As a designer and consumer, questioning individual’s attachment to their objects and the nature
of consumer gains in buying design/craft products was an automatic reaction. Design/craft products acquire symbolic value and serve many purposes for their owners, such as enjoyment of tactile stimulation, admiration of craftsmanship, connection with the meaning of the work. Consumers value the aesthetic pleasure they received from the intrinsic beauty in color, design, or workmanship of design/ craft products. In that context we tried to create the fusion of Malay Songket textile and ceramic, which can solve the issues that traditional Malay Songket has been confronted by industrialized global market. Our expectation through this design/craft collaboration was to lead and adapt the traditional craft- Songket textile-to the opportunities of a global market.
Our group’s approach was to facilitate the continuation, adaption and application of traditional Malay Songket weaving in a contemporary design field through its fusion with ceramic. Based on traditional Songket motifs we developed modular design system, which is standardized units and can be separated or recombined. The basic form of our modular design was initially derived from Ain’s motif design
for Songket textile that displayed the repetitive cat’s eye shape. Through the modular concept, our design development was extended into other ranges of high-end consumer products. For instance, the
modular system can be extended to a tea table/stool set, jewellery piece, jewellery box set or even as decorative wall panels for an interior space.
The collaboration of our group – Ellen (Interior Architecture), Olivia (Fine Art), Ise (Ceramics), Min Shin (Design/Ceramics), Ain and Mary (Textile/ Fashion Design) – provided different perspectives to develop the idea. Based on each member’s specialty, our design development and prototype making were the outcome of all team members’ effort. However, most documentation and preparation for our final presentation were completed by Ellen. Our team members’ different perspectives help bridge the gap between tradition and modern, native and foreign, design and craft, ceramic and textile. Our fundamental principle was simple, even though crafts are rooted in age-old tradition, crafts should be enriched and renewed by creativity of each generation and the contemporary needs of societies. Tradition does not simply mean to preserve old methods. We tried to embed this mindset into our design, and decided to make ceramic stools combined with Songket textile. To achieve this we employed several methods (Justine suggested very creative ways to do this): stitching, joining, embedding using cotton, synthetic threads and metallic (copper) threads, which are used for Songket weaving. We have encouraged an innovative approach to materials, extending the capabilities of the hand via industrial or manufactured processes, not to overshadow the traditional techniques but enhance their current usage and application through this collaborative approach. This also essentially provides a competitive edge to our design, as we are able to adapt and interchange traditional processes with contemporary thinking in design.
For the final product, different material can be added to improve the functionality of the modular tea
table/stool set. If the ceramic material of the stool body is replaced with timber material (such as,
Malaysian Sal wood), the durability, and the weight will be significantly improved. The use of native
Malaysian resources will also stimulate the Malaysian market and hence the traditional craft practices.
Team Members: Ellen, Olivia, Ise, Min Shin, Justine,Ain and Mary
Blog Post by Ellen.
of consumer gains in buying design/craft products was an automatic reaction. Design/craft products acquire symbolic value and serve many purposes for their owners, such as enjoyment of tactile stimulation, admiration of craftsmanship, connection with the meaning of the work. Consumers value the aesthetic pleasure they received from the intrinsic beauty in color, design, or workmanship of design/ craft products. In that context we tried to create the fusion of Malay Songket textile and ceramic, which can solve the issues that traditional Malay Songket has been confronted by industrialized global market. Our expectation through this design/craft collaboration was to lead and adapt the traditional craft- Songket textile-to the opportunities of a global market.
Our group’s approach was to facilitate the continuation, adaption and application of traditional Malay Songket weaving in a contemporary design field through its fusion with ceramic. Based on traditional Songket motifs we developed modular design system, which is standardized units and can be separated or recombined. The basic form of our modular design was initially derived from Ain’s motif design
for Songket textile that displayed the repetitive cat’s eye shape. Through the modular concept, our design development was extended into other ranges of high-end consumer products. For instance, the
modular system can be extended to a tea table/stool set, jewellery piece, jewellery box set or even as decorative wall panels for an interior space.
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| Modular Concepts |
The collaboration of our group – Ellen (Interior Architecture), Olivia (Fine Art), Ise (Ceramics), Min Shin (Design/Ceramics), Ain and Mary (Textile/ Fashion Design) – provided different perspectives to develop the idea. Based on each member’s specialty, our design development and prototype making were the outcome of all team members’ effort. However, most documentation and preparation for our final presentation were completed by Ellen. Our team members’ different perspectives help bridge the gap between tradition and modern, native and foreign, design and craft, ceramic and textile. Our fundamental principle was simple, even though crafts are rooted in age-old tradition, crafts should be enriched and renewed by creativity of each generation and the contemporary needs of societies. Tradition does not simply mean to preserve old methods. We tried to embed this mindset into our design, and decided to make ceramic stools combined with Songket textile. To achieve this we employed several methods (Justine suggested very creative ways to do this): stitching, joining, embedding using cotton, synthetic threads and metallic (copper) threads, which are used for Songket weaving. We have encouraged an innovative approach to materials, extending the capabilities of the hand via industrial or manufactured processes, not to overshadow the traditional techniques but enhance their current usage and application through this collaborative approach. This also essentially provides a competitive edge to our design, as we are able to adapt and interchange traditional processes with contemporary thinking in design.
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Team Members: Ellen, Olivia, Ise, Min Shin, Justine,Ain and Mary
Blog Post by Ellen.
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