Drummers of Japan.

Taiko, meaning "drum", originated in Japan involving myths with the sun goddess, Ameterasu.

Taiko would be considered mainly percussion instruments and has been a strong foundation in the music stylings called Gagaku. Gagaku is a type of music that is played during the Imperial Court for many centuries.

I've been able to see witness such a beautiful show at the Mondavi Center: Yamato, The drummers of Japan.The way the drummers performed moved me and my soul. It was truly an outer body experience, very exquisite and their timing was so precise. Their synchronized movements are flawless, its like they are dancing while creating wonderful beats, exuding all their energy to the audience.

Like I said in my previous blog about wushu performers also being designers, so are these drummers. The way they produce music with     Credits: Yamato                                their bachi's is clear-cut and in complete unison that you can feel
                                                         it through your body.
Everything about taiko has a design to it. The outfits they wear, the settings that they perform in, and the style of the drum all play a huge role in each performance. Their outfits are designed in a way that expresses their culture. The setting changes depending on the mood of the song and it helps convey the emotion and energy.
Taiko is just a very expressive and beautiful entity that everyone should give a try.

Credits: Yamato

Sustainability.

 Credits: To photographer, unknown.

"Don't do things today that make tomorrow worse."

Designers in society need to ponder on sustainability. How does this effect us and the earth? How can we bring the earth back or create new ways to increase efficiency and performance of our objects and systems?

I believe that the competition of who can make the better product is destroying our planet. We don't need five hundred different styled toasters or three different versions of the iphone, we just need one that works well. Instead of working against each other, we should work with one another to produce the ultimate product. If we could find a way that can work for everyone besides just pleasing one person, we could eliminate the need for being the best producer, resulting in a more sustainable planet. We'll being using less material, handling financial needs more properly, and at the same time having plenty of ideas from everyone.

Designers affect our society and how we work, function, and live. Many people think that designers don't really play a big role in their personal life, but if they think about it, we're part of their everyday world and every tomorrow.

Objectified.

In the film, Objectified, by Gary Hustwit, shows the relationship between objects and ourselves, and the people that designed them. It gave me inspiration to look at design and how the design process is done in a completely different perspective. Designers need to create things that benefit the world and the people in it. What's the point in making something that will only cause devastation.

Design is simple like cutting a bonsai tree. Not that trimming a bonsai tree is simple work, but the design of a bonsai tree should be simple. Design is best at simplicity.
Instead of looking into the past designs, we should look into the future of design. Reinventing the old to fit the new. How can designers design something that will benefit people now? Designers need to think about society and how their products can be put into good use.

"Everything in our world was designed for something" [quote from documentary], like a coffee mug or a pair of scissors. We never think about how's it made or think about those who thought to make it. Who said a coffee mug should hold coffee? But whatever the answer, we know that it was made to help us one way or another.

Credits: Nick Montreal

The Art of Wushu.

Photo to the left: A woman demonstrating a traditional wushu form. All rights to Wong Kiew.

Photo to the right: A woman demonstrating the Jianshu form. All rights to Tricia Woo.

Wushu originated in China long ago meaning, martial arts. Wushu consists of many different styles of fighting that developed over the years including fists fights, weapons, and fight routines. Wushu is considered a sport, but also a form of art.

Wushu forms contain so much detail to body movement from your toes to the tip of your fingers. The flow of your body, the intensity of your emotions, the way you execute your routine are all looked at. It takes years to master a form of wushu.

You may not think about it, but people that perform wushu are also designers. They are the type of designers that design with their bodies. The angles, lines, jumps, etc. they create with their body show their precision and awareness of how they use their bodies. Also the outfits they where, the silky clothing accentuates their movements. It adds on to the extra flare, giving them the smoothness. Even if the designer is going for the tough and sharp movements,  they illustrate shapes and excellent skills.

Design in society can be many aspects of the world, design is everything.

The Art of Ads.

Photo credit: Coca-a-cola.

Have you ever started rubberneckin' on ads you pass by on the freeway, because they're all so attractive and bold. Do you ever think about why they designed it that way? It's not just to cause traffic accidents, but to grab your attention on their product!

How does advertisement in society play a role in design? design in society?
The people that design these poppin ads know how to get you thinking about what they're doing. They want you to want what they got, to desire their products, go out and spend your money. These advertisementscan show us how society thinks today. In the past we can see that the design is much more relax and comforting, which people wanted back then to have a good life and home. Nowadays, ads have become more sexual and lusting, because society today thinks about image and outer appearances.

Designers need to be aware of social changes, so they can be on top of their game. Ads have become so elaborate and loud, meaning brighter and bolder. People are attracted to these kinda things, especially younger audiences. If you go around town in San Francisco, you'll see plentiful of exciting ads that make you say, "OHH!, that looks gooood!". The design in these ads manipulate how people think and how they act. If they see some model wearing something, they might want to be like that model and spend loads of money to look like that. So be careful on which ads you take into consideration.

Bauhaus.

Bauhaus Art Movement was influential for the fact that it brought that different worlds of design/art under one roof.  The school was founded by Walter Gropius, an architect. He brought together crafts and fine arts such as architecture, typography, and weaving.

People like Bauhaus deserve to be appreciated a little more than they are. They are able to bring the idea that all sorts of designers should be together like fashion designers, computer graphics designers, exhibitionists, etc. All under the same roof, we can learn and grow from the different experiences that we get from different departments.

It goes to show that people should take initiative and join forces to make a change to impact society with positiveness. Design in society plays a crucial part in setting up how the world is.

Photo above: Bauhaus
Photo below: G Core