2D Fundamentals Assignment 3: Ego

Hooray, we’ve just completed our last 2D Fundamental assignment and below are images of my works and sketchbook.

 

Final works:

IMAG3671

The equations are as follow and each picture aim to depict the below mentioned quality:

  1. Curiosity + Practicality = Me
  2. Intelligence – Anxiety = An Ideal Me
  3. Improvement in technique x Confidence = A Better Me
  4. Hard Work + Experience = Me in 5 years

Images from sketchbook:

SAM_1807

SAM_1808

Artist References: Hollie Chastain, Jesse Draxler, Joseph Cornell, Mayuko Fujino, Martin O’Nell

SAM_1809

Tetrad Harmony color test

SAM_1810

Analogous harmony color test

SAM_1811

Analogous warm 5 color test

SAM_1812

Tetrad Harmony color test

SAM_1814

Artist Reference: Fong Qi Wei

SAM_1813Color scheme ideas

 

Nursery Rhyme: 2D Fundamentals Assignment 2

The finals for this assignment are as below:

duplicate duplicate 2 duplicate 3 duplicate 4

Two lines were each taken from two very different nursery rhymes.

Hey, Diddle, Diddle

The cat and the fiddle,

the  cow jumped over the moon.

The little dog laughed,

To see such fun,

And the dish ran away with the spoon.

 

The old woman and the shoe

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.

She had so many children, she didn’t know what to do.

She gave them some broth without any bread;

Then whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.

 

 

Artist Reference

I referred to the dadaist movement and dada artist, Hannah Hoch. Also I looked at Cubism artist, Pablo Picasso, and photographer Grete Stern.

Hannah Hoch

hhhh1 hh3

Photomontage: the process and the result of making a composite photograph by cutting,gluing, rearranging and overlapping two or more photographs into a new image. Sometimes the resulting composite image is photographed so that a final image may appear as a seamless photographic print.

I wanted to be able to build a photomontage and referred to Hannah Hoch’s works for reference. She is able to put disparate elements together and give them new meaning out of their original context.

Screen Shot 2015-10-26 at 1.24.24 am

 

This was another interesting composition by Hannah Hoch, with an element of larger proportion imposed on a background of other elements. Such a simple method but an effective method of conveying much information in a photo.

 

 

 

 

 

Pablo Picasso

2011-02-19-picasso_paint_1

 

Picasso was heralded as the father of Cubism, and one of the piece he had made stayed in my mind. It was Violin hanging on the wall as seen on the left. Cubism aims to depict the many perspectives of a singular object or person, and as I came across different interpretations for the rhymes I was researching on, I felt that the idea of showcasing different perspectives for the rhymes could work here.

 

 

 

grete

 

Grete Stern

Photographer Grete Stern helped modernised visual arts in Argentina; she also creates surreal photographs such as the one to the left. Using elements from different photographs, she puts pieces of differing proportions to create interesting photographs.

The photograph in black and white allows one to see the contrast between light and shadow.

 

 

richard

Richard Hamilton

A famous photomontage, the piece to the left became a renowned representation of Pop Art. Using images from various sources, the piece is a collage of the familiar given new context. What does it mean for one element to be beside another in a similar image?

I seek to use this play on found cutouts as creation of new pieces in my pieces.

 

 

 

  1. The Cow Jumped over the moon

The first phrase I worked with was ‘The cow jumped over the moon’.

jumping cow transparent
Reference photo

From there, I wanted to show and make the viewer feel movement, therefore the decision to use the cows of increasing sizes over the moon. However it still felt rather static. This composition also felt a little flat to me, and I wanted to experiment with more methods.

cow over the moon white background

 

The second time, I chose between various shots of cows jumping, I settled on the one above.

 

Cattle-Silhouettes-2797870  stress dolphin

Reference photos

I was also inspired by scenes from the movies ‘Interstellar’ and ‘Sunshine’. How was Space depicted in these movies? Combining different elements, such as a picture of Earth, the curve of the moon with its craters, and a photo of the Milky Way, I created the images as below.

Final photo

Cow and Moon

 

 

Feedback: A shadow could perhaps be added along with a glow along the side of the moon; the moon reflects light from the sun. Sometimes it is also described as a mirror.

cow3

Gross looking shadow. More experimentation needed.

cow 4

Using the cow image on another layer but I decreased the opacity and filled it in with another colour, therefore I came across this result which I decide to use as a final piece.

The shadow adds a layer of depth to the piece; it suggests form.

 

 

2. The dish ran away with the spoon

 

The dish ran away with the spoon 2

The moon to the top right was an attempt to connect this image to the previous cow image but I felt this piece did not work out. It was very different and felt very uninspired, which I was.

 

3. The Dog Laughed to see such fun

Cute laughing dog

I have a general idea (that I want the pieces to seem connected) but I feel the creative direction lacking here. The images turned out too different.

 

4. The Cat and the Fiddle

cat 2

The first response for this phrase was to show a cat playing the fiddle. How cliche. This was  my first attempt an depicting the phrase above but it needed more development.

Cat and the Fiddle

Here I attempted to show take the recognisable elements of a cat and combine it with the fiddle to show a new composition. But I really don’t think it worked out. The ears are obvious as cat ears to me but might not be to others. Also the final piece looks strange.

cat

I have a soft spot for this image. Inspired by the common vase optical illusion art, I wanted to create one with the cat and the fiddle.

op art

Unfortunately the novelty of the optical illusion was to identify both elements and marvel at them, I don’t think I achieved that effect with my piece.

 

5. She had so many children she didn’t know what to do

creepy foortprint

Instead of using physical items, e.g cats, fiddles, can I use something to represent presence?h The presence of children can perhaps be represented with footsteps haphazardly placed. The result was ghostly looking footsteps which might represent loss or even an uninvited presence. Nuh-uh, I decided not to use this piece.

duplicate 4

Using Hannah Hoch’s yellow piece above as inspiration, I attempted to create piece with varying proportions. The old lady’s face, made to look disgruntled or unsatisfied, was imposed on a background of various children.

6. There was an old woman who lived in a shoe

 

 

pic 5

There is a whimsical fairy-tale like mood here. The buildings are all in silhouette and the shoe stands out in stark contrast against the dark background. It almost feels like a scene from a picture book.

duplicate 3

This was the final piece selected. I thought, what if I put a local spin on the nursery rhymes? Hence the decision to put HDB flats as the old lady’s neighbours.

 

 

Impossibilities of Being- 4D Fundamentals Assignment 2

Delving into the subconscious with these 90 images, I seek to show the three stages of sleep and my idea of the myriad of chaotic processing that goes through ones’ mind when in slumber.

The images are set in three stages: falling into sleep, light dreaming, and deep sleep.

Stage 1: Falling into sleep

The images are a metaphorical take on the act of falling into sleep. The figure is literally sinking downwards in a calm blue background. Bubbles and water then rose up to consume her entirely; they engulfed her being. Bubbles are almost whimsical things, they are fragile and disappear in the blink of an eye, and water has always been used to represent many things from peacefulness to danger. These two items introduces the viewers to the second stage.

 

Stage 2: Light sleep

 

The figure’s environment represents her state of mind. Flowers start appearing in different combination, in abundance to a single unit, and this represents observations from everywhere. We perceive with our five sense and each flower is a representation of the observations. When they clump together, they become an idea.

The flowers are present in an ever changing mass, they seem to be constantly in motion in the photos, while interacting with the figure.

The flowers are still realistic and recognizable here, suggesting a link to reality and the conscious.

 

Stage 3: Deep sleep

Flowers are shown with paintings in art. The figure awoke to find herself in a painting. This is her mindscape and the act of travelling represents the act of thinking through solutions to problems or mulling over an idea in one’s sleep. The figure is interacting with her subconscious here and it’s a personal space; the art are pieces which I feel an affinity to. The choosing of using art as a mindscape was made through my previous experience with art over the years too.

The environment is no longer reality and this suggests a break from it. The figure is truly in a space that does not exist but only in her mind. This is where she can find her true thoughts and ideas. It ends with the figure lying back down to sleep, exhausted with her mental forage, and ready to wake up to reality.

 

Artist reference:

Jeeyoung Lee

The Moment, Jeeyoung Lee

Childhood, Jeeyoung Lee

An artist who manipulates the space of her studio to showcase different realities.

 

Akira Kurosawa’s Dream

 

A movie that featured a part where a character went into Van Gogh’s paintings.

 

Hannibal

Screen Shot 2015-09-17 at 11.19.40 am Screen Shot 2015-09-17 at 11.19.33 am Screen Shot 2015-09-17 at 11.19.20 am Screen Shot 2015-09-17 at 11.19.26 am

There were certain scenes in Hannibal that showed the character sinking into water to reflect what is going through their mind at that point in time.

 

Reflection:

I have to admit, this was a really stressful assignment for me, perhaps because I have yet to define what photography means to me. Therefore I am still in the midst of experimenting and attempting to incorporate my skills with photography. I feel that this series aesthetic visuals were pleasant though awkward in some areas but I should also learn how to let photographs speak for itself and exist by itself instead of doing major photo-manipulation.

Class exercise- Anchor and Relay

 

Anchor

 

 

4D 1

NTU, School of Arts, Design, and Media, 28/07/2015, .58PM, ISO 1/40

 

1

NTU, School of Arts, Design & Media, 28th August 2015, 3.49PM, ISO 1/20. Photo-taking activity for class.

4D 2

NTU, School of Arts,Design & Media, 28th August 2015.

The ADM school can be pretty empty but this time I think there is a legitimate reason: It’s probably class time right now.

 

 

Relay:

 

4D 1

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

Langston Hughes

 

1

Text: The gaze

 

4D 2

Text: The noticeable dilemma of taking an arts education in Singapore

 

 

 

 

 

Documenting project 1b-fern

Fire and Ice

Robert Frost

 

In Frost’s poem, he spoke of Fire or Ice and their devastating effects of either one. The theme love seemed to resonate throughout his poem and in my visual interpretation of his poem, I seek to show the balance that arises from the combination of both.

 

The image of a heart is chosen because of its common symbolic use as love.

 

2.1.1

2.1.2

2.1.3

Fire

  • Fire is smoldering passion and desire from the heart. Fire consumes, warms, and illuminates but can also bring pain and destruction.
  • Loving someone so much the intensity of it hurts you can be detrimental.

 

Ice

  • Ice is a symbol of rigidity, frigidity, coldness, and the absence of love. Ice suggests distance and space but it is also synonymous with loneliness; its cutting edges and biting cold can harm.
  • When one loves no more, the heart seems to be absent.

 

The Balance

  • Fire and Ice have to exist together. They balance each other out, similar to Ying and Yang.
  • While one can love the other a lot, distance provides clarity of mind and might even fan the embers of one’s heart.
  • In the middle photo, the heart beats in synergy with the blend of solid shapes and negative spaces reminiscent of veins amidst a warm background.
  • The photos are placed so that the first depicts fire, the second the balance, and the third ice.

 

Composition of Images:

 

  1. The first image is over-saturated, providing an intensity of colors that seemingly radiate heat. It strains the viewers’ eyes and suggests pain and hurt. There is a graduation to the colors of the lone heart, from warm red to almost black, suggesting that the deeper the descent into the embers, the more likely the heart is to char.
  2. The third image shows a cutout of a heart. The background is a cool blue and the cutout is black with an obscure reflected image in it. In contrast to image one, image three suggests the absence of love and the reflection in the cutout suggests an infection of the heart.
  3. The middle image is the balance. It combines elements from both the first and third images and is reflective of Fire and Ice together. Both complements each other to create a more humane looking heart.

 

 

Documenting Project 1a- Fern

Task 1

 

In Assignment task 1, I have done three parts: introduction of yourself, your object, and your world.

1.1.1

1.1.2

1.1.3

  1. In introduction of myself, I started with a sentence that I wanted to express in three images: Reading is a solitary activity and it helps me build Worlds.

