TUTORIAL NOTES 150126
Question from end of unit 2:
Can parents and children engage with colonial legacy together?
——————
Proposed new question:
At a time of global uncertainty, can I encourage kids and parents to learn together using a print publication that asks what it means to be a global citizen?
——————
Points discussed:
– There is a space between children’s book and adult books for them both to learn together. Less about characters, colour, fantasy, animals, princesses and wizards, more about clarity of message.
– akidsco.com reference supplied, typographic, plain-talking books about difficult themes that put the children first, and have a note for grown ups at the end, along with discussion points.
– Space to challenge children’s publishing norms, one to look into with client.
– Miro board shown. Bringing in feedback form last term, conditional rules for working (new production for example), gathering references, ideas, thoughts on testing. This will be my point of reference going forward.
– Personal angle – should I keep that or step beyond that?
– Cartography – encouraging a journey through knowledge, look into this
– Testing – got an audience – local school, book group. Publisher
——————
Tutor:
– really clear project, but also full of tension.
– Imagining a publication and then applying into various colonial contexts – Cyprus, perhaps new locations? Alternative Travel books, unconventional locations. Place this under a seat on a plane, in a rich at the airport, guerrilla publishing.
– Got a good template for something, that needs rot be refined and then scaled to other contexts.
– Format of a ‘PASTPORT’ is interesting.
– Guilloche is working, but needs refining/developing. You lose me in the stamps though, they seem drawn rather than stamped. This probably needs to be rougher, more analogue. Trees, home, carrot works, but stamps would be better if made in person (side note – this has been a theme at different stages at my work, analogue and genuine, copy fake or something made by the user?)
– Refine this one as a first step. Can’t comment on content / narrative yet. (Worth a rewrite).
– Content – some parts of it can serve parents, some can serve kids. Sticker moments for parents, stamp moments for children. Could have other things like boarding passes, make it more of an experiential publication – unwrapping, can it act differently?
– Subject – don’t burden kids with ‘your ancestors did this’. (Side note: Don’t want to add to the pile of colonial BS!, there are enough books and I don’t want this to spill into white apathy, I didn’t engage with colonialism directly for years since school, my kids were on a path to do the same)
– Something about collaboration (Irene). Is this perceived as a closed outcome? What if this could be more like a workbook, to build together, collaborative between adults and kids. STAMPING opportunities, working into it. An activity there. AIM – getting PARENTS to look into it.
——————
Poss action points
– Look at the text, break it out and see if it can move in. Simpler language. Can two narratives or strings work at the same time?
– Iterate current design, could this hold a few different strands in it – stickering, stamping. Ultimately screen print a large format map? Give it a used feel. Does it need to be in a more standard book form but with stuff coming out of it like a sheet of stickers to build knowledge as you go? There is a point about interactivity here.
– Get into screen printing lab for induction next week.
– Get into the library and start looking at Cartographic alternatives, see how that informs ideation.
– Contact local bookseller and client to be there for ongoing queries, recommendations of references.