group48ci

[group48ci]

Weekly Summary

Week 12: Market Reflection

Reflecting on all the markets and discussion

Updating blogs

Documentation of offerings

Team Meeting

Reflection report

Article reading/research

Compilation of team details

Meeting outcome: Reflection report analysis, critical reflection of the markets, team offering, learned, improvements, participation reflection and critic review.

[group48ci]

Prototyping

At week 7, when the MOIT did their prototype, a visit has been made to do some comparison from our market’s prototype at week 6, asking their staff about their plan, and have noticed their way of welcoming and cohesiveness of the market. Response was conducted, wherein meeting with the coordinating team was made, to make sure that our market would be better, in which resulted in the second prototype market, so that we can learn and enhance more about the layout, cohesiveness, and at the same time improve their own stall by giving suggestions, and the market as the whole.

Similar to this figure:

(Source:Google Images “Importance of Prototyping)

[group48ci]

Market Reflection Part 3

What did you learn from this project that you can take forward into future practice?

I have always liked working with myself wherein I don’t care whether someone will help me or not, although in this paper it gave the true value of collaboration and communication/engagement. 

We have learned these during the project, wherein without these, the market would simply fail, for example, all of you have the same goal “to make a market”; however, things could conflict such as the plan of each team is the same (since it’s the same stall, customer will only pick one stall) or the goal is completely opposite with each other. 

By collaborating and engaging with each other you will not only learn from each other but will also make the end result better. We have also learned the value of the organisational structure, in which the market could have been better if everyone worked together as one, and not thinking about their grades. A leader in a structure as ours (flat with diverse offering), could have improved the market since this would have resulted into one goal (refer to reflection report for more details).

[group48ci]

Engagement with others

I didn’t do much in week one (which involved getting to know each other) since I was a late enrolee; though, I did try to know them in the second week where we made our collaboration agreement.

We talked about the precedent slides in each week sharing what we have researched and merged the ideas, in the 3rd to 5th, although we did not put a slide in the 5th week since we were nominated as a coordinating team.

At week 5 and 6, we have engaged with the other teams to know what their offerings would be and be able to come up with a subtheme of the market which was concluded as abandoned childhood and have suggested what they could improve upon.

In the second half of the term, we engaged again with the stall teams to ensure they follow the theme and currency and gave a few suggestions which could make their stall better. I have also engaged with them about their health & safety plan, and waste management plan which I have updated these documentations every week to make sure it was up to date. I have also followed-up through facebook about safety officer candidates and private messaged those interested which was a fundamental role since they have prevented the hazards before it happened. I have told them to ensure that they follow the recommended control (as seen in the Hazard control form) during the event as well as managing their waste after the event (refer to waste management plan sign-off).

During the market day, before it started, I have re-checked their stalls and made sure that they followed the procedure and control plan which their safety or ladder officers signed-off. After the event, I checked if they have followed their waste management plan which they did signed-off if they did.

I have learned the true value of engagement in this paper which is better explained by this picture.

 (Source: https://infograph.venngage.com/p/215808/effective-employee-engagement)

However, we could have improved more about the currency if everyone did have the same or at least similar currency since some said they were confused about it (discussed during the market analysis in week 12 with other markets). Still, each stall did implement their contribution ‘system of exchange’ in a way that the participants’ did contribute something.

[group48ci]

market day.

The night before the market we gathered all the abandoned materials from the previous markets and made our installations on the way up the stairs into the market. We put up posters we designed to pull together the market experience and have continuity throughout the market. We stayed to make sure there were no hiccups with any of the stalls, then once everyone left we reviewed the flow of the whole market and adjusted things to make it all work well. 

On the day we were supervising making sure everything was going smoothly and checking up on the stalls, we were wearing discarded t-shirts and making sure people were going down the right corridors. Fernandito was giving safety briefings to people. We were also enthusing people and bringing up the mood.

[group48ci]

Creative Contribution Video

[group48ci]

Market contribution poster

[group48ci]

Market Reflection Part 2

Improvements

Our role in the market was not exactly perfect but we did produce result wherein, everyone followed the theme and currency, where our suggestion to their own respective stalls produced a better theme and currency usage. Health and safety as well as waste management, was also implemented properly wherein everyone was safe and sound and the waste were recycled afterwards; however, some of the stalls did not pack down their stalls properly (dirty area).

