WengsWorld - Thanks for all the Support!
Ever since I started WengsWorld some 2 plus years ago, I've been lucky to have good support not just from jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts, but also people who have allowed me to use their premises for my events, people who have collaborated with me on joint projects, and people who I don't know who have dropped me a kind and encouraging word. My thanks to all of you for being a part of my journey!
But to thank the jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts in particular, I decided to hold an invitation-only, special jigsaw puzzle event on 14 Sep 2013. The purpose of the event was 2 fold, to thank my strongest supporters of course, and also to introduce a new range of puzzles to the jigsaw community here in Singapore.
The puzzles I selected were 6 impressionism and post-impressionism art pieces, mostly by Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh. Next, to create the right setting, I also printed out pictures of the art pieces (taken from the internet), and pasted them on the walls of the function room where the event was held. With a little bit of imagination (actually...... a whole lot!), participants could imagine themselves walking through the aisles of the WengsWorld Art Gallery, coming to an art piece they liked, and deciding to make a jigsaw puzzle of that art piece.
Well, that was the plan and I know there were several missing steps in between but........you get the PICTURE <wink>.
The participants attacked the new jigsaw puzzles with gusto. The puzzles were definitely different, but I'll leave it to the participants to describe the difference, and to share their experiences.
At the end of 2.5 hours, the participants were able to complete Monet's "Impression: Sunrise".
Monet's "San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk" however, remained uncompleted :(
At the end of the day, the connections made between people are just as important as completing the puzzle. I hope everyone had a good time!!
WengsWorld - Selection of Competition Puzzle
How does one organise a jigsaw puzzle competition where the puzzle is not too simple and is sufficiently challenging to participants, and yet not so difficult that many participants are discouraged? Select the correct competition puzzle of course! Easier said than done though, as competition puzzle selection is more an art than science.
In all of my competitions, I targeted that at least some of the participating teams of 2 persons would be able to complete the puzzle between two and two and a half hours. I thought that this would provide the needed balance between making it too easy and making it too difficult, between having the event end too quickly and the event not ending at all. :)
To achieve this, I mostly selected puzzles of 500-550 pieces, sometimes 300 pieces. In addition, I also tried to select puzzles which had many colours, so that participants could use the colour differences to complete the puzzle easier.
Until the recent competition on 30 Mar 2013, I managed to get the selection correct. In each of those other competitions, at least 1 or 2 of the participating teams was able to complete the puzzle within two and two and a half hours.
The streak ended on 30 Mar 2013 however. Mid way through the competition, it was apparent that the teams were behind the pace set by teams at the same stage in previous competitions. At the end of the stipulated time-limit of 2hrs and 15mins, none of the teams were able to complete the puzzle. In fact, the leading team was quite far away from doing so.
This is what the leading team was able to piece together after 2hrs and 15mins:
So what happened?
Well, it was because I wanted to create that complete experience for the participants, the one I blogged about previously:
http://wengsworldjigsawpuzzles.blogspot.sg/2013/04/wengsworld-union-of-sight-and-taste.html
that I needed to choose a puzzle which had chocolate pictures. And the one I chose happened to have a lot of the same colour, with very little shade and other colour cues.
Although it was obvious that nobody was going to complete the puzzle at the competition itself, the teams were very nice about it and took it in their stride. After the competition, some of the participants went back and completed (with some effort) the puzzle at home.
Let's hope I get the selection correct the next time! :)
WengsWorld - Union of Sight and Taste
I did something new again at the jigsaw competition on 30 Mar 2013, and had a lot of help along the way.
One of the things I've not been able to do since I started organising these jigsaw competitions, was to create an experience where there was nexus between the puzzle itself and the environment around the puzzle. Previous events were almost always held in a hall or classroom, and there was no connection between what was pictured on the puzzle (ie, hot-air balloons, Mickey Mouse, a map of the world, etc) and the experience of the participants. Participants simply 'completed the puzzle', so to speak.
