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My Work, Project 2 Forrest Gump - Process

Forrest Gump – Process

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“Classes dull your mind, destroys the potential for authentic creativity.”  – A Beautiful Mind (2001)

The first concept I had for this quote was to have a child looking out of a classroom window. This would show the mind being trapped in an environment which it is longing to escape from.

I filled the window with a variety of things to represent different expressions and forms of creativity, such as musical instruments and intertwining vines to have a vibrant composition, showing a stark contrast between the monotonous life in a classroom, versus what life could be.

This is a summary of the steps I took to complete the first composition.

I faced much difficulty in trying to make the objects in the window visible to accurately represent the objects. As the initial image was with colour, it be came washed out once I applied the threshold filter.


Some of the comments Mimi gave me were:

  • Too literal representation of a class
  • Not an interesting composition to look at
  • Objects in the window hard to visualise

I started to think of how else I could make my composition more interesting. I also wanted to convey the idea of creativity fleeing away from the mind, being unattainable.

To do this, I wanted to have people being dragged/weighed down by something, as though they were downing, to evoke the message of being restricted and limited.

These are several images I found of people falling. Next, I had to show an object dragging him down. To do this, I used books as a semiotic to represent the idea of education.

For the idea of creativity, I went with paint splashes to give a vibrant yet simple composition. This is much simpler than the previous object I used to represent creativity.

You can see that the hands of the subject never touches creativity. This subtle touch was to give tension  and suspense to the composition. It also meant that until you let go of this stigma which education presents, creativity will always be a struggle to reach.

I chose the back drop to be space as it would be dragging the subject into the abyss of monotony. The backdrop would also add implied lines to allow the audience to focus on the subject. However, looking back at the composition, I could use a little less of the stars as it distracts the audience.

These are the final 2 compositions I came up with. I went with the white one instead of the black as I felt that the subject was too drowned out in the darkness.

 

“It’s not music if you can’t dance to it.” – Intouchables (2007)

 

This composition was a joy to work on. In the movie, this was one of the most cheerful scenes and it never fails to bring a smile to my face. I wanted to capture the essence of both dancing as well as the pleasure I get from listening to music.

The subjects in my composition also had to look like they were having a good time as well! It was not easy to find this image as most of the images I found of dancing was more modern than retro, most of the time it was break dancing or hip hop. I stumbled upon this image as I was looking for disco and ballroom dancing. I really loved the expression on their faces as you can tell that they have completely transcended into their world of music and dance.

In the movie, the main character used a Bluetooth speaker to play his music. I felt that it wouldn’t make for an interesting composition which is why I changed it to a jukebox. However, this would look like any regular dance floor and it would not be able to convey the joy and beauty of music.

This was the first draft I came up with.

Subsequently, I thought of using a gramophone to show the beauty of music. I wanted to have the subjects dance on the vinyl record as it would mimic a dance floor! I really liked this composition as you can feel the joy the subjects are experiencing.

Initially, I used the composition on the left. However, after screen printing, I realised that not only did I lose a lot of detail, the composition was also too small. I went back and played around with curves and the threshold layer to try and maximise the amount of detail I could get out from the image. After that, I used my brush tool to fill in more details in the gramophone.

Needless to say, I was pleased with the final product.

I consulted Mimi on my composition but she felt that there was still a lot more lacking in it. I had the idea to include more people to make the image more vibrant and lively! I made sure to use people of all ages to show how music has no limits.

This is a little snippet of what I created after hours of refining the design.

 

 

“Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’.” – Shawshank Redemption (1987)

This is a movie based on using our lives to its fullest. I had to break down what it means to be ‘Living’ and ‘Dying’.

 

My interpretation of Living would be doing something thrilling. This action has to make the character feel ‘alive’, happy and full of passion. I started to search for extreme sports to represent living life to its fullest.

However, most extreme sports require a form of machinery which I was unwilling to put in my composition as it would not be organic forms.

