As a Technical specialist with 21 years of experience, I bring a great deal of expertise to my work in the area of Jewellery design. Coming from a white Scottish background, I feel a strong connection to my cultural heritage.
In my field of Jewellery design I want to foster a cultural appreciation and integrate a wide array of technical processes from around the globe and promote a greater understanding for the diverse methods that shape our industry. This will reflect the diverse international cohort that makes up the student body.
I want to diversify the methodology we teach , partly in de-colonising the curriculum and also to embrace the “Roots” of many of the techniques we use. We teach what we accept to be the “correct” method but these methods are simply homogenised variations on principles that have been gathered from around the globe and regulated within our own Eurocentric design ethos. There is not always one correct method but a long line of variations and many of which having derived from the respective countries that we gather our students, from where the root technique may have been used for hundreds of years.
I’m hoping that we can foster a greater sense of inclusivity when we appreciate diverse cultural practices rather than forcing singular cultural norms for craft and design methodology.
I propose a branch of Technical Moodle that other departments could build on where we have induction methods with video and written information that we are accustomed to but then a breakdown of various other methods from around the world on similar techniques, all recorded and growing each year.
This could encourage studio breakout sessions for students to demonstrate methods to their cohort and explain the cultural context for the methods. We also run Wednesday lecture series where practitioners discuss their practices and how it fits within their cultural context.
All these facets could highlight the contributions that our diverse cohort bring, making higher education a reciprocal path rather than them being just the vessel to be filled .
Objectives
- Foster inclusivity and cultural appreciation: By integrating and building a resource on traditional techniques used in the jewellery industry from around the world we will create a more inclusive learning environment that mirrors the diverse backgrounds that our students come from.
- Learning and innovation: Encourage students to think outside of ‘standard’ or commercial methodology and build on unconventional techniques and help innovate.
- Decolonise the curriculum: Move the focus away from Eurocentric interpretation of methodology in jewellery and shine a light on techniques that maybe niche or culturally specific.
- Collaboration: Encourage students and staff to explore their own and other cultures craft practices and bring them into the studio, encourage students to present ideas via demonstration or submit small field reports.
Reasoning for Eurocentric methodology
Europe and the West have long been industrial powerhouses. Their long periods as being a colonising powers brought significant wealth to the region but now post colonial we must acknowledge the repercussions that this has brought across all areas of society.
People from previously colonised regions now constitute significant part of the broad fabric in our society and universities across Europe populate their student body with a greater proportion of students from outwith the region.
In ‘Decolonising Modernism(s), Melken, Archey, Roode, Rummens (2023), a discussion with Ronaldo Vazquez Melkan and Stedelijk Studios, They discuss how Europe and the west has always put itself at the centre of ‘Now’ and future innovation and anything from outwith being a curiosity regardless of the fact intellectual design in technical expertise has been drawn from colonised areas.
Modern commercial companies in the West Continue to culturally appropriate from around the world. Yet, craft and design from these areas are seen as sub par in technological or design in comparison, all too often subcategorised as design from a specific area rather than example of just good design.
This colonised attitude to design carries over to the designers themselves producing a intersectionality as Simba Ncube discussion in Khandwala (2019) where non white or native European designers are often subcategorised as designers of a specific ethnicity rather than just a designer as if their ethnicity is relevant to their ability.
Ncube (2019) also notes “When Western conventions are centred in design, this means that anything else is seen as ‘different.” The standards by which in Europe we carry out craft, design and manufacturing techniques should not be considered the ‘Standard’ or ‘Universal’ method but just another possibility and this is why I see a great need to put a focus on resources for students to see other possibilities in methodology in Jewellery design for the moment but something that could be pushed out further for courses.
Representation
It is essential that a broad diaspora of students in British universities feel represented and that the design and lived experiences of these students brought from their native regions and countries are seen to be valued. The Charts below illustrate the representation from outwith Britain and Europe, many have very strong design industries of their own yet don’t seem represented in cultural process in higher education.
Fig 1 & Fig2 Top ten EU and non-EU countries of domicile (excluding the UK) in 2021/22 for HE student enrolments.
HESA: Higher Education Student Statistics: UK, 2021/22 – Where students come from and go to study
Planned implementation
1. Assessment: Conduct surveys and groups discussion with students and faculty to understand their needs and gather input on the proposed add-on.