 

Therefore the three photos represented a simple message that leads to the larger objective:

 

  1. I like reading.
  2. Reading is a solitary activity for me.
  3. The books help me build worlds when I read.

 

Composition of images:

  1. The first image is a close-up to the object I wish to show and is a lead-in for the viewers to the other two images and the message.
  2. The top down shot shows a fairy ring-like semi circle of books around me to suggests the magical quality of the books around me. The subject is faced away as a subtle indication that she wished not to be disturbed.
  3. The last image is a not-quite close up that allows the viewers a glimpse of the subject’s delighted face, as she seemed to be building castles with the books. The prevalent theme in the photographs is Play, and is indicative of the state of mind of the subject when reading books.

 

 

  1. In photos of object, it is used for the representation of the Self. My reference sentence was:

 

“We think with the objects we love, we love the objects we think with.”

– Sherry Turkle, Introduction: The Things That Matter

1.2.6

1.2.1

1.2.5 copy

Using that idea of relating an idea with an object, my chosen object was a soft toy. These are photos that require context to understand; the toy was a gift from my secondary school friends and was the only toy I chose to bring with me to my hostel. The soft toy represents a link to the Past and the safety and comfort associated with it because I was comfortable with it. The space, which was my hostel room, represented the present and the foreseeable Future.

 

Taking a picture of the soft toy in the hostel room was a representation of a link to the past in my current future.

 

In the photos,

  1. Hands hold onto the toy in a possessive gesture, which represents an unwillingness to release the Past.
  2. A face of happiness shown when interacting with the toy shows an unwillingness to let go and my ability to continue finding comfort in the past.
  3. Picture three shows me dragging the toy like a child would, which represents youth or childishness. The morose expression and hand at my face, representing regret, shows reluctance at letting the past go.

 

Composition of images:

  1. Close-up of hands to show the meaning of the toy to the subject.
  2. Half body shot to show interaction with the soft toy and further visual clues of the importance and thoughts of the subject to the soft toy.
  3. A full body shot and gesture of the subject as representation of the soft toy and its symbolism to the subject.
  4. Black and white was chosen to highlight the soft toy and the expressions or gesture made by the subject.

 

  1. In the photos of my world, I chose the National Library. It has astounding architecture and was a building of knowledge. Books are amazing because they hold so much information inside.

 

1.3.4

1.2.5

1.3.3

Composition of images:

  1. I wanted to show the architecture in different layout because of the way you had to view it in the space itself- crane your neck to view the ceiling, look out the window to see the building- and I wanted people to be able to marvel at that. This could be considered a wide shot, and it took in the whole space to show the structure and innate beauty.
  2. Books are amazing in themselves but this should have been better thought out and expressed to show what I wanted to. The close up of books might have been too literal.
  3. Similarly, the architecture once again presents itself in interesting form.

 

Final Presentation:

2

 

Reflection: On hindsight, the project could have been better if I had a focus before I went out to take photographs. This would have cut down on wasted time as I struggled to rush to places to retake photos. Although the brief is short, the project demands a higher level of thinking in terms of composition, meaning of images, and flow. It was not easy but I had learnt a couple of new tricks and even a better understanding of the use of the camera.

 

 

Jo Spence- Photography research- Song Yu, Azmir, Fernandez

Jo Spence and Terry Dennett, Remodelling Photohistory (Industrialization), 1982
Jo Spence and Terry Dennett, Remodelling Photohistory (Industrialization), 1982

 

 

  1. Research the background behind these images.

 

A leading feminist and socialist figure in her field, Spence’s work utilised the power of the camera to challenge society on issues of gender, class, mortality, identity, and, perhaps most importantly, her own history. Her first endeavour into the field was as an assistant, and then as a high-street photographer However, as she grew tired of this “ability to create visual myths”, as she called it, she turned the camera on herself, producing her most prominent work.

Throughout her diverse projects she is well known for her highly politicised approach to photography and the representation of her own struggles with cancer.

