Presentation Note on "The Musichronicle" - Three Stories
It has been a tough semester for me personally.
I have to admit that I had never been so defeated by a design project. Or is it even called a design project? Let's just call it a work, because in the end, it doesn't really matters.
The whole project is a combination of thoughts while I was an photographer for a orchestra team, namely Monash Chamber Orchestra, or MCO. Yes, this project is a real-world-pro-bono project. My outcome of the project is clean and clear, short and simple - a book and a film. They talk about how a group of musicians had endured the hardships of music playing in the name of passion. Just like us creatives, I find it very relatable.
Mr.Chan from Chan Academy conducting Monash Chamber Orchestra for their second annual concert.
The whole project is created in a way to support these young musicians continue to pursue what they like to do. When I first approach the president of the orchestra team, which happens to be my primary school friend, she told me that her orchestra team had hard time sustaining fund and also getting recognition, despite all the effort they've done to promote their work.
These are fundamental orchestra problem. My deduction of why most people are not interested in orchestra, is because we only sit there and listen to music - isn't that what we do all the time? Same goes to fashion show, why am I invited to watch human walking in fancy clothes? Heck some clothes are not even fancy.
I think here comes the idea of being a relevant brand. General fast fashion of any kind has been so rooted into our culture. Now, fashion is attempting beyond visual - it is doing justice to human rights, environment, clarification of what is pop culture, that's art history on a shirt!
It is understandable that orchestra culture is quite niche. But if we could find a way to expose Monash Chamber Orchestra towards social issues, orchestra could maintain its relevancy very well, and that is done through the act of compassion. I’ve dedicated a thesis about advertising using compassion and we can talk more about it later. In the thesis I've also talk about the three-way branding-advertising method to help non-profit organisations sustain a living.
"Nous Somme Nos Choix", meaning "We are our choice". by Jean Paul Sartre, the famous exe on tote bag as design using Chamber Display. Monash Chamber Orchestra can display compassion to the already ill-society with positive quotes.
So, the 8 weeks of orchestra culture had been a very rewarding experience for me aside for the thesis part. I thought this project would be just another regular project, except in a larger scale or better design thinking. But later on I realised that, this final semester project is the reason that kept me persevere with the current exhibition. Thought I do not have much to show, I have stories to tell.
Story One - Perseverance
It is the story of perseverance, and what music taught me about belief in design.
I had always admired the president's perseverance in organising this orchestra performance, she had to juggle between her academics and doing orchestra works. There were few times where she had hard time keeping up with her exam results, but her enthusiast made her really enjoyed playing music with the people she like - it is always a solid teamwork scene during practices.
The (former) president of Monash Chamber Orchestra, Amanda Ng plucking violin.
This made me realised, I had not been true to myself. I did design for academic’s sake; I had breakdown because I was too worried that I would not complete my projects on time. The unsatisfactory is real, and itching, it kills.
To know that a pharmacy student would pursue music joyfully, makes me ashamed of myself. I’m a creative, why can’t I enjoy being creative for creative’s sake? Until now, I still get questions like - exhibition is just three credits, why do it?
Concert Master Rong Jin seen with his papers before the practice session starts.
I don’t do it for joy, but I know from now on I have to treat every design project serious, dead serious. Designs are my kids, no kids worth lower credits.
Story Two - Belief
The second story is about trying really hard, and continue to believe in things that you do, because to belief in something means something intended is about to happen; and in some cases, intention is more important than outcome.
Before the performance starts, the conductor gathered everyone and told them that, no matter what happened tonight, believe in the music. But how do you believe in something that is so abstract, I thought. Isn’t it just seems religious itself?
Because if you truly understand the music, the music will guide you, not the conductor.
I think this is inherently true, one can lose their perseverance in design project, but one must never lose faith in the things they do. One day, someone will react to it, like how I did to an orchestra.
Concert Master practicing his solo part, "Summer" of Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi. Synchronisation isn't the only between conductor and an orchestra, the understanding of music is equally important.
Believing in my own design is really important, it is the belief that guided me to do what I think is right for them to raise funds and awareness. In the end, I realise there is no point to call this project a branding or design project.
They've made me realise that all these while, I was just helping them to tell their story through the book and film, while formulating a method to help them succeed as a non-profit.
Branding was just a tool, it is just how you use it, and of course, design is just a thinking. In the end, design had guided me, not the other way round.
Story Three - Dawn or Dusk
The third story is about the sunset and sunrise, which is nicer? My friend asked.
We had lunch together and I told her that my day only started during the night because my phone only stop receiving messages about exhibition during the late night. So most of the time, I’ll be doing my work until the sunrise. I had probably seen more sunrises than sunset this semester.
The dusk that occurs every practice session, especially during string session. Captured by Ellysha Syzana, 2018.
I told her, there is a reason why people would wake up at 6am to watch sunrise, especially for east coast people like me. Sunrise is not only nice, but it is beautiful. Every time when the sun rises, it is a sense of hope to anything, to be better than yesterday, to complete a to do list that accumulated from last night, to achieve the seemingly unachievable things that you had persevered. I don’t see those in sunset.
Hope is what I lived on, not what I lived for,
which is what I see the most important thing to happen in this orchestra team - they are trying really hard to sell tickets, to improve on social media, to get feedbacks from everyone involved, trying to rebrand themselves in visual & performances, all because they wish that people would discover the beauty in orchestral music.
For me, hope is the beauty itself, and is a message worth spreading that keeps Monash Chamber Orchestra a relevant brand among university students, to never give up doing the things you like, and also you don’t like. This is their method of showing compassion.
Up until this point, you might be thinking, so long for stories, where is the real deal? The deal is, I have a trailer made just in one day to show you, and will be the first thing to kick off the campaign to make the orchestra team heard and raise funds.
(To Preview Full Video, Visit "The Musichronicle" Project Link Here)
This project, unlike any other projects from previous semesters, is more of a self-reflection instead of helping other brand to reflect themselves. If someone is to walk by my booth and ask me about my final year project, I would be telling them the exact same thing - my work is not much, but I have stories to tell, would you like to hear one?
For full photo album preview,
visit "The Musichronicle" Documentary Shoot page here.
