CHAPTER ONE
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
- Introduction
- Defining arts, crafts and creativity
- New creation of traditional culture
- Role of the researcher
- Rationale of study
- Aim of the study
- Objectives of study
- Delineation of the study
- Piaget’s theory of cognitive development
- Research problem statement
- Research questions
- Assumptions
- Thesis Outline
- Summary
Traditional craft design is declining in the contemporary world with globalization as one of the contributing factors. The colours, motifs and techniques used in the development of the children's range are discussed in chapter four.
CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
Chinese and African social literature .1 Chinese social literature
- African social literature
Until the beginning of the 20th century, a strong influence of the West was felt in Chinese literature. These central efforts laid the groundwork for recognizing the identity of traditional African literature and the various dynamics within which it could be framed.
Cultural dimensions
- Defining culture and tradition
- The use of cultural dimensions
- Hofstede's cultural dimensions
The concept of national character is important but problematic in the social sciences. In the 1990s, Hofstede wrote another article about his research, published in Cultures and Organizations: The Software of the Mind (Hofstede, 1991:113).
The conjuncture of Chinese traditional craft skills
Yao Fuying (67 years old) is a master of traditional Chinese embroidery, under whom up to 10 apprentices were taken.
Theoretical underpinning
- Anthony Giddens and globalisation
- Ezio Manzini and globalisation
- Bill Moggridge on how globalisation has affected design
- Craft as cultural repository
- Contemporary craft
- Craft and the economy
- Craft and cultural specificity in product design
- Craft education and its potential impact on children’s development
- Craft and children’s products
The craft value chain includes the provision of inputs (inspiration, raw materials and production techniques), production (product design, production processes, logistics, technology, skills training and enterprises), services and distribution, linking production with consumption, and finally consumption (market categories, market outlets, marketing platforms ) as depicted in Figure 2.6. In the process of craft and culture creation, design intervention plays an important role in every step.
Inspiration drawn from expert practitioners
Teng Cloth Painting” is a contemporary painting, which was invented by the famous folk artist Teng Teng from Fengning in Chengde City. The work of a cloth-pasted dragon is the masterpiece of Teng Teng (China Cloth Pasted Pictures, 2012).
Summary
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
- Introduction
- Research Design
- Semiotics and symbolism in craft design
- Qualitative approach
- Practice – led research
- Exploratory research
- Ethnography
- Duration of the research project
- Data gathering techniques
- Flexible research instruments
- Fixed research designs
- Data analysis
- Timing of the interviews
- Ethical considerations
- Summary
With this data I was able to broaden the scope of the research and expand the knowledge. To understand this, Vygotsky proposed the zone of proximal development (ZPD), which is defined as “the distance between the actual level of development as determined by independent problem solving and the potential level of development as determined by supervised problem solving of an adult." or with more capable peer collaboration” (Vygotsky, 1978:86). Ethnography is defined as a type of qualitative research in which “the researcher studies an intact cultural group in a natural environment over an extended period of time by primarily collecting observational data” (Creswell, 1994: 11).
It is one of the main research methods in sociology, anthropology and other related disciplines in the social sciences (Denzin & Lincoln, 2011:735). An opportunity was created for me to conduct interviews with parents who came to relax in the atmosphere of the Constantia Valley. The first phase discussed the overview of the research design and the semiotics and symbolism in craft design.
The next chapter will present the colors, motifs and techniques used in the development of the children's product range.
CHAPTER FOUR
COLOURS, MOTIFS AND TECHNIQUES USED IN SELECTED AFRICAN AND CHINESE EXAMPLES
Introduction
Experimentation: an exchange of knowledge and creative ideas
Rationale for the utilisation of motifs and techniques
- African Adinkra motifs and pattern design
- Chinese folk fabric art
- Traditional Chinese fabric pattern
- Folk hand stitching and patterns
- Traditional Chinese embroidery technique
- Chinese folk cloth-pasted technique
The Adinkrahene" ("chief of the Adinkra symbols") is the symbol of grandeur, charisma and leadership, shown in Figure 4.4. It is by far the most popular for use in decoration, a reflection of the deeply religious nature of the Ghanaian people. Shou is one of the oldest winding geometric pattern types, which have become a lucky symbol of Buddhist faith since the year 200 in China.
The maple tree is one of the totems worshiped by the people of the Miao, a Chinese ethnic minority group, who live mainly in southwest China. Using the Miao as inspiration, I also made some hand-stitched pattern designs for the pages of the children's book. This can be done in three ways according to the arrangement of the threads, respectively Zhichan (direct), Hengchan (horizontal) and Xiechan (oblique) (Dong, 2012:38).
Other embroidery techniques used in making the interior products are from Shanxi province, called Lu embroidery.
Utilisation of colour and materials Chinese colour
Their respect and worship of the color yellow is closely related to the tradition of civilization based on agriculture (Huang, 2011:43). It began in the Yellow River Basin, where the ancient Chinese turned the yellow soil into arable land. They planted yellow seeds in the lands and irrigated the lands with the water of the yellow river.
I typically chose three natural colors: orange, brown and green, which are used to represent African colors for the design of the products in my range. For example, orange and brown in the fabrics of African people are invested with important meaning. Orange is defined and linked to temperate and fine weather, while brown represents the richness and fertility of the earth.
These colors are closely related to people's observations of the day's temperature and weather and the natural environment (Dereje et al.
Summary
CHAPTER FIVE
PRESENTATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS
Introduction
Documenting the traditional African textile design and Chinese folk fabric art
Each element of the specific African patterns has a specific meaning and symbolically represents different African social values. In this technique, a starch paste is applied to one side of the cloth, which is then pressed into a zinc template with a metal spatula. China Central Television (CCTV) associated with CA&CA and made a special TV program, introducing the most famous Chinese embroidery, Su embroidery.