 As mentioned from the Market Recommendation, our offering could have improved more with better communication with the stalls such as updating after change in the stall. 

As we are not a stall we did not have a prototype; however, we were the participants which we gave feedback on their stalls and suggestions. We did offer engagement during the event in a way that we gave them safety induction, welcoming and food service to make them more welcome encouraging participation.

The communication across each team was one of the hardship of the market since some does not notify or update us about their stalls; though, this did not stop us since we try to communicate to each team if we can (refer to reflection report for more details).

[group48ci]

Market Recommendation

According to the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts Manufactures and Commerce, 2016), they believe that everyone should have the freedom and power to turn their ideas into reality (the Power to Create). In which our Market could have improved some more in:

Support and promote new skills -The skills that must be developed are not those which can be picked up from books or by rote. They are new behaviours, new ways of collaborating and new ways of seeing; and for these to be learned and ingrained, they must first be tested and actively encouraged (through prototyping). This will result into mutual learning that comes from convening organisations and individuals with very different experiences which will spark some unique insights and associations. 

Build the evidence base - Valuable information that we need to support the case for moving towards a better market is still missing. It is vital that there is collective understanding of the current availability of materials that are needed to enable growth, for example knowing what we could use to make the atmosphere of the market better (not just things from previous market).

And, Enable behaviour change-‘Hands on’ experience of the making and disposing their items gives the process to act as a call to action. Wherein, activities, such as tearing down a product or visiting a waste site, enable participants to both truly understand the challenges and galvanize their own resolve to help make the changes needed. Enabling people to ‘look inside’ products and their systems, both physically and via the increased sharing of information,which is a key to empower all those involved in the network to actively play their roles in enabling great results.

The RSA (2016). Designing for a circular economy:Lessons from The Great Recovery 2012 – 2016. The Great Recovery Redesigning the future. John Adam Street, London, UK.

[group48ci]

I just realised that our blog is missing videos, so here are some clips that could explain the value of collaboration which could have improved our team offering and the market as a whole if everyone of us (from team 35-52) worked together.

(I do not own the video-credit goes to their own respective owner)

[group48ci]

Market Reflection Part 1

Team's contribution 

Our team provided the creative direction including theme & currency, wherein we made sure that they followed the theme and currency of the market, by communicating and interviewing what they will be doing and recommending a better alternative if their idea does not bode well with it. 

We were also in-charge of health and safety, and waste management; providing documentation and consultation of the markets stalls by identifying the hazards and offering solutions, making sure the market is hazard-free; and reducing waste through reusing abandoned materials from previous market and donating some of these materials to textile department (check docs waste management form sign-off).

Opportunities for improvement

Our work or contribution could have improved the market even more if we have analysed the stalls decision more swiftly, since some of them did not update us about what they were going to offer in the market.

[group48ci]

Participation Review

Impossible Things:

As a participant in the Market, the overall atmosphere was really really good. The entrance was sublime and creative and it built up a great sense of anticipation after taking the “pill” as I had no idea what to expect at the first shown Market. As we entered the pit we were welcomed with an amazing atmospheric sound and huge projector screen showcasing imagery. The overall sound was very clever how it was just one dense sound and nothing other. It tied the whole market together really well. The stalls were all very cohesive and it felt like I was participating a true market! The energy levels were high and everyone was very excited and were intrigued by each stall. The currency fit the theme really well too. Overall, I had a really enjoyable time at the Market of Impossible things.  

[group48ci]

Critic Review

Quote from reading:

“The primary structural change between these models involves the system of communication between the production and consumption of commodities…”

200 words:

Immaterial Market

The market had a nice flow and was cohesive. The sadness stall was a very good fit for the theme and fitted really well with the system of exchange as an emotional exchange via cutting an onion and reading sad stories was always going to evoke a great sense of emotion. The joy stall had the opposite effect but the same outcome as the sadness stall, the way it also evoked a great sense of emotion. The overall atmosphere was very energetic. The system of exchange was emotional exchange which is a good fit for the theme being Immaterial. However, it was also unclear because it wasn’t physical. I had to ask a stall member near the end what the system of exchange was before I could fully understand it. The overall decorations where cohesive and really complimented each stall and the overall market. The decorations helped to tie the whole market together. 

