3D pandora box-Final

https://www.dezeen.com/2017/04/04/kengo-kuma-major-expansion-portland-japanese-garden-opens/

One of my artist/architect inspirations was Kuma Kengo.I liked how he uses wood,metal,plants and other contrasting materials to give his work a fresh,unique look.I tried to incorporate this into my final project.From my last post,I mentioned that i was going to incorporate mirror into my final design.My final 3D model is below.

I wrapped the foam at the base which is the Subdominant(SD) feature with reflective paper(mirror),substituted the stem part of my model with a wooden skewer which is the Dominant(D)feature, and used styrofoam which I painted black for the subordinate(SO) box.All three boxes have different textures and materials.The SO box has a rough matte black surface,the D is made of wood and the SD “metal”.

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I used the piercing method to allow the  SO box to slide up and down the wooden skewer so theres control over the size of void I can make.If the  base was more of a mirror material it would better reflect the size of the void.It would make it look as if it is double in size.I used a satay stick as it has little presence,which emphasises the size of the void between the SO box and the subdominant(SD) base.I

A small scale application for this model would be maybe a shower.Its minimalistic, clean and adjustable,supposing the SO box is the shower head.A large scale application would be a crane of some sort,where the SO acts as a cabin which can rotate and lower accordingly and the SD acts as the wheels or truck that usually carries these cranes.

2D Project 1- My line is emo (final)

From left to right: Surprise,Anger,Happiness

From left to right: Fear,Sadness,Love

For this post I will start with the challenges I faced using the linoleum method. Originally I planned to use solely this method for project 1, as it was very interesting to me. However the issue was the slight degree of uncertainty when it came to the results of the print itself. When I think of certain emotions an image already comes to my mind and it is quite clear what I’m looking for. Even arranging the items I placed on the linoleum a couple of times did not guarantee that it would produce the type of line with the right tone or pattern,etc.Therefore I opted for the more traditional mark making strategies like using brushes,brayers, cups and anything around the 2D studio that could make the desired shapes.

Each strip is my take on that particular emotions itself as I wanted to see what I was capable of coming up with so I did not stick to a particular theme. I also felt that it was a more raw form of self expression.I will discuss more of the process some later on in this post.

For “love” I straightaway thought of one love,which refers to the universal love and respect expressed by all people for all people, regardless of race, creed, or colour. The idea of positivity and diversity came into mind.So i decided to use circle`which a soft shape to me, due to the lack of sharp corners,and also because it is an infinite shape.I used different sizes of bottle caps,back of a Chinese paintbrush and cups to portray the idea of diversity.Then i thought of using different tones of Chinese ink and linoleum ink to further add to this idea.At first the circles were only the outlines then i considered adding some filled circles too.Intensifying the tones of strip at each end and leaving it lighter in the middle also gave a sense of the circles moving together.

Anger is a strong negative emotion.I think of violence, But I felt that the violence I want to portray would be even more emphasised when its compared with something calm. I used Chinese ink and diluted it to create a soft grey colour and used a big paintbrush to create two broad strokes.I chose two strokes because its even as opposed to a single stroke and broad uniform strokes to evoke the feeling of calmness/satisfaction.I did not go too broad as I liked how the white negative space brought out the intensity of the dark linoleum ink i laid over top.I used a large dry paintbrush and dipped it directly into the linoleum ink to gather enough paint and used quick,uncontrolled motions to create a harsh, short,thick lines to mimic the state of mind when one is angry.At first the lines i made over top the wash of colour at the back were too thick which masked the lighter tone under it and the ink was too diluted so it did not stand out as much compared to the lighter tone and negative space.

Sadness to me feels like emptiness which also quite an intense feeling,so i decided to make the final strip mostly black to evoke the feeling of “darkness”When i think empty, i think of echoes too.I wanted to reflect that in the strip by using a brayer and dipping it in a mixture of Chinese ink and linoleum ink, rolling it downwards on paper.It created this repeating pattern similar to an echo,and the intensity of the ink decreases as it rolls downwards just as the sound of the echo gets more faint further away.The gradient effect and the distorted wavy lines added to the texture and thus the sense of uneasiness.

