FINER DETAILS FINER DETAILS Vol 10 (Feb/Mar 2023) Design and Creative Industries
After a small break, the Publication & Editorial Committee of Spectrum 2023: Lumen is delighted to announce the release the 10th installment of The Creative Issue! In conjunction with Brunei's 39th National Day, this issue tackles the intersection between aesthetics, culture and meaning. On aesthetics, this issue contains a brief introduction to symbolism in art, and an article on how to integrate cultural elements into packaging design. On culture and aesthetics, there is an extended article about common design elements in national flags around the world. Additionally, reflect more on the occasion of National Day, we have an article on embracing Brunei's heritage, and a piece on connecting art and patriotism. In addition to these articles, short recaps on episodes 2 and 3 of the Spectrum Podcast are present for those who missed them. We hope you enjoy reading this edition!
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When asked what is art to them, chances are people will say that it is Z_hkfh_l^e_^qik^llbhg'Ahp^o^k%Zm the height of the Industrial Revolution, if one is of the middle-class, it would [^ Zefhlm bfihllb[e^mh Ûg] pZrlmh express yourself given that the waking time is mostly occupied by slaving away in some factory. Living may feel bleak yet dull and the easiest way one can escape such reality is through daydreaming. Typically, symbolic art expresses recurring themes of love, fear, grief, death and desire. What started off as a movement in literature bled into other forms of art such as paintings and music. Back then, symbolic artworks were usually outwardly fantastical. The depiction of biblical events or that of the mythologies are not an uncommon sight. Some may include monstrous creatures and adventurous errands. As years go by, artists have found ways of incorporating these legends in subtler ways. One may portray the myth of Narcissus by composing an installation of a mirror by a river bank. There are so many ways of incorporating symbolism in your next pieces of art. In order to do so, one fnlm Ûklm aZo^ Zg ng]^klmZg]bg` h_ how symbolic elements come to be. Most of the time, these elements have some sort of a history that allows them to achieve their own meaning. Ahp^o^k% ]^i^g]bg` hg ma^ \nemnk^ you are accustomed to, some symbolic elements may bear different meanings than the rest of the world. To give you an idea, here are some elements you may incorporate in your next painting projects… A Brief Lesson on Symbolism in art PKBMM>G;RG:=SBK:AL:E 02
;Z\dbghnkÛklmr^Zk%pa^k^p^p^k^mZn`amBgmkh]n\mbhgmh=^lb`gLmn]b^l% we learnt that the use of color can elicit different emotions out of the viewers. Bright and vivid colors are typically used to make its viewers feel excitement. A great example for this is the colors used in fast food brands. Bright red is a common color used for such establishments as it may invoke the feeling of energy. Once the tonality of colors are understood, one can imagine what effects using mostly dark and dull colors can bring into a piece of art. Ahp^o^k%hg^aZlmh[^pZkrh_ma^nl^h_pabm^':emahn`abm`^g^kZeer expresses purity in most cultures, such color means death and bad luck within Chinese Culture. Therefore, depending on the theme of your project, it is advisable to limit the use of white in artworks that have Chinese elements. Another color that symbolizes different emotions from what is generally perceived is the color red. In Chinese culture, red resembles happiness and luck, hence the primarily red Chinese New Year decor during the festive seasons. In other parts of the world, red usually means either love, passion, energy or even anger, depending on the context. Flowers have their own stages of life, from seedling all through its death, ma^lmZm^h_ZÜhp^k\Zg^qik^ll^fhmbhglbgZfhk^\hfie^qZg]]rgZfic way. At the beginning of these stages, there is always a seed. Visually, seeds generally express individual potential. In fact, Ai Weiwei centered an art installation piece around the use of seeds to indicate the individualbmrZg]ihm^gmbZeh_\abe]k^g':Ühp^kbgfb][ehhfbg`\Zg\hffngb\Zm^ Z kZg`^ h_ ^fhmbhgl maZm \hf^l pbma bgmbfZ\r hk Z\dghpe^]`bg` hg^l i^klhgZe`khpma'EZlmer%ma^pbembg`h_ZÜhp^kblnlnZeerZgbg]b\Zmbhgh_ death or loss. COLOUR FLORA 03
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BglnffZkr%ÜZ`l\Zg[^Z`k^Zm ]^ib\mbhg h_ Z gZmbhgl `^h`kZiar% history, ideals and ambitions. Thus, a lb`gbÛ\ZgmZfhngmh_\Zk^Zg]dghpeedge regarding the nation has to be considered when designing something Zllb`gbÛ\ZgmZlZÜZ`maZmk^ik^l^gml governments and multiple groups of i^hie^'BgZ]]bmbhgmhmaZm%ÜZ`lfnlm also stand the test of time, and what better way to be timeless, than to be true to yourself and your ideals? 11
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How did the passion for music (Hanif Iqbal) and theatre (Bats) start? In the latest episode of Spectrum Podcast, hosts Izzati and Jazzy discuss the world of music and theatre with our very own musician Hanif Iqbal and performer Syahmi Batrisya. Question after question, we took a deeper look into this side of the creative industry ranging from journey, challenges and even hopes and dreams! First we kickstart the episode by asking our beloved guests on their journey into the industry. Surprisingly, Hanif Iqbal’s passion for music was influenced by rock bands and it actually did not have a linear start. It was the era where everyone was into playing guitar. Learning how to play one was almost like a trend, one that Hanif wants to hop into. However, he felt that his guitar skills were stagnant and left the instrument behind. That was until he entered UBD where he joined BPMFASS and met his senior Nazmo who encouraged him to start playing again. That was the catalyst for Hanif. Bats, on the other hand, had been introduced to the performing arts world ever since she was a child. Her mother's side of the family are mostly performers. She started traditional dancing as young as 8 years old! And when she reached 14, her mom saw an audition poster by Relentless and encouraged her to try auditioning. That was the game changer for Bats! INTO THE WORLD OF MUSIC AND THEATRE podcast recap ep 2 18
