ADD ON IDEAS

CONCEPT 1

I found out this zine about nostalgia. The designer made use of image manipulation to create a really grainy effect to mimic old dusty vintage photographs. I think this is a really smart way to create an immediate effect among audience that this is something about the past. I tried mimicking the effect and it actually turns out to create a completely different vibe. It gives off a much vintage aesthetic and this could be a new concept for the photoshoot, making use of image manipulation to create that vintage effect to deliver the idea of past memories. 

CONCEPT 2

I also came up with a new idea on "old Hong Kong", being nostalgic of the old streets signs of Hong Kong. Street signs and neon signs are actually one of the most significant feature of Hong Kong. Most of these signs have its own unique typography on it. 

Most of these neon signs have been taken off from buildings due to safety issues. However, there are still some hanging on buildings in some old districts.  The fonts printed are all different and has their own style. I think using. these old Chinese typography as a new concept of the image manipulation of the photographs would also be interesting to deliver the idea of past memories. There are also a lot of local designers or magazines trying to make use of old typography to create the vintage aesthetics. 

I then tried to add some text onto the photographs to mimic old vintage designs. I also came up with the idea of making them into postcards. As postcards are used to keep memories and spread memories to people around, I think it would be an appropriate medium for the theme nostalgia and something that is related to a specific place. 

I also warped the words to create that flowing effect of memories, how it is not a physical and solid object. 

RESEARCH ON NOSTALGIA

VIDEOS 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiTgn5QH_HU 

• Nostalgia was once considered an illness confined to specific groups of people.
• was seen to be a negative mental state
• intense yearning of home
• anyone separated from their native place for a long time is vulnerable to nostalgia
• mental condition similar to depression
• difficulties letting go of childhood
• longing to return
• homesickness
• general longing to the past
• mindsets changed
• does not generally put people into a negative mood
• remember personally meaningful and rewarding experience
• can boost psychological well being
• help increase self esteem and social belonging
• make them act more cheerfully
• can restore well being
• new marketing technique
• helps us remember the value of life
• and be confident and motivated to face challenges in the future

After watching this short TED video on YouTube, I discovered that nostalgia is not only about the present and the past, it is also about the future. I am amused that I did not know about this before the photoshoot... This could be a new concept for the photoshoot that talks about the future. As most of the final outcome is about how one is trapped in his past memories, and longing to go back, I can actually develop a series of photos that talks about how we can actually make use of the feeling of nostalgia to motivate ourselves and develop hope within us.

MY OWN OBSERVATION

I realised that it is very true that nostalgia can actually encourage people and trigger sense of motivation towards the future. Taking myself as an example, I used to live in a house in the countryside when I was small, I moved out to the city after 12 years living in that house. Even until now, I still thinks about that place very often and sort of associated the place with my childhood memories. This makes me want to develop my future career and earn more to actually buy the exact same house in the future. Although it might not work, it actually motivates me to work hard for my future.

Sometimes, when I hang with friends, we would also talk about the past memories of our generation, about different cartoons that we watch when we are young and we can talk about those for the whole day. This process of reminiscing the past actually makes people happy and create a sense of connection among each other. Sometimes, we even go to some old places in some old districts in Hong Kong to kind of have a little escape from the prosperous city. This also shows that people tend to make use of nostalgia to escape from their hectic life. It could be a quick review of old photos, or even a visit to old places.

INSTAGRAM

This also makes me think of the old cultural heritage of Hong Kong and also those that have already vanished due to the new world development. I have also discovered that there are a lot of Instagram accounts about the "old Hong Kong" and old places that we used to go when we were a kid. The prompt of these accounts are usually about nostalgia and how we can actually use social media to keep the memories and even spread it to new generations.

As seen in previous modules, I am really interested in Hong Kong culture. I think I can actually expand this module's concept of a person's nostalgia into a generation's nostalgia, where I can actually use some old features fo Hong Kong as the main element to deliver the message. Since I am staying in Hong Kong for the coming semester, I think this could be a really good opportunity for me to really think about how I can further develop the idea.