Week 1: “Why you don’t like Art History!”

As mentioned in the video, there are many ways of looking at art history, according to John Berger. Art history becomes enjoyable, in my opinion, when you are able to see the bigger picture of a work of art — the time period, cultural influences and the factors involved at the time, etc. Studying art history is another way to see how mankind has evolved, and the many narratives merged within the art works over the course of the centuries inspire people of the present day.

Foundation 4D Final Project: The Library — Outcome

The Curious Mystery of Mr. Red Drum and the Best Intern

Artists: Calista Lee and Lydia Lui

Artists’ Statement
To draw people to not only the appearance of the interesting looking books of the ADM library but also the content of what is within these books, this interactive game will constitute the content of the various books to form a riddle, which will be the basis of the game.

Research and Proposal
Please refer to my first post and previous post.

Materials Prepared

Planning of Hints:

For the layout of our hints, we included:

  • Logo: The Curious Mystery of Mr. Red Drum and Bestern
  • Story Hint (provides context on murderer)
  • Name Hint (provides a letter or two letters to the murderer’s name)
  • Reference number for the next book


Books used (Reference no.)

1. Mapping it Out  (GA 108.7B13)

Pg 25: (clues to Bestern’s name, passport hint > Via the countries, leave those unvisited: First letter point to his name? Leave it vague? The dates of travel = the other pages to note)
E.g. Belgium : March 6th (Referring to: Page 36)

Pg 36: Call 92967488 (perhaps we do the paper imprint thing?)

Pg 37: first murderous intent (vaguely)

Pg 41: “Amnesia”, “Elusive character” → when bestern switches personalities, one side of him doesn’t remember the other

 

2. Less and More (TS 140. R36 L638)

Pg 293: Norm. filter low . radio; white and black dots: good and evil

 

3. Cult Fiction: Art and Comics (PN 6710 C968)

Pg 36: gist of the situation (Norm. (refer to second book) > Its a whole rant.

If you count the number of letters, it will lead to the page number. (36 letters: Page 36)
To read in between the meaning of the rant, and the underline NO. stands for number. Hint for page number.
‘Dear diary’ and ‘I am tired’ also mean to take what is in the pictorial rant as Bestern’s feelings.

 

4. OBEY (N6537. F316 B12B)

 

Pg 32: blatant jeer at the police (Think)
Pg 35: murderous intent and rebellion (Want)
Pg 50: Cult image
Pg 51: inspector
Pg 52: more police (right picture: bestern’s best intern image and personality)


(Creating a Calendar) 
E.g. 1. Apr 23 (Referring to Page 32) :
Write + In 1 Week & 2 Days more days (+ 9 more to 23 = Page 32) What do I think?

E.g. 2. Apr 30 (Referring to Page 35)
Write: + 5 more days (30+5= Page 35) What do I want?


pg 32: (Think: Thoughts) > What do I think > Bestern’s thoughts about the academy
pg 35: (Want: Aspire) > What do I want? > His goals
50: (Look: Appearance) > How do I look? > Deceiving appearnce
pg 51: (Remember: Past) > What do I remember? > Thinking of dead father
pg 52: (Strive? Questioning) > Who am I? > One represents his personality, other presents his image

 

5. AB OVO (N6494. M78 A115)

Pg 10-11: Clues to Bestern’s Name

SWONK NRETSEB (Mirrored) = BESTERN KNOWS

Missing sequential letters and numbers for decoding the message.
Once pieced, they would be able to attach and fit the numbers and letters to crack the code.
Either that, or they can just blindly locate the files.

 

6. Mommy? (PZ 7.S47 N733)

Pg with lots of trashy skeletons:

  • Bestern’s hidden motives
  • Bestern just wanted to please his mother
  • Bipolar: inner demons

 

A Chalk Outline of the body was also prepared for the murder scene (forgot to take a picture).

Case Briefing Slides found here.