Now, the process of creating music may differ with each musician. For Hanif, he always starts with creating the melody. Followed by lyrics and finally producing it. The hard part about creating music is mixing sounds that match and mastering it. Fortunately, he got some connections with people who are great at it. He noted that collaboration is important! His latest work is ‘Lain Cara, Lain Atur’ which he created during the COVID lockdown back in 2019. It took him 2 to 4 months just to create the music. The lyrics come afterward, which was heavily inspired by an on-going issue at the time. He learns that in creating and producing a work, you are mostly doing it all by yourself, especially balancing the creative and the business side of it. Yet he advises everyone, especially the aspiring and/or amateur musicians, to not be afraid to ask for help! Can you believe it though? Bats can't sing! Or so she said. Bats revealed that she has no formal education in performing arts. All she had when she first started out was vocal training lessons from Relentless (Yes! She auditioned and got the part). She understands that singing is actually a skill, rather than just a talent. Of course, Bats also has her own challenges. One of them is that she finds singing as a character is hard in comparison to just singing normally. Meaning, inputting a trait or emotion when singing to bring out the character’s dilemma or situation was difficult for her. She overcomes the challenges by asking for opinions of her friends and coaches and learns from that. 19 @Haniifiqbal @Batsuchann
FASHION INDUSTRY Both of them shared a mutual agreement that taking care of their mental health is also part of the challenges. Hanif shared that his passions now turn to work and eventually it felt like music is just something he needs to get it over with to meet deadlines. However, he bounced back. He finds a way to improve his mindset as he tries to enjoy the process. Same goes to Bats, she would be anxious when it was difficult for her to connect with the character she’s playing. She seeks comfort from her friends by asking opinions and that helps her calm down. As the session came to an end, we asked Hanif and Bats regarding their hopes and dreams towards the creative scene in Brunei especially in their respective fields. Hanif believes that everyone has a role to play in order for the industry to grow. You know the usual; the more, the merrier, the better! He said that it’s okay to start small. Bats added her opinion on this by saying that she hopes that the broadway stage will expand in the upcoming years. As the field is still concentrated right now, there will always be ways to expand it for the better. Having said that, it is with the saturation of the industry that Hanif expects that more hidden talents will come forward and grab the opportunity for a healthy competition. Both guests came to the conclusion that healthy competition while helping each other out is one of the ways for individuals in the fields to develop. One day, in the future our society will see music and theatre as having an equal value as other forms of arts that people are willing to pay for without question. From this we could see how the creatives themselves tend to face difficulties but still manage to overcome these barriers.This episode expressed the world of the creative industries to the community so they can achieve their full potential and share their story along the way. Hopefully, the younger generation and even people with the desire to indulge in this world will give it a shot. This could be a lifetime experience that will make the best version of yourself! A whole new capability that an individual would never expect because they have never tried it before. Now, this is your sign to experiment your own capabilities in the creative world, shoot for the stars! “its okay to start small ” 20
FASHION INDUSTRY FASHION INDUSTRY In the latest episode of The Spectrum Podcast, we had the opportunity to talk about The Fashion Industry with none other, the talented Farhanna from Naforrer and Umi Balkish from Balkish Official. It was such an eye-opening and inspiring episode where both individuals get to share their insights and experiences from within the industry. If you haven’t got the time to check it out yet, you may head over to our Instagram and YouTube channel @ubdspectrum. But since you’re already here, let us power you through some of the stuffs that we’ve discussed. Who would’ve thought that both Farhanna and Umi shared a similar view when it comes to fashion. They both see fashion as something unique that varies between individuals. It is a creative outlet for people to express themselves. For Farhanna, her interest in fashion started when she designed her first dress for prom, like, how cool is that?! She was heavily influence by Spice Girls and she look up to her a mom a lot. The same can be said for Umi, she always viewed her mom as a fashion icon thus, growing up she would always have her nose buried on fashion magazines and ask her mum to design clothes for her based on those magazines. Ugghh, such a dream! podcast recap episode 3 21 @Balkish.official @Naforrer
FASHION INDUSTRY FASHION INDUSTRY In the podcast, we asked these two who are their source of inspiration. Umi’s top three fashion designers are Gou Pei, Zuhair Murad, and Elie Saab. This is mainly because they are specialized in haute couture, just like she is. She always feels inspired when looking at their designs. Therefore, when we look at Umi’s work we can see that it revolves around tradition with an addition of drama. On the other hand, Farhanna believes she is mostly inspired when she travels. She couldn’t really pin-point who inspired her because there’s way too many. However, if she has to pick it would be Amy Smilovic and Victoria Beckham. Thus, Farhanna’s collection screams femme fatale, bold, and edgy, just like her sources of inspiration. Delving more into the podcast, both guests spent their time talking about the challenges that they faced as fashion designers. From public’s perspectives to materials limitations and work life balance, it just got way too real. Yet, the team had the opportunity to ask them what are their hopes and dreams for the fashion scene in Brunei. Though, both guests agree that the creative scene are only starting, indeed, they are slowly but surely progressing. Umi and Farhanna wishes that the locals would give more Bruneian fashion designers a chance to showcase their talents with hope that one day, everyone too will get the recognition they deserve and go international. Having said that, Farhanna believes that it is too early for competition between local creatives and what we should do is support and lift each other up. And that’s it for episode 3 of The Spectrum Podcast, we can’t really fit everything in here so head over to our socials to watch the full episode, you’ll definitely love it! See you on the next one. 22
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