 

To represent Dying I wanted to use figures which show little to no dynamic movements. I used people in regular business attire, being engrossed in their phones to show the lack of life.

I also had the idea to use zombies in business suits to represent the dead. However, I felt that it was too literal and cliche.

Another concept that came into my head to show contrast between living and dying was to have a split image of the two.

This time, I began with Dying. For this word, I wanted to have the subject literally digging his own grave. This would represent procrastinating and wasting our lives away.

The setting was a graveyard which proved to have a ominous setting, fitting for someone who is wasting their lives away as it would be melancholic.

For Living,  I contrasted it with someone who is dancing – full of passion and life, in a thriving environment. What better way to express living than to place animals in the composition?

Animals would represent mother nature, a raw form of life, also adding a surreal feel to the composition.

I had several consultations with Mimi on this composition.

During the first consultation, she pointed out that it was:

1) Difficult to tell the two characters from each other.

2) Did not reflect the idea of wasting life away.

3) Dancer’s form could not be seen clearly.

I went back to work on the composition, this time paying more attention to detail and driving the message across. To represent time, as well as to show a distinction between the two characters, I placed clock hands in between them.

During the second consultation, the pointers were:

1)  The clock hands were too static and forced. It did little to help with the composition.

2) The use of a clock face would be able to tie the entire composition together as the current composition did not have any limits or boundaries.

With these comments, I set out to tweak some elements of my composition. I made the minute hand a reflection of the birds on the left, as well as adding the clock face to give my composition boundaries in the form of an implied circle.

This is a snippet of how I ended up with my final image.

 

“Are you not entertained?” – Gladiator (2001)

I had the most trouble with this piece. I had to convey the idea of entertainment in the context of this movie as it is such a short quote.

To do so, I went back to the settings of this movie, which was in the Roman era, where gladiators fought for the pleasure of the audience. I went to search for images of roman Colosseum fights I could use.

I felt like this image was already able to convey the quote in mind as the audience can be seen as upset or unsatisfied with the performance of this gladiator.  However, I wanted to add a modern twist to it.

To represent the lack of entertainment or focus, I wanted to have people on their phones, completely disengaged with the gladiator.

I started off with using children on their phones, sitting on the balcony which peers over the battle ground.

I showed this composition to Mimi and these are some of the comments she made:

1) It was difficult to see what the children were doing

2) It was hard to tell that the gladiator was engaged in combat

3) The balcony became very distracting and it was hard to focus on an object or area

Mimi suggested that I change the setting of the gladiator, one which could eliminate the unnecessary elements.

I decided to completely change the setting of the composition, getting rid of the uninterested children as well as the Colosseum. I experimented with different types of stages, from circus settings to a more sophisticated theater style.

I then decided to adapt the theater look from an image I found which showed a retro theatre.

The audience in this image are too close to the stage, which does not give me the sense of depth which I was looking for. I also wanted the subjects to be large enough, but not covering the stage.

I inserted empty cinema seats into the composition to make the theatre more spacious. The empty seats also adds another element to show the unwillingness of people to watch such a performance. Almost like an outdated practice.

Next, I had to find uninterested audiences. I began searching for people using their phones on the couch while watching television.

It was difficult to find people in this pose as most of the images I could find was of people using their phones facing towards the camera.

Then came the next challenge, was to be able to threshold these images as well as retain the most detail.

I had to colour in whites to show distinction between the characters as well as the seats as they were wearing dark colours. I also made sure to add more details to the phone as it had to be visible in the composition.

I initially wanted to submit this, however, I felt that as a square, this composition was too cramped, had a lack of depth and breathing space. To fix this, I raised the stage ceiling. This would also direct the attention of the viewer to the top of the theatre.

This is a snippet of my process while making this piece.

My Work, Project 2 Forrest Gump - Research

Assignment 2: Forrest Gump Research and Quotes

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Watching movies often gives me great joy as I am always able to immerse myself in the world which it creates. I prefer movies with deeper meaning to them, rather than ones with mindless action.

These are some of the quotes I got from my favourite movies:

Get busy living or get busy dying. – Shawshank Redemption (1994)

This quote inspired me to make full use of my life as we only have so much time left on this world. I actually made a piece of artwork from this piece several years back.

However, this would be too literal for my assignment. The inspiration I had for this piece was from Banksy. A popular street artist that often creates work based on pop culture. This will be touched on later in my research.

 

It is not music if you can’t dance to it. – The intouchables (2011)

There is only one word to describe this movie, and the word is Beautiful. It is an inspiring movie of the journey between a caretaker and a disabled man, both from extremely different backgrounds. However, they influence each other in various aspects, driving them to do things they would have never imagined.

Are you not entertained? – Gladiator (2000)

This movie is about an army General which was betrayed and sold as a slave as he uncovered a dirty truth. The movie follows journey back to his family as well as exposing the truth.

Classrooms dull your mind, destroy the potential for authentic creativity. – A Beautiful Mind (2001) 

This is an amazing quote as I feel it is a good representation of most classes I’ve had growing up. Our society is so afraid of failure that we tend to do things which are the ‘safest’ or comfortable with which in turn, limits creativity.

 

Research

Banksy–

http://www.tavernmagazine.com/bansky-the-enigma-2/
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/showbiz-tv/who-banksy-real-name-identity-13224924

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-story-behind-banksy-4310304/

Banksy is a renowned street artist which often portrays pop culture and societal issues masterfully in his art. His use of simplified tones and voids to create such works is amazing and very relevant to the assignment on hand.

The use of minimal elements also enable the message to be understood quickly, which is important for street art as the audience may be on a form of transport and would not be able to capture the essence of the design quickly.

Banksy uses colour to give contrast to the composition, drawing the attention of the audience to the crux of the message. However, as we will not be able to use colour, I have to use of hyperbole and semiotics to convey our message across.

 

Eugenia Loli–

Eugena Loli is an American digital artist who juxtaposes retro pictures of advertisements as well as film photos for her compositions. This gives her work a nostalgic feeling as well as a sense of surrealism. The use of space as a backdrop gives it a magical and mysterious tone to the composition.

In the middle image, she makes use of space through what seems to be thin steams of clouds to create implied lines, drawing the audience to the centre of the image.

Mario Wagner–

This artist has more uses of lines in his composition. These are to bring about the limitations we face at our current knowledge of mathematics, with the lines to represent a cage. However, I felt that the lines were too distracting and hurt the composition as it made it too complex.

Julien Pacaud –

The use of semiotics is prevalent in this artist’s work as he is able to convey messages through his work. My interpretation of the first object would be that the female individual is overcoming the wage gap between females and males. The usage of scales shows it tipping to her favour. All these little details play a part in being able to send a message.

Marco Battaglini –

As one of the movies I picked had a setting in the roman era, I wanted to have a renaissance twist to my composition to keep it in context. I started searching for modern interpretations of renaissance works and I came across this artist.

The composition is filled to the brim with objects which makes it difficult to focus on any one subject at a time. This is is not what I would like for my design, however, I enjoyed the use of a more modern setting to show a contrast between styles.

Techniques 

I researched into methods of getting a more textured looks for my composition. I like how US money had the threshold look, as well as a texture to it. Because of that, I wanted to replicate the effect.

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-comeback-of-the-us-dollar-2013-3/?IR=T

I don’t know if I would get into trouble for searching for something like this but I felt that this texture would really stylize my images. However, as started to develop my ideas and compositions, I felt that this effects would not look nice for my quotes.

My Work, Research and Process_Final Assignment

Techniques Used and exploration

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With the seemingly infinite ways of printmaking, I should start off with one of the most basic ones. Stamping using a piece of linoleum. I enjoy the process of etching out designs from linoleum which is why I decided to start with it first.

These are linoleum prints I made during the process of My Line is Emo.

I chose not to use the larger pieces as I felt that they were too flat and they do not evoke the emotions which I want to express. The problem with using a linocut is that sometimes the print may turn out too be too literal or suggestive which is not recommended when working on an abstract piece.

I decided to cut out small hands to make it seem as though a child had made these prints. I wanted to show details of the palm and fingers to make it more lifelike and have that human touch. Similar to what artist Marcus Harvey did during his exhibition called Sensation where he used prints of children’s hands to create a portrait of a serial child murderer.

However, I decided to incorporate more elements into this piece instead of making it just one print as what my lecturer suggested. This in turn, transformed my print into a more dynamic one, showing more emotions and expressions. I juxtaposed black and white paint, while also using different print mediums such as balls to create a contrasting background to give it depth. The acrylic would signify a mess created on a tabletop, similar to how my dining table would look like after I played with my food….

On the topic of using balls, I ventured into the idea of using them more as I feel that balls have the ability to evoke multiple emotions in people! Some find joy and excitement in balls, while others may find fear in it and in certain situations, surprise! For me, depending on the ball, I would mostly feel excitement and joy from balls because I relate it to physical activities and games.

I experimented with balls to see what type of expressions and emotions I would get out of the prints. I found out that the emotion of surprise showed well through my prints. For these prints, I put a couple of drops of paint onto a sheet of paper and threw a ball at the paper, creating a splash effect. My mother wasn’t a fan of this method as it created more of a mess than any other print techniques.

However, I was not able to get such an effect immediately. I initially had trouble getting the ink to splatter because I used paint. This ‘failure’ is more apparent when i used white paint.

I feel that even thought the paint did not splatter, it still created an interesting print. One where you are able to make out the medium and also get a mysterious feeling from it. In some ways, the images look like moons colliding.

Speaking of cleaning up, I used cloth as a medium as well. Using cloth was exciting because I did not know what the results would be like. Cloth is vastly different from paper as it is absorbent and it can be twisted and wrinkled unlike paper which would end up tearing. This made cloth a very resilient material. This allowed me to explore various methods of tie dye.

One method that caught my eye was the Diamond Pattern Folded Tie Dye Technique from http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2015/06/tie-dye-folding-techniques-16-vibrant-tie-dye-patterns-tiedyeyoursummer.html this technique folded cloth similar to how we store plastic bags.

After folding it like a plastic bag, you would then proceed to secure it with rubber bands and apply dye to the shirt at specific corners.

I was pleased with the outcome of the shirt, however, I felt that it was too linear and inorganic for my liking.

 

I tried other methods of tie dying as well, for another method, began to swirl the cloth and I then proceeded to add ink onto it. The results for this method was hit or miss as some turned out ideal while others look too scattered.

The next technique I used was more straightforward, this method involved just adding ink to cloth and applying water to the cloth so that the ink is able to be smudged. However,  I felt that it did not show enough versatility of paper as I felt that the same thing could be emulated with paper.

To me, cloth is something which is reliable and resilient. I feel that cloth is often used to clean up a mess or tears when someone is sad. Cloth is able to hold emotions well which makes it resilient in times of need. Therefore, I would relate these prints to sadness.

Another absorbent material i experimented with was bread. Bread has become a staple in my diet as I have constantly been eating it for breakfast ever since I entered university as I do not have the luxury of making breakfast in the morning anymore.

Bread was an interesting medium to work with as there were many variations of prints i could get from it. From the crust to the flesh, everything can be used and the results would still amaze me.

 

In my journal, I showed the various types of prints I was able to get from just using bread!

I started to think of the emotion of Fear and what it does to our minds. Fear is an overwhelming emotion which can rarely be controlled. Fear restricts us and holds us down, preventing us from ever trying certain activities. The main inspiration from which i drew fear from was chains or ropes as they weigh us down. This resulted in me looking for suitable materials to use to emulate the print of chains. I experimented with various types of ropes and strings and found out that cables work the best.

Initially, I placed paint on the cable and tried to imprint it onto the paper. However, I ended up with a very dull and flat print which i did not want to use. I also had to learn how to braid hair to use it on cables! (Time to impress girls!) This helped me get more of the crossing effect of the cables as well as more depth.

After many attempts of using this method, I decided to layer the paper over the cable instead, and use charcoal to rub the paper over the object, similar to coin or stone rubbing.

https://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/coin-rubbing-pictures-lesson-plan/

I came up with an effect with more depth and detail from this method of printing which excite me.

I had to practice a many more times before i could get such a clean and defined line as this one. (my best one yet)

I was at the supermarket looking for materials which I could further use for mark making which is when i stumbled upon the sponge like material used to protect fruits. I was inspired by artist Tara Donovan as she used common everyday items to create large scale instillation. Her projects also has a certain flow to them which was what I wanted to emulate in my work.

First, I coated the object in ink before pressing it onto a sheet of paper. This was the result:

I layered the material over paper and I sprayed Scotch Spray mount over, followed by sprinkling flour over the paper. I wanted the negative spaces to be filled with flour. It took me several tries to get the outcome I wanted.

First failed attempt:

I realised that the coat of flour was not thick enough, which prompted me to use a combination of fixative as well as spray mount to ensure that the flour particles do not get dislodged during the process.

It turned out well!

 

Artist References:

Tara Donovan, this artist is famous for layering and joining household items to create large scale instillations.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/515028907358435038/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/58757970110046793/

This is her work using disposable cups:

https://denadadesign.com/tara-donovan-transforming-common-objects/

 

Marcus Harvey, this artist is famously known for his portrait titled Myra as he painted the portrait of a famous serial child killer known as Myra Hindley using prints of children’s hands. This portrait caused an out roar as people deemed it as the glorification of the serial killer.

https://hscvisualartresources.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/marcus-harvey/
My Work, Pandora

Pandora’s box 3, Research and references

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We were exposed to various architects and their usage of different terms such as void, rule of thirds, harmony and discord. Several of them include:

Sou Fujimoto

http://morewithlessdesign.com/en/sou-fujimoto-%C2%B7-serpentine-pavilion-intervention/

I enjoy the use of voids here to create the bulk of the structure. After looking up on this architect, I decided to search further into the history of the Serpentine Gallery and found a few interesting names which I will be talking about further on.

Kazuyo Sejima

https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/kazuyo-sejima-the-japanese-architect-who-won-over-the-world/

I have been to Japan several times and every time I visit, I am constantly in awe of their architecture. I feel that they are able to push the boundaries of modern architecture. When I laid my eyes on Kazuyo Sejima work, I could instantly recognize her style as I recall seeing a structure similar to her use of large circles in her architecture. I visited Kanazawa in Spring of 2016 and I visited the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. The structure of the museum is a large circle, accompanied by tall glass walls and very wide interiors which intrigued me, as the structure did not seem so large from the outside. Unfortunately I did not take many photos of the structure itself, more of the attraction which was the pool which you could go ‘underneath’ of. The structure also consists of these glass walkways which connected different segments of the building together. Needless to say, I am in awe of her work, so much so that it left such a lasting impression in my head.

 

Kuma Kengo – Chokkura Plaza

https://divisare.com/projects/327184-kengo-kuma-associates-alessio-guarino-chokkura-plaza

Yet another Japanese Architect? This may be one of the reasons why I find Japan so appealing! When I go back to Japan, I will make sure to pay more attention to their buildings and architects now that I have been exposed to several of these masters works. It is amazing how much they are influenced by their culture to create something so majestic.