Interview videos (eye witnesses, relations)

Special thanks to our actors:
Student 1: Zerline Jade
Student 2: Jaime Goh
Librarian 1: Jessabel Teng
Librarian 2: Abdul Qayyum
Classmate 1: Yulin Chin
Classmate 2: Justinne Casuga

 

Final Outcome

Story Synopsis
(This is a story of fiction.)

Bestern is the best police intern in the NTU Police Academy (NTUPA), despite being only a first year student of the Detective Sector in the NTUPA. Despite his outer appearance as the best intern, he has a dark side to him — his other self. In other words, he has a multi-personality disorder.

Bestern’s other self is full of secrets: He hates the NTUPA and how his mother forced him to enter the NTUPA just to avenge his father who was killed on campus.

Why did Bestern kill Susan Lim Wan Die?

Susan is known to be the most popular student on NTUPA campus, and makes friends even with the most eccentric students. Bestern thought he was good friends with Susan… until the day his other self came on and scared the heck out of Susan.

Susan, being an avid gossiper, told his group of popular people about Bestern’s dark side. Overwhelmed by the amount of gossip and rumors about him, Bestern’s other side gets heavily affected. His hate for the NTUPA and the people surrounding him intensifies, which led him to he killing Susan on 17/4/2017 while he was at the ADM Library bookshelves at 8:30PM.

Bestern’s twisted, dark self meticulously prepared for Susan’s murder– out of pure hatred, he crafted clues to play with the police’s minds and tests their ability to snuff out culprits. Basing his facts that the police is useless and will be unable to catch him just like how they were unable to catch the culprit who killed his father, he happily switches his personality to the good side of Bestern. (Bestern is unable to remember the thoughts and actions of what happened to both sides of him).

6 NTUPA Detective sector students were shortlisted to be detectives of this curious mystery led by Chief Police Investigator Mr. Red Drum and Assistant Police Investigator Bestern (whose good self was tasked with helping Red Drum to lead the case).

At the end of the investigation and when the detectives have gathered sufficient evidence to accuse Bestern of his crime, Bestern switches to his dark side. He pulls out the knife he used to stab Susan 6 times and ultimately killing him, he charges at the detectives, ready to swing his knife at anyone he sees.

Bang.

Mr. Red Drum shoots Bestern with his gun. As Bestern falls to the ground, Mr. Red Drum tells him the truth — he was as useless as his father.

The culprit who killed Bestern’s father 10 years ago is Red Drum.

(NOTE: if you spell Red Drum’s name backwards, it becomes MURD-DER ; Calista’s creation!!)

 

Foundation 4D Project: Sound Installations

Sounds of the Toilet

Artists: Calista Lee, Claudia Tan, Lydia Lui, Sammi Neo, Vanessa Ang

Artists’ Statement
Toilets are a shared space amongst people from all walks of life; and within these space are more often than not, unspoken rules for people to follow. Flush the toilet after using, use only what you must. ‘Toilets: Our Shared Space’ explores the nature of getting people together, and with a set of simple but open instructions, to create a piece of music together; and enjoy the symphony of the space as itself.

Research and Preliminary Ideas
Refer to Calista’s post here and my previous post here.

Final Outcome

 

Foundation 3D: All Works and Assignments

Assignment 1: A Gift

My client was Cassandra, and based on the following factors and traits (found in the link to my presentation slides here) , I made the finished product – the Caged Penguin.

Materials used:
– cotton
– felt
– metal wires
– scarf from daiso

The Caged Penguin

Penguins are cute creatures. They enjoy being together, and are very sociable animals. They keep their children in a creche, which consists of a group of young penguins, all taken care of by numerous adults. But they do have a dark side to them — due to the high levels of Parenting Hormones in their bodies, they have a huge tendency to abandon their child and adopt one that has been abandoned by another. There is also another fact in which the parents take turns to take of their child; each “shift” consists of starving for 22 days, being at their child’s side at all times. However, if their partner does not make it back in time after the 22 days are up, the child is then abandoned by the parent who goes off in search of food.

Taking into account Cassandra’s personality traits — sociable, outgoing and a lively person, her liking a penguin definitely suits her. I feel that this project, no matter how dark, serves as a reminder to always be happy and keep doing whatever that brings joy to her life.

