When I ordered these data, I felt a little bit awkward for just adding the pictures to my own portfolio, for the whole achievements were completed by many co-workers—the organizers (who planned the activities and decided what they need in space or in action), the ex-prostitution ladies and the volunteers (who worked really hard to produce everything required by turns). For the reason mentioned above, I want to do a simple introduction about what I did and the actual working conditions in the venue decorations for COSWAS.
My role in these tasks is kinda like a artistic director—to plan the visual presentation as a whole, and to make some sketches or samples that the volunteers can follow to carry out. I put the title “artistic director” on myself in the following articles about the COSWAS’ parades, not only for that I enjoy in the title, but also trying to explain that the visual presentation was executed by many other creative coworkers. What I did in the serial process was to allot the tasks to the volunteers, and to describe what the presentation looks like.
It is a really special experience of working with COSWAS for me, which I consider it as a beginning of working with NGO and unions, and get some observation and reflection on it. So, I want to show several points that I emphasize in venue decoration for COSWAS.
First, the visual presentation of COSWAS should be really very fancy and loud. Anything pink/shiny/gorgeous/suggestive, just go ahead and use it. COSWAS’ activities are always permeated with boisterous and hybrid air, and prefer confusing and manual visual elements that fit the characteristic of cordiality of COSWAS to elegant and pithy ones. My favorite visual elements such as the masks (used for cover ex-prostitution ladies’ faces)/feathers/flowers/pink gauze often appeared in venue decoration for COSWAS in these years. Besides, COSWAS has collected the posters and the dolls (such as penis doll and pussy doll) about sex or sexual workers, and they get a chance to be showed in front of people in these occasions.
Second, choose the free materials or anything already owned for venue decoration to the utmost, otherwise choose cheap and durable materials that can go through every situations of weather to the utmost. This point is about the economic conditions of COSWAS, and it is not difficult to imagine that COSWAS is not a rich group. Every time I work with COSWAS, I will ask them how much the budget is first, then decide to choose the effective materials (though I spent money a little bit over than budget sometimes). There are considerable recorded images retained in COSWAS, and these photos are quite useful for decoration. I also like to show off my paintings by displaying them in these occasions, and it makes COSWAS and I reciprocal without spending any money. The protest banners and placards can emphasize the political information, and be used to cover large ugly area. Besides, COSWAS owned the rich human resources, though the volunteers are often busy, they will spare their time to visit COSWAS and do some handicrafts or properties when COSWAS prepares for its activities. As I mentioned before, I make samples and sketches as reference materials that the volunteers can follow by it or develop their own ideas on it, so the operating procedures of handicrafts and properties are better to be easier for mass production (and mass production often show a spectacular view). Since the operating procedures are not complicated to follow, the volunteers can develop their own creativity more easily when they do these things, what I should regulate are only colors and textures of materials. Whatever, the human resources are precious, if the decorative items can be reused, it will save much time and money.
In fact, I had done my job with these two guiding principles made by myself for the three years. I did not continue to take the task, because I thought that I had nothing new to be presented, and want to do other things. So, why not let somebody else interested in this job do this?
Besides, I doubted about what I did, the venue decoration does not like documentary film/ photography/songs/drama (what is surprising is that the volunteers of COSWAS are in charge of all the categories) which are more influential widely, actually I thought it was quite unreal and luxurious for a poor NGO as COSWAS, for it might take two-weeks preparation just for two hour presentation. I was not so sure that COSWAS needs to use its resources for it.
But once, COSWAS held a evening party on Guei Suei Park, and I still took the task of venue decoration. Supporters and volunteers were coming, and I found a few people—residents and vagrants in the area— trying to come closer. The people easily rejected from public space and social mainstream walked near the stage, and I saw their expressions. At the moment I realized what I did for.
After the monolog, I introduce briefly about the categories of my articles for COSWAS’ venue decoration. I classify these articles as the venue decoration for the forum/the evening party/the parade/the other activities, and the handmade props, and I insert some illustrations among the photos.
OK, please click the thumbnails, and browse casually.
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