Bjarke Ingels

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/serpentine-gallery-pavilion-2016-bjarke-ingels-summer-house-unveiled-a7069446.html

This is the architect which I found during my research on the Serpentine Pavillion. The Serpentine Pavillion is a museum which houses Modern and Contemporary Art. Most recently, I watched this documentary following a Swedish architect by the name of Bjarke Ingels. He was chosen to create the main display at the serpentine gallery in 2016 and his structure consisted of empty boxes which formed a covered walkway to the entrance of the Serpentine Gallery. The usage of such simple and somewhat rigid shape to create something with such motion and form really impressed me and left me in awe. The clever use of hollow rectangles enabled sunlight to pass through, giving the structure its vast interior look. He is known as one of the prodigy architects in Denmark as his architecture has reshaped the landscape of Denmark.

 

 

My Work, Pandora

Pandora’s Box 2, Journey towards submission

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In this lesson, I learned about different techniques for connecting blocks of different volumes. These techniques include wedging and piercing. These techniques enabled us to be more Creative with our objects and it also adds more depth and dimension to our models.

Wedging is the process of creating grooves to interlock 2 different objects.

Piercing is simply creating a hole through a larger object to insert a smaller one, ensuring that enough of the block is shown, relative to its thickness.

Cradling is the placement of an object inbetween 2 objects. Often, the SO. We have to forsee that the SO may be ‘eaten’ up by the other 2 blocks cradling it.

Another interesting principle we learned was the Gestalt Principle, where the sum of its whole is greater that its parts. This gives the illusion of the object being bigger that it actually is.

We were told to explore different materials for our assignment models. I updated my models to Ensure that the D, SD and SO are distinct and of different volumes. I explored the methods of wedging and piercing in my models as well.

I re-did all of my models, these are the results.

For object 1, I wanted to use a very large but thin base as the dominant as Cheryl (Our lecturer) pointed out that it is not always about the size, but more of the presence the object has. This changed my approach towards the model.

As you can see, the SD is placed a third into the D, utilizing the rule of thirds. I wanted the SO to be protruding further out from the D so that it would be visible from the bottom of the figure. However, this misdirects the viewer as they may assume that the SO would be the SD from the top view which is the second figure.

For my second model, i reused the SD (Blue block) from model one to form the D in model 2 as I wanted to have the theme of re-usability and interchangeability. As you can see, the for this model i followed closely to the rule of thirds which resulted in my object looking symmetrical. I had to make adjustments to the SO as it was confusing with the SD in a front view. This model looks somewhat similar to an army tank or an elephant, especially with the long nozzle.

 

I experimented with using large blocks in my third model as well to come up with a concept similar to model 1. Initially, i wanted to use the same D as I would for model 1 and 3, however i needed to pierce the piece of foam, which would look unsightly and ‘unfinished’ in model 3. For this model, I wedged the SD on top of the D and i created a small insertion on the SD to fit the SO snugly, all while following the rule of thirds.

Assignment 1, My Work, Research and Process

Class Assignment 1

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Ink. It is easy to overlook and take for granted this underwhelming object because of how common we see it in our daily lives. Few people know that ink is the world’s 8th most expensive form of liquid, more expensive than any type of alcohol or an exotic drink made from beans which have been expelled from an animal. Similar to ink, it is important for us to treasure experiences and victories in life, no matter how insignificant it may seem as it is the basis of happiness.

 

In my eyes, ink is the basis for creation. Great ideas are often formulated and penned down. It is quintessential for the form of expression. There are no bounds to the versatility of this object. From creatives to entrepreneurs and people alike, we can clearly see the importance of it. Have you ever caught yourself in a situation whereby you needed to take down a note or instruction but did not have a pen with you? This feeling of helplessness and worry of the potential inability to recall information can be daunting to say the least. Which is why I feel that we should better appreciate the things we have around us rather than only at times where we need it.

 

About a year ago, my lung collapsed on me while I was sleeping. Having never facing such an unknown pain, I did not think too much about it and continued onto my daily routine. It was only when I was having trouble walking upstairs due to my shortness of breath, did I realise something was wrong. I was admitted into the hospital for 5 days where there was pain in every breath I took, I was immobilised as there was a tube inserted into my lung cavity to drain the air (it is that scar you see near my armpit).  I would lose all sensation in my arms because I was barely able to move it. However, the uncertainty of my condition was the worst feeling. Not knowing when my lungs would collapse again, not knowing if my next breath could cause another recurrence. This was undoubtedly the lowest point in my life.

