Project: What's in a Name

What’s in a Name?

A Cross-Cultural Exploration of Identities & Cultures Using First Names as a Starting Point.

Social Design, Experiential Design, Community Engagement
Research, Dialogue, Curation and Publishing

Limited Edition Publication: ‘I Think These Names Are Pretty Coool‘ is a collection of conversations delving into the stories and origins behind people's names

WHAT I DID: I designed and facilitated interactive workshops with diverse
participants to create a space for safe dialogue and exploration of our ideas
about identity, culture and language.

WHAT WAS ACHIEVED: An archive of Artefacts, a Publication, Audio Recordings,
a participatory Installation.

METHODS I USED: Research, Dialogue, Workshops, Writing, Audio Recordings, Moving Image

SO, WHY DO I CARE SO MUCH ABOUT NAMES? IT’S JUST A WORD...OR IS IT?

Names are more than just identifiers; they are the starting point for interactions and the key to feeling acknowledged. They challenge social conventions related to hierarchies, language and stereotypes. Yet, they are often overlooked or taken for granted. Naming is a fundamental part of the human experience.

Throughout my life, I’ve had a complicated relationship with my name, but I’ve grown to embrace its unique story, meaning and cultural significance. This work stems from that shift in perception, exploring the diverse stories and meanings behind names, cultures and languages.

By using names as an entry point, I facilitate the sharing of cross-cultural narratives through dialogue. The project encourages reflection on the concept of names and sparks conversations that transcend the surface, offering new perspectives on different cultures, challenging assumptions and fostering deeper connections with one another.

THE PUBLICATION:

To visualise my research, I hosted a series of workshops designed to foster dialogue and creativity, leading to the creation of a limited edition A5 publication named ‘I Think These Names Are Pretty Coool‘.

THE INSTALLATION:

As part of my RCA2024 showcase, I expanded the workshop to a public setting with an interactive exhibition. It featured a custom-built 244x122cm plywood wall, created with the help of Peter Nencini and technicians Isabella, Gabriel and Micky. Visitors were invited to co-create a 'guest-book' archive by drawing their names as characters, resulting in 276 recorded responses.

The exhibition showcased all the sculptures alongside a publication, which visitors were encouraged to take home for free. 'My name is _' stickers in various languages—such as Hindi, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, and German—were also available.

THE WORKSHOPS:

The participants engaged in rich discussions around a round table, participating in various creative activities while interacting with others. The intimate and safe environment was intentionally cultivated to surface important conversations that might not have happened otherwise. The workshops consisted of three parts essentially; Dialogue, Making and Documenting.

Stop-frame animation invite for the workshops I hosted at the RCA.

Joe sharing the story behind his name during the workshop.

Response captured from one of the workshops where the participant picked the new name ‘Casey’.

Participants engaging in the workshop at the RCA 2024 show.

Early stages of the workshop trials with students and tutors at the RCA.

Audio exploration of names

Participants from my initial workshops recorded the pronunciation of their names as they wish them to be heard. Featuring voices from Jiachen, Aparna, Cui Yu, Izzy, Jamie, Tianmin, Jasmine, Madhumita, Jiyoung, Nandal, Sheena, Shivani, Zhiyu, Rohil, Yang Yang and Vidushi.

VISUAL exploration of names

Participants explored the significance of names through storytelling about their cultures, childhoods, how phone calls are received and dogs bark in different languages. They experimented with written languages and sounds, used clay to craft small sculptures representing their 'ideal' names. These sculptures serve serve as both artistic expression and a unique form of visual documentation.

A family of the names we gave ourselves during the workshops. Credit to all participants named.

An example of the writing experiments we did as we exchanged our languages and cultures with one another.

A Visual archive from the exhibition:

People were invited to draw characters representing their names. With a generous 276 responses, here are some of the results :)

Photography by Tianmin Cen, Zhiyu Zheng, Yuze Wu and Vidushi Arya