Synapse Blog

Patterns of Culture Take 1

My part in this project is to design fabric that represents the kaleidoscope of cultures here in Qatar.

Taking aspects of different cultures from traditional garments, print, color, surface techniques (dyeing, embroidery, appliqué), and fabrication techniques (weaving, patchwork, knitting) that are unique to a specific culture.

Then taking this fabric to create a tent like structure that will allow people, male or female, of different cultures, or class (Qatari, Worker, Expat), use either taking shelter from the sun, having a place to rest and relax, a place to converse, and to partake of food and drink, as a new representation of what is the Qatari Culture.  

Health and Wellbeing: Initial Design Brief

Premise:

Within the context of Qatar, and the set of interviews that the students did initially, it seems evident that we are looking at two groups of people who have radically different access to facilities, as well as perceptions of, health and wellbeing. While one group is wealthy, living a comfortable (if not lavish) lifestyle and has access to the best medical facilities that are available, the other group consists of workers who are deprived and living under extremely unhealthy conditions. Free rhinoplasty and tummy tuck operations are available for local Qataris. The desire to constantly 'change' the way you look is part of the lavish culture, supported by rise in high-tech medical facilities. 

This project asks the students to put this field research within the context of the themes and questions below, and identify a specific focus to respond to: 

Beyond Healthcare: 

As science and medical technology progresses in rapid steps, bringing possibilities to not just cure, but also significantly enhance the functions of our bodies, what would be the implications on our health and wellbeing?

Cheap, quick, painless cosmetic surgery has meant we whiten our teeth, remove excess fat, alter the shape of our nose, and even go on game shows for the chance of winning expensive, invasive cosmetic surgery. While this is a universal phenomenon, Qatar seems to have embraced this trend significantly, even though social circumstances may not allow women to show off their 'altered or enhanced' bodies. What is it that people seek by undergoing such transformations? Today's technology takes this desire to a completely new level. Soon we might be able to lengthen our legs, chemically enhance our mental ability, inject stem cells in our bodies to kills life threatening diseases, remove the wrinkles from our faces and perhaps even genetically modify ourselves to become stronger, faster, more resilient to wear and tear and ultimately live longer. Are we moving from ‘health care’ to ‘enhancement care’?

Three key factors - Economics, Technologies and Desires have created something ‘beyond healthcare’, they have created a space for something new to happen. This is not to suggest that its a ‘good’ space, but its a new space, and will continue to open up. Who will inhabit this space? What kinds of experiences, products and services might inhabit this space? How will these spaces cut across gender, race, and economic barriers? For instance, given your field research, do you think that those with limitless access indulge further, perhaps with a desire to buy into a new ‘enhanced lifestyle’ or even beat aging? Or would the decreasing costs of these technologies allow all, even for those without much access, to ‘benefit’?

How can you as designers situate the implications of these technological advances into broader society, and with the context of Qatar?

Start the project by identifying one point of focus that jumps up at you, do field research supported by primary research and begin sketching possible interventions. By the end of this project we must have a tangible designed intervention that either provokes people to raise a set of questions about the nature of our current aspirations around our health and bodies - in the context of emerging technologies, or creates a new experience.

Exercises and project methodology:

• Identify your theme, and a focus within it.
• Come up with a set of proposals around your focus, using words, photographs and videos from your research to support this focus.
• Start sketching your ideas around your selected area... and we will build up from there.
• After next Thursday, we will narrow down on an area, and a strategy to move forwards.

Possible directions you could think of:

• Could the outcome be a fashion show that ‘showcases’ this ‘enhancement cure’?
• Could it be a set of technologically enhanced ‘fashion products’ or garments?
• Could it be a set of aspirational posters from a near future where the technologies have proliferated?
• Could it be a new kind of a ‘health clinic’ in Doha? Would you present this clinic as a performance? Or would you design a website, and a service to show us how it worked, who would go there, how would they be treated, what is being offered and so on?

Throughout the project, we ask you to make good use of this blog at for posting ideas, work-in-progress and research. Please use the tag “vcuhealth” to tag photos, videos and links on other networks.

(More updates to follow as the projects progress. Also the students have been blogging about their interviews and directions they are heading in.)

Dream Vs Reality interview

In the Weekend I did an interview with a local woman at the cornish. In this interview I asked her couple of questions. But what was the most intersting thing is the woman was overweight and when I asked her what's her hobbies she answered me by saying swimming and dancing. Which really does not show from the her outside apperance she had. I also had the idea of the perfect body. Therefore, she wants to have the look and the apperance of the perfect body, but she is really not having it.

Therefore, and I came with different questions of my area of Intrest:

Concern/Space:
Perfect Body
What is the perfect body?
Whats the public reactions to people who have a perfect body & who are overweight people?
If medical technology allows people to have a perfect body would you try?
Do you consider the perfect body as part of social reasons?

Area of Interest:
Duality between dream/Reality?
If your dream of a perfect body come true through technology would you try it?
Does reality kills your dreams of having a prefect body?

Questions:
To what extreme measure they will push themselves to become "Perfect"?
Does family effects the way you think of having a perfect body & a good health to live long with them?