Assignment 2: Identity

I was given the topic on identity. I was inspired by the thumbprint on my IC, and also felt the urge to blow something up…. but I settled with dissolving something.

Materials used:
Tub
Black Strings

Recipe for Bath Bombs:
– 1 cup baking powder
– 1/2 cup citric acid
– 1/2 espom salts (substituted with table salt)
– 4 drops of food dye (colors used for mixing: cherry red, lemon yellow and blueberry blue)
– 3 tablespoons olive oil (also used canola oil)
– 1 tablespoon water

 

Identity

This performance art aims to pose a challenge to the viewers and the norm of the general public: what exactly is identity? Isn’t what you like, which gender you associate with, your personality just self-image?

The art brings up the topic of identity being something you cannot change of a human; the place where they were born, the imprints of their thumbprints, their gender they were born with– all these cannot be changed, and thus are part of your identity.

The art consists of different colored bath bombs, with a black string embedded in them, arranged in a cropped visualization of a thumbprint. The different colors represent the different traits, principles and objects that humans associate themselves with. In the bath bombs, the black string mimicks the idea of DNA strands. Once water is added to the tub, everything dissolves except for the black strings, which is the real definition of identity. Everything else gets mixed to become a dirty brown.

Assignment 3: CDL Competition Zero Waste

Please refer to the competition brief about this project.

Materials used:
Aluminum foil
Wood branches
Colored paper (green, orange)
Metal wires
Wood board

The Pillars of Progress

This sculpture acknowledges the fact that singapore, as a young, growing nation, cannot progress without producing waste. This sculpture as a whole represents Singapore fighting against the downward spiral of producing more and more waste.

The height of the pillars mimicks the tall skyscrapers of singapore, and the three pillars represent the foundations of SSA, on the 3P (people, public and private).

As the SSA aims to promote a low carbon economy and (vision), wood is used for the straight part of the pillars, and the spirals will be made out of steel. A small thin piece of steel will hold the pillar straight upwards, and connect the spirals to the wooden part of the pillar. The plant used here is the bauhinia kockiana, which is a sturdy creeper plant. The plant brings both wooden and steel parts together, accentuating that the nation will strive
towards progress with the use of green ways. Over time the plant will grow and flourish, forming a nice green canopy (Singapore’s progress).

(did not submit for competition, too tired)

4D Final Project: The Library (Updated Ideas)

The Curious Mystery of Mr. Red Drum and The Best Intern

Team Members: Lydia, Calista

Project Focus:
Peculiar books of the ADM Library

Game Synopsis:
A body was found in the black space of the ADM Library on 17 April 2017, 9:03PM. The Police Academy NTU has been lacking manpower due to unforeseen circumstances, and hence seeks curious detectives to investigate the crime scene.

A crucial piece of evidence has been extracted from the esophagus of the victim’s body, which leads to a various of hints found throughout the bookshelves.

Actors/ Roles:
1. Chief Police Officer – Mr. Red Drum
2. Assistant Investigator (Currently a Police Academy Intern) – Bestern
3. Victim (student of Academy Police Academy) – Susan Lim
4. 6 Eyewitnesses/Relations (Interviews)
5. 6 Commissioned Detectives – 1 Boss, 1 Scribe, 4 Lackeys

How the Game Works:

Approx. Time Taken:
– Mission Briefing: 10-15 minutes
– Investigation: 20 minutes
.:. Total Time: 35 minutes max.
I. Mission Briefing
– takes place within the FDN 4D II Classroom
– commission task and briefing to be carried out
– autopsy report handed to Detectives
– Eyewitness/Relations Interviews to be revealed to Detectives

II. Investigation Beginning
– Chalk Outline at the ADM Library’s black space
– first piece of evidence (extracted from victim’s esophagus) to be handed to the Boss Detective
– (tentative ?) hint provided to proceed on to the first piece of evidence left behind by the culprit