[group48ci]

Weekly Summary

Week 11: Abandoned Market

Meeting with coordinating teams

Tutor consultation

Team meeting

Health and Safety check-off

Decorating of market using abandoned materials from previous markets 

Helping other teams with setting up

Follow-up with the tools needed for the event such as first aid kit, waste bins, and ladder.

Meeting outcome: decoration/design of the market and roles for the upcoming event.

Market day:

Team and coordinating team meeting

Meeting outcome:follow-up meeting from yesterday (roles)

Check off H&S checklist, making sure they follow the recommended steps (refer to docs)

Safety/Emergency Induction

Customer service (serving food, welcoming and goodbye)

Promoting the theme when participants come in (promotion of instagram)

Way-finding back-up (emergency people)

Making sure team follow their waste management (waste management checklist- refer to docs)

Packing down and returning things that was used for the market

Market clean-up

Storage room clean-up

Taking all the “can’t save” recyclables down the disposal area for recycling.

[group48ci]

System of Exchange (Currency)

I’ve never really put in what I research in regards to the currency of the market in the blog (since I put up the organisation model and commodity research) but I have picked waste currency before since it is an abandoned material which suits the market. 

Our team did discuss about the plastic currency since plastic pollution is a global problem with as much as 12.7 million tons of plastic washing into the ocean each year according to Global Opportunity Explorer (2017). By highlighting the environmental, social and economic benefits of recycling plastic, this empowers people to save resources.

The plan was using a soft plastic as a system of exchange then all that will be collected will be recycled afterwards in some participating stores that encourage soft plastic recycling such as countdown.

Strengths

Reduce waste

Recycle waste

Relates with the theme

Reduce global warming and pollution

Healthier environment = healthier people = health promotion

Weaknesses

Everyone will not have them on hand during the event – meaning some will not participate during the event.

Takes too much effort to implement

The Idea of using this as the presentation in our slide was changed because of the weaknesses. However, if I think about it now, to achieve something effort should be performed.

We have chosen compliments in the slide since it didn’t take much effort and everyone can do it during the event, which we thought could get everyone to engage and participate which would be great for the market (check slide for more details).

[group48ci]

Critic Review

Extended

Which Market >

Immaterial Labours

How did the overall market address the theme? >>

To answer the question, the theme must be understood. Immaterial labour comes to be theorised as a result of the changes in the mode of capitalist production, which Lazzarato (1997) defined this in two different aspects of labour:

firstly, it’s the 'informational content' of the commodity referring directly to the changes taking place in workers' labour processes in big companies in the industrial and tertiary sectors, where the skills involved in direct labour are increasingly skills involving cybernetics and computer control;

and secondly, it is regarded as the activity that produces the 'cultural content' of the commodity, involving a series of activities that are not usually recognised as 'work' meaning, the kinds of activities involved in defining and fixing cultural and artistic standards, fashions, tastes, consumer norms, and public opinion.

The idea of immaterial labour from the market did follow the theme where the activities involved artistic standard (the tv room) and opinion (the fingerprint booth). Although, lacking informational content and experiential think experience. Furthermore, prior the research regarding immaterial labour, we walked away from the market not knowing what an immaterial labour was, in a sense that the theme was not well addressed.

What was the overall atmosphere?

The MOIL produced four out of five types of experiential module from Schimitt (1999) including sense, feel, act, and relate; wherein the activities involved

sensory experience: watching that weird static television,

affective experience: the sad room,

physical experience: making origami,

and social identity experience: drawing your partners face.

It lacked one of the experiential modules which is ‘think’ since cognitive experience was absent. The market could have been better if they put facts that relates to their market making the participants to think. Furthermore, the market did give an experience including involvement, interaction and individual which are attributes to enhance the market experience (Wood, 2009).

Overall, the presentation of the market did a great job, contributing a lot in the concrete sensory experience (Buchenau and Suri, 2000).

What was the system of Exchange? Is the system of exchange a good fit for the theme?

The system of exchange was unknown in a way that they just let us in the market without negotiation/barter, time-based-, digital-, or monetary currency. If ever it was the app or time banking which is a community currency (Ozanne, 2010), then it was not implemented properly for the reason that we didn’t download the app or offer them anything in return, unless it was a free market.

