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ARTIFACTS 326 A8: Deconstructing Spaces: The thick and thin of it PRIYANKA DESAI Coral Research Services Delhi, India We, at Coral Research, were commissioned a study where the primary objective was to understand in depth the concept of space, in order to input in to the Client’s future communication strategy. To begin with, the research team realised that as a function of the study being conducted in busy urban cities, the informants (consumers) would tend to lean towards the more obvious viz. physical aspects (constraints) of space. Therefore, it seemed imperative to supplement the ethnographic interviews (where we focussed on how the women deal and interact with space), with a cultural understanding of space. In this context, we delved in to references and associations from popular culture where consumers subconsciously deal with space. E.g. space in relationships, Zen design, a de-cluttered desk space etc. This understanding helped the team in gaining a multi-layered understanding of ‘space’. The final framework began with the functional realms of space, moving in to the emotional and connative layers before finally arriving at the fundamental truth of space. A9: A parametric approach for ethnographic design research PRITI RAO In a faraway village of Orissa, India reside a group of artisans who identify themselves as the Bhulia Mehers. The Bhulia’s weave intricate floral, curvilinear and geometric patterns (known as ikat) to earn a living, but also to tell a story ~ stories of idealised forms of beauty, rituals, mythical and animal characters. The artifact in return bestows identity upon the Bhulia Meher for whom ikat is not simply a means to live, it is the way of life. This intimate and symbiotic relationship between the maker and the made forms the basis of my parametric approach for ethnographic design research. By focusing on the artifact and the journey involved in its making; the imagination, aspirations, relations and value systems of an ethnos could be made visible. The knowledge generated is intended to go beyond an illuminating description, to one that can inform enabling approaches to improve artisan livelihoods.

A parametric approach for ethnographic design research

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Page 1: A parametric approach for ethnographic design research

ARTIFACTS

326

A8: Deconstructing Spaces: The thick and thin of it PRIYANKA DESAI Coral Research Services Delhi, India

We, at Coral Research, were commissioned a study where the primary objective was to understand in depth the concept of space, in order to input in to the Client’s future communication strategy. To begin with, the research team realised that as a function of the study being conducted in busy urban cities, the informants (consumers) would tend to lean towards the more obvious viz. physical aspects (constraints) of space. Therefore, it seemed imperative to supplement the ethnographic interviews (where we focussed on how the women deal and interact with space), with a cultural understanding of space. In this context, we delved in to references and associations from popular culture where consumers subconsciously deal with space. E.g. space in relationships, Zen design, a de-cluttered desk space etc. This understanding helped the team in gaining a multi-layered understanding of ‘space’. The final framework began with the functional realms of space, moving in to the emotional and connative layers before finally arriving at the fundamental truth of space.

道 A9: A parametric approach for ethnographic design research PRITI RAO In a faraway village of Orissa, India reside a group of artisans who identify themselves as the Bhulia Mehers. The Bhulia’s weave intricate floral, curvilinear and geometric patterns (known as ikat) to earn a living, but also to tell a story ~ stories of idealised forms of beauty, rituals, mythical and animal characters. The artifact in return bestows identity upon the Bhulia Meher for whom ikat is not simply a means to live, it is the way of life. This intimate and symbiotic relationship between the maker and the made forms the basis of my parametric approach for ethnographic design research. By focusing on the artifact and the journey involved in its making; the imagination, aspirations, relations and value systems of an ethnos could be made visible. The knowledge generated is intended to go beyond an illuminating description, to one that can inform enabling approaches to improve artisan livelihoods.

Page 2: A parametric approach for ethnographic design research

ARTIFACTS

EPIC 2010 | 327

HOW THE ARTIFACT INTENDS TO PROVOKE DISCUSSION? The artifact (photograph) aims to generate interest in this small and skilled group of artisans in Orissa, India. In their life, in which, the boundaries of work and leisure, working spaces and living spaces, individual and enterprise, maker and the made, are seamlessly blurred. Into their rhythmic and cyclical way of life where activities, seasons and festivals; birth, life and death are one long continuum. With respect to ethnographic methods, it hopes to provoke a discussion on the focus and role of the ‘object’ in revealing an ‘ethnos’. While objects typically tend to play a secondary role in ethnographic studies whose primary focus is on humans, what happens when they are given centre stage or used as an entry point to gain access to an ethnos? What can the ways in which artifacts are made, possessed, exchanged or consumed tell us about the deeper, underlying values and beliefs of a people? In what contexts might such parametric approaches be justified or be more useful than approaches that focus directly on human aspects? Can such a distinction between the ‘maker and the made’, the ‘user and the used’ be made? Is it useful? On another note, the artifact intends to provoke discussion around the new frontiers of ethnographic design research. Ethnography is increasingly being used in design disciplines where the purpose is not just descriptive but also ‘prescriptive’ [1]. In other words it is explicitly being used not just to study ‘existing situations’, but also to move towards ‘preferred situations’ [2]. What implications does this have for new hybrid forms of inquiry and knowledge production? REFERENCES [1] Frankel, L. (2009), ‘Communicating design research knowledge: A role for ethnographic writing’Rigor and relevance in Design. International Association of Societies for Design Research Conference, Coex, Seoul, Korea. 18 to 22 October, 2009. Available at: http://www.iasdr2009.org/ap/navigation/program_day5.html(Accessed: 28 April 2010) [2] Simon, H. (1982), The sciences of the artificial, 2nd ed, MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts