Brainstorming session

Brainstorming with Simon

Designing responses
Doing an activity, initiate something that creates another thing. We give them a solar powered street lighting. If they use it, good. if they steal it, good. It doesn’t matter what the outcome it. It is a responses which is the answer itself. We don’t have a thief, just people with needs.

Live with them, talk with them.
My previous studies has engaged with Aceh, but not much to do about the Acehnese.
How much am I willing to engage with the story. Should I?

Do what Anton Soejarwo (an NGO director) type of approach. Live with them to initiate some trust. Find out their needs. Question that I could ask…”what is your biggest problem?” everyone would have a problem. the kids, the adults, social problems, political problems. Ask them how’s live now? is it better now or is it better then? Find out about their needs.

Manual for the people
Sphere project is a logistic manual. What we haven’t got is a manual by the people. A version of what they actually needed.

Frame a scenario
What would you do if there is no water?
What would you do if there is no electricity?

These question are asked to the people who live in the area prone to disaster, i.e. volcanic and earthquake. With this answer, we have a design criteria based on how they live and how would they IF disaster happen to them. We can compile that to form a Pre-disaster manual for a Non-disaster area, and providing them with what they need and suit them...instead of just give them what they needed right now that might not be what they need.

Initiating a response
Simon says that when the Tsunami happen, he should have go to Aceh and give them the shelter kit that he made, and says, “Here, this is for you” without any demands and instruction, just to see what they do with it. Without imposing his demands, we are able to see their own responses that to represent closest of what they need.

Look at the NGO’s project.
They built an ice factory, they might not have ice before, so there’s this new needs of using this ice, transporting this ice, or the ice factory needed to be design in such a way so it support the life of people. Look back at the ice factory by Dian Desa… and look at the need for ice in Lhoong area managed by of CWS.

Go out with them for a day
If they don’t have a job, take them out, see if we can do something. Collect rubbish and build something out of it.

Tell them, “We start with nothing, something might come come up, if there is nothing, we go back to before, nothing changes. One day risk.”

Establish something in Aceh
An NGO, or something that could form as a product. Acehnese arent that crafty, but they do a lot of performances. Record those performances and promote this to Oxfam, sell this performance in a cd or videos.

Look at soemthing at both side, interviewing both and see what is missing, and presenting to RMIT. And organization.
Ie…The NGO has give them things, and they have done their job. Now, my job is to get responses from the people. THIS IS A BIG AREA…. Look at Paul Valent’s way of categorizing and reframing a situation.

See things as ‘what is’ or ‘as it is’ without judgement.

Collecting NGO’s waste
The fibre boat is a great example. It is completely useless, or is it?
It might not be usefull to keep water out, but could it keep water in?

Maybe it could be used not as a boat at all. Cut in in 4 parts and use it as a house pillar. Or a pole for the hut. Maybe built a catamaran with it.

Look at west papua’s Tsunami 5 years ago.
Look at what happen with aidwork impact, compare and contrast.

Design little things – Ross lovegrove
He design lights to read in bed, so it supports the desire to read and for one to better themselves, even though they say reading in the night is bad.

Go to the priest and the cleric.
They will know people that has got problem.

Present to the NGO
Of any of the above.

Brainstorming with Liam
the brainstorm took place in RMIT. Liam has seen my presentation one day before GRC.
I went on to decribe the result of the GRC, and we go through those points.

RRR manual, too specific?
We talked about writing a RRR manual, since to me it is probably a manual for Industrial designer in disaster. He said that It might be too specific, since the context is Aceh. Beeing too specific might result in a manual usefull for Aceh only, but being too general and take in a broader issue might loose its purpose as well.

However, in a smaller scale, a manual for Industrial Designer to do a field work might be possible. A handbook or a ‘handybook’ for a designer seeking to do field work.

I went to Aceh to seek what Industrial Design can do in disaster, in what way Industrial Design can take part. Currently, my answer suggest the involvement of design is in the infrastructure. The provision of water, energy, and shelter. but, in what way can we function better than what the engineers and architect can in this area? I think the imediacy of this needs is the answer of why the provision of aid has been the way it is. So back to the question that I had, should I focus on small things or big things?

Study a certain topic ( the classical ID roles)
One way is producing something usefull for the current disaster. Or something usefull in other disaster, or something usefull but not in disaster at all

The study of the three wheeler was suggested. It is an interesting object since the functionality offers plenty of flexibility that seems to fit classical role of Industrial Design. By documentation I could find out how much it cost, how much they earn, who own this vehicle. Looking at the context of disaster I could probably apply the the three wheeler to support the logistical needs of aid distribution. The design criteria can look at culture, the environment (terrain), manufacturing, specific needs, etc.