DS1: Group Assignment

November 20, 2017

DS1: Group Assignment

29/08/17 - 03/10/17 (Week 1 - Week 5)
Tiffany Kezia Joe [0333039]
Design Studies 1 : Communication Theory
Group Assignment

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In our first week, our lecturer; Ms. Jinchi introduced herself and briefly explained about the module. Then she instructed us to form a group consisting of 4-5 members for the group assignment. Our very first assignment is to analyze the given song, decipher its meaning, then visualize it.

One of the group members will randomly choose the song from the rolled paper that contains the title. So, my group's song was The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel. Initially, I thought the song would sound like sad and melancholic but it turns out to be like jazz-y and the melody is quite lively.

After I've listened to the song, I found that the lyrics was actually sad and depressing which is a bit ironic because the melody sound lively.

Lyrics

"The Sound Of Silence"

Hello darkness, my old friend

I've come to talk with you again

Because a vision softly creeping

Left its seeds while I was sleeping

And the vision that was planted in my brain

Still remains

Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone

Narrow streets of cobblestone

‘Neath the halo of a streetlamp

I turned my collar to the cold and damp

When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light

That split the night

And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw

Ten thousand people, maybe more

People talking without speaking

People hearing without listening

People writing songs that voices never share

No one dare

Disturb the sound of silence

“Fools” said I, “You do not know

Silence like a cancer grows

Hear my words that I might teach you

Take my arms that I might reach you”

But my words like silent raindrops fell

And echoed in the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed

To the neon god they made

And the sign flashed out its warning

In the words that it was forming

And the sign said “The words of the prophets

Are written on the subway walls

And tenement halls

And whispered in the sounds of silence”

In our first consultation with Ms. Jinchi, each of us explained about our own interpretation of the song and it turns out that we have different interpretation but somehow sounds connected with each other. Thus, Ms. Jinchi suggested that we could make a story. One of my members also mentioned that we could do it in scrapbook style.

The concept of the story is about a man, wearing a paper bag on his head which symbolized the isolation from his reality. The man also feels like he is unable to communicate with his surroundings which has turned him to depression. Although when he is surrounded by lots of people, he feels empty inside since no one doesn't really understand him. Gradually, he feels comfort in the darkness that filled with echoes of silence. The feeling of being isolated leads him into the darkness and until it eventually embraces him.

Black, white, and gray or monochrome is the color theme of our scrapbook since those color's meaning really suited the concept of the story. For instance, gray is associated with loss, depression, and emotionless. The black frame that we use in each pages which gets thicker resembles the darkness that increase every time when we getting closer with the isolation and the silence inside our soul.

Final Work