Panic,disorientation,tension, uneasiness are some words I associate with fear. Since it is a negative emotion, i once again decided to use extremely black opaque ink.I left the background white as i felt that the negative spaces would contrast well and bring out the intensity of the black ink.Lines suggest rigidity and stiffness which shows tension.I used a combination of thick,thin,short and long lines going in every direction to express the disorientation.To achieve this i used a metal ruler and dipped it into the linoleum ink and slammed the ruler onto the paper several times in different directions.I also used the ruler as a pivot and slid the ruler,with a sudden motion to spread the partially dried ink.This created very fine trailing lines which give the look of movement,mimicking the fidgety gestures of a panicking person.

For surprise,the idea of birthday surprise comes into mind-a buildup and some form of impact/release.A pleasant experience of course.I opted for circles(soft/pleasant) and sized them from small to big to create a form of buildup.I also made sure the inner  circles were more uniform to  in contrast to the outer most circle(largest) which disperses out to show impact Also with the circles being so uniform i would expect the outer ring to be too.I also diluted the ink to create different tones to keep the inner circle light, trying to builds its colour up the rings progress outwards.I repeated the pattern to create multiple focal points which creates “distraction” to accentuate the slight degree of confusion when it comes to surprises.Similar to love, i made marks using cups,bottle caps and paintbrushes.

I had a bit of trouble trying to express joy,so I thought along the lines of what makes me happy/relaxed.Immediately I thought of classical music and I wanted to mirror that into the strip.I gathered twigs of similar sizes to illustrate the different notes and tied them together using string to make my own mark making tool.Next i dipped the twigs into diluted Chinese ink  and created long waves to represent the soft sweeping sounds of the music as opposed to straight lines which seem bit tense.The twigs picked up different amounts of ink so some lines were slightly more intense as compared to the others,however they flowed together nicely which feels harmonious to me.

The idea you suggested for surprise was to play with the shapes,Since you pointed out i tend to create patterns for my other strips.I tried thinking along these lines and felt what i came with was very flat in terms of tone.I dipped cups into ink and forcefully to create circlular marks and the bottom of the chinese ink bottle to create rectangular shapes.I realised that the ink i was using was too thick so it was not splattering that much,so i tested out inks at different dilution levels.From here i thought i could base the idea of surprise using different tones of ink. The rings splattered too messily which was too distracting, so i wanted to concentrate on keeping most of the rings very clean and uniform.I created a pattern with the circles to have a few focal points instead, as i wanted to show more of a person being “Startled” .Originally the circles were spaced randomly,hence,there was a lack of focus.I thought creating a few focal points would give the appropriate degree of the idea of distraction.

I used a brayer to make marks for sadness.The results for this were pretty unpredictable depending on how you use the brayer.Fortunately, it was pretty quick,so i could keep repeating the method until i got a strip that i liked.After a few attempts I realised i liked the result on the extreme left as i thought it encapsulated the idea of sadness.I started zooming in on the formal qualities and thinking why i saw it that way.I have already explained it earlier on in this post , but i decided to increase the intensity of the ink to portray the negativity a little more.

Same goes for Joy.I repeated the print over and over with the mark making tool i made at different wavelengths,or how much they overlapped which determines how the linesintertwined.The slightly more intertwined lines looked more harmonious to me as they flow very nicely together and fills up the negative space a little more making the contrast between the background and the ink itself not too stark. The idea of  different sized,soft,wavy lines it is i wanted it to look soothing so i avoided sudden harsh peaks.I also wanted a mixture of dark and light tones as the entire idea of different types of lines and tones blending together very smoothly made me happy.

4D project 1:Curating self

I had a very direct approach to this project, But after the presentation I realised the areas I could improve on and I will discuss it later in this post.

Task 1:

For task 1, I was interested in capturing the essence of me,which I feel  translates into my friendships,my love for food and loud bright fun colours and prints. Some of the test shots I took for this task are below.

