Rosie's on the road type plan

In our semester three planning session this afternoon we worked in pairs to help each other consider how we might approach our project. I spent some time thinking about the possibilities for the wonderful Chris bicycle adventure and so he had the thankless task of thinking about my, still somewhat foggy, wonderment. This is what he came up with. 

There is much thinking to be done. Although I'll never be able to fully grasp the power of Rosie's inner thought, I am going to attempt to write a story-like plan of how her thoughts should lead her project.

Starting in June, Rosie becomes a full-time thinker. She lives in a coastal Scottish town with a good library. She spends her day reading anything and everything that interests her. She writes in her notebook, which will end up resembling an ancient oriental mosaic when all is said and done. She uses this to capture the abstract thought in words - though she realizes that drawings and craft are far better suited for this.

As her reading list grows, she starts to seek out like thinkers. First, it is through email and phone - soon enough it is face to face. They have conversations that, if they were to be overheard by anybody else, would sound like they were being held in a different language.

Rosie spends an entire night in early July writing a story based on her discussions and reading. Her wrist hurts by the end of it. She then sleeps for two straight days.

More thinking - more writing - more seeking out the unknown. More discussion.

In late July, Rosie spends a full week with a group of storytellers and travelers in Scandinavia.

By August, Rosie has pages and pages off thoughts and ideas to reflect upon.

One August morning, Rosie wakes up with an idea of how to frame her work. "Of course!" exclaims Rosie, "I'll __verb__ a(n) __theory__."

What she creates helps people understand what design ethnography is, and the power it has. Everybody's socks are knocked off.

The end.

Exciting.

Make make

One day a while back my sister felt brave and decided to attempt a clear out. As younger siblings do, I sat close by to pick on the remains. Alongside a bunch of re-usable paper I rescued some rejected newsprint print print (woah!) print experiments thinking that they might inspire me one day. With the 'Art' video niggling my mind I dug them out to see what might happen. This is what is happening.

It looked like a coastline and so I guess I'm turning it into some sort of map of nothing in particular. They can be the best sort of maps - it's good to imagine sometimes (read: all the time, or maybe just a lot of the time - constant imagination-living has the potential to create some confusing times). So I find myself stitching around this imaginary coastline. Then I might stitch around the imaginary lakes. And then maybe the islands. For some reason I find myself in super-small-stitch mode and so this might take some time.

Art

I saw this on Lauren's blog the other day. I was glad to read that it made her glow inside. It made me cry. Listen to the lyrics. I guess there must be a confidence difference. Anyway, it obviously made me want to make something. We shall see what unfolds.

My Brand

As part of our Design Led Product & Service Innovation module we each had to present our personal brand to the rest of the group. Module leader Tom Inns introduced us to the 'Brand-me Code Model' which we were to use to inform our presentations.

I decided to create a representation of myself from which a summary of my brand values could be revealed. The main 'me' is made from balsa wood and felt. The 'speech' is hand-stitched onto till roll. As the film played, I recited a little rhyme providing more detail about my brand and my self.

One day I will record a proper film with voice over but for now they remain separate. Celebrate the scroll.

I am Rosie,

This is who I am,

I'll try to describe me,

As best as I can.

-Benefit-

I think a lot

About things you may not.

I investigate all

That's going on.

I bring things together,

In some way that is clever

And then spot everything

That's wrong.

-Positioning-

I can write a nice story

Jackanory,

I naturally do so

In rhyme.

But the art of speech

Is out of my reach,

And so preparation

Takes a long time.

-Style-

Comfort is key

In everything for me,

But still everything must be,

Just so.

I try to fit fun

Into all that is done,

So to craft

Is the way that I go.

-Mission-

I hope to promote

Some deeper thought

In those that usually

Just jump straight in.

I sometimes find

That people see blind

And want to stop them from

Just looking in.

-Vision-

In the future I see

A still confused me,

Always learning but not

Getting too far.

It sure would be great

To collaborate

And to be happy

With the way things are.

-Values-

I make a big deal

About how others might feel.

I try to avoid things

That offend.

This has, though, been known

To get over-blown,

So I rely in common sense

In the end.

10 minute dreams

Our group project for this semster of Design Ethnography is a go-go! I am working alongside Lindsey and Chris and we are makign good progress.

A blog following the project can be found right here.

Synthesis houses.

For today's DE session we were asked to synthesise all the information relating to people in space collected in the previous tasks; to provide an overview of our findings.

Re-visiting it all and jotting down key points helped to remind me of all I had discovered. Then I made a cake. I have come to realise that I like to immerse myself in information and then to stop. Going away and doing something else allows my thoughts to settle which, in turn, helps the next part of the process.

The explorations were all based around people and place. Within these headings, sub-threads quickly emerged: open-plan space // private space, relationships with space // relationships between people within space. It was these sub-threads that I wanted to represent.



I made two 'houses' to represent open-plan space and private, enclosed space. Inside each is a set of people explaining how they relate to that space. Those belonging to the open house are holding hands because it is a sociable place to be. Those belonging to the private house are holding hands (because they will still talk to each other at some point) but their connections are perforated because, ultimately, they are kept separate.

In the end, I wasn't happy with the result. In an ideal world I would have liked to go back and complete further small studies in order to add to the richness of what I portrayed. Our class discussion did, however, remind me that there is sometimes a need to keep the information very basic. Such communications can be used to provide a quick overview of themes or to prompt discussion. I created work to be used in that very way throughout my undergraduate honours project - conducting research, representing, discussing that representation, representing new findings, etc.

Our next task is to finalise this output and to compose an auto/ethnographic report on the synthesis process.

I can think!

Today my mind started to work again. I could feel it happening. It's very nice.