This online meeting not only asked their feedback on my intervention, but also explores the needs of embroiderers and the problems they want people to help them solve
Evidence of online meetings （11th，June)
Participant background
These craftspeople are all women and have been practising embroidery for between 4 to 48 years. The education level ranges from primary school education, junior high school education to Specialty.
Participants：Xiang Embroidery Craftmen in Chang sha city （Hunan province, China)
Number of participants：11
Age distribution of participants：22-60 age
Question/enquiry
- views on my personal project
- problems they are facing or problems they would like others to focus on and help them solve
1. Feedback （views on my personal project）
Evidence of feedback
When I sought their feedback on my personal projects, such as the combination of embroidery with technology, I desired each of them to embroider their memories, identities and stories on a 3d embroidered duck. The response from embroiderers aged 45 above was that due to their limited age, literacy, understanding and decades of traditional thinking in conservative background of the past, it was difficult for them to understand or give me advice on my project, but they expressed their willingness to cooperate with me and support me in my project, but also said that the production of 3d embroidery was a bit complicated for them, and they suggested that it is crucial to reduce the man-hours of this production and the complexity of the process.
I reached a preliminary understanding with these embroiderers that we now start with a piece of cloth embroidery instead of making 3D embroidered ducks, because the materials and tools required are complicated and the production process is complicated.
When I mentioned whether it was possible to use everyone’s hands as the basis and then express freely, their first reaction was that it was acceptable and positive, because it was easier than 3D embroidery, and it was something they had never touched before. The themes of their works were previously painted by embroiderers, and this was the first time that they were related to their own themes. This time, they can embroider for themselves, not for others.
They immediately said if they were each embroidering their own palm prints and fingerprints, I said that I still need to think about and give them feedback on Tuesday, how to incorporate their unique story into the palm print, not Back to the realistic embroidery style （Time demanding).
2.Feedback (problem they faced and wanted it be solved)
- Improvements of embroiderying tool (they hope someone can design or provide ergonomic tools to help them reduce the physical strain during the embroidery process, such as the spine, which can lead to spinal strains caused by bending over for a long time).
- Increase in income (this viewer says they don’t have any ideas either, just simple and pure, to make a living and hope to earn some money with their own hands).
- Talent people can lead them to innovate (lead them to embroider new themes, increase the interest of the theme, or develop new stitches).
- Young people communicate with them more
- Loing some weight, or try to stay in shape as much as possible
Summary
Through this communication with so many embroiderers, what I really feel is the simplicity of their inner thoughts. I am very grateful that they are willing to actively support my personal project, so I say that I want to protect this group with more enthusiasm. Help this group to have a voice in society, and I hope my personal projects can connect with them as much as possible. Therefore, next, I will draw and design the pattern of the palm print by myself, and then communicate with them, try to let them express themselves fully and freely under a simple framework, and show more people their own stories. Stories belonging to their group, in order to build emotional connections with more audiences through works. I will also discuss with the programmers and think about how the sensor and the embroidered palm can be integrated to better increase the interactivity, interest and the times of the work.
# AC Knowledge # AC Enquiry # AC Communication