"Symbols & Patterns
of Grassroots Culture in the Fiji Islands"
by Mara Jevera Fulmer
ISBN 0-9758727-0-2
Mara
Jevera Fulmer © 2001, 1996
210 pp, wirebound, 11x8.5 in.
270+ B&W Illustrations
& Photographs.
Now
available for purchase: $30.00US plus $3.50 shipping & handling.
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Jevera Fulmer for information on
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Preface
The idea for the development
of this anthology was first conceived upon my arrival in Fiji
in September 1991. This was when I began my new
post as Art Director and Senior Graphic Artist at the University
Media Centre, The University of the South Pacific.
It became immediately apparent that
the visual language of my own culture, a tool that I depended upon,
was not easily understood
by the various cultures of the South Pacific, my new audience.
Working with other expatriates who had come to Fiji to be employed
by NGOs, diplomatic
missions, and educational institutions, I came to the conclusion
that the need for a Fiji (and Pacific) "visual dictionary" existed
beyond
my own office. And so the work began.
Since my return to the USA, I have tried to incorporate
the same philosophy that first lead me to undertake this project in the
first place. In teaching Graphic Design, especially at the community
college level, I teach my students to acknowledge that all visual language
has a cultural context. And to attempt to communicate successfully across
cultural contexts, one must not only attempt to understand the culture
but the visual language as well. This applies whether directing the message
to folks across town or across the sea.
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Fiji's Symbols & Patterns: An
Introduction
On a few small dots in the Pacific,
barely large enough for a mapmaker's tools to take notice of, there lies
the island nation of Fiji. Though the mists that once shrouded these
islands have risen with the 20th century, understanding of the Fijian
culture by the outside world still remains generally in the domain of
scholarly research. As the development of this small island country continues,
understanding of methods in communication ~ both contemporary and traditional
~ has become important to the successful growth in this Pacific crossroads.
In this publication, the author has
attempted to provide an overview, albeit brief, to the visual symbols
and patterns of Fijian culture that could be useful in creating more
meaningful visual communications. In addition, this work is intended
to provide a reference tool to communicators, educators and the general
public (both local and foreign) who have a need for a basic visual reference
of cultural symbols and motifs.
Read Visual Language:19th
Century Comet in Fiji Sample Article republished from
the book!