 

  1. What does the artist want to convey?

 

  • Similar to how health workers have to account to their patients, photographers have to account to their viewers.
  • Through the title “Remodelling photohistory”, the artist seems to be trying to change her own history.
  • Remodelling photohistory attempts to makes the image purposely disturbing to bring out the falsity of visual myths in commercial photography.
  • A commentary on industrialization by comparing the fleshy vulnerability of her body to the metallic structures in the background.

 

“We would find it strange if health workers did not try to criticise their own industry, to aim for better control over their working conditions, to have accountability to their users. Yet within the various disparate workplaces of photography this is not seen as a priority. Remodelling Photohistory is an exploration of our own recent attempts to work through some aspects of this problem by ‘making strange’, using as our starting point the everyday, normalised, institutional practices and codes of ‘the trade’, re-ordered, re-modelled, re-invented, so that their common sense, unquestioned notions become disrupted.” Jo Spence & Terry Dennett

 

  1. Why do you think the artists chose to portray themselves this way?

Remodelling Photohistory’ (1980-82), made in collaboration with Terry Dennett, reworked genre photography with lessons learnt from Augusto Boal. Spence attempted ways of working that made the image ‘strange’ through conflating disparate and opposing iconography including landscape, portraiture and ethnographic traditions. This was also the first time that Spence questioned the assumption of naturalism within photography through role-play and performance.

 

    • very raw
    • Confronting, intimate, honest, and uncomfortable
    • Connection with the audience through grotesque imagery
    • Confronting the audience with the idea of naturalism in photography -related to her criticism of visual myths- and creating her own narratives through obvious disparate images.

 

Group: Fernandez, Song Yu, Azmir

Jo Spence- Remodelling Photohistory

Jo Spence and Terry Dennett, Remodelling Photohistory (Industrialization), 1982
Jo Spence and Terry Dennett, Remodelling Photohistory (Industrialization), 1982

 

 

  1. Research the background behind these images.

 

A leading feminist and socialist figure in her field, Spence’s work utilised the power of the camera to challenge society on issues of gender, class, mortality, identity, and, perhaps most importantly, her own history. Her first endeavour into the field was as an assistant, and then as a high-street photographer However, as she grew tired of this “ability to create visual myths”, as she called it, she turned the camera on herself, producing her most prominent work.

Throughout her diverse projects she is well known for her highly politicised approach to photography and the representation of her own struggles with cancer.

 

  1. What does the artist want to convey?

 

  • Similar to how health workers have to account to their patients, photographers have to account to their viewers.
  • Through the title “Remodelling photohistory”, the artist seems to be trying to change her own history.
  • Remodelling photohistory attempts to makes the image purposely disturbing to bring out the falsity of visual myths in commercial photography.
  • A commentary on industrialization by comparing the fleshy vulnerability of her body to the metallic structures in the background.

 

“We would find it strange if health workers did not try to criticise their own industry, to aim for better control over their working conditions, to have accountability to their users. Yet within the various disparate workplaces of photography this is not seen as a priority. Remodelling Photohistory is an exploration of our own recent attempts to work through some aspects of this problem by ‘making strange’, using as our starting point the everyday, normalised, institutional practices and codes of ‘the trade’, re-ordered, re-modelled, re-invented, so that their common sense, unquestioned notions become disrupted.” Jo Spence & Terry Dennett

 

  1. Why do you think the artists chose to portray themselves this way?

Remodelling Photohistory’ (1980-82), made in collaboration with Terry Dennett, reworked genre photography with lessons learnt from Augusto Boal. Spence attempted ways of working that made the image ‘strange’ through conflating disparate and opposing iconography including landscape, portraiture and ethnographic traditions. This was also the first time that Spence questioned the assumption of naturalism within photography through role-play and performance.

 

    • very raw
    • Confronting, intimate, honest, and uncomfortable
    • Connection with the audience through grotesque imagery
    • Confronting the audience with the idea of naturalism in photography -related to her criticism of visual myths- and creating her own narratives through obvious disparate images.

 

Group: Fernandez, Song Yu, Azmir