Design Problem
The average yearly wage in Dimen village is US$1000, well below the average for even rural China. Young and middle-aged people seek employment in faraway factories. Meanwhile in the village, tourists have increasingly seduced the Kam to sell their precious heirlooms that have been in the families for generations robbing them and their future generations of their heritage and identity. The heirlooms cannot be replaced since the craft skills have either been lost or the elderly artisans cannot physically do the craft anymore and the young ones do not know how to. Even if the villagers were able to recreate the artifacts that they sell, the time spent on creating them is vastly disproportionate to the money they get from the sale.
Design Response Summary
In 2014, Marie Lee taught the Museum staff and local artisans to screen print indigenous motifs on various materials. With help from the Museum, she then worked with artisans to develop products to sell locally as well as abroad. The products are sold under the name of Singing Hands, a label that Lee developed.
By making simple artifacts with local aesthetics, Dimen artisans can generate income without loosing their irreplaceable treasures. Sale of artifacts to tourists /abroad will complement income from agricultural production and allow a number of villagers make sustainable living. People will have no need to leave the village to make ends meet. Moreover, Dimen inhabitants will develop a sense of pride in their heritage and will maintain their ethnic identity and some degree of independence from mainstream Chinese culture.
Additionally, Marie Anna Lee collaborated with the Museum and the locals to create a visual identity for both Dimen and the Museum. She also designed various promotional materials that reflect the Kam aesthetics. The Museum suggested themes to be used in the designs and provided vital feedback. She based her designs on her photographs of the villagers, Dimen’s distinct architecture and local patterns that she collected. The color palette was inspired by the vibrant embroideries that mimic Dimen’s fauna and flora. In the future, Lee hopes to introduce local artists to computer design and inspire them to create designs based on their own heritage, not on imported aesthetics.
What will be the results of design?
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Outside market for Dimen’s goods
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Living wage enough to support family
Research Methods
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Observation
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Interviewing
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Multimedia documentations
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Collecting local design patterns
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Feedback on designs in progress
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Design instruction
Participation Methods Summary
In cooperation withe the Museum, we have founded a fair-trade cooperative workshop of Dimen artisans who produce contemporary ware grounded in local aesthetics and using local resources. We have completed the first round of production and are testing at several markets in USA. We have more than ten artisans involved. We plan on we will approaching fair-trade certified wholesalers and scale up our production soon. In the future, Lee hopes to introduce local artists to computer design and inspire them to create original designs based on their own heritage.
Marie Lee collaborated with the Museum and the locals to create a visual identity and other promotional materials that would reflect the Kam aesthetics. The Museum suggested themes to be used in the designs and provided vital feedback. She based her designs on her photographs of the villagers, Dimen's distinct architecture and local patterns that she collected. The color palette was inspired by the vibrant embroideries that mimic Dimen's fauna and flora.
What will be the results of design?
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Outside market for Dimen’s goods
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Living wage enough to support family
Artifacts / Outcomes
Measurement Method Summary
The Dimen Museum will track product orders for the cooperative, profits and number of artisans who join the cooperative and their income from the sales. We will administer oral surveys of the artisans throughout the project to improve the quality of their experience as well as of the product.
We will seek fair-trade certification for the cooperative so will also monitor working conditions for the artisans, material usage and environmental impact. We will also monitor impact on the community from the cooperative's profits (monetary as well as qualitative survey methods.)
While test marketing, we will survey what products sell and at what price. We will ask for feedback from customers regarding quality.
