Project Update: Critical Context Stage 1 - Draft 1

Based on 10 annotated bibliography, pick 5 which are most relevant to the context of your research.

Hamlett, P. H. (2018, May 1). Sustainability and Graphic Design. Retrieved May 2, 2020, from https://www.commarts.com/columns/sustainability-and-graphic-design

TED. (2007, May 18). 12 sustainable design ideas from nature | Janine Benyus [Video file]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n77BfxnVlyc

TEDx Talks. (2015, May 26). Building Identity as a Third Culture Kid | Erik Vyhmeister | TEDxAndrewsUniversity [Video file]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RCmgMKJRy8

Turner, N. J. . 1947-, V. (2005). “The” Earth’s Blanket Traditional Teachings for Sustainable Living. Univ. of Washington Press.

Pollock, D. C., Van Reken, R. E., & Pollock, M. V. (2010). Third Culture Kids: The experience of growing up among worlds: The original, classic book on TCKs. Hachette UK.

How is it important to your specific question/ research context?

Being a third culture kid is a big part of my identity which makes up who I am as an individual. A Tedx Talk given by Erik Vyhmeister plays an impact into my research context as he shares his experience and how it has affected him mentally. Additionally, Vyhmeister shares common traits that TCKs generally share. He touches on topics related to development, cultural balance, mobility, cross-cultural skills and relationships where he further discusses the benefits and challenges to each sector. Throughout this segment, there were a few benefits and challenges mentioned that struck out the most. The first one being ‘experienced at saying goodbye’ is extremely common within this community (TEDx Talks, 2015, 04:30–09:20). With the possibility of an individual or close friend moving at any time, having to say goodbye to someone is definitely melancholy though it is something we are used to. This also leads to unresolved feelings and becoming a victim of fate mentality. The question ‘why?’ is constantly ringing in their minds especially at a younger age. Vyhmeister also shares that when he had to move from Argentina to the Philippines ‘why?’ was the first questioned he had asked his parents.

Moreover, this Tedx Talk is important to my research context as he explains the emotional burden that may come with being a part of the TCK community. Being able to understand and further expand my knowledge regarding how it may affect an individual mentally will allow me to further develop my work.

Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds, a book written by David C. Pollock and Ruth E. van Reken is a publication that explores experiences of those who identify as a TCK. The book not only studies the TCK experience but also its effects on maturing and developing an identity. This book acts as an extension to the Tedx Talk mentioned above. The authors analyse similar topics to what Vyhmeister had shared in his talk. For instance, Vyhmeister introduces cross-cultural as a common skill/trait that TCKs develop. This is also discussed in Pollock’s and van Renken’s book; where they state that these individuals tend to be naturally good as teachers and tend to possess high observational skills due to the advantage of being adaptable to change (Pollock, Van Renken, 2010).

As previously stated, this book acts as an extension to Erik Vyhmeister’s Tedx Talk. This book is vital in relation to my study as it further investigates developing individuals and how it may affect them later on in life. In addition to this, the authors also discuss challenges that may be faced upon returning to his/hers native land. Some of those include reverse culture shock as well as unrealistic expectations. This is something that relates to me as I had faced certain issues when moving back to Malaysia. Many people may think that being a TCK comes with living such an exciting life where you are able to travel so often but I believe that it is important to bring attention that it is not always as fun as it may seem. Sometimes it may be hard to find someone to relate to when returning ‘home’ which is why I wish that I had books like these to relate to.

Moving forward, the intent of my project also includes wanting to live more sustainably. Whether it is living in general or implementing it into my work, sustainability is something I have always wanted to get into but have had no idea on where to start. This is where Nancy Turner’s The Earth’s Blanket: Traditional Teachings for Sustainable Living comes in. Turner is an ethnobotanist and ethnoecologist who works with Native-Americans, studying their cultures, lifestyle, and stories. In this book, she shares her personal connection with the indigenous and their land, rich with historical life teachings and how they can teach us to live harmoniously with our surroundings. Nancy Turner has worked with Natives for over two decades where many of her (indigenous) teachers stories and mindset about the nature around us.

Their teachings consist of a range of methods such as harvesting, processing and storing as well as enhancing natural resources for medication. The Earth’s Blanket acts as a good as well as important resource as it shows how traditional systems and knowledge can be implemented into the modern world we live in. For someone who is just starting their journey, this book also acts as a foundation to build up on.

Biomimicry is the act of learning a process or an idea from an organism/species and then applying it to our work. In her Ted Talk, Janine Benyus shares twelve sustainable design ideas that were inspired by nature. “Heat, beat and treat” (TED, 2007, 08:45 - 08:50) is how humans make things. The process of carving out materials with a mere total of 4% product which is then heated up, and compressed (‘beat’) at a high pressure and lastly a use of chemicals to preserve the object. However, nature on the other hand uses up everything it can to make the most of life by adding structure to matter. Benyus compares everyday processes to the way nature processes things. For instance, ceramists need to use a kiln to harden their pieces whereas in the ocean, nature uses an organism to create a hard pearl. This leads to the question of a possibility of creating ceramics without the use of a kiln that takes up a lot of energy and instead, using a type of liquid which uses the force of evaporation to harden the molecules together (TED, 2007, 10:38 - 11:41).

Additionally, another idea that was discussed was ‘colour without pigment’. Benyus explains how peacocks have no pigment to them and only receive their colour though the shapes on its layers of feathers where light reflects off of it. This could inspire many designers to create without adding pigment to their products hence introducing a more sustainable way of designing without the use of chemicals to add pigments (TED, 2007, 15:11 - 15:27). I believe that this talk is relevant to my research context as it will allow myself to explore more ways to incorporate sustainability not just into my daily life but into my design life as well.

Lastly, a text piece written by Phil Hamlett looks over the relationship between graphic design sustainability. It talks about how graphic designers relate to sustainability and what we can do to move forward. According to Hamlett, from companies like The Body Shop to Toyota, many corporations are starting to realise that sustainability not only uses less materials leads to treating less chemicals and waste. He then moves on to how this relates to graphic designers. Indeed using recycled paper is great but that is just the start of it. Many designers' concerns revolve around printed materials. The print industry is such a tedious process which creates a large amount of waste sent to landfills. However, designers have no control over how the print industry is run but they do have a prime role regarding the conduct of businesses. As designers, we have the ability to establish trends which therefore affects routines of outside industries (Hamlett, 2018).

This column written by Hamlett somewhat goes in hand with the Ted Talk given by Janine Benyus in terms of designers taking control. This column is important to me as it gives me in depth thoughts on how I am able to incorporate sustainability into my projects.

Current Word Count: 1249