Projects
7th January 2020 (week 1-)
Daryl Pung Xi Ern (0333743)Intercultural Design Project 1 Proposal
LECTURES
Week 1
07/01/2020
For our first lecture, Mr Charles gave us an introduction about our project. In particular, the fact that our main theme is "Mythology" and how we could collect data in regards to our topic. Such as: photos, drawings, items, interviews and most importantly careful observations. Not only are we looking at mythological influences in Japanese culture, but on modern design as well and how or why is a certain myth still relevant in today's world.
Week 2
13/01/2020
Ms Jinchi started off the lecture about how the word "narcissist" originated from a greek myth about a man called narcissus. She went on to ask "what is culture?" Is it the people? The food? The dances? Elaborating off that, we learned that there is thing called "visible" and "unseen" culture, or in other words "internal" and "external". Internal means culture on the surface while external culture delves deeper into the roots.
Culture is three main things:
- Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, concepts and material objects and possessions cultivated by a group of people.
- Culture is a way of life of a group of people. Their behaviours, beliefs, values etc. are generally carried out without thinking about them and it is typically passed on from generation to generation.
- Culture is symbolic communication. The meaning of symbols are learned and deliberately perpetuated in a society through its institution.
Culture is
not limited to ethnic group. It can be:
- Workplace culture
- Class culture
LAYERS OF
CULTURE:
- National level
- Regional level
- Generation level
- Social class level
- Corporate level
15/01/2020
We had an online lecture on Facebook which was livestreamed by Mr Charles. The lecture was primarily about using our senses for observation. He touched on different industries and cultural aspects, specific things we should keep a look out for.
20/01/2020
INSTRUCTIONS
PROJECT 1
Week 1
06/01/2020
My group consists of Eunice, Jonathan, Jia Hui and I. As we started coming up with ideas for our project, all of us came to an agreement that we wanted to do something that was somewhat unusual. At first, Eunice suggested that we could look into how japanese mythology affects architecture. Then, Jonathan suggested that we could do it about elements, later relating it to the sun goddess Amaterasu. After some more searching, we all found "yokai" which are japanese demons. Interestingly enough, they are still talked about in today's society. Additionally, we also looked into mythological items such as origami cranes and daruma dolls.
Here's our mindmap:
 |
| Fig 1.0 Brainstorming Ideas |
After consulting with Ms Anis, she told us that we need to look into the reason why yokai exists in the first place, and that we should find out how yokai affect their lifestyle + culture.
Week 2
13/01/2020
We consulted Mr Charles with the progress of our presentation and ideas. Here are the slides:
However, he was quite critical with our ideas. First, the problem statement wasn't exactly a problem. Our research questions were too general and vague, he suggested us to focus on a more specific area to relate it to yokai, rather than "art and design" as a whole. Our goal was to find an issue to prove, which we were confused about at first. After a fairly long consultation, we were much more clear about our topic. We narrowed it down to the portrayal of Yokai in Manga (Japanese comics).
Week 3
21/01/2020
Here's the revised version:
Week 4
24/01/2020
After looking at our presentation, Mr Charles said that we're on the right track. He was really interested in our topic, especially with the elements of Yokai. Here's a list of his feedback:
- Change the word "disgusting" to "grotesque when describing the similarities between Junji Ito's creatures vs Jorogumo
- Change the objective: "To what extent has the concept of yokai transformed in ____"
- List down the characteristics of what makes a yokai.
- Does the characteristics of contemporary manga reflect the true nature of its' original origins?
- What are yokai like depicted outside horror?
- Where is the line between light and darkness drawn? What is considered to be "dark" and "light".
Week 5
03/02/2020
We were off to Japan! We quickly started off the trip with observing our surroundings for yokai elements, in which we found a small shrine near our hostel. However, that seemed to be the extent of yokai elements in public. We were a little shocked as we expected there to be more. We had to do some deep digging through manga stores and other places.