 

 

Idealization

Mind mapping and planning

I really wanted the ink to flow similar to how blood would.

Artist Reference

This tattoo artist was able to mimic the textures and look of flowing ink. The technique was pioneered by Amanda Wachob and it brings out another dimension in the beauty of tattoos, as traditional tattoos have definitive lines which form the image.  The viscosity of the tattoos has inspired me to create something from flowing ink.

http://www.amandawachob.com/work/

This photographer juxtaposes images of ink on canvas with human portraits to form something surreal and emotional. I feel that this photographer is able to evoke emotions through her work.

http://inspirationist.net/januz-miralles-photography/

 

 

Task 2

 

Haw Par Villa has always been a place of interest in my heart because it is one of the few places where an individual was able to truly express himself on a large scale. Haw Par Villa was founded by Two brothers who were the founders of Tiger balm. Together, they built this sanctuary with the intention of educating the public on traditional Chinese values. This place was more vibrant in the 90’s with puppet shows and acrobatic displays. However, the high prices discouraged people and soon the site had to stop these displays. It is unfortunate that such places with such rich history and potential for insight are slowly eroding away as fewer and fewer people are able to appreciate such works of art. It is one of the few remaining places in Singapore which is not overly sensationalised and still retains the allure which it had years back. The scale of such a project left me in awe and it was difficult for me to wrap my head around it. The theme park presents an immersive environment, one that envelopes you in its world. When walk you through the entrance, you would be greeted with the sights of towering statues representing different gods and important figures in the realm of Buddhism. These include, the Buddha of fortune, the God of knowledge and the Gate keeper of hell. The figures represented in the “Gates of hell” attraction left no detail untouched. Expressions of dismay and suffering were accurately represented as these figures were impaled with spiked hammers, thrown into lava, eaten alive by devils, the list goes on. The lighting played an important role in setting the tone of the scenes which gave a chiaroscuro effect, making it incredibly dramatic.

 

Even in our society now, it is difficult to express yourself freely without some form of negative sentiment or doubt.

Imagine how difficult it would have been for the founder to go ahead with such a bizarre  project of a theme park which also included segments of portraying the 10 levels of hell. Which I felt that it was admirable for these brothers to pursue such a project despite our conservative society, where death is often a taboo topic and not often discussed. I am also able to relate to this as I feel that generally in Singapore, I still find people who frown upon design courses or taking up the arts. These things are often regarded as a waste of time and never a substantial path to take. Therefore, I view this attraction as a reminder to continue following my passions as you would never know of the outcomes you would be able to achieve.


 

Above the 10 gates of hell, walking up a hill lies a tranquil place which overlooks Harbourfront. Traditional structures have been erected here surrounded by a body of water. This ascension represents life after suffering, after sinners have atoned for their sins. There are countless statues of Buddha scattered around this area along with statues of several Chinese emperors. I did not manage to get a full look around the park as it was pouring heavily.

 

Idealization

 

I wanted to find a place in Singapore where people seldom talk about. Almost like a forgotten memory. The place also had to represent something significant, not just another nice place to take portraits or street photography.

 

There were several places I considered, which include The Singapore National Gallery, as it is a place where I often go to get inspired with the ever-changing exhibitions they host. The architecture of the Gallery is mesmerising as the two buildings have been seamlessly merged into one. The National Gallery is also an important avenue for people to express themselves, with interactive galleries such as the Children Beinelle and the Yayoi Kusama exhibition.

 

 

 

Inspiration

I wanted to capture the feelings of nostalgia in my photographs as this is one of Singapore’s oldest themed parks. These photos taken by Alexander Lim evoke similar emotions to the feeling of longing and sentiment.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alexanderlim/with/28403431650/