies, hot dogs, burgers, beef sandwiches, beef noodles and lamb kebabs; nothing, anywhere, that is remotely vegetarian. I settle for a ham roll and pull out the ham.

[...]

The Canterbury A&P Show has delighted visitors for 149 years; the first one was held in 1862. It’s a fun day out and a rare insight for townies – these days that’s most of us – into heartland New Zealand.

Yes. My animal and meat-loving self is super excited. Stories and photos to follow!

Shawn Davis

“Shawn Davis is a chemistry teacher. But his spare hours are spent amidst lean feathers, fine wire and tiny hooks, practicing the age-old craft of fly tying. Turning such a practical thing as a fishing fly into an artwork—and innovating while doing so, as Davis does—serves as a stirring reminder to search for art in the everyday.”

via Anthropologie