Seeing Is Believing: Reflections on Video Oral Histories with Chinese Graphic Designers
University of Minnesota Duluth
E-mail: cishino{at}d.umn.edu
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Abstract |
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This paper presents an overview of the historical development of video oral history, and the place it has achieved in the USA, including a report on the outcomes and studies conducted by the Smithsonian Institution, in conjunction with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation from 1986–92. It demonstrates how effective video oral history can be in documenting how graphic designers situate their works within the larger, global visual culture. As a case study, I reflect on video interviews conducted in Beijing with three generations of Chinese designers in 2004, which draw on my experience in art directing television newscasts in order to highlight parallels between video oral history and news documentaries.
Key Words: Chinese designers • design history • graphic design • history of technology • oral history • video oral history
1 D. K. Dunaway, ‘The Interdisciplinary of Oral History: Introduction’ in D. K Dunaway & W. K. Baum (eds.), Oral History: An Interdisciplinary Anthology, 2nd edn., Alta Mira Press, Walnut Creek, 1996, p.16.
2 B. Tuchman, ‘Distinguishing the Significant from the Insignificant’, in D. K. Dunaway & W. K. Baum, op. cit., p. 97.
3 V. R. Yow, Recording Oral History, 2nd edn., Alta Mira Press, Walnut Creek, 2005, p. 4.
4 D. Sipe, ‘The Future of Oral History and Moving Images’, in R. Perks & A. Thomson (eds.), The Oral History Reader, Routledge Press, New York, 1998, p. 379.
5 S. Page, ‘The Invisible Participant: The Role of the Transcriber’, Interpreting Meaning in Oral History Research for The Power of Oral History: Memory, Healing and Oral History, 2002, XII International Oral History Conference, p. 5.
6 D. K. Dunaway, op. cit., p. 8.
8 See the StoryCorps project: http://www.storycorps.net/about/, accessed August 2006.
9 See http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4516989, accessed August 2006.
10 StoryMobile founder, David Isay, a former radio broadcaster, in response to my query about using video, replied, ‘No, as I believe the voice is the soul of a person’.
11 A. Nevins, ‘Oral History: How and Why it was Born’, in D. K. Dunaway & W. K. Baum, op. cit., p. 29–38.
12 A. Nevins, The Gateway to History (1938) quoted by L. Starr, ‘Oral History’, in D. K. Dunaway & W. K. Baum, op. cit., p. 44.
13 D. K. Dunaway, op. cit., p. 7.
15 T. A. Schorzman (ed.), A Practical Introduction to Videohistory: The Smithsonian Institution and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Experiment, Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, Florida, 1993, p. 2.
16 D. K. Dunaway, op. cit., p. 7.
18 S. Hamovitch, ‘A Practical Introduction: The Smithsonian and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Experiment’ (Reviews), Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, March 1995, available on http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2584/is_n1_v15/ai_16922331, accessed May 2006.
19 T. A. Schorzman, op. cit., p. 21. The quote goes on to state ‘Video is least helpful in historical research when people talk about abstract concepts, which is better left for audio or written text’—a view this paper refutes.
20 T. A. Schorzman, op. cit., ‘Preface’, p. vii.
21 K. Howarth, Oral History: A Handbook, Sutton Publishing Limited, Phoenix Mill, 1998, pp. 160–70.
22 D. Sipe ‘The Future of Oral History and Images’, in R. Perks & A. Thomson (eds.), op. cit., p. 387–8.
25 R. Perks & A. Thomson, op. cit., ‘Introduction’, p. 2–3.
26 M. Frisch, ‘A Shared Authority: Essays on the Craft and Meaning of Oral and Public History’, in R. Perks & A. Thomson, op. cit., p. 384–5.
29 A. Nevins, op. cit., p. 31.
30 R. C. Smith, ‘Publishing Oral History: Oral Exchange and Print Culture’, in T. Charlton, L. Myers & R. Sharpless (eds.), Oral History Handbook, Alta Mira Press, Walnut Creek, 2006, ch. 13, p. 5–6.
31 ‘Mr. MacNeil and Mr. Lehrer, in their passion to avoid adversarial or advocacy journalism, do not draw conclusions. They only ask questions.’ J. Corry on The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, The New York Times, 1 August 1985.
32 R. C. Smith, op. cit. p. 9.
33 For more information on video editing, see chapter in book by H. Zettl, ‘Structuring the Four-Dimensional Field: Continuity Editing and Complexity Editing’, in Sight, Sound, Motion: Applied Media Aesthetics, Thompson/Wadsworth, Belmont, 2005.
