4D: Exhibition Visit

Optimization of Parenting, Addie Wagenknecht (2012)

The artwork constitutes a machinery arm that automatically keeps the baby cot in a swinging motion. The simple idea of robots or mechanics replacing or reducing the “workload” of a parent is encapsulated in these 2 visual components.

My impression of this artwork was geared towards a more negative connotation where the intimacy of parenting is replaced by the coldness of mechanical assistance. However upon reading the description, I realised that the designer/ artist created this work with a positive light. This work was created to allow mothers to have more time for themselves to pursue their passion/interests. More than just about human and technology, the artist has also took on her position with regards to the empowerment of woman in our society.

As much as I am slightly creeped out by the imagery of a machine rocking a baby to sleep, gaining insight to the artist’s intent did add a layer of warmth to this piece. So yes, the secondary read of the work allowed a better appreciation and added depth to the possibilities of our future.

Euthanasia Coaster, Julijonas Urbonas (2010)

This work was basically a model of a roller coaster – both in 2D and 3D Form. I guess I couldn’t guess much about the artist intent without the text. But there was definitely a level of class and sophistication in the 2D model and the fact that the model was black in colour signified a bad omen.

Only after reading the text did I realise it was a work on Euthanasia (assisted suicide). The roller coaster is meant to give the user an enjoyable passage towards death, provoking society’s thoughts on euthanasia. I guess the concept of the work preceded the physical construct/model of the piece. It is also the idea of the work that caught my attention actually.

The fact that the work made an impact with its ability to open up discussions on how ethical is euthanasia or even on our perceptions of death. It is using technology to do the total opposite of enhancing life, which probably provided the full spectrum of how technology impacts humans.

3D: Thread Exercise

Since I have no end in mind for this project, I decided to start really small and simple. I simply drew 2 lines and connected them with a thread to see what happens. Definitely looked too simple as a plan but it did provide me with a better idea as to how the final work might look like. There’s also a subtle difference in the way the plane was created when connecting 2 curved lines and 2 straight lines.

Even as I developed a better understanding of how the planes could be created, I could not conceptualise a sculpture in mind. But I also remembered realising how the size of each pitch mattered. Hence, I decided to experiment with an even smaller pitch with my next study model.

So I moved on with my second piece after doing more research on the net. Found Dame Barbara’s String sculpture and tried to emulate it. I completed the model with a 2mm pitch and played with  two ways of intersections for the threads. Upon completion, I realised that one key area of improved was the degree of curve as it will hid the complexity of the strings if too gentle. And with that, I moved on to my final model!

 

The final outcome was basically a slight refinement of my 2nd study model. I thought that the pitch size needs to be even smaller if I was blowing up the size of the model. Hence from 2mm, I reduced to 1mm for my pitch and I guess it did enhance the intended visual effect.

I thought the choice of colours for my threads mattered too, especially when the plastic sheet was translucent. I decided to use my favourite colours of blue and white, with a gradual change in tone to enhance the intertwining of the threads. BUT BUT…discovered that the white thread was probably too harsh against the blue so it might not have been the best choice of colour (but too late to change).

So yes, I guess my model wasn’t very complicated and the process used to create the plan was just a tedious repetitive process.  But this simple model did produce a pretty decent visual effect (in my opinion) so yay (: Goodbye to sewing for now.

2D Project: Process Work for My Line is Emo

Most of my documentation have been done offline so my post here will just be a brief coverage of some key process works that I have taken while completing this project.

I remember my instinctive approach towards mark making was to create marks with natural objects – leaves, twigs, branches etc. The process actually left me with pretty nice stamp-like marks but they were obviously too representational. Hence, I needed to find a more abstract use of different mediums to convey my intended emotion.

With that, I kick started a brand new exploration with mediums that I had easy access too and had experience using it. However, I needed to consciously push boundaries and use them in unconventional manners.

One of the fun yet surprisingly tedious experiment was the acrylic flow technique. As my virgin try on such a technique and when acrylic paint is definitely more costly relative to other inks, I decided to play with it on a small canvas first.

Quite loved how it turned out as a first attempt due to the marbling effect that was created. Since my approach for the first round of experiments were to put an emotion to a visual effect, this was meant for satisfaction. But I guess it didn’t quite match the emotion since it turned out quite random.

To make my  acrylic flow more purposeful, I went ahead with my 2nd round of experiment (after consult). I did it on an A3 acrylic canvas and above are the crops that I made to choose my final strip. Instead of satisfaction, I decided to use this method to signify passion. Leveraging on the energy created by the acrylic flow, I thought it represented how my passion for art will bring me unexpected possibilities.

Another interesting experiment that I did was to paint Chinese ink on tissue paper. I tried different tones as the darkest tone could not highlight the creases on the tissue. Eventually,  I decided to apply a collage approach to achieve the visual  effect  to represent disappointment/sadness.

The last approach that left an impact on me is the burning effect. The varied effects that burning paper has provided really interest me. The variation comes from the type of paper used to what we use to burn, there’s really so much possibilities this approach has given me.

Burning paper to signify BURNT OUT

My first try was to burn with the fire lighter. Since it was my first time using this technique, I find that I have a lack of control over how much and where the fire was burning at. But I did learn about how the soot will look like on paper. I also discovered that using candle to burn created nicer and smoother visual effect. Hence, my final strip incorporated both burning techniques.

The burning, acrylic flow and tissue paper paint left the deepest impressions on me amongst all the other experiments that I did. I also felt that the acrylic flow and burning technique can be pushed further by mastering better control over a seemingly uncontrollable medium. But yes, this pretty much sums up the key creative processes that I enjoyed the most and will love to play with them even more.

2D Project: My line is EMO

The overarching theme for my set of emo lines is the emotional roller coaster ride that I face in my art making journey. It almost came as a surprise that my art making journey has provided me with such a wide spectrum of emotions as I delve deeper into this project. Feelings of satisfaction, disappointment, regret, calmness, a sense of burnt out and passion were ultimately chosen for my presentation.

Feelings of burnt out was literally captured with the burning of the paper strip. A huge hole was burnt focal point of the strip as I recalled saying “I’m about to explode!” as I was on a mad rush for my Alevel Submission. The strip encompassed 2 kinds of burnings – from the lighter and the candle, to represent the overlapping intensities of fatigue that I felt. What was possibly more interesting was how I used coffee powder as a mask for explosive marks. This created another layer to my piece, which was coffee as a “last resort” to fight on my fatigue to complete tasks at hand.

Following burn tout is a sense of satisfaction. I chose to portray my sense of satisfaction in a manner that was very light-hearted and full of movement. I understood satisfaction to have a very fleeting effect on me. Instead of hard strokes to portray an emotion that was very much tied to sense of fulfilment etc, I chose light wavy strokes instead. They project a light hearted, fleeting mood to it which very much linked to my idea of satisfaction. The way the wavy lines seem to continue out of the paper symbolises how these happiness is almost everlasting, and will always be a point of return when I face doubts in my creative journey.

Next, disappointment. If I ever faced huge disappointments, crying in my own personal space is my coping mechanism. Hence, I actually use tissue paper as my medium to paint on. I actually juxtaposed the randomness of lines created by the tissue’s creases with the jarring harsh lines of the geometric shapes. Using such harsh lines to compose this strip was to show how much I dislike being in a state of sadness and my strong desire to get out of this horrible emotional state.

Following that, is passion created by the acrylic flow technique. Such a technique embodies a sense of spontaneity, and produces lines that go in unexpected and uncontrollable directions. The medium itself also helps capture alot of energy and life in the flows created. This very much depicts my “passion” for the creative works. This interest of mine have very much continued and persevered in unexpected ways and has also gave me unforeseen opportunities that I have come to cherish dearly.

Regret comes next and seemed to be strip that caught quite a bit of attention. What makes it starkly different is that it’s white on white. A sense of regret is almost like an emotion that one can never truly reconcile with, hence, the use of modelling paste to create an uneven surface on top of the smooth paper. With the notion that I continue to live on with regrets, even using that as a motivation to do better, it occurred to me that there’s beauty in such a negatively conceived emotion. This made me draw inspirations from the wabi-sabi style where there is beauty in imperfection to finish up the strip. Painting streaks of pearl white which was shiny on the cracks created by the modelling paste, I seek to beautify and enhance what’s supposedly undesirable.

Lastly, I ended of with calmness. I often feel a sense of calmness envelop me when art making or even when in awe of paintings. This sense of connection is very much felt because there is a connection established. Whether is it in a physical form of connection where my brush touches the canvas and I can just paint for hours or when I stand still before a painting that has intrigued me, it is connection that brings peace and calmness. Hence, I drew 2 blobs that I had a point of merger like how I feel connected with the works around me. These 2 blobs are created with inspiration from geographical contour lines since connection is almost like 2 different worlds merged as one. They are drawn with a wrapping black background to signify the lack of presence/focus of my surroundings.

So I am done with explaining my thoughts behind these visual compositions! I must admit that my last strip is the most unresolved, hence, the hardest to put my ideas into words that actually corresponded with the visual outcome. Experimenting with super different techniques have been pretty interesting and it’s fascinating to see how the most abstract of ideas can develop further in the same direction. Goodbye, my line is emo, no more emo vibes in class!

 

4D: Seminar Questions

  1. What is sound?
  2. How has it been used in culture and society?
  3. What makes it art?
  4. How does advancement in technology affect our sense?

Sound fundamentally encompasses any activity or object that comprises of an aural component, and that as Max Neuhas says, comprises of almost everything in the world. Sound could be created from the smoothing melodies of classical music to the jarring noises created by the jackhammer. As long as vibrations are transmitted through the air, sound is present.

The purposeful use of sound probably dated way back as a communication tool or signalling tool and evolved to have embody an aesthetic beauty in musical compositions (some assumptions made).  However, fast forward to the time where phonographs were invented, it held the ability to record channel noise and surface noise. Hence, what was previously perceived as “silence” has since been brought to the foreground in sound making processes.

What constitutes sound as art, as Max Neuhas, has been pretty ambiguous a category due to the endless possibilities of sounds that go under this umbrella. However, it is these endless possibilities that sound entails which allows a constant deconstructing of different sound layers. In manipulating the different layers of sound (from purposefully composed pieces to noises to even silence), it surfaces new ideas that makes sound a piece of art.

The invention of phonographs allowed the new discovery of the ability to record sounds of the environment and also the sound made by the recording apparatus. This ability to record channel noises or surface noises shed new light as to how noises that were previously seen as artificial silence could be brought to the foreground.  Such a discovery also caused an inherent necessity or desire to fill up every void of silence available.

4D: Interesting Finds

Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller – The Murder of Crows (2011)

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKBxLX7bZZQ&playnext=1&list=PLB18283A72AAE82FC&feature=results_main

The Murder of Crows is a large installation that houses 98 audio seakers mounted around the space on stands, chairs and the wall. The structure of the piece aims to mirror the illogical but connected juxtapositions that we experience in the dream world. One soundscape moves into another with an electronic dreamscape composition shifting into sound effects such as factory noises, crashing waves into a guitar and strings composition and then into a marching band.

I thought the beauty of the this work lies it in its ability to transcend different landscapes solely based on sound as the space itself is bared to its basic. The simplicity of the installation space forces the audience to focus on the sounds produced by the speakers as they weave through the rows of chairs. It also gives sufficient space for the audience to project their own emotions and visual imagination to the sounds produced in the installation.

John Cage 4’33 

John Cage 4’33 might be a cliche pick as an exemplar of sound art but having done a little more research on this work has allowed me to shed some light on Cage’s concept.

