Blog 2 Themes reflection tasks: Collaboration and Cultural sustainability

In regards to the theme of social responsibility I particularly found the lecture by Claire Swift on ‘Collaboration’ useful for my work in the near future.  She began by first explaining that to start each person must know their discipline and their role within the team and that collaborations can lead to great ideas and energy that lead to something called ‘group genius’ which she described as ‘sparks’.  Practising deep listening is important and as a team, we should build on each other’s ideas, and ask innovative questions. She spoke about the different roles in a team that NATURALLY form, you get people who are more action-orientated, people-orientated which I believe I may be and those who are thought orientated. Knowing this I now understand why some team members may work differently to me but together this difference is what creates success. Claire also spoke about the Tuckman’s theory that says each group will go through the stages of forming, storming    (where most conflicts occur) norming ( where everyone has come to an agreement) performing ( everyone creating great things) and adjourning. From this, I have learnt that it is normal to have conflicts at the beginning of a group and to not get worked up about it. Everyone in a team has needs and so it is important to celebrate great ideas so everyone has the confidence to speak, criticism is okay after the team is done generating ideas and its vital to accept criticism by listening to a point of view and not taking it personally.

In regards to sustainability, I found ‘Cultural sustainability’ by John Lau an interesting topic that has made me aware of how I can help in the future.  Cultural sustainability aims to keep cultures alive without misrepresentation and appropriating them. To do this we must understand culture, research and take the time to see the object, language, music, textile through the eyes of the ones who make it, wear it and use it. It requires respect. Without understanding a cultural garment it simply becomes a costume which takes away thousands of years of history and identity. Misrepresentation in film and fashion shows that take inspiration from inaccurate representations of cultures destroy their meanings and lead them to be used as trends. Appreciation of a culture IS NOT using cultural clothing and styles as a costume.  One way of appreciating is by working in collaboration with the people from the culture to create new designs and giving back to them and giving them credit for giving you the knowledge behind it. In fashion shows use models from the culture you’ve taken inspiration from, models who understand the significance of what they are wearing and clearly communicate with the audience letting them know the true meaning of what they are seeing. Cultural sustainability is something that I will look into before ever drawing inspiration from a cultures design. A future without culture is a future without individual identity, so I will play my part to sustain it.