Category: Research

Project 2: Sequentially (Impossibilities of Being)

Inspired by performance artists such as Yang Eun Joo, what I wanted to do was to experience how it was like living with my head covered with a box and to also capture people’s reaction when they see me.

I went around town with my friend, who helped me to capture my journey, going about doing normal things like eating, walking along the streets, browsing books in the bookstore and taking the public transport. The images captured represents some reactions of the public like for example staring, pointing and laughing.

The 90 images are divided into 4 sections: eating, walking, reading and travelling. The images are taken in a sequence for each section and when put together they form a stop motion video.

Though this may seem like an easy task to do, what I realised was that it wasn’t that easy to go out in public wearing a box and it really took a lot of courage for me to do that. Although I hesitated at first, after going through this experience I realised that I really enjoyed it.

 

Project 1b: Text and Image

Fire and Ice
by Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold those who favour fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

Fire is powerful, and ice is also powerful enough to cause an effect. The theme of this poem is the argument of whether desire or hate will eventually be the cause of the destruction of the world. Frost is sure that the world is able to end because of desire, but is a little unsure about the possibility of hate being able to end the world. However, he ends the poem saying that hate is also powerful enough to cause an effect and doesn’t give a definite answer at the end of the poem.

What if Frost is suggesting that even though both elements, separately, can cause something to stir, but when both elements coexist, the world will surely be able to end in great destruction (given that the title is Fire and Ice, and not Fire or Ice)?

DSCF6026 DSCF6034 DSCF6038

 

What I aimed to do in this photo sequence was to meditate on the question above the images. ‘The world’ in this series is represented by a physical body, a living soul. ‘Desire’ is represented by red paint, and ‘hate’ is represented by black paint. What I personally felt was that desire alone, and hate alone is not able to destroy someone as much as when both elements come together. I explored the sequence of how someone’s mind or soul can be destroyed if both elements of desire and hate come together. The purpose of this series is to create a certain awareness of how when one is consumed by desire and hate, it can ultimately be the cause of his physical and mental destruction.

 

Project 1a: Curating Self

DSCF5782

DSCF5783DSCF5848

 What I wanted to show in these 3 images are little snippets of myself and the reason why I chose to take the pictures in my room is to show that I’m most comfortable and that I can be myself in my room. I may appear outgoing and active when I’m around my friends, but at the comfort of my home I’m reserved and enjoy having my alone time. I also love to work with my hands, and I aim to create art that is a reflection of myself.

Artist reference: Nan Goldin, Self Portrait in the Mirror

Nan Goldin’s self portrait in the mirror gave me a fresh perspective of how self portraits may not necessarily need to be seen as a physical body so I tried experimenting based on this for my last image.

DSCF5994 DSCF5969-3DSCF5991

The object that is most significant to me is the first camera that I bought with the first internship pay I received. This camera is a symbol of achievement and triumph to me and whenever I look it at, it reminds me of the many obstacles I faced during my internship days and to be able to buy something that I’ve always yearn for with the money I earned with my blood and sweat is something special. After officially owning a camera for myself, the mere hobby of photography has steadily grown into a deeper passion. Even though I now have a second camera that I use more often, it cannot replace the feelings I have for this camera.

4 5 6

I moved here when I was 3 and spent more than 15 years growing up in this little area by the sea. My kindergarten, primary and secondary schools were in this area so I guess you could say that I literally spent my childhood here. Every memory I could remember about my childhood, good or bad, revolved around this place and little did I know that those memories would be part of the reason of who I am today. Whenever I felt stressed or sad, looking out of the window from my house would bring me peace and I chose to photograph these views to relieve those memories of my childhood. Going back to this place for this assignment really gave me a very strong feeling of nostalgia and it has made me realise that truly this place is a place that I say is my home, my world.

Reflection: Through this project I was able to discover more about myself and how I really love to go out and take photographs of objects and sceneries. I was also able to realise the significance of the object that I chose because this was something that had never occurred in my mind until I was given this task of searching for an object that is significant to me. And lastly, through research and also the discovery of new artists like Nan Goldin, Jo Spence, Cindy Sherman, artists that we’ve learned about in class, gave me many fresh and new perspectives of how a self portrait can be experimented, and also how images that have a mixture of portraits and landscapes is also able to portray something with a strong message, and not just something visually appealing.

IMG_6351

Final presentation displayed