A YEAR IN GRAYSCALE: THE DESIGN STRATEGY FOR COLLECTIVE MOURNING IN THE DIGITAL ERA
TYPE
visual research
YEAR
2018
PLACE
Meertens Institute/Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
The research brings attention to cases that show how creative practitioners deal with practical matters that came with adopting the new mood and tone of the mourning period. Upon the announcement of the passing of the beloved King Rama IX on 13 October 2016, graphic designers, webmasters, content editors, and media producers worked overnight to transform their public channels to fit the national sentiment. As well as citizens who see ways to collectively express their sadness in the online world.
Among the flood of genuine, creative expressions made by individuals, some popular ones were found to be in conflict with ambiguous customs and traditional beliefs. Since there is no centralised manual how 'the public' can react to the royal passing, particularly in the 21st century context and medium, social media becomes the space for citizens, private and public sectors to collectively propose, debate, seek solutions, and come to terms on the progressive creation of national mood & tone during the year-long period.
Symposium: Popularized Culture, Ritual and the Making of HeritageThe central concern of this symposium is to explore processes of popularization and heritage formation and the role of ritual therein. The symposium will be organized in the context of Irene Stengs’ inauguration as Professor by Special Appointment of “Anthropology of Ritual and Popular Culture” at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam.