Tag Archives: critique

[3D] Gaia’s Ikebana III: Final models, critique and revisions

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Spring sculpture 1:

D: Orchid branch // SDs: Ice cream cone and matcha ring cake // SOs: Pink wafer cone and Hershey’s chocolate ball

Techniques used:

  • Piercing (of Dominant orchid branch through cone) and Wedging (of Hershey’s chocolate ball to cone)
  • Voids between SDs and the horizontal
  • Triangular composition of 2 SDs and SO from the top view, like in the actual Moribana Ikebana arrangement
  • Rule of thirds in length of SD to D (elaborated on on 2D sketch analysis in previous post)
  • Follows 30 degree, 45 degree rules of dominant and subdominant like in actual Moribana Ikebana arrangement
  • Length of dominant follows relative proportion to base container advised for actual Moribana Ikebana arrangement

Critique in class:

  • The dominant branch is too overly ornamented with orchid flowers, and also has an element of artificiality due to the fact that it is plastic
  • Cheryl suggested that I try finding a different branch, so I did. Here is the revised model!

Spring sculpture 1: Revised edition

Next, we have spring sculpture 2, made of Indian food! I meant to have the saucepan as the base to be indicative of the tools that was used to make the dominant. Furthermore, the handle was vital to having the dominant cone be able to balance at the 30 degree angle.

Spring sculpture 2:

D: Cone dosai // SD: Cylindrical vadai and branch passing through cylindrical vadai // SOs: Spherical kozhukattai and indian biscuit

Techniques used:

  • Wedging (of Kozhukattai SO to dominant cone dosai) and Piercing (of SO branch through SD vadai)
  • Void between dominant dosai and SD vadai
  • Follows 30 degree, 45 degree rules of dominant and subdominant like in actual Moribana Ikebana arrangement
  • Length of SD is half of length of dominant
  • Rule of thirds followed in wedging of 1/3 of kozhukattai SO into dominant cone dosai

Critique:

  • The class mentioned that the composition seems very linear. I do agree, and it actually became that way because I could not get the cylindrical vadai SD to balance against the dominant dosai any other way as the dominant dosai was very heavy. In my sketch model, it was not such a linear model and actually followed the Rikka Ikebana arrangement. In hindsight, I could’ve made the batter for the cone dosai in such a way that the pancake was not so dense and heavy, hence letting the SD be balanced against it in the same orientation that I had meant it to be in my sketch model.
  • The handle created some confusion between the SDs and Ds. I had not meant it to be part of the composition, but on hindsight, I realized that the handle was in fact very prominent.
  • Cheryl tweaked the SO branch that passed through the vadai such that it went down rather than up, and it looked a lot better. I also removed the standalone biscuit so as to include the handle as part of the 5 D, SD, SO elements. Here’s the sculpture below after that revision, thank you for making my sculpture look a lot better, Cheryl! (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ

Spring sculpture 2: Revised edition

Reflection

At first, I was scared about the project brief mentioning that none of the axises could be parallel or perpendicular to the horizontal ground. However, I learned a lot about counterbalance from this challenge and how to get shapes that weren’t as easy to balance as rectilinear forms to stay in the place where I wanted them to be (っ˘ω˘ς )

I really enjoyed learning about the art of Ikebana and using those principles in my own sculptures. I felt like I explored a lot of new territory with having the branches at specific angles, and enjoyed the visual effect it created as well.

I also learned to truly look at the whole sculpture, from the learning experience with the Indian food sculpture’s base handle being significant in the overall composition as well. Regardless of whether I had meant for the pan’s handle to be part of the 5 D, SD and SO elements, I realized that intention doesn’t really hold up to visual qualities, and learned to tweak the composition such that it could then be included upon this realization.

Lastly, I really felt like a cook after making all the Indian food, and it was even more fun to play with it to make my sculpture. I hope the smell of it didn’t make anyone too hungry in the morning (*≧ω≦*)