The trip was overall a very enjoyable experience. I learned a lot about the culture there, especially the differences between Japanese and Malaysians, at the same time learning about our similarities. My group collected a handful of data from manga stores to analyse when we get back to Malaysia.
Week 6
13/02/2020
Once we got back from the trip, we immediately started wondering what we should create for our outcome. Initially, we thought of a ambitious plan to create a manga with up to 30 pages. The drawing style would start off cute, but eventually get darker and darker. Similar to the yokai manga we found in Japan. After a brief consultation with Mr Charles, he advised us to do a triptych instead, since we don't have much time to work on the manga.
Here's our presentation of our findings:
The lecturers were very impressed with our research and said it could serve as a lot of potential for various types of outcomes. Ms Anis and Mr Charles suggested that we could combine Malaysian "yokai" and Japanese ones together, to become "hantukai". We found the phrase to be really funny, but it was a good idea that we decided to stick with.
Our Japan vlog:
We split up the roles for the triptych to make it more efficient and to also make sure everyone is contributing.
Sketch: Jonathan
Lineart: Eunice
Color: Jia Hui
Background: Daryl
 |
| Fig 1.1 Triptych sketch 1 (Skull) |
 |
| Fig 1.2 Triptych sketch 2 (Screaming woman) |
 |
| Fig 1.3 Triptych sketch 3 (Deceiving woman) |
 |
| Fig 1.4 Triptych sketch 4 (Hantukai) |
We then went on the refine these pages digitally.
 |
| Fig 1.5 Lineart of the deceiving woman |
 |
| Fig 1.6 Screaming woman's hair without highlight |
 |
| Fig 1.7 Screaming woman's hair with highlight |
 |
| Fig 1.8 Hantukai without highlight |
 |
| Fig 1.9 Hantukai with highlight |
After drawing the outlines and coloring it in black, the next part was the background. I used some manga screen tones to enhance the effect that it looks like it's from an actual manga.
 |
| Fig 1.10 Adding background screen tones on the screaming woman |
 |
| Fig 1.11 Background details of the skull |
 |
| Fig 1.12 Screen tones for the deceiving woman |
For the background of the Hantukai, we initially didn't know what to put for it. After asking feedback from others they said that the Malaysian element of our piece wasn't strong enough. So, we added a kampung house as our backdrop, to create a more sinister vibe and it tells more of a story.
 |
| Fig 1.13 Hantukai with screen tones + a kampung house |
Here are the finished pages for the triptych:
 |
| Fig 1.14 Deceiving woman |
 |
| Fig 1.15 Skull |
 |
| Fig 1.16 Skull 2 |
 |
| Fig 1.17 Screaming woman |
 |
| Fig 1.18 Screaming woman 2 |
 |
| Fig 1.19 Hantukai |
Explanation of our triptych:
This triptych depicts a lone woman who seems beautiful and elegant on the outside, but is actually a deceiving woman as seen in her shadow. As you unfold the poster, you'll find that it's a triptych that shows the woman and the horror she endures.
Flipping the poster is as if you're showing the other side of what the woman has been hiding, which is a monstrous demon with spider legs and arms. We went with that concept to create our own yokai, like how horror manga authors create their own horrific creatures. Representations of torture and death can be seen on the sides, and if you flip one of either side of the triptych, you will see a complete form of the numbers 4 or 9, which is to show the concept of yokai superstitions. We chose this superstition specifically because it is widely known and still somewhat feared among the majority. The gruesome creature called "Hantukai" is a mixture of the words Yokai and Hantu, a combination of malay and Japanese demons. We combined Pontianak from Malay folklore and the Japanese demons Onryo (Japanese version of pontianak) and Jorogumo (spider demon). To add more malaysian elements we included the setting of a Kampung.
We printed the drawings out on A3 paper and stuck it on mounting boards. Here's the final physical outcome:
 |
| Fig 1.20 Jia Hui creating holes to insert string |
 |
| Fig 1.21 Jonathan measuring |
 |
| Fig 1.22 Final triptych outcome |
