April 2016 – Joan

April 20, 2016April 21, 2016

Zine – 2D Project III

I started this project off by thinking of a common theme in my past 2D works for this sem. However, I realised that my range of medium and composition were too varied. Hence, I decided to adopt the idea of kitchen and food from my project II (point of view) and create my zine from scratch! 🙂
Despite my busy schedule and never-ending projects, I’ve always tried to find time to bake or cook. It has always been a form of relaxation and a way to de-stress for me. For this project, I aim to create a recipe zine for busy students, when different recipes for specific moods and duration. I’ve also included a few pages of “food facts” at the end, to emphasise the importance of maintaining a balanced diet!

Broccoli soup (for when you’re feeling cold)
Ingredients: broccoli, carrots, butter, onion, garlic, salt & pepper, chicken broth
Mixed salad (for when you’re feeling healthy)
Ingredients: green vegetables, rocket leaves, cherry tomatoes, avocado dressing (avocado, butter and lemon juice), raisins, sunflower seeds
Kimchi carbonara noodles (for when you’re too lazy)
Ingredients: Spicy Korean instant noodles, milk, cheese, bacon, Kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) or baechu kimchi
Shrimp stew (for when you have time for a good dinner)
Ingredients: Garlic, onions, butter, flour, salt & pepper, fresh thyme or parsley, carrots or bell peppers, small shrimps
Creamy mushroom linguine (for when you need a change of taste)
Ingredients: Linguine, fresh button mushrooms, Portobello mushrooms, basil leaves, cream, butter, garlic, onions, salt & pepper, olive oil, parmesan cheese
Strawberry oreo cheesecake (for when it’s someone’s birthday)
Ingredients: Cream cheese, oreo, melted butter, heavy cream, chopped chocolate bits, caster sugar, gelatine, vanilla, strawberries
Chocolate chip cookies (for when you’re feeling like Santa Claus)
Ingredients: Butter, caster sugar, brown sugar, egg, flour, vanilla, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips
Macarons (for when you’re feeling ambitious)
Ingredients: Ground almond, icing sugar, caster sugar, egg whites, food colouringKnowledge about food will allow us to be more aware of certain foods that we eat and the benefits they bring. Even with a busy schedule, we can still maintain a balanced diet in the food we choose, and have a quick boost when we need it!

Pomegranate: The juice of this seed-packed fruit lowered blood pressure, anxiety and depression.

Fish: Seafood like salmon, mackerel, and sardines are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, and nutrients that are essential for a healthy mind.

Berries: Berries are not only loaded with fibre, but they also top the charts in antioxidant power, protecting your body against inflammation and free radicals!

Garlic: Garlic supplementation is known to boost the function of the immune system.

Dark chocolate: Rich in minerals, good for heart and blood circulation, an ultimate stress reliever!

Coffee: According to research, women who drank two to three cups of coffee a day were about 15% less likely to become depressed!

Shiitake mushrooms: These meaty, delectable mushrooms have an uplifting effect on your mood, thanks to their high selenium and magnesium content.

Yoghurt: Cultured dairy products like these enhance your populations of probiotic bacteria—the healthy kind living in your gut!

Zine printed on three different types of paper – pale brown, cream and white. The pale brown paper is slightly textured and looked the best. (left)

The photographs taken below are of the cream and white copies of the zine.

April 20, 2016April 20, 2016

Point Of View – 2D Project II

KNIFE FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A BROCCOLI IS A HAIRSTYLIST

I’ve always thought that a broccoli looks like a mini afro. So… how else can we style this afro?

Exploring different hairstyles through illustration

IMG_3611aaa

Exploring different hairstyles using a real broccoli!
It was quite difficult to achieve the desired range of hairstyles as the ‘hair’ of the vegetable was quite brittle. However, I was quite satisfied with the outcome of a few of them. (Like this mohawk ^)

Personification of the broccoli through mixing illustration and photography:
I like the contrast between the two images, and the colour contrast of the black/white illustration and the coloured background.

FINAL:

KNIFE FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A CARROT IS A BEHEADING

Isn’t it horrifying (horrifying for the carrots, not us) that the first thing we do when preparing carrots for cooking is to chop off their heads?

Contextualising the beheading of carrots:
Illustrations of a public beheading in ancient china, with other vegetables as onlookers.

FINAL:

KNIFE FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A PAPAYA IS A STRIPPER

This started off with other fruits like apple, oranges and grapefruits (any fruit that can be peeled with a knife). After some exploration with their shapes and forms, I felt that the shape of a papaya was most suitable for representing a woman.

Illustration on a photograph of a peeled grapefruit

… and a papaya. The papaya is personified as a woman in the shower. She attempts to cover up as the knife strips down most of the papaya skin.

FINAL:

KNIFE FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A PRAWN IS AN AUTOPSY

The preparation of seafood usually involves removing its organs first. For example: the removing of the prawn’s intestines, fish organs, etc.

kkoko
Fake prawn organs made using hot glue and acrylic paint.
Although prawns only have one strip of removable intestine in its body, I thought placing a set of coloured organs spilling out from its body would look more striking and convey its meaning better.