III. Investigation Progress
– Detectives to search for the evidences deliberately left behind by the culprit
– Scribe is to take down clues and Detectives are to uncover the mystery
– (this story section will be a linear one, so that the game will be easily maintained and upheld; players will not stray too far off from the story)

IV. Investigation Conclusion
– Detectives, if possible, are to present evidences as proofs if they are to pinpoint the culprit
– if they are unable to find out, Police Academy will prompt them to take a guess, and the answers will be found on OSS

Game Notes and Materials:
1. Commission Briefing Slides
2. Eyewitness/Relations Accounts video footage
3. Autopsy report
4. Tape (for pseudo chalk outline)
5. 7 Evidences (1 esophagus, 6 bookmarks found within books)
6. Foolscap/Notebook + Pen: to be given to Scribe

4D Project Proposal — The Library

Group members: Calista, Lydia

Ideas:

  1. Interactive game 
    Focus: Peculiar looking books found in the ADM library

    Idea: To draw people to not only the appearance of the interesting looking books of the ADM library but also the content of what is within these books, this interactive game will constitute the content of the various books to form a riddle, which will be the basis of the game.

    The game will be centered around a murder mystery, tasking the audience with the roles of detectives. The black, empty space sandwiched in between the printing area and the study area will be the starting point of the game. (Where the victim’s body is found). There will be clues left behind, guiding the audience through a linear story. Bright colored ribbons will help to bookmark the pages of the peculiar books, and notes will be placed inside these books (hints) to guide the audience to the next book.

    The interactive installation will come to a close when all the hints have been collected, and when the audience has solved the riddle/mystery.

  2. Filtering light
    Focus: What makes the beanbag area such a cosy place to sleep in?

    Idea: After interviewing a few friends regarding the library, we found out that the beanbag area is a nice place to take a nap, mainly because of the dim lighting of the area and not to mention, the comfortable beanbags. This idea will serve to make the beanbag area even more inviting by pasting colored translucent plastics on the windows to have it filter light. The light that is filtered through will then form a shadow on the floor, like light filtering through the canopy of trees.

  3. Optical Illusion
    Focus: The black, empty space between the printing area and the study area

    Idea: The empty space goes unnoticed because of how the walls and the carpeting is black. To draw people into the area and discover the fact that the area is in fact isolated, we will place an optical illusion installation in the space to draw people into the area.

 

Artist Inspirations:

  1. Teresita Fernandez, Fata Morgana

    “In nature, a Fata Morgana is a horizontal mirage that forms across the horizon line. Alluding to this phenomenon, Fernández’s project introduces a shimmering horizontal element to the Park that will engage visitors in a dynamic experience. The installation is a mirror-polished, golden metal sculpture that will hover above the Park’s winding walkways to define a luminous experiential passage for Park visitors. The metal forms, perforated with intricate patterns reminiscent of foliage, will create abstract flickering effects as sunlight filters through the canopy, casting a golden glow across the expanse of the work, paths, and passersby.  The project is Mad. Sq. Art’s first to fully utilize the upper register of a visitor’s space.”

    link: https://www.madisonsquarepark.org/view-do/calendar/mad-sq-art-teresita-fernandez

  2. Damien Gilley, Fortress

    “Portland-based multi-disciplinary artist Damien Gilley creates immense depth on flat surfaces and walls using only colored strips of tape and contact paper. His designs are meticulously measured and calculated considering the unique proportions and dimensions of each space where he constructs his art. The geometry of his work makes flat surfaces appear to have immense depth and space.

    link: http://www.damiengilley.com/Fortress

Introduction to the Histories of Art II Research Paper Proposal

Proposal

  1. Compare landscape painting by Guo Xi’s with woodblock print of Mt. Fuji by Hokusai. Consider the following in your discussion: patrons, producers, materials, production, function and meanings.

