"The global reach of design has created the expectation for designers to perform in collaborative, intercultural professional contexts. This course offers a critical exploration of intercultural competence as it intersects with semiotics, user-centred design, and the relationships between research and practice. Through course readings, hands-on projects, and writing, language is reframed as a key tool for ideation, creation, and reflection."
—NSCAD Calendar Description
Winter counts are a form of visual literacy practiced by Indigenous Peoples that lived on the Prairies. This approach to storytelling was a symbolic way to recall significant events that took place in the lives of the people. Symbols descriptive of the event were drawn and painted on buffalo robes by community members skilled to do so.
Over the last semester (Fall 2020), I have created a set of 10 winter counts (symbols) that correspond with my weekly in-class experiences. For each count, I have written two short articulate descriptions, one in English, and one in Chinese. These descriptions will communicate one or more key concepts drawn from in-class discussions, activities, and lectures.