34 R. C. Smith, op. cit. p. 18.
35 See Godard, Kidd & Danziger video clips http://www.catherineishino.org, portfolio, oral histories. Other interviewees include Keith Goddard, Victor Margolin, Janet and Peter Good.
36 For broader overview of cultural changes and impact on graphic design in China, see article by W. S. Wong, ‘Detachment and unification: a Chinese graphic design history in Greater China since 1979 ’, Design Issues, vol. 17, no. 4, Autumn 2001, MIT Press, Boston, p. 51–71; and book by S. Minick and J. Ping, Chinese Graphic Design in the Twentieth Century, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1990.
37 P. B. Meggs, ‘Preface to the First Edition’, in A History of Graphic Design, 3rd edn., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1998, p. xiii.
38 See W. S. Wong's paper, ‘In search of a new graphic design frontier in China: establishing the "Chinese-ness" of international style’, available on http://www.idemployee.id.tue.nl/g.w.m.rauterberg/conferences/CD_doNotOpen/ADC/final_paper/081.pdf, accessed August 2006. Also, W. S. Wong, Ph.D., Curator, Lubalin Curatorial Fellow, Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography, Chinese Graphic Design towards the International Sphere, 2000, The Cooper Union School of Art, New York, September 2001, available on http://www.cooper.edu/art/lubalin/cgd/, accessed 4 August 2006.
39 For influence of economic changes on Chinese design see article by C. Dillnot, ‘Which way will the dragon turn? Three scenarios for design in China over the next half-century ’, p. 5–20, and T. Fry, ‘The futherings of Hong Kong’, p. 71–82, Design Issues, vol. 19, no. 3, Summer 2003, MIT Press, Boston.
40 Ou Ning, one of the show's curators, ‘Get it Louder’ exhibition in Shenzhen, in southern China, notes that, ‘When doing the selection, we especially avoided those works that use Chinese elements on purpose’. In his mid-thirties, he is the very model of a restlessly mobile, boundary-breaking contemporary designer person, working as a writer, music promoter and graphic designer ... and founder of U-thèque, an independent film and video organization. R. Poynor, http://www.designobserver.com/archives/002505.html, accessed July 2006.
41 For more on designers’ identity and work see online article by W. S. Wong, ‘In search of a new graphic design frontier in China: establishing the "Chinese-ness’’ of international style’—http://www.idemployee.id.tue.nl/g.w.m.rauterberg/conferences/CD_doNotOpen/ADC/final_paper/081.pdf—from paper given at the Asian Design International Conference, Tsukuba, 2003, and published in the Journal of the Asian Design International Conference, vol. 1 and The 6th Asian Design International Conference Proceedings (CD-Rom). Also, see H. Clark ‘Introduction’, p. 1–3, and her conversation with B. D. Leong, ‘Culture-based knowledge towards a new design thinking,’ p. 48–58, Design Issues, vol. 19, no. 3, Summer 2003, MIT Press, Boston.
42 Bingnan is the vice president of Icograda and an honour legate of the International Trademark Center. In 1956, he graduated from LuXun Academy of Fine Arts, attaining his Master's degree from the Hochschule fur Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig in Germany in 1962.
43 For more information on Henry Steiner, see http://www.commarts.com/CA/feaint/china/110_china.html, accessed August 2006.
44 F. Poyatos (ed.), ‘Clothing as Nonverbal Communication’, in Cross-Cultural Perspectives in Nonverbal Communication, C. J. Hoegrefe, Toronto, 1988, p. 292–4. Also see M. Argyle, Bodily Communication, Methuen and Co Ltd, London, 1975.
45 ‘... most Chinese maintain an impassive expression when speaking.’ See Kwintessential, culture and language experts, available on http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/china-country-profile.html, accessed July 2006.
46 ‘Posture is important [in China] so don’t slouch ...,’ R. E. Axtell, Gestures: The Do's and Taboos of Body Language Around the World, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1991, p. 172.
47 ‘Non-verbal signals are used to manage much the same range of situations and relationships in all cultures, and these in turn are similar to those found in animal societies’. M. Argyle, op. cit., p. 94–5.
48 R. E. Axtell, op. cit., p. 173.
49 Interpreter Jin Hua is the International Deputy Director of CAFA, educated in his English-speaking skills in Australia.
50 See W. S. Wong's paper, op. cit.
51 For a video clip of his interview, please see http://www.catherineishino.org, portfolio, oral histories, min wang.
52 For Min Wang's work, see http://www.a-g-i.org/about/member_work.php?id=474&nationalgroup=China&country_code=cn, accessed June 2006.
