INTERCULTURAL DESIGN ｜ PROJECT 2 :FIELD STUDY

23.02.2025 - 09.03.2025 Week 4 - Week 5

SUN JIAYUE（0376224）

Bachelor of Design (Honors) in Creative Media Interculture Design / Taylor's University 

Project 2 : Field Study

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LECTURE

Lecture Reference project 1

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INSTRUCTIONS

MIB BOOKLET:

MODULES INTRODUCTION 

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PROJECT 2

In this task, we were required to gather relevant supporting materials through various means such as visual and oral sources. These collected materials will serve as the relevant data for Project One. All the artifacts we collected needed to be documented, along with adding any necessary related information.

Requirements :

Define the research method you want to used to collect the data. (Observation, Interview, Online/ Physical Material)

Compile all your collected datas/informations/artefacts/printed materials/interview responds/photos/videos etc (this literally can be anything according to your group's topic) - put it in a single Google Drive folder.

Prepare a 'Data Collection' presentation deck. Your presentation should include (but not limited to); brief/short explanation of the methods you guys as a group taken in your data collection and present your collected datas/infos.

Prepare Proposal Document (Word Format) to present all detailed information for the data collected. (Under Mr. Zeon)

Data Collection Progress：

1.Malacca Field Study (Week 4)

On the first day of the fourth week, after submitting the first task, our group held a discussion to collect and investigate the places we needed to visit and the people we needed to interview. Based on the relevant themes of Task One, we wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the local culture. Mr. Zeon suggested that we go to Malacca or Penang, as we could visit local museums there to obtain the data and information we needed.

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Malacca Itinerary and Recommendations.

On February 27, 2025, all members of our group took a bus from Kuala Lumpur TBS to Malacca. We followed our itinerary and started our visit. Our first stop was Heritage Flavors for a meal, where we sampled local cultural cuisine. Upon entering the restaurant, we discovered many ceramic patterns that could serve as references for our research.

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We noticed that the restaurant had a rather unique design, and we observed that its patterns were quite distinctive. We also had the opportunity to taste some authentic local cuisine.

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Next, we walked for about 5 minutes to reach the Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum, where many people from different countries came to visit. The docent gave us a brief introduction, and we all listened very attentively.

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During our visit to the museum, we discovered that many design elements and patterns were strikingly similar to those of the Minnan culture in China. We also noticed that the traditional attire of the Baba Nyonya was exceptionally vibrant in color and featured numerous animal and plant motifs, each carrying different symbolic meanings.

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Overall, we obtained a lot of what we needed from this museum, and it provided us with ideas for making hairpins and phone cases later on. However, we need to gather more detailed information for further research.

After visiting the library, our next plan was to find a local to interview. We wandered around Joker Street for a while and finally found a gentleman willing to be interviewed—Mr. Joe. He is a native of Malacca and runs a jewelry store, so he has a deep understanding of Malacca and the Nyonya culture, which helped us resolve many questions.

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Through the interview, we learned a lot about the culture of Malacca and the modern attitude towards this culture. Mr. Joe told us that this culture is a blend of influences, evident not only in Malaysia but also in China, Indonesia, and Singapore. Most people view it merely as a commercial tool, with few paying attention to the deeper aspects of this culture.

He mentioned that the idea and task of everyday design is a good proposal for preserving the Nyonya culture, but before we design, we need to thoroughly understand the local culture.

We took a group photo with Mr. Joe, and our interview came to an end.

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After completing our main tasks, we spent time exploring and shopping around Malacca, visited local souvenir shops, and enjoyed afternoon tea.

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We had a very fulfilling day and took the bus back to Kuala Lumpur at 8 PM, concluding our trip. The next day, we began compiling all the relevant information we needed.

2.Interview methods：

Our team conducted an interview during the field study. Before we proceeded, Lilin prepared the interview questions, which were based on our relevant themes. Below are our questions.

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We edited the interview video, and below is the video of our interview

Interview Video Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J0q4TpNcgT7Tr101ghg8TMcB6X4cvV_q/view

Yiming，Jessie and Tracy participated in group video editing.

Interview Results：

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We compiled the final documents to proceed with the next phase of research.

Survey Methods（ week 4 ）:

The survey will collect a broader range of suggestions. Through this questionnaire, we can gain a clearer understanding of the public's views, preferences, and awareness of the Nyonya and Minnan cultural design elements in everyday products.

Google Survey Report: link

Survey Distribution.

• The entire survey was distributed by all group members through social media platforms (WhatsApp, WeChat).
• Release Date: February 28, 2025, to March 3, 2025.
• Number of Responses: 58 replies.

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The survey analysis was completed in the final proposal.

4. In-depth Research/Observation (Week 5).

The final method we used was observation. Based on the field study and our previous research, there was no in-depth study on patterned clothing in our research, so I conducted a survey and compiled data on this part.

Final Project 2: Field Study.

Final Proposal Slides

Project 2 : Field Study 

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FEEDBACK

Week 4:

Since we have limited information on hairpins, we need to conduct more research and include this section in our presentation slides. The survey questions are well-formulated and have already been approved by the professor. We need to gather at least 50 responses for our survey.

Week 5:

We need to conduct research on the differences between Nyonya culture and Minnan culture as reflected in hairpins. In the final draft, we can make some modifications and explore various design possibilities.

In video production, we should focus on Nyonya culture and discuss some differences between Nyonya culture and Minnan culture in the video. We also need to create some unique designs inspired by Nyonya culture.

Overall, most of the work has been completed quite well and has received positive feedback from the professor.

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REFLECTIONS

Experience：

In my opinion, this trip was filled with challenges and curiosity. It was our first time visiting an unfamiliar place, and we conducted on-site research in Malacca based on the travel guides we had prepared. We learned a lot from this journey, including how to observe and capture the essence of our surroundings. Walking along the streets with our team members was also a new experience. Of course, not everything went smoothly. We faced difficulties such as many people declining our interview requests, making information collection quite challenging. However, we managed to come up with solutions and successfully resolved these issues.

Observation：

During our field research in Malacca, we observed that many places still retain local cultural elements. Near the museum, there are numerous shops selling clothing, accessories, and other items related to Nyonya culture, which helps more people learn about these traditions.

Discovery：

After a long period of observation, we discovered that Nyonya culture is a fusion of two distinct cultures. Through our research, we found that while some people are aware of Nyonya culture, many others remain unfamiliar with it. To increase awareness and appreciation of this culture, we decided to use everyday objects as a medium for designing and preserving Nyonya cultural elements.