- CollegeLondon College of Communication
- CourseMA Design Management
- Graduation year2023
Bamboo and rattan weaving handicrafts in Foshan, Guangdong, acknowledged as municipal intangible cultural heritage, risk disappearing without the participation of the young generation. While Gen Z in Foshan is aware of the importance of preserving local crafts, they lack experiential opportunities to safeguard bamboo and rattan weaving. To bridge the gap, my project proposes a public cultural experience design to suit their needs and preferences. An audience development strategy for holding a thematic bamboo and rattan weaving creative bazaar is applied to encourage more people to get involved in the preservation and promote deeper engagement with the craft.
Final work
Audience Development Strategy Asset 1: Creative Bazaar Part 1&2
According to the needs and preferences of different types of audiences, I designed this thematic Bamboo and Rattan Weaving Creative Bazaar for the strategy. It includes THREE parts: History and Culture Learning, Material Experience, DIY Handmade Experience.
PART I: History & Culture Learning
This part is designed to contextualise the story of Foshan bamboo and rattan weaving. Photos are displayed with explanations, showing the craft's history and relation to the locality. A quiz game with prizes will be included to make it more engaging and exciting. Experts and craftsmen will be here to interact with the audience, explaining works, techniques and history. People can also co-create booklets of bamboo and rattan crafts knowledge with the craftsmen.
PART II. Material Experience
This part is designed to let people experience the characteristics of bamboo and rattan material by exploring their products, which can be applied in all aspects of life, including furniture, accessories, food making, musical instruments, and so on (examples shown next page). It is also where people can buy bamboo and rattan products or chat with booth owners for some information about the use of bamboo and rattan. Booth owners will be recruited from all around the country, bringing more possibilities to the design of the bamboo and rattan products to offer inspiration for Foshan's craftsmen.
Audience Development Strategy Asset 1: Creative Bazaar Part 3
III. DIY Handmade Experience
The design of this pool installation is based on the shape of the river near Foshan. Because bamboo and rattan need to be soaked in water to increase their softness before weaving, DIY materials for the public will be placed in the installation. And as Foshan people usually collect or fish up the raw materials by the riverside or in the river in the former days, the installation tries to increase the interactivity and fun of this DIY experience while restoring the historical scene. One craftsman will be here to offer technical support and share stories. The experience is free.
Audience Development Strategy Asset 1: Creative Bazaar Feature
Based on the audience's interest, this is a scene-setting for people to take photos and post on social media.
Audience Development Strategy Asset 2: Online and Offline Linkage Activity
Social Media + City Exploration
This digital asset is to attract more audiences to join this public experience. It also encourages people to visit the relevant sites of Foshan's bamboo and rattan weaving industry and step into craftsmen’s shoes to understand the challenges they are facing. People can also get some answers for the quiz game in the Part I Bazaar by visiting these sites and winning a prize for a free small bamboo or rattan product.
For Visual Design
The title of the bazaar is called "竹藤有嘢讲", which means "bamboo and rattan have something to say" in Cantonese. As the target audience is GenZ in Foshan, all messages are conveyed in Cantonese to create a sense of familiarity. Bold text, lines and graphics were used in the design to make the information visible from a far distance.
The content of the visual is slang in Cantonese. The bamboo one means grabbing the bamboo to stay stable and safe whatever happens. The rattan one is originally a humorous way of talking about little punishment in family education. Both of the sayings aim to resonate with local people's memories.
Research and process
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Connect Through Crafting
Bamboo and rattan weaving handicrafts in Foshan, Guangdong, acknowledged as municipal intangible cultural heritage, risk disappearing without the participation of the young generation. While Gen Z in Foshan is aware of the importance of preserving local crafts, they lack exper...
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