FAQ

This page will answer the various questions about systems, and this one in particular. It will be updated should there be any other unanswered questions. Please direct all questions to aissumi@gmail.com, or you can even leave a comment!

1. What is a system?




2. What is L’Histoire de Montage?




3. How was this system created?




4. Why was this system created?




5. Why is this system ‘digital’?




6. Why use the DK Revised & Updated Illustrated Oxford Dictionary?




7. When will this system end?




8. Can I participate in this system?




9. Who is behind this system?

What is a system?
A system is a set of rules which involves input, its processing, and an output.

What is L’Histoire de Montage?
French for ‘The Montage Story’, it is a system which was created to encourage active thinking and creativity through the use of a dictionary. This system is also known as ‘SYSTORY’, which is a combination of ‘system’ and ‘story’. For more details on this system, please proceed to ‘about‘ or download the contract here.

How was this system created?
This system was created for my school‘s 4D final project. I was flipping through my The Little Oxford Dictionary in hopes of finding a word to inspire me with an idea for my systems project. After a long while, with not a single kindle, I thought about how I keep using my dictionary and that became the starting point. Afterwards, I thought of the rules (and Math) to make my idea into a system, and thus, its formation.

Why was this system created?
Besides encouraging active thinking and creativity, I also wanted to intergrate my love for drawing and writing (however dismal they may be) through my system, and also to encourage the use of dictionaries as it widens one’s vocabulary.

Why is this system ‘digital’?
In the era of technology, doing something digitally is second nature to me. My main aim of putting my system on the internet was to get the participation and/or opinions of people across the globe. I thought that as long as there was internet access, anyone who wanted to be a part of this system could. It was more exciting to have the system involved globally than only in Singapore.
Secondly, the reason for the illustrations to be done digitally is because I’m getting out of touch. I’ve been using traditional techniques ever since I got into my current school and I wanted to have a reason to pick up my tablet and start drawing again. Besides, I find drawing digitally a great deal more difficult than using a traditional medium (although yes, there’s always the ‘undo’ button) so this shall pose a challenge for me.

Why use the DK Revised & Updated Illustrated Oxford Dictionary?
I’ve been using Oxford dictionaries since I was 6, and I grew up with it. My first dictionary is still with me and is put to very good use. Recently, my family was given the DK Revised & Updated Illustrated Oxford Dictionary and my eyes practically sparkled at the beauty of it. Large, with a lot more entries than my old one written with such details, and there were even some illustrated entries! *clears throat* Since I haven’t had the chance to use this dictionary and I’m unfamiliar with it, I thought it was a good opportunity to use it!

When will this system end?
This system will have to end within a month, so that the next round can begin. The first 15 days are allocated for the illustrations, and the rest of the days are for combining the montage and writing the story.
Since the first round of the systems is for my school project which will be presented on April 20th, the first round will end between 16 to 19 days.

Can I participate in this system?
Of course you can! I’d be glad if you found this system interesting enough for you to want to participate. If you want to participate in my system, just add the link to your illustration in the comments of that particular entry and I’ll update the contributions page with your illustration. If you want to start your own system using my particular rules, go ahead but let’s exchange links to see what each of us come up with *grins*

You can link to this system with this button:

Please do not direct-link the image.

Who is behind this system?
I am Aisyah, from Group 4 of the School of Art, Design and Media, part of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences in Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University. Oh my, what a mouthful.
I am more of an online person than offline. Under a handful of pseudonyms, I spend almost all my time in front of my computer doing whatever interests me which includes drawing, graphic designing, web designing, writing, etc. whenever I’m not drawing on paper or reading a novel.