'Mere colour can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways.'
Methods of Inquiry :
The below listed are some of the methods that I relied on during the inquiry process:
Primary resources which included observation, group discussion.
Secondary resources which included deriving information from websites, videos, other research papers.
Primary resources: Observation:
For the inquiry of colour, I used unstructured observation. This method was especially useful during the pre-work activity where we had to collect objects that are associated with our assigned colour.
Some benefits and limitation I faced while using this method are as follows:
Benefits:
This method doesn't require any prior preparation or training.
It is easy to use and doesn't require too much effort.
Reliable.
Limitation:
Observation method cannot be used in all cases. For example, this method alone did not provide sufficient information for the mind-map.
It was difficult to use this method during this time because it is difficult to explore the outside world during the pandemic.
Observation requires the presence of the actual physical object. Many of the objects that I wanted to observe were not available. For example, for the pre-work task, I wanted to include Dragon fruit since my assigned colour was pink. However it was not available anywhere during this season.
Time consuming.
Some of the do's and don'ts to be remembered are:
Do's:
Always notice the tiniest details. Lot of information can be missed out otherwise.
Don'ts:
Subjective observation can often lead to unreliable data. So one must always try to use this technique objectively.
This method can be definitely utilised to get accurate, reliable information. Thus, it can be used more in future researches instead of relying completely on secondary sources.
Secondary resources:
For this inquiry I mostly relied on secondary information which I derived from websites videos etc. This method was especially useful for expanding my mind map and for task 7. For example, I had to rely completely on secondary sources to find out more about the reason why pink was used for so many logos.
Some benefits and limitation I faced while using this method are as follows:
Benefits:
Can be used in various tasks.
Helps in getting more in-depth information.
Easy to access.
Not time consuming.
Limitations:
Secondary information is not reliable.
Some do's an don'ts that I noticed are:
Do's:
Refer to multiple websites or videos.
Don'ts:
Don't refer to websites like Wikipedia, Quora etc, because they are not always reliable.
Even though secondary resources are not fully reliable, they can still be used to expand information further and explore different perspectives.
Mind Map:
Mind map refers to categorising information and representing them visually. In EOC, in-depth study of colour was made possible mostly by using this tool.
There were a lot of pros and cons that I faced while using a mind map.
Benefits:
Categorisation of information gave a direction to research.
The format/ placement of information also helped in the inquiry process. for eg, the usage of connection lines probed me to delve deeper and make new connections.
Lack of long paragraphs also made the information more visually attractive and comprehendible.
Limitations:
Sometimes it is difficult to involve all details in just words or short sentences.
Making mind maps might not work effectively for everyone.
Therefore mind maps are a great tool and can be quite effective in analysing and presenting information in a visually pleasing manner. I believe that this tool will be especially useful in analysing large quantities of information.
Conclusion :
The whole experience in EOC has been a real eye-opener for me. The various activities that I participated in during the past week helped me realise that I had a very layman understanding of colour and how to perform an inquiry.
However with the guidance of my tutors, I was able to expand and explore further. For instance, in the mind map I had stopped at pointing out the different animals that are pink. However, after the feedbacks I explored further as to whether these animals utilise their colour to adapt better in their environment. I was then able to find out that the pink colour of pigs are considered as a novelty because it is rare and is caused by a genetic manipulation done by humans.
Some of my muddiest and clearest points are as follows:-
Clearest points: I am now confident in....
Creating a mind map and expanding it.
Creating swatches of a particular shade of colour.
Concept of using colour to visually communicate a concept/message/emotion cinematography, marketing, history.
Muddiest points: I am not so confident in....
The different tools of inquiry and analysis.
Reflecting on my experiences in a clear, thoughtful manner.
My knowledge of other colours, other than pink.
From this experience I understood that my biggest weakness was not having the confidence to explore deeper into each and every aspect of colour. I think my fear of going wrong has often hindered my explorations and has effected the quality of my work. I hope to get rid of this fear through more activities and projects in the future. One of my strengths however was that I was willing to note down the feedbacks and work according to those feedbacks.
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