Friday, December 10, 2010

The presentation

Group "A" gave their presentations and the projects were excellent. They had to move them to the front of the room where the judges were. The judges (professors) were critical. I was thinking, "I hope our models don't fall apart when we have to move them to the front."

Next came the group "B" presentations (our group). I think we went first. Our Kiosk was a wrapping paper boutique in a high-end mall. The concept was that every gift, if it is beautifully wrapped, creates excitement, anticipation, and wonder. It doesn't matter if the actual gift isn't any good, the wrapping can elevate its level of value based on the wrappings. So to display our beautiful papers and give them value, our boutique was quite glitzy and glamorous. Everything was gold and black lacquer. Fitting in with the glitzy glamorous theme, I wore a black skirt suit with gold trim, gold jewelry (extra to add to the effect), black stockings, and high-heel sexy black satin shoes with bows. I curled my hair and took extra care with my make-up to look the part.

Adding to the humor of the glitz and glam, I got Veera to offer the judges a silver platter of ginger cookies and caramels. While it was an absurd overt attempt to soften up the judges, it also calmed a few growling stomachs of the other students who I knew had missed breakfast.

My group voted me as the spokesperson. Having had a good night sleep, I felt confident and enjoyed the moment.

Then came the judges turn. The models were okay. The ribbons were too long and would make it difficult to people to get passed them. But then came the bombshell. They were really critical of the drawings. I felt badly for Suzanne, but it was a group project and we should have managed our time better so that we could review each other's work. Suzanne stepped up and said that she was responsible for the drawings. We were in this together, so we had no doubts that whatever the grade, we'd all be getting the same thing. So we'll wait for the grade and see what happens. Here are the photos of our project:

4 comments:

  1. First, you looked great! You were extremely professional and well-spoken about the kiosk and the products and I know you and the team put in a GREAT deal of work, effort, blood-sweat-& tears (literally) in getting it done. I know there was a little accident in the transport (I hope you are okay!), but you rallied together and fixed it quickly and it worked out!

    Second, craftwork was excellent. I can say that you definitely achieved your goal of creating a kiosk that really displayed your paper well. As far as the bow, in an actual storefront within the mall, I am not sure it could work at that size. However, if it were in center aisle on the first level, it could. It was definitely glitzy & glamourous - nice touch with the black backdrop! - and the chandelier added a nice touch and communicated that you all had thought about lighting (great way to highlight the elegance of the paper as well). You all also did a great job in creating the larger display with the same level of consistency (and glam). I know the professors were a bit harsh in their critique of the drawings and it was nice that Suzanne assumed responsibility, but overall, it was a great presentation for a great product. It's definitely an idea that could be created in real-life.

    Third, YES & yay! for the cookies and caramels! I did partake and it definitely calmed my stomach, so Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Rose, i heard about you tripping a few times, and I saw how rough presentation day was for your group! However, you are the type of person that is open to growth, and with that knowledge, all your projects are beautifully made! Looking forward to more classes with you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. rose...i'm very glad to know that you didn't hurt yourself when you tripped on the day of presentation. those wood stairs are not easy to navigate with a pair of heels...i nearly did a face plant a few weeks ago myself. i can't believe the model wasn't completely destroyed but that's a testimate to the model's construction (good job).

    as always, you are the consummate professional -you couldn've used the blog to air your frustrations regarding the presentation and critique (esp from me and the drawings) but you are willing to take responsibility as a group member. i know group projects can be extremely difficult. there are so many factors to contend with - the group dynamic becomes an entity unto itself and dealing with THAT can become something you don't take head on / realize until you present your work as a group. i think others were dealing with the same thing.
    good group effort!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Professor Anderson,
    There was a lot going on, but I still enjoyed my team. As always, your comments were right on target. That's what I loved about you and your class. I'm here to learn and in most things in life, honesty is the best policy. Thank you for your honesty.

    ReplyDelete