Task Objective: Meet and greet the group
The goal was to meet our randomly assigned group mates and make conversation. After the initial warm up, we move on to reading and annotating the three research briefs as a group.
My Objective (Self-Initiated Work)
My aim was to really find our group dynamics. I wanted to move on from the small talk to what really ticked them off and what kept them going. I believed this would help us to bond quicker as a team.
The analog approach to digital teams
Facing a blank sheet of paper and a new group, I decided to take the first initiative. I realized that a standard "who are you?" conversation wouldn't cut it for our project. Instead, I grabbed a set of sketch pens and asked everyone to pick their favourite colour. On the big paper in front of us, I wrote down everyone’s names in their chosen colours and conducted a quick, informal interview with each member. I asked about their interests, passions, and weaknesses. This visual mapping revealed immediate common ground, specifically, a shared love for photography. This instantly lowered the barriers between us.
Key Move: We decided to name our group 'Picture-Perfect' as we all love photography and videography, and shared our Insta IDs to connect more.
Image 1: Image of the paper we sketched our passion, interests and weaknesses on.
Translating Passion into Roles
The most interesting part of the exercise was translating our passion and interests into project roles. We looked at personality and we looked at talents.
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Cooking as Practice:
Kaajal helped us theorise that an interest in cooking, which requires timing, ingredients, and construction, translated well to being a Practice Lead.
- Shopping as Research: We joked that a love for shopping which involves hunting, comparing options, and curation, was the perfect skillset for a Research Lead.
This method worked. Jude (art) and Meggie (photography) naturally gravitated towards being Practice Leads. Danny and Fia, who connected over their meticulous nature (and shopping!), became our Research Leads. The group unanimously selected me as the Project Leader.
Thoughts as a new leader: To be honest, my decision to break out the sketch pens was just a move to bridge a visible gap. I sensed a hesitation from our Chinese group members, a subtle friction likely caused by language barriers, which they later admitted to be the case during our discussions. As someone who felt like the one-in-between these two sides, I felt a responsibility to act as the glue, creating a space where everyone felt safe to speak. I didn’t expect this to result in me being voted Project Leader. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't anxious. A ten-minute icebreaker is very different from managing a semester-long assessment. However, that anxiety is outweighed by excitement. I genuinely love the chaos of group work, and having previously led my undergraduate final year project, I feel equipped to handle the logistics. I’m looking forward to seeing how this specific dynamic evolves over the coming weeks.
CHOOSING OUR RESEARCH BRIEF
We passed around printed copies of the three research briefs, annotating them individually before regrouping. This is where the real debate began. During our follow-up online meeting, we hit our first creative roadblock.Danny and Meggie both felt the "Climate Change" brief was too abstract for the scope of our project. We all agreed on their points.
Meggie proposed an idea for the "Narratives and Storying" brief, reframing male-centric characters as female. I challenged this idea. I argued that you cannot simply swap a male character for a female one and call it successful re-representation. Female identity is complex, and a direct translation often fails to capture the nuance of the female experience. The group agreed with this critique, realising we needed a deeper approach.
Jude suggested we make a digital zine or a short film as our digital artefact. After much discussing, we realised we were falling into a classic trap. We were focusing on the practice before the Research. We collectively decided to hit pause on the format and finalise our brief selection first. We chose "Narratives and Storying". This decision was crucial. It forces us to build our digital artefact out of the research, rather than trying to fit the research into a cool idea we already had.