Interview Locals at Doha Corniche

Exercise:

When is the last time you did sport?

- everyday – walk ( Undercover policemen )

- week ago

- week ago ( Qatari woman )

- This morning

- Today ( Old guy )

- Don’t do sport ( woman with kids )

- All the time ( Kickboxing before Ramadan ) DFI staff

Where do you play sports?

- Cornish ( Friday ), Aspire everyday ( Undercover policemen )

- Aspire ( Qatari Woman )

- Afternoon

- Education City Club house

- Cornish ( Old guy )

- Gym, home

When playing are you alone/ or together?

- sometimes alone, sometime with friends ( Undercover policemen )

- Friends ( Qatari Woman )

- Alone

- Friend

- Alone ( Old Guy )

- Friend, to help with sports. Ex hold the boxing for me ( DFI Staff )

Nutrition:

What’s your favorite food?

- Rice ( Undercover policemen )

- Pasta

- Italian Food ( Qatari Woman )

- French Fries, Egg plant & anything fried ( Old Guy )

- Warah enab ( woman with kids )

- Mangos

- Cheese Sandwich/ Falafel/ Karaak ( DFI Staff )

How many times do you eat per day?

- 3-2 times ( Undercover policemen )

- 3 times max

- 3 meals, 2 snacks ( Qatari woman )

- 1 main meal ( on Diet )

- 3 times ( Old Guy )

- 2 times ( DFI Staff )

Do you like to cook?

- No ( Undercover policemen )

- Yes ( Woman with Kids )

- Yes, but there is no time

- Yes ( Qatari Woman )

- Not often, but know how to cook

- Sure ( DFI Staff )

Do you dine out a lot? Why?

- Sometime ( Undercover policemen )

- Yes ( When wife don’t know to how to cook this meal )

- Yes ( Qatari woman )

- No ( woman with kids )

- No ( Old Guy )

- Yes, no time to cook ( DFI Staff )

Leisure:

What do you do in your free time?

- sleep- work ( Undercover policemen )

- Visit Family, get food

- Work ( Qatari woman )

- With the kids ( Woman with kids )

- no free time ( Old Guy )

- workout, read, friends

- Travel ( DFI Staff )

What are your hobbies?

- Sports, Reading, TV, browse on the Internet ( Undercover policemen )

- Tennis

- Dancing, swimming ( Qatari woman )

- Movies

- Work no hoppies ( Woman with kids )

- Art, drawing ( Old Guy )

- Swimming, diving, Jogging ( DFI Staff )

What do you normally do during the week?

- Work ( Undercover policemen )

- house, clean, work

- work, kids ( Qatari woman )

- Work ( Old Guy )

- Work at the independent school, no family here ( Woman with kids )

- Work, no time for other things

- Work ( DFI Staff )

Interview with construction workers during their weekend

Muslim Operator:

* Wake up at 4:00 am
* Shower
* Prayer
* 4:30 company transportation
* Working time from 4:30-6:30
* 11 pm sleep
* 1 room 6 people (sometimes 10)
* everyone have a bed
* 30 people per accommodation
* air conditioned
* No medical facilities
* 3:00am cooking to eat after coming back from work
* no break time
* no place for break
* Salary 1400
* No insurance
* No uniform
* Promising insurance and facilities before coming but nothing happened
* No transportation for Friday prayer
* Cutting from salary to pay to the agency 3000 (more than two month worth salary)
* Unable to enjoy weekend because there is a lot of stress
* We know the place where we go every weekend
* We go on weekend to buy food for the rest of the week
* Always cooking own food, can’t afford to go to restaurant
* Company’s grocery store have higher price than normal store (we have to go To Doha over the weekend if we want to buy food at reasonable price)
* Clean water provided by the company
* Been working for 11 month
* No need to contact each other, everyone knows where to meet implicitly

Buddhist scaffolding:

* sleep 8-5
* 6 people 1 room
* 15 min break with shading place
* Go to restaurant 4-5 times per month (every weekend)
* Indian restaurant (similar to Nepal food)
* Salary 600-700
* Been working for 1 year
* Have washing machine (wash clothes every 2 days)
* Languages spoken (Nepalese, English, Hindi)
* Good medical facilities
* Easy to contact each other
* Uniform available

Muslim Clerk:

* 10:30 – 5:15
* 2 people 1 room
* 30 min break lunch time (with menu)
* shopping in the weekend depending on needs
* easy to contact each other
* Uniform available

Research: Form

Week 1

Stefano Mirti came for a visit to critique the student’s presentations and meet his group members. The students had to present about existing projects from the three topics that were given. Stefano has challenged the student’s thoughts and ideas by questioning them constantly, creating very interesting dialogue between him and the students. Stefano’s group members, Haneen Al-Sharif, Hissa Zainal and Tariq Spence, met with him Saturday to brainstorm ideas and start collecting information. The group members went around VCUQ and collected the likes and dislikes of Qatar from everyone, students and workers.

Synapse I : Spring 2010

• About
• Documentation
• Outcome
• Credits

Synapse II : Fall 2010

• About
• Credits
• Observations

Synapse III : Spring 2011

• About