I'm guessing that an experience which is more complete would be better remembered than one which is not, particularly if the experience is shared with a loved one or good friend. How interesting would it be if one could do a jigsaw puzzle of a hot-air balloon, WHILE riding in a hot-air balloon! :)
For this competition, I tried to create a more complete experience by introducing to the participants some new chocolates at the event itself, so that they could taste the new chocolates WHILE they were doing a chocolate-pictured jigsaw puzzle.
Did it work? I don't really know to be honest. Some participants declined the chocolates as they were totally focused on completing the puzzle. For those who allowed themselves to be 'distracted' and who actually ate the chocolates in the middle of the event, I'm not sure they were able to fully 'register' or appreciate what they were tasting. :)
Regardless though, I hope everyone had a good time last Saturday and had a chance to taste the chocolates.
The second thing I needed to share about last Saturday's event is how the chocolates made their way to the competition. The chocolates came courtesy of my friend, Firuz, who runs a chocolate business all the way in Cardiff, Wales. The chocolates are currently not being sold in Singapore.
After I shared with Firuz my idea about creating a more complete jigsaw puzzling experience, he readily agreed to courier some of his chocolates to Singapore. Thankfully, the chocolates arrived in Singapore the day before the competition, in time for the competition.
Firuz's chocolates feature unique flavours of Asian spices, such as Lemongrass, Pandan, and Cardamom. His chocolates go under the brand name "X Marks Delicious". Further details of the chocolates can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/X.Marks.Delicious?fref=pb
I have to thank Firuz for supporting me in this, and for helping me make it happen. Although I am not particularly a chocolate person, I did like the Sichuan Pepper flavour quite a bit.
Lastly, the jigsaw puzzles and chocolates did combine to make very colourful pictures!
WengsWorld - Trying Something New!
I'm back! Been away for way too long!!
I did a jigsaw puzzle activity on 30 Dec 2012. To start...... the good news! Unlike previous events where the number of participants always fell short of my target, this time I actually exceeded my target. I planned to have the event with 5 teams, but ended squeezing in another team (making it 6 teams) and also had to turn down a couple of other enquiries. Yes the 5 team target was not a high target to begin with, but it's nice that there were no empty spots at the event, and that no team pulled out at the last minute.
The next good thing that happened was that 5 of the 6 teams were first-timers at my event. Regulars and die-hard puzzle-loving enthusiasts are very important, but it is also nice to see newcomers joining in for the first time.
The last good thing that happened was that of the participants who took part, we had people from India and Indonesia, and (I think) people who were born in Mexico and Malaysia. Again, it's a very small event, but it does reinforce my belief that my events can connect people from all over the world who have a common interest in jigsaw puzzles.
Unlike previous events which were conducted competition style (ie, all teams start with the same puzzle and the first team that finishes 'wins'), I tried something different this time. With the prior concurrence of the participants, the 6 participating teams each started on a different puzzle. At pre-determined times, each of the teams switched to another puzzle, and then on to a third puzzle and so on, until coming back to the original puzzle they started on. Because teams started on different puzzles and the puzzles had varying difficulty, there was no 'winner' to the event.
Now........the bad news!
This 'switch-about' format is probably not something I will try to expand on soon. When asked, the participants were rather diplomatic in sharing their feedback about the format, but I could sense quite a bit of fatigue among the participants from doing parts of 6 different puzzles in a 2.5 hour period. A few participants fedback that it was disorienting having to begin on another puzzle each time after short periods. This is understandable, as each team would have their own style of sorting pieces, of putting pieces together, etc. But the teams were all very sporting, and I appreciate the feedback given by the participants.
In summary, the attempt at the new event format went well I thought, thanks in no small part to the willingness of the participants to try something new. However, rotating teams across six 500pc puzzles is probably asking too much. I'll see if I run an event using this format again in the future.
The 6 puzzles do make for colourful viewing though. Do enjoy these pictures, courtesy of Dorothy!