What helped sparked my understanding is realising how John Cage wishes to bring the background noises produced by the audience to the foreground. The fact that sounds produced had a system of what was foreground and background was what intrigued me.  Furthermore, the greater irony is in Cage’s conformation to the established conventions of music making (music score, 3 acts). The juxtaposition of his behavior as an artist opposed to the piece created heightened the absence of “music” in his performance. Hence, it highlighted how the myriad of noises from the environment filled up the space which came in the form of time (duration) as a shared element between silence and noise.

 

4D Project 2: Text & Image

The image below shows a splash of words and visuals that I linked to my exchanged item, Myojo Chicken Flavoured Cup Noodles. The item was proudly sponsored by ADM’s vending machine.

There are also some artist references that I came across in search of advert ideas. They created some super fun images that actually distorts our reality to a certain extent.

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Stephen Mcmennamy – Creating Combophotos
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Tanaka Tatsuya – Miniature Calendar Series

Reponse to Roland Barthes “Rhetoric of the Image”

What are some of the key questions Barthes aims to investigate in the article?

The overarching questions are really:

How does meaning get into the image?
Where does it end?
And if it ends, what is there beyond?

What are some of the key terms/concepts introduced and discussed?

If I were to condense my understanding based on the overarching questions which I have identified. What is stated below will be my takeaways of the key terms and concepts introduced.

How does meaning get into the image?

The meaning of the image is very much anchored or relayed through the linguistics present. Text that acts as anchorage functions as a control on the level of perception required by the viewer. Hence, it performs more importantly as an eradication for unwanted or more negative “connotations” to the image. On the other hand, text that functions as a relay plays a more complementary role to image making, especially more common in moving images. They enhance and reinforce the ideas brought forth by the visual elements.

Where does the image end?

Ideally, the image could possibly end at what is denoted or basically, what is literally on the print. However, it is almost impossible to look at a image without projecting any of our prior knowledge/ relations to it. Hence, there is really no exact boundary that an understanding of an image should or could end.

Hence, it is about knowing how to best use visual elements in order to facilitate the connotation that corresponds to the desired message.

And if it ends, what is there beyond?

What lies beyond the image is believed to be the connoted message. The connoted message is a discontinuous set of perceptions derived from different cultural backgrounds. To put into more technical terms, it is this idea that a single lexia (one image) has capabilities to mobilize different lexicons. Therefore, Barthes is trying to bring forth the idea that every single image created embodies a co-existence of different lexicons which lies in the difficulty of image creation/making.

It suggests that image making is never really about creating a aesthetically beautiful piece but really about a deep consideration of the many possible perceptions one can derive from the visual elements. And having developed such a understanding, to create an image that is directed and focused in driving the key message.

Do you agree or disagree with his argument and point of view?

I do agree to a large extent with Roland Barthes point of view. This is especially true on his response that we are visually attracted to the linguistics of an image, forming an immediate impression of the image’s intent. The power of text or our human instinct to respond to text eventually causes the linguistics to overpower the image. This insight has allowed me to wonder about how we can better use text to either anchor or relay an intended image.

Provide a brief analysis on an advertisement of your choice by using the terms/concepts proposed by Barthes and discuss the role of text and its relationship with the image in the advertisement. Please include an image of the advert in your post.

The first text that catches our attention is “Happy Halloween” which corroborates with the devil looking teeth. Following that, we will realise it’s actually an advert for “Darlie” toothpaste as seen from the actual toothpaste located at the centre (at the bottom of the image). Hence, we can immediately draw links at how Darlie can ensure clean sparkling white teeth. This link is further reinforced with the heightened brightness of the white teeth against the grayscale print of the girl. The fact that the image is pretty much focused on the mouth of the main figure removes the unnecessary facial features that has no added value to the image’s promotion. 

The artist also plays with the “devil” image which is pretty unusual compared to other toothpaste adverts which usually presents a pleasant looking female/male. This induction of humor is also arguably using a viewer’s prior knowledge of what befits a typical toothpaste advert to create greater attention.