It was later (after the market experience) explained by the way-finders that the currency was in fact an emotional exchange which does fit the theme because it is immaterial. Although, it still does not mean that the system of exchange was executed spectacularly since some of the stalls did not exchange anything (they just explained what we were doing and that was it), plus if they didn’t explain the currency was, then we still don’t know what it was.

Is there a variety of offerings? How do they address the theme?

The market did offer different variety of the theme such as:

1 The yellow room addressed the theme in a way that they invited participants to dance, play, and draw, wherein, it is an activity that that is not considered work and defines consumer norms.

2 The sad room addressed the theme without any kind of work in a way that they provided emotional and artistic standard (sadness), however it lacks experiential marketing since involvement was not carried out.

3 The fingerprint booth on the other hand, addressed the theme through consultation (opinion) about your fingerprint including their involvement since they at least communicated with the participants.

Collect your findings on the day and then get together as a team / group to discuss and distill your findings down to 200 words overall for the critic section of your Report. This report forms part of your submission and assessment.

The market did follow the theme in a way that they performed activities that are not usually recognised as 'work' meaning, the kinds of activities involved in defining and fixing cultural and artistic standards, fashions, tastes, consumer norms, and public opinion, which is a definition of Immaterial labour by Lazzarato (1997). However, prior the research, we walked away from the market still not knowing what an immaterial labour was, in that sense we believe the theme was not addressed properly.

The presentation of the market did a great job, contributing a lot in the concrete sensory experience (Buchenau and Suri, 2000) and also offered an experience that includes involvement, interaction and individual which are attributes to enhance the market experience (Wood, 2009).

Our understanding of the currency was that it was an emotional exchange, appropriate for the theme because it is immaterial. Although, it was hard to determine what the currency was which was later understood after being explained by the way-finders.

We found the sadness and joy stalls particularly effective in terms of executing the theme and currency of emotions. The sadness stall used several approaches to evoke sadness from market goers, externally and internally with cutting onions and reading sad stories which we found to be effective. The joy stall created an immersive experience which brought out laughter from the participants.  The decorations of the overall market were cohesive and effective.

Overall, the market has its moment in a way that the “feel” or atmosphere of the market was very experiential, and some downfalls such as the market theme and currency was obscure as explained above.

[group48ci]

Market Analysation

A book that relates with our market, Wasting Away look into the idea in regards to waste such as what it is, how it happens, and why we fear it. This does not give a glorification of all forms of waste, wherein it offers information to discern waste as we make distinction about life. It also challenges individuals to think twice before wasting something. The book by Lynch also refers the need to "waste well". For us, this involves considering cycles of birth and death, and the concept of recycling the reuse of old or abandoned things/materials for new purposes, as in the rehabilitation of buildings for new uses. The preservation movement is asked the question whether waste should be preserve or not? We should preserve or reuse old materials but at the same time should not always preserve since this leads to hoarding (Lynch, 1994).

An article that also relates with our market is the art in waste. It answers the question how do we see waste?

We think of it as filthy! Dust is dry and relatively clean but garbage is wet and disgusting. Waste has disgusting connotations.

A funny example of pursuing the association of waste and art can be a baby who plays with its waste. It is a part of her/him that makes it curious resulting in playing. However, the mother or society will find it grubby. We must deal with these wastes, since it causes disease. Yet when the child is controlled too much and without tact or knowledge, the result will be inhibition, particularly inhibition in artistry, because the need to play with waste is related to creativity. So a good mother will transfer this need; she'll get the child to play in the mud; to make mud pies or castles of sand; to do something in dirt that is safe; Hence considering the art in waste means going back to the basics of human beings and their early training, and understanding that playing in dirt is tied to creativity.

Our definition of waste is culture based. Observed from previous article from basurama indicates a peasant having a different POV on cow manure from those in urban areas. Just like one man waste is another man’s treasure. They are excellent for rough roads. And our definition is class based. Upper-class people tend to think of lower-class tastes and preferences as vulgar and wasteful, and we architects use the terms, "visual blight" and "visual pollution," to describe the physical expressions of commercial culture, particularly streets signs (Brown, 2010).

Brown DS (2010). The art in waste. Basurama; (1)

Lynch K (1994). Wasting Away. Environment and Behavior; p129-139