 

Two objects:

– Early Spring, Old Trees, Level Distance (hand scrolls)

– Fugaku Sanju-Rokkei (Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji)
e.g. The Great Wave off Kanagawa

 

Introduction:

General Claim:
Both Hokusai and Guo Xi captured the essence of the landscapes they saw (? Not sure yet)

Stand:
Clear differences in influences, mediums, style/technique and context of landscape painting

Hokusai:

Edo Period Artist
Background: Katsukawa school, cutter of woodblocks, Tawaraya Sori School, Kano and Tosa Schools (Chinese-style painting + native Japanese yamato-e)
Influenced by Chinese, Western and Dutch styles of art

Guo Xi:

Chinese landscape painter from Henan Province
Northern Song Dynasty
Court Professional, a literatus, well-educated painter

 

Tentative claim:

-There are more differences between the landscape paintings by Guo Xi and Mt. Fuji by Hokusai (?)

 

Essay Plan:

  1. Introduction 
  2. Differences between Guo Xi and Hokusai’s use of techniques and approach to landscape painting

Hokusai:
Kumogata Clouds,
foreign influences,
use of color and pigment,
interpretation of a picture (context),
deep pictorial space, removed and high viewpoint (yamato-e)
enhance 3D via placing one foot in front of the other.

Guo Xi:
rooted in tradition (academic scholar) – studies the trees, nature etc.,
use of tonal varieties of ink,
brush strokes: thin beginning and end, broad centers,
landscape art not bound by nameable place,
approach towards space and spatial recession- through motifs

  1. Similarities between Guo Xi and Hokusai’s approach to landscape painting– yamato-e’s Chinese characteristics (rhythmic repetition)
    – deep pictorial space
    – execution based on fundamental knowledge of perception of space and depth
    (academic backgrounds, studies from schools (Hokusai)
  1. There is a distinction between Hokusai’s woodblock prints and Guo Xi’s handscroll landscape art
  1. Conclusion

 

Tentative Bibliography:

Hokusai

Bouquillard, Jocelyn. Hokusai’s Mount Fuji. New York: Abrams, 2007.

Bell, David. Hokusai’s Project: The Articulation of Pictorial Space. England: Global Oriental, 2007.

White, Julia, Mochinaga Brandon, Reiko and Woodson, Yoko. Hokusai and Hiroshige: Great Japanese Prints from the James a Michener Collection, Honolulu Academy of Arts. Seattle, Washington: University of Washington Press, 1999.

Mayor, A. Hyatt and Betchaku, Yasuko. “Hokusai.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin New Series Vol. 43, No. 1 (1985): 1-2+4-48. Accessed March 3, 2016. http://www.jstor.org.ezlibproxy1.ntu.edu.sg/stable/pdf/3263896.pdf

E. Guth, Christine. Hokusai’s Great Wave: Biography of a Global Icon. Honolulu, Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press, 2015. http://www.jstor.org.ezlibproxy1.ntu.edu.sg/tc/verify?origin=%2Fstable%2Fpdf%2Fj.ctt13x1kh0.6.pdf

E. Guth, Christine. “Hokusai’s Great Waves in Nineteeth-Century Japanese Visual Culture.” The Art Bulletin Vol. 93, No. 4 (2011): 468-485. Accessed 3 March 2016. http://www.jstor.org.ezlibproxy1.ntu.edu.sg/tc/verify?origin=%2Fstable%2Fpdf%2F23208270.pdf

 

Guo Xi

Vanderstappen, Harrie. The Landscape Painting of China: Musings of a Journeyman. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2014.

Foong, Ping. “Guo Xi’s Intimate Landscapes and the Case of “Old Trees, Level Distance” Metropolitan Museum Journal Vol. 35 (2000):            87-115. Accessed March 3, 2016. http://www.jstor.org.ezlibproxy1.ntu.edu.sg/stable/pdf/1513027.pdf

Jang, Scarlett. “Realm of the Immortals: Paintings Decorating the Jade Hall of the Northern Song.” Ars Orientalis Vol. 22 (1992): 81-96. Accessed March 3, 2016. http://www.jstor.org.ezlibproxy1.ntu.edu.sg/stable/pdf/4629426.pdf

