Unexplained, organic and beautiful

29 November 2019

I left some work in the studio last night, and today’s gorgeous sun streamed through the base room window to transform my crystals and electroplated objects in unique ways..

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There’s something exciting and unnerving about letting go. Letting nature, science, physics, chemistry and mathematics take its course. Is this where design loses control and art takes over?

I realized that my ladies’ room discussion with Jessica and Victoria after the MA Digital Direction students’ presentations, essentially addressed the same question. Coming from traditional design contexts, Victoria and I couldn’t comprehend the organic and complex layers of research and inquiry in Mengii Quin’s installation relating to robotics and eroticism. However, we found Vivek Menon’s storytelling algorithm easy to connect to, and relate with. But Jessica’s viewpoint made me wonder, whether we were shying away from the complex questions that Mengii’s work posed. Its open ended nature challenged our perceptions, exercised our brains and confused us as to what the purpose of this piece was, and yet made us marvel at the unique dimensions that were interconnected within her process. Is this speculative design practice?

Vivek’s work, on the other hand, was a more linear conclusion based on the concept of non-linearity in Indian narratives. It had a specific start and end, with numerous possibilities for further application, whether in storytelling, community integration or as a digital game. Is this the difference between Art and Design?

With my background in design, I started this course with the intention of ‘going with the flow’ and really doing what I was feeling. What came from inside. I think I have slowly let myself do things this way, despite moments of uncertainty and hysteria making me doubt myself and what I was doing. At this point in the course, I feel like I have never been more excited, inspired and ecstatic about ‘work’. Calling this ‘work’ even seems like a crime now. I’ve had concerns about where this kind of ‘work’ fits in the larger context, whether for an MA progression, or my future practice. However, the very fact that I can live my work each day seems enough for me to continue this open ended practice, as opposed to looking to oversimplify, overcomplicate, beautify or minimalize.