week 5 articles part 1

Design, Development, Culture, and Cultural Legacies in Asia
In the opening paragraph Rajeshwari Ghose writes that when categorising asian design they usually come under the umbrella terms of either design as ontological equipment; meaning that it is considered as a “full fledged discipline” such as economics or sociology, and Secondly being the ingrained culturally driven state of design, that is evident in the lifestyle patterns, or the surrounding natural environment that inspires and supplies the country with its resources, but by generalising Asian design as a whole is just impossible as every country or village has its own and unique cultural backgrounds which intern reflect its way of life.
Rajeshwari goes on to talk about the history of how the west has influenced Asian countries with modern manufacturing and in turn has benefited economic and industrial growth, yet on the other hand talks about how money and development can only be beneficial if it is well thought out and practical. Good design thinking is what is needed to allow countries to move forward and progress socially and economically, and what Rajeshwari states is that at one end of the spectrum are those that believe that the under developed asian countries can and will achieve first world status if only the right technological mix can be worked out with the right degree of patience. But what seems to be evident is that gradually the separation between the haves and the have nots is getting greater and to create this utopia of a unified and developed Asia seems impossible with the direction its heading today. For this to happen we need to dream of a new vision for we are closer to a colossal revolution of a scale we have never before witnessed. Local culture as an exchange for equality in design is mentioned and is thought to be a great means of trade in assisting those third world countries who have a great knowledge in various techniques that have been developed over centuries. But my thoughts are that trading ones culture for a means of greater social status in would be a dishonourable and immoral act.


Culture-Based Knowledge Towards New Design Thinking and Practice
In this dialogue whats discussed is what asian design is and what asian design can be classed as. when categorising asian design as a whole it is absolutely impossible to consider it as a single entity, as each country and each village has its own deep seeded culture which intern influences the output of a way of life. As this discussion is built on two peoples ways of thinking i found it to be a good way in finding out multiple options of the topic without it being subjective or one sided.
what else is a good point is that when designing theres always you and the other, and when designing for that other you need to understand exactly what and who you are designing for so it is culturally understood without it being built on preexisting perceptions. When designing for certain villages and countries what should be looked into is designing for many things such as spirituality buy looking into religion which is incredibly prevalent or things such as social fabrics and
Whats also interesting is that the conventional cultural image of many countries today would be unidentifiable in comparison to its predecessors due to many years of identity evolution. which is not to say that the cultural aspect is lost, but reinvented or inspired by. Looking at Chinese design today in comparison to traditional times, you can see that there has been a huge influence from western countries with manufacturing and product development. This has created a very dynamic design image, which has influenced what Chinese design is so much that any traditional or cultural values are lost.
With this said, being able to identify and define what asian design is, is near impossible as it is ever changing and ever evolving. The article discusses that when looking at any form of design it should be viewed from a wide perspective, and be viewed in depth of its cultural history as well as its development.


Both articles discuss what Asian design can be and what it is that defines a country, and when designing for a part of Asia one must be completely submerged in the culture and way of life for that unique area. What is also discussed is how difficult this can be, especially as cultures are rapidly changing and evolving, which makes an understanding temporary.


Key points
traditional vs modernised design
collaboration of the two
Cultures impact
endless identities within Asia
Understanding a culture without pre existing perceptions
Understand the environment is paramount



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