2. Resource Compilation: Begin compiling existing resources on various jewellery-making techniques from around the world, including videos, articles, and tutorials. Approach museums and other institutions internationally to seek collaboration.
3. Technical Development: Work with IT specialists to develop the necessary infrastructure for the add-on, ensuring it integrates seamlessly with the existing Moodle platform.
Full Implementation:
1. Full Rollout: Launch the add-on to all students and faculty, providing training sessions and tutorials on how to use the new features. Technical Moodle has proven to be a great success with students often asking if particular demonstrations will be available on the service.
2. Content Expansion: Continue to encourage student submissions and actively seek out new resources to expand the content available on the platform. Encourage students returning from DiPs to make mini field reports of new techniques or ones that are particular to their region. Link any of our weekly lecture series that are relevant to process.
3. Ongoing Support: Provide ongoing technical support and gather continuous feedback to ensure the add-on remains a valuable and effective tool for students and faculty.
To ensure the ‘Root’ add-on is inclusive I will ensure that transcripts are available for each of the videos swell as subtitles in English.
PDF’s with step-by-step instructions would be helpful for those who have neurodiversity needs.
Fig 3, Kundan Setting from India, example of content style courtesy of the V&A Museum learning archive.
Reflection
Earlier in the term, I discussed this idea with Jewellery Staff and students, all responded positively to the idea. Our students are highly a committed to technical processes and are very keen to try new techniques as they progress.
I’ve found the UAL’s data, UAL Annual Report (2023), not very comprehensive with very broad categorisation of student origin mainly by ethnicity and not geographically. In contrast, HESA data was more comprehensive in showing UK university wide origins.
Our Blog group presentation was also very positive and helpful with additional ideas, such as adding Object-based learning where sourced artifacts could be investigated to understand the processes that have been used in its creation.This approach would also enhance the cultural appreciation of it source and processes.
It is crucial to approach this concept with cultural sensitivity and respect. Being mindful of the cultural significance of certain techniques and ensuring that they are represented accurately and respectfully. It will be important to involve cultural advisors or practitioners in the development and review process to ensure that the content is culturally appropriate and not explained solely through a European lens. So far the V&A has permitted me to link embedded video and material from their teach archive.
Challenges
There will be challenges with setting up this additional part of Technical Moodle as I will have to work closely with IT advisors to ensure a seamless layout that is user friendly and accessible for all users. Annual feed back from the students will be essential to ensure I’m meeting accessibility and content requirements.
Encouraging students to actively participate and submit their techniques may require targeted outreach. It will be important to create a supportive environment where students feel comfortable sharing their knowledge and experiences. Offering recognition for contributions could be motivational and perhaps small prizes for valuable contributions.
Conclusion
This proposed add-on to Technical Moodle would be a significant step towards creating a more inclusive and culturally responsive learning environment. By introducing diverse techniques from a wide array of cultural practices into the technical learning resource.
This will hopefully foster a greater sense of inclusivity and encourage greater innovation, exposing students to a wider field of techniques.
This initiative aligns with broader goals of decolonizing the curriculum and embracing the roots of the techniques we teach. By acknowledging and celebrating the diverse cultural contributions to the field of jewellery design that our student cohort brings, we can create a teaching environment that is two-way where the institution and student cohort benefit through the multicultural environment we build.
References
Melken, Archey, Roode, Rummens (2023)“Decolonizing Modernism(s): Decolonial practice” From Stedelijk Studios. https://stedelijkstudies.com/decolonizing-modernisms-decolonial-practice/
Khandwala (2019), Anoushka Khandwala, “What does it mean to decolonise design”https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/what-does-it-mean-to-decolonize-design/
Ncube(2019) quote from Khandwala (2019), Anoushka Khandwala, “What does it mean to decolonise design”https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/what-does-it-mean-to-decolonize-design/
Fig 1 & Fig 2 https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/19-01-2023/sb265-higher-education-student-statistics/location
Fig 3, Kundan Setting from India, example of content style courtesy of the V&A Museum learning archive.
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/videos/b/video-bejewelled-treasures-kundan-setting/
UAL Annual Report (2023), https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/432141/SPCB23435-EDI-report-2022-23.pdf