The taboo of the body in the framework of product design education in Thailand

Abstract

Abstract Oskar Schlemmer was an artist and choreographer associated with the German Bauhaus Art School, he was well known for his dance of trinity called the Das Triadische Ballett (The Triadic Ballet). In his 1925 essay, he underlined that the progressive mechanisation of the life trough machine and technology was a more than a trend, but something that we cannot ignore. Nowadays, as a century ago, the alliance human (intelligent) machine is still at the centre of the debate for researchers as well as for practitioners in arts and design fields; all are in a perpetual search of ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ and/or ‘Gesamtdatenwerk’, as ‘integrated data work’ a term coined by the British artist Roy Ascott (Ascott [1989] 1989). In 2016, Mafalda Millies and Rosa Sachs, in partner with Performa Visionaries, brought Virtual There to the 1922 Schlemmer show. Likewise, the Bartlett School of Architecture (London) has recently opened a Master’s in design for performance and interaction; it seems to be a contemporary version of the 1936 Design-Correlation Laboratory established by the Architect Frederick Kiesler at Columbia University. Early in his career, Kiesler (1926), together with Norina Machabelli and Dr Bes Mesendieck, initiated the Brooklyn International Theatre Art Institute. The author of this article is currently working as lecturer in Thailand in a product design education curriculum. Joi Ito, MIT MediaLab Director in an interview with Robert Buderi, stated that new design is ‘computational design, biological design, systems design’ (2015). while this concept makes perfect sense from a global-scale view, we might have to consider that design is quite a young academic discipline in certain emerging markets, such as South East Asia. Design studies, and particularly product and industrial design, are based on ‘human factors’: ergonomics and human-centred approaches, in relation to the human-machine (artefacts). Here is one of the challenges: while the human body is the locus of such studies, the role and the meaning of the body in Thailand is quite different compared to Western conceptions. As a Theravada-based Buddhist country, and a ‘no-tactile society’ (Lewis 1996: 472), the human body in this society is the subject of several traditional rules that span from greeting to the way of seating. Moreover, Confucian influence in the education system is an essential aspect to consider in developing tomorrow’s design class. Based on these conceptions, product design education could be enhanced as a discipline to facilitate a sort of critical thinking by reframing the human body preconceptions thought physical outcomes. The author wrote this article based on his practice and research, highlighting some of the local cultural taboos surrounding the perception of the body and its relation with others. Furthermore, the article will explain the key points of his product design education approach, designed for Thai students. This is a framework where the body has become the locus or ‘self reflection’, and where physical theatre is a way of enhancing self-confidence and facilitating the process of critical thinking.