The picture on the top was taken much too close, resulting in my body being cropped in a stranger manner. The focus would be more on my expression which I was not trying to emphasise in that picture itself.It also did not fully capture the colour range of the pillars as they were too close together and not well aligned.Further,the expression on my face was not as friendly as I would have liked. In the following picture my expression did not match up with the vibes I was going for.However, I did enjoy how extensive the pillars looked in this picture but it was not a focus of mine.The last picture managed to capture the cheery and relaxed feel I was going for from my expression and neutral angle it was taken.Overall, I felt that the long shot showed off the environment and the saturation brought out the colours which was the picture I eventually chose to include in task 1.

Next, I decided to include a picture that expressed my love for food. I captured the intensity of the force at which I was shoving the donut into my mouth, from the facial expression and the frosting being smeared on my face. Therefore, a close up shot would be apt in showing the details of the shot.I also ensured a white background and high exposure to make the colours pop from contrast.Ill discuss the test shots for this picture below.

In the test shot above , the lighting casted a shadow on my face which gave the picture a mysterious and scary effect.Also it defined the bumpiness of the wall behind me which I found to be quite distracting. So I opted for more direct lighting on my face and a simple white wall.

Lastly for task 1, I decided to include a picture of me and my friends.I cropped the picture to minimise distractions.I increased the exposure of the picture  and also darkened the background slightly to draw the viewers to the focal point of the picture.

Task 2:

The object I chose was a donut,because since school started I’ve been eating it regularly because it’s brightly coloured,convenient and not to mention tasty.It was pretty straightforward to me photograph  the donut on a plain white background to bring out its colours,and the details with an extreme close up shot.

The other two pictures I selected for task 2 were pretty similar. I used close up shots to bring the attention to my expression, and a slightly blurred picture as well.I felt that the blurriness made the excitement look more genuine because of the “motion” in that picture.

Task 3:

This is one of the areas in between sunset way and Clementi, which i find myself at very often because of the tranquil, peaceful atmosphere.In the original photos above i felt that the colour of the water was quite unappealing.Thus i added a filter and increased the contrast and saturation to colour correct the water and draw attention to the blue skies as i see blue itself as a very chill relaxing colour.Moreover i think the idea of symmetry added to the sense of balance/calmness.Hence, i selected the picture below as one of the final pictures for task 3.

Next I wanted to close task 3 by trying to capture as much of Clementi as I could. I went to one of my secret hangouts as I felt that it was more authentic to me and it had a high vantage point.I liked the idea of the train track as they lead your eyes down Clementi,taking you through the area.However I wanted a more warm tone to the picture,in this case everything is very blue,cold and rather impersonal.So i took to editing and turned up the warm cast. 

Before:

After:

 

I will move on to the bakery photos..

On the left was one of the test shots, I felt that it was quite impersonal and also there were too many distractions.

This picture was taken in a way where it seems like the viewer is in the bakery itself. I was also lucky enough to capture the owner which gives the picture a human touch as compared to the rest of my photos. The owner is not looking at the camera  which makes it seem casual,as if he’s just doing his day to day activities. The warm glow emphasises the cozy nature of the bakery and adds a “nostalgic” effect.The long-shot aided in capturing more of the environment and the shelves are lined up to give the photo more stability.

As mentioned in the introduction,improvements can be made, especially in task 3. I feel that i could’ve gone more in depth into bakery itself as opposed to me taking pictures of various areas in my estate.For example,I only noticed the alter placed onto of the shelves due to the test shots, despite religiously visiting this bakery since childhood.I thought it gave off a rather spooky vibe because of the soot accumulating on the celling and the bright red light which makes it slightly unusual compared to the environment of the bakery itself. A low angle would have captured the dark soot and also made the statue of the god look more daunting.Also one of my favourites from the bakery was the pandan chiffon cake because of its bright green colour and soft fluffy texture.Placing it on a red background would have brought out the green and the texture would be emphasised with an extreme close up shot.