Illustration of a cut open fish on a photo with the fake organs

FINAL:

KNIFE FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A SOFT FRUITS IS A MASSACRE

Inspired by fruit smoothies, soft fruits are usually used with milk and ice in the blending of such drinks. Using acrylic paint, I decided to experiment with close up impressions of blending fruits (eg. strawberries, bananas, kiwis, blueberries).

Zooming in and out and experimenting with different ways of cropping the image.
Adding some white lines to define some parts of the fruits and to give the composition a bit more illustrative feel (for coherence with the other 5).

smoothiewhite2

FINAL:

KNIFE FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF FLESH IS PAIN

The fuzzy lines on the fingers gives the composition an uneasy, displaced feeling, suggesting the sense of panic when one is injured. However, I thought the details of the lines also conflicted with the details of the red dripping paint.

FINAL:

April 17, 2016April 17, 2016

The Library – 4D Project III

RESTRICTED SECTION, 2016
Three sound books
by Joan Li

In the ADM Library, the unspoken universal rule of keeping silent is instinctive to all. It is assumed that the point of keeping quiet within the compounds of the library is to provide optimum comfort and a conducive study environment for everyone. Hence, any forms of sound is deem as a disturbance.

The ‘Restricted Section’ highlights the fact that it is not within the human comfort to achieve absolute silence. It is human nature to produce a certain level of noise wherever we go – our movements, sneezing, coughing, footsteps, expression of thoughts, human communication, reactions, and so on. In the ‘Tempted’ series, we uncover the controlled and uncontrolled aspects of the noises we make in the library, the urge of making them and reintroduce them into the space as a new form of comfort. This work aims to eliminate the stress of one being excessively self-conscious about the noises we make in the library, and to encourage a study environment where students can truly be comfortable about their actions.

April 17, 2016April 17, 2016

Walking Home – 4D Project I (Part 2)

“Dis Comfort” is an exploration of the comforts and discomforts within one’s home. Through the emphasis of sound and visuals, this video brings the the viewers through a day living in my home. The switching of scenes show the constant disturbances of construction sites and the lack of privacy in the day, amongst other common “comfortable” sounds (birds chirping, wind chimes, water trickling). As the day progresses, the setting gets darker, softer, and the disturbances slowly dimishes.

April 17, 2016April 17, 2016

Sound Art – Research

Tokyo City Symphony, 2013

Exact replica of the Tokyo cityscape, handcrafted (5 x 5 metres)

The Tokyo City Symphony is a project by Creative Director Tsubasa Oyagi, commissioned by Mori Building Co. Ltd. It is a website in which users can play as a virtual instrument online and create 3D projection mapping on a 1:1000 miniature model of the Tokyo cityscape. This micro music installation allows users to choose between Future City, Rock City and EDO City, to produce visual soundscapes by pressing letters on their keyboard.

I find this work particularly interesting as it converts the elements of a 3D projection into an interactive musical creation online that accessible to all around the world. The tunes are generally upbeat, funky and catchy, and the visuals conjured are just as eye-catching! The futuristic, Japanese motifs and tunes gives a very modern vibe to the whole project, and perhaps along with a sense of patriotism for the Japanese. Overall, this was a really fun dj-ing experience & I’d love to see a projection mapping on the iconic buildings of Singapore!

Global Sounds Project, 2013

The Global Sounds Project is an interactive installation done by German interactive designer Rebecca Gischel, which aims to bring people together in a public space. This work comprises of a series of white pyramids installed at the square of Edinburgh, each programmed to play a certain instrumental song when interacted with. As more and more people participate, different instruments will be triggered together, producing a richer, fuller orchestra.

What attracts me most about this installation is the interactive aspect of it and the idea of bringing people together through sound play. Each of the instrumental soundtracks are not only soothing to the ear, but are representative of the migrant diversity in the area. The spread of individual pyramids encourages participation, but even without participating, one can enjoy the music triggered by others. In my opinion, it would definitely be fun and refreshing to experience this first-hand.

April 16, 2016April 16, 2016

Walking Home (part 1) – 4D Project I

My idea of home is… well, my home.

As mentioned by Yi-Fu Tuan, “Unique to human beings among primates is the sense of the home as a place where the sick and the injured can recover under solicitous care.” I have recently moved into a new house. Having moved in and out of several places within half a year (old home, grandmother’s house, school hall), I realised the significance of the comfort that only a permanent home can provide. Hence, for this project, I’ve decided to focus on the comfort and discomforts of my new home.

Through this series of photographs, I aim to evoke a sense of comfort/discomfort through our senses – touch, hearing, sight.

Comfort through the sense of touch: warmth of the light bulb, blankets (warm colour scheme)

Comfort through the sense of sight: view of the city, roads and night lights outside my window

Comfort through the sense of hearing: sound of water running from the fountain in my living room

Discomfort: Lack of privacy in certain parts of my home due to the hdb layout