Week 7 - Tutorial Reflections

Having completed the first project and now getting the second underway, this was the first tutorial that we had the chance to discuss what direction we were now individually looking to take the project. Something that has really taken my attention this week was a TEDx talk from a researcher who had developed a camera which could photograph and map the journey of light. I found this a profound scientific development, however, through discussing this with the class, realised its effect in relation to design thinking. 

It showed that the most significant advancements can come from just approaching the problem from a different angle. So for example, instead of thinking about X-raying through more accurate beams of radiation, the designers of this camera have unlocked the potential to X-ray using this camera to map the deflection of light -  a far more safer approach, however so far removed from traditional thinking of x-ray imaging. This I believe is the role of design thinking, to reapply existing methods and systems in a new context. This is where true creativity lies in my belief, to be able to take a procedure without being dragged down by its intended use or predefined expectations. 

Back to the project at hand however, I have decided to continue in the direction I was heading in week 6. My main issue Robert and I have discussed is WHAT my implication actually is. I thought I had it grounded as 'a new library', but this has been dismissed and I must think a little harder to work out what it really is. How do you frame something that can provide the most current hypothesis (and essentially knows far more than any human) without making it some god like oracle? I think this is one of the main problems I am tackling right now. I have been researching symbology of traditional indigenous cultures of places of meeting and learning. That is what I essentially want to achieve - An artefact or symbol that draws the community together to a single location for the point of learning and understanding and questioning. In a way, a small scale university, but I believe the importance lies in the community discussions about problems, not the giving of answers. This is why I want The Chorus to be accessed through a single point to the community and not just as an app on everyones phone. But then we come full circle back to the original dilemma of the god complex. Anyway, Time to make some decisions and work out some things to present the the class for the next tutorial.