1. What compelled you to make this image? Why did you choose the particular inanimate object?
2. Recognize and explain the various elements in your work (Subject, Form, Context, Content)
3. What are the semiotics of your image? The signifier and the signified?

1. Initially, I was thinking of making something about LGBT community, which was about self-identity. But later on I found that I didn’t have too much ideas about this, I tried on my first thumbnail, but it didn’t really work. Then I still tried to focus on myself, still about the self-identity topic, I feel that this is a good opportunity to express myself. I went through the concept list and found the word “dystopia”, which I felt most connected to. Therefore the reason that compelled me to make this image was to express myself.

The flower is one of the most used metaphors for teenagers both in literature and arts, it has the bright colour and scent that teenagers have, but also, it can also be fragile and vulnerable at the same time(the root and petal)therefore I think it is a good object for my work.

2.Subject:inanimate object-nonrepresentational-flower

Form: image editing/montage/collage

Context and Place: In school, a story about “me”, but I do want to show it in        the gallery.

Audience: all my classmates, teachers and ADM students/or all the people?

Aim: uncommercial

Content/Concept: Dystopian and Power(Maybe loss and desire)

For my theme which was about dystopian and power, I want to show that others think I am living in a utopian world where I get good education and living, but in fact I am living in a dystopian world in my deep heart(which is a contrast between dystopia and utopian), the dystopian world is a mental matter. I am struggling with my self-identity, pretending to be someone else: a positive daughter for parents, a hard-working student for teachers etc. I cannot be the real me, because of the “power” of parents, stereotype from society etc so I am suffering from being trapped in this dystopian world, a world where people don’t get to do what they want and to be who they want to be is dystopian no matter how pretty it looks like. Although the dystopian world often refers to a world that is full of pollution, disaster and political matters, in my work I will mostly focus on “my” world.

3. What are the semiotics of your image? The signifier and the signified?

Buildings-showing the hierarchy of the society and the power, inspired from metropolis(1927).

Withered flower(the big one)-me being trapped in the cage, desperately. This is the main inanimate object of the work, which is me, and also, this is the only that has colour.

Fowers(the four purple one)-numb people, most people, already eroded so that they turned to black which implies that they don’t have feelings anymore,  and the big one is partly black but only a bit red left in the middle, showing that I am losing myself as well but haven’t totally lost yet.

Cage-me being trapped, implying the stereotype and pressure from outside world.

Petal: Signified the blood to the flower, which is me, showing that I am losing my life because I am losing my mind, freedom and right.

Buddha: The “power”. Implying stereotypes, rules, and power, defined by money, grades and social status, interchangeable with the cages. It is at the very far side of the city which implies that it is somewhere hard to reach, therefore the stereotypes and rules are hard to change in the actual world.

Road: The way to get to the Buddha, implying most people’s life, trying to get money, a higher social status so that they can reach the top and take control of the power in general.

The smoky city setting– implying the excessive consumption of the natural resources, creating a gloomy and oppressive feeling, showing the air pollution, therefore it becomes a dystopian not for me only but for all the people due to our own faults.

Cages hanging from the sky– the sky shows the destiny, implying that we are doomed to go to the dystopian world.

The whole image is black and white because I want to show the numb and repressive air, the polluted city and also making a good contrast with myself-the bright flower in the middle.

Additional Part-Previous Research

1.Cindy Sherman

We were introduced by the famous photographer called Cindy Sherman, the work that won the international recognition was called Complete Untitled Film Stills, and she was dressed up to other characters, taking self-portraits by herself. This piece of work includes 69 photos, and she used these photos to reflect the stereotype of the women. Her work relates to the stereotype of women, social status, therefore, as a women, I feel that I have the resonations and inspiration from her, and I want to do some work with reflections and insights of today’s society.

2.Hannah Hoch

Another research for this assignment was about Hannah Hoch, who was the originator of the photomontage. This type of work is the form that I was passionate about, which was full of creativity. I found that she usually make alterations on human’s faces, and her main character was a woman as well. Her main theme was about the new social role of a female at that time and androgyny, which related to my theme in a way, which was that we are still working on gender equality but the utopian hasn’t been achieved yet. My inspiration from her will be working on “faces” to make inanimate things to be alive.

3. Metropolis,1927

I was so impressed by the film, it was such an avant-garde masterpiece! It includes futuristic elements, which is what I’m always interested in. I really like the architecture work of Zaha Hadid and the Fiat Lingotto Factory, which was also a futuristic building. This film revealed so many truths that can still warn us today, I can’t tell how excited I am. The hierarchy of the social roles and living status of the upper class and working class is always what I want to do, and I feel a connection with the son of Freden, I feel that we are alike.

Previous Work

Main Problem

1. Unclear about the main inanimate object
2. If I want to show “me”, I need to make “me” stand out and show the massage.
3. If I was doing dystopian, although the dark gloomy feeling is fine, but I want to show that I am being trapped in the utopian, which means I need to consider about the colour. Do I want to make the background dark or “me” dark?
4. The quality of the image

 

Problem: What’s the meaning of the purple colour, does it communicate with my work? Where did the buddha go?

The purpose means a sad and repressive feeling but it just doesn’t look right therefore I didn’t use it in my final work, I took the buddha out because I don’t want my work to be religious, however, it really enhances the heavenly feeling and it works really well with this piece of work, finally I decided to keep it on my final.

Problem: What’s meaning of the frame?- So I took it out on the final, because I think it won’t communicate with my work effectively.

 

That’s all about this piece of work, thanks for watching!