Su embroidery has a bold folk taste, and its weaving techniques are highlighted in the thin needle stitching, the dense needle lines, the flat product surface, the neat edge, the bright and harmonious color, and the smooth image. The products of Su embroidery are divided into three main categories: costumes, crafts for daily use, and decorations for halls that incorporate decorative and practical concepts (Su Embroidery, 2014). In an interview with Qiwei Zhang, the director of Jiao Gu Su Embroidery Arts & Crafts Company, he said: “As the status of China's national intangible cultural heritage, Su Embroidery must be protected by us, so we try to combine it with modern fashion style and add the fresh blood and features to develop Su Embroidery faster in the future.”.
I also conducted a related interview with Chinese Su embroidery practitioner H Z while attending a short-term embroidery skills training at her workshop in Wuxi.
Observations of workshops and design focus group
- Chinese Su Embroidery workshop: H Z
- Chinese Lu Embroidery practitioner: R Y Interviewee Occupation Initial Email
- African “Adinkra” textile designer: R D D Interviewee Occupation Initial
- African fashion designer: N M Interviewee Occupation Initial
- Fine art printmaker: A I V
- CCDI design focus group
Kelin15 suture (step carving) (Figure 5.10) – scale-shaped, should be used with complementary sutures. It will inspire them to cultivate their interests in traditional skills, such as embroidery. Lu embroidery products will be analyzed in Chapter Six. The cloth is said to be used by prominent people in society such as the King and other royals in the palace.
As the saying goes, "you can't look into a bottle with both eyes", the idea is to keep people focused on whatever they do. The Islamic community arose in the 18th century as a result of the expulsion to the Cape of key religious figures who resisted the Dutch presence in Batavia. Today, the development of design in South Africa is beginning to mirror that of the Western world.
I use clay which is one of the oldest raw materials in the world found in abundance all over the African continent.
Establishing the marketability of the children’s products
- The analysis of survey questionnaires
First, a good designer not only has a good design but also a good cost point because, a business has to survive in the competitive market and cost directly affects this factor. Market research was also conducted through survey questionnaires, which were administered to 60 parent participants with children aged 2-7 years (Appendix D). South African parent participants completed survey questionnaires at the 2014 Constantia Waldorf Fair in Cape Town and Chinese parent participants were located during product development (September–December 2013) in Shanghai, Wuxi, Xi'an and Guangzhou.
With the help of 60 market research questionnaires, it was found that both fathers and mothers like the product range. With the questionnaires, we also found that most of the parents of the participants have children aged 3 (21.7%) and 15% of the participants. Therefore, the highest spending on children's items was in the 3-year and 6-year-old categories, followed by the 4-5-year-old category, and the lowest in the 2-year and 7-year-old categories.
Furthermore, the survey questionnaires revealed that 75% of the participants' children liked traditional culture and art, but only 26.7% of the participants' children knew.
Father and mother participants
Summary
This chapter mainly focused on five semi-structured individual interviews with Chinese Su embroidery stylist H Z, Lu embroidery practitioner R Y, African "Adinkra" textile designer R D D, children's fashion designer N M and visual artist A I V to describe some of their innovative and exciting designs and artworks along with their importance. I conducted a focus group interview with CCDI to explore the context of the Western Cape in terms of the traditional craft designs and techniques prevalent in the Western Cape. Otherwise, the research findings in this chapter analyzed 60 parent participant questionnaires to establish the product range.
The next chapter describes the development and manufacture of the range of children's products in detail.
CHAPTER SIX
ANALYSIS OF THE FINDINGS A REFLECTED IN THE PRODUCT RANGE
Introduction
Children’s cloth-pasted book
- Background of book story Chinese animal zodiac
- Design of children’s book Graphic design
Finally, I came up with Lang Lang (“Lang” means dragon in Chinese), the name of the dragon, seen in Figure 6.2. The term "Big Five" probably took root in the early 1800s due to the increasing popularity of sport hunting. The starting point for the graphic design of the book came from my life experiences in South Africa that I wanted to express visually.
The book page material is white polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a sustainable material; which are currently used in modern production processes (Rob, 2013:174). This binding technique hid the crack in the spine and lined up both sides of the book nicely. For the cover of this book, I used the traditional Chinese sewing technique of glued fabric and hand-embroidered stitch to make a Long Long cartoon out of fabric, as shown in Figure 6.12.
The process of making a Long Long cartoon involves five steps, as shown in Figure 6.14.
Interior products
- Children’s duvet set Graphic design
- Children’s curtain Graphic design
- Folk-patterned cushions Square folk-patterned cushion cover
- Children’s height gauge Graphic design
- Children’s wall decoration Graphic design
- Children’s kitbag Graphic design
The elements of the patterns reflect the traditional African motifs found in the pasted children's book. There are eight round bands to hang the curtain from the top. The size of the children's curtain is 140 x 123 cm. The digitally printed details of the children's curtain (photo, Li, 2014). The embroidered Hello, South Africa! characters: front and back) Figure 6.25.
The traditional African elements came from the Adinkra symbol "Osram ne Nsoromma" (it means "the moon and the star" and was mentioned in Table 4.1), which I transformed and recreated, and it symbolizes love, harmony and faithfulness (Figure 6.32). The manufacturing process is shown in Figure 6.42, and the steps of the process are as follows: 1 sewing, 2 filling, 3 overlocking and 4 finishing. The children's altimeter (Photograph, Li, 2014). The details of Lu embroidery and velcro) Figure 6.46.
The digital printing of the design resulted in glorious colors - very intense and beautiful as shown in Figure 6.55.
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