February 2016

I started this project off by making a list of my personal traits, likes and preferences.

My name is Joan & I’m a giraffe!

My nickname from my friends. Some people say I look like a giraffe and even eat like a giraffe. (??)
Personally I love giraffes as they’re really fascinating creatures, both looks and behaviour-wise.

Some facts about giraffes:
Of all mammals, giraffes sleep the least. They sleep for about 10-mins to 2 hours each day. (That is so me)
Giraffes spend most of their lives standing up; they even sleep and give birth standing up.
Giraffes are known to bellow, snort, hiss, make flute-like noises as well as low pitch sounds beyond the range of human hearing!

I’ve experimented with different forms of the giraffe postures, and tried incorporating my name into the body of a giraffe. However, I found this quite challenging as their postures are usually very rigid.

It was especially difficult to fit a ‘J’ into parts of their bodies as they don’t curve upwards like that. After some research, I’ve decided to use the curled up sleeping posture of a baby giraffe.

This layout is inspired by scientific diagrams. National Geographic Wild is one of my favourite channels on TV, as I’ve loved animals ever since I was a kid. I like finding out facts about wild animals behaviour, how to approach them, what to avoid, etc. Therefore I’ve arrange my composition to imitate a scientific giraffe labeling diagram from a national geographic magazine.

My name is Joan & I’m an aspiring chef!

I enjoy cooking and baking during my free time, and trying out new recipes I come across online. To start off this idea, I decided to split it into two – the baking and the cooking.

Baking
Some of the things I like to bake: oreo cheesecake, mousse cake, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cranberry cookies, macarons (so difficult!!), cupcakes
It’s always a fun experience to bake; the preparation of ingredients, the mixing, the decorating, and of course, the washing up at the end (boo).

Experimentation with the shapes of pastries:

Bakery production composition #1

Bakery production composition #2
Although this is not as colourful, it has perspective and hence is a better composition

Using the similar idea, I created another composition based on the idea of cooking. (Ingredients: mushrooms, carrots, etc.)

In order to merge both compositions (2 aspects of being an aspiring chef) into one, I employed this folding mechanism, such that each of the composition can be seen from each side.

My name is Joan & I’m aquatic!

I love water-related things/activities – swimming, beaches, waterfalls, etc. Not only is water very cooling on a hot day, it is also very therapeutic.

Experimentation with the smudging and dripping of water, and using different types of glue to imitate the nature of water.

Experimentation with the marbling technique (using shaving cream):

I had a lot of fun trying out this technique, creating swirls using different paints and colours. However, one of my biggest problems was the smudging. I did some research online about it but I was unable to find a working solution. A video advised us to leave the print to settle for a few minutes before scraping off the paint, but that did not work for me. After much trials and error, I found a way to lift the paper from the shaving cream without the cream sticking to it. It is to lift the paper swiftly from the tray of cream (thick layer for enough weight). The result was less swirly due to the unscraped paint.

I also explored a little on the ‘amphibious’ side of me, adding some land into a composition with water. This was inspired by the proportions of seawater to land on earth. (71% water 29% land)

Final

My name is Joan & I’m an observer!

I am a curious person and I like to explore and wander. However, after some experimentation with imageries and ideas (meerkats & mazes), I decided to narrow it down to a single idea – I’m an observer. As a generally quiet and reserved person, I tend to observe more than I participate.

Inspiration from Where’s Wally pictures: I love how these pictures are both very interesting and interactive at the same time, how wally is always cleverly hidden in small corners. Hence I started exploring and attempt to create my own version of Where’s Wally.

People doing strange things in different parts of the picture.
I’ve also tried out different colour schemes for this composition:

Final

I approached this project by making a listing of places that I’ve never been in a long time/never been before:

East Coast Park MacRitchie Treetop Walk
Pulau Ubin Haw Par Villa
Coney Island Little Guilin
Changi Airport Kranji War Memorial
Lazarus Island Sentosa
Holland Village Bedok Reservoir

At first, I was drawn to the natural sites. Over the past two weeks, I took a trip down to Coney Island as well as Little Guilin (last Saturday), and I had a lot of fun exploring the places. What I particularly liked about Coney Island was that it was surrounded by beaches. The twist and turns of the natural trail, the occasional gust of sea breeze – it was a specially calming and therapeutic experience, a great break from the hustle and bustle of my everyday life! Similarly, Guilin offered a sanctuary for relaxation. Although the place was significantly smaller, the view was stunning enough to make up for it. I especially found the contrast between the towering rocks/cliffs and the neighbouring HBD flats interesting. The diversity of plants and insects seemed to be larger too.
However, I’ve decided to settle on Changi Airport as my final location.

Why?
Despite my two great experiences to both Coney Island and Little Guilin, they were places that I’ve never been before. Hence, I feel that they lack a certain personal touch, connection, as well as memories that I can relate to. (Also, I’m very prone to weird insect bites and I fell sick right after my trip to Little Guilin on a sweltering afternoon, don’t think it’ll be a good idea to film there all day again)

Changi Airport – Singapore

For the first 19 years of my life I lived in the east of Singapore (Bedok/Tanah Merah), and therefore I’m very familiar with the area. Having moved for about half a year, I haven’t had a chance to visit the East side and definitely miss my old home very much. Through this project, I feel that it would be a very good opportunity for me to revisit the East side of Singapore and dwell on my past memories.

Its spaciousness, undisturbed calmness is incomparable to that of a usual shopping mall, or even a library. Perhaps it was the classical music playing subtly in the background, or perhaps it was its distinct architecture that made it stand out.

Changi Airport brings me back to my secondary and JC days. I would have study sessions with my friends here whenever major examinations were near. It was not only convenient, but also rich in its choices of food and study areas.

As time passes, these memories become distant, but nevertheless nostalgic. Still, we move on with our hectic lives as though it was the final boarding call.

Month: February 2016

2D II – Project 1 Typographic Portrait

The Singapore Diary – Project 2 research