An insight into my design practice | Words by Maggie Zhou
Since I can remember, my work and creativity have been intrinsically linked to my racial identity. They say you write and create from what you know, and I can definitely see that play out throughout my photography. Being an Australian-born Chinese female, I’ve often felt stuck between two worlds, not really knowing where I belong. Heightened by the media’s lack of Asian representation (or their damaging stereotypes), I’ve always sought to document Asian identities as they truly are: individualistic, unique and multi-dimensional.
This same mindset is shared in Dimeji Onafuwa’s 2018 article. He notes that “coloniality, modernity, and design are inextricably linked.” This similar perspective is portrayed in Tony Fry’s article. He shines light upon how marginality is not just about the locations of marginalised communities, but how it is more a state of mind. Marginality “is being on the edge or outside of the relations of exchange, no matter where [one may be] located.” (Fry, 1989) This collision of identities is highly prominent in Australia. We boast of being multicultural yet there is still an obvious conflict between races.
I really resonated with the idea of ‘Respectful Design’ mentioned in Onafuwa’s article. Elizabeth (Dori) Tunstall, a design anthropologist, researcher, academic leader, writer, and educator, created this program to question the role of allies in design. She aims to amplify the voices of the oppressed by “repatriating the ownership of aesthetic cultures instead of the over-simplification of how such cultures are represented” in mainstream designs. (Onafuwa, 2018)
This is seen in my photographic series ‘This is a Celebration of Us’. I begin with a written piece.
“We are not just your Asian grocery store owners, your $2 discount shopkeepers of your karate instructors. We are not merely your masseuses or your manicurists…”
By directly shining light on the damaging stereotypes invading our daily lives, I begin to showcase the three-dimensional and complex characters of the Asian race.
I photographed two of my friends, who are also Monash Communication Design students, for their bold and experimental fashion style. Coming from New Zealand and Brunei respectively, I wanted to explore different Asian backgrounds and personalities. Dressed in unique and quirky outfits, I photographed them against cliché backgrounds, one shopfront literally called ‘Oriental Discount Shop.”
One established designer who I deeply admire is Alexander Wang. Wang is a Taiwanese fashion designer born in San Francisco in 1983. With his lines stocked in over 700 stores globally, he is recognised as one of the 21stcentury’s most influential fashion designers.
His Asian heritage plays a large part in his designs. The inclusion of Asian models, the repetitive use of red and other cultural symbols such as Chinese characters and headpieces are a common thread throughout collections.
On his homepage, Chinese rapper Vava stars in his latest campaign. Underneath a yum cha table, she’s edgy and daring, yet Wang still plays with traditional cultural symbols. (Newby, 2019)
This serves as an example of a successful designer embracing his cultural heritage for his art practices. And that’s pretty inspiring to me.
REFERENCES
Fry, T. (1989) A Geography of Power: Design History and Marginality. Design Issues. Cambridge: The MIT Press
Newby, J. (2019) Chinese Rap Queen Vava Fronts New Alexander Wang Campaign. Radii China. Retrived from: https://radiichina.com/chinese-rap-queen-vava-fronts-new-alexander-wang-campaign/
Onafuwa, D. (2018) Allies and Decoloniality: A Review of the Intersectional Perspectives on Design, Politics, and Power Symposium, Design and Culture. Cambridge: The MIT Press
Design Methods 