53 We knew the same colleagues, and were familiar with each other's companies.
54 ‘... cross-cultural observers can trace the "trickle down" adaptation by ... metamorphosing, cultures of clothing from dominant cultures. Study of culture diffusion patterns indicates that men are the first to adopt clothing artifacts from ... an alien ... culture.’ F. Poyatos, op. cit., p. 301.
55 For the sake of not repeating essentially the same answer that Yu Bingnan's gave, I have given only what Wang contributed.
56 For biographical information on Song Xiewei, see http://www.cipb.org/introenall.htm, accessed June 2006.
57 For list of awards see The History of Chinese Graphic Design: Designing in the New Century, available on http://www.cipb.org/introenall.htm.
58 To see article and inside view of his studio, see http://www.21stcentury.com.cn/article.php?side=4224, accessed June 2006.
59 ‘Nonverbal communication can be used as international, intercultural and interracial language. ... Whether in the United States, China, or South America, people seem to have the same general meaning for a smile.’ L. A. Samovar, R. E. Porter & N. C. Jain, Understanding Intercultural Communication, Wadsworth Publishing Company, Belmont, 1981, p. 160.
60 ‘Each participant will take an opportunity to dominate the floor for lengthy periods. ... Be patient and listen. There could be subtle messages being transmitted that would assist you ...’ See Kwintessential, op. cit.
61 See http://www.a-g-i.org/about/member_work.php?id=450&nationalgroup=China&country_code=cn, accessed June 2007.
62 I have not separated out each designer's response, but combined them.
63 Note the use of ‘Westerner’ versus ‘International’ in the two previous interviews. I believe this indicative of the Euro-Ameri-centric attraction the mass exportation of entertainment industry has on youth culture worldwide. In fact, entertainment is America's largest moneymaking export.
64 For more information on young Chinese designers, see http://www.designobserver.com/archives/002505.html and http://www.getitlouder.com/, accessed August 2006.
65 V. R. Yow, op. cit., p. 169–79.
66 My grandparents were born in Japan (b. 1880s), and emigrated to the USA (1890–1910). Both my parents were born in southern California (b. 1920s). I was born and primarily raised in the Midwest (b. 1952). My father is a professor of cultural anthropology. My mother practises and teaches Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, and has attained highest level of certification. I have lived briefly in Japan.
67 For more on intercultural communications, see F. Poyatas, Perspectives in Nonverbal Communication: Studies in Cultural Anthropology, Social Psychology, Linguistics, Literature, and Semiotics, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1983.
68 Edward T. Hall quoted in Samovar, R. E. Porter, & N. C. Jain, op. cit., p. 154.
69 For more on nonverbal interactions between nations, see Geert Hofstede's IBM study on the web, available on http://feweb.uvt.nl/center/hofstede/page3.htm, accessed August 2006. Also see European Commission backed website, http://www.media-net-works.de/, ‘The aim of the project Intercultural ICT-mediated Communication competencies as a key to enable participation in a network society’.
70 ‘[A] person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents’ culture. The third culture kid builds relationships to all of the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture are assimilated into the third culture kid's life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of the same background.’ Dr Ruth Useem, 2001. For more information on ‘Third culture kids’, see http://www.tckworld.com/useem/art5.html, accessed August 11, 2006; this article was first published in NewsLinks—the newspaper of International Schools Services, vol. 13, no. 4, March 1994, Princeton.
71 See L. Lippard, Mixed Blessings: New Art in a Multicultural America, NW Norton, New York, 1990; L. Lippard, Lure of the Local, New Press, New York, 1997; S. Sontag, On Photography, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1977.
72 J. Collier, Jr & M. Collier, Visual Anthropology: Photography as a Research Method, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1986. ‘Foreword’, pp. xiii–xvii. ‘Film and video’, ch. 11, pp. 139–49.
73 For more information, see D. Schechter, Global Policy Forum, 777 UN Plaza, Suite 3D, New York, available on http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/media/2004/1109spin.htm, accessed 11 August 2006, and http://www.zmag.org/schechteraudio.html.
74 F. Poyatas, op. cit., p. 13.
75 For more on video portraits of graphic designers, see http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/artistvideoseries, accessed July 2006.
76 Available on http://www.cmykmag.com/magazine/issues/013/articles/agency/agency_1a.html, accessed July 2006.
77 R. Poynor, Design Observer, 05.05.05, available on http://www.designobserver.com/archives/002505.html, accessed August 2006.
78 ‘... liberating power to DVD piracy, which has broken down cultural isolation by allowing the Chinese cheap access to previously unavailable films.’ R. Poynor, op. cit.