After I finished the workshop, I had time to take a little break before working on the report. I found this documentary, ‘Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy,‘ on Netflix, which explores consumerism, shopping habits, and potentially the ethics surrounding purchases like recycled electronics. It may not directly relate to art toys or creative works, but it is really interesting and one of a good documentary! It can relate to my project if we look at…
- Consumer perception: The documentary discussed how trends and marketing strategies drive consumer decisions.
- Awareness and education: It emphasizes the need for awareness about purchasing habits and how corporations exploit them, aligning with my project goal of educating consumers about the value behind creative works.
- Sustainability: The documentary touched on the environmental impact of overconsumption.
I do more secondary research for my project. Then, I found two TED talks that very inspired me.
The Value of Art and How It Can Impact Our Lives by Umika Mediratta
- Storytelling through art: Umika highlights how traditional art carries historical narratives and cultural significance, which aligns with my efforts to use storytelling to bring meaning to art toys and creative works.
- Engagement with culture: By connecting art to culture and nature, she creates deeper connections with audiences, which aligns with my goal of inspiring more thoughtful engagement with creative works.
What it Means to Be an Artist by David Best
- Valuing craft and effort: David’s intricate sculptures and temples, crafted with meticulous attention to detail, resonate with my goal of encouraging people to value the craft and process behind creative works.
- Community and engagement: His collaborative work with the Temple Crew and international projects highlights the power of community in art-making. Like my workshops, I invite Thai consumers to engage directly with the creative process, fostering a community that values craft.
References:
Best, D. (2017) What it Means to Be an Artist | David Best | TEDxSonomaCounty, YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Aalzp5491I&ab_channel=TEDxTalks.
Mediratta, U. (2018) The Value of Art and How It Can Impact Our Lives | Umika Mediratta | TEDxLagoadasPatas, YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vhVelFc67g&ab_channel=TEDxTalks.
Menta, A. (2024) Netflix’s ‘buy now: The shopping conspiracy’ doc reveals what really happens to your old iphones, Decider. Available at: https://decider.com/2024/11/20/netflix-buy-now-the-shopping-conspiracy-documentary-recycled-electronics-jim-puckett/.
Sanders , S.G. (2022) Changing Design Aesthetic: Trends, and Social Organizations of the Growing Toy Market for the Adult Collector. Dissertation.
Stacey, N. (2024) Buy now: The shopping conspiracy, Netflix Official Site. Available at: https://www.netflix.com/title/81554996.
Georgakopoulou, A., Iversen, S. and Stage, C. (2020) Quantified storytelling: A narrative analysis of metrics on social media, UAL Library search. Available at: https://libsearch.arts.ac.uk/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=1527738&query_desc=kw%2Cwrdl%3A%20storytelling%20on%20social%20media.