Lawton, Mary. “Guo Xi [Kuo His; zi Shunfu]” Oxford Art Online. January 30, 2002. http://www.oxfordartonline.com.ezlibproxy1.ntu.edu.sg/subscriber/article/grove/art/T035701?type=biography&type=article&search=quick&q=Guo+Xi&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit

 

Preliminary Ideas – 4D Sound Project

INSPIRATIONS

INNER OUT by Nicola Giannini

Inner Out is a surround concert for ice and Live Electronics. The piece focuses on the micro-sounds created by melting ice. The idea is to amplify  sounds that normally are not audible. Inner Out is inspired by macro photography that can provide, for example, the ability to closely observe the veins of a leaf.”

— Nicola Giannini

 

SOUND X SOUND by Niels Lyhne Løkkegaard

“By multiplying instruments again and again he makes the sound transcend itself and become a pure new sound. The sound of the individual instrument dissolves and reappears as untouched unheard sound.

His interest in multiplying sound, has lead to the SOUND X SOUND series, which is a series of works where each piece is an exploration of one single instrument that is multiplied.”

–Niels Lyhne Løkkegaard

 

CLINAMEN by Céleste Boursier-Mougenot

“The title of clinamen, 2013, by French artist and composer Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, refers to the curve and swerve of celestial configurations; to the arc of the sun and the unpredictable motion of atoms moving through and colliding in space. This aquatic, acoustic installation set within the forecourt of the National Gallery of Victoria fills the space with colour and sound and creates an uncertain and changing form of chamber music, whose aleatory form is echoed aurally and pictorially.”

–National Gallery of Victoria

 

Our group is very inspired by these sound art installations. INNER OUT is a piece which involves amplifying the normally inaudible sound of melting ice, and it is centered on the object in its natural state. On the other hand, SOUND X SOUND involves the use of conducting/orchestrating a number of the same instrument to create a unified sound. Clinamen uses the natural collision of porcelain on water to create a variety of tempos and rhythms.

In the same way, we want to center our project around the natural sounds of the object(s) or space that we choose to focus on, and conduct an ensemble using these sounds.


IDEA PROPOSALS

 

  1. The toilets
  2. The beeping sounds of an open ADM door
  3. The clanking sounds of coins in people’s pockets

PRIMARY IDEA – Toilets: Our Shared Space
General Concept:

Toilets are a shared space amongst people from all walks of life; and within these space are more often than not, unspoken rules for people to follow. Flush the toilet after using, use only what you must. ‘Toilets: Our Shared Space’ explores the nature of getting people together, and with a set of simple but open instructions, to create a piece of music together; and enjoy the symphony of the space as itself.

Time taken: 5 to 20 mins (Varying and dependant on response)

Execution:
– People will be led individually into the toilet with little to no idea of how the project is to be or about to witness the pure sense of interaction with people and the toilet as an environment, done by via a guide. The guide will not elaborate much on what to do and allow the participant some time to explore and find out.

– Strips of paper with instructions will be pasted at certain areas and corners of the toilet as ‘designated’ instruments. The instructions will be simple as “Knock against the door, 4 times in quick succession. Try to create a matching tempo/ harmony with the people around you.”

[The notion of not specifically being there to conduct the piece, and letting the people inside decide how fast is ‘fast’ in the instructions to them; and to see if people brought together are as cooperative and are able to work the piece out together.]

– The last person (without knowing) will be designated as the conductor, and given the chance to conduct the sounds as they are. They will also be given the choice to switch should another be willing to volunteer and take their place; to observe human interaction and see if a work is possible to work out on the fly. The recorders inside will persist and record as each sound continues to layer on one upon another as the symphony/ cacophony come to life.

Some sound possibilities:
– Basin (Faucet being turned on)
– Toilet bowl flushing
– Door banging
– Voices
– Hand dryer
– Foot stomping

1) Truth or lie?
Concept: A single person is led into the cubicle, where they are to sit there with doors closed for a while, whilst the group would have different scenarios. A post-it note will be pasted onto the back of the cubicle door, instructing people to tug on the roll of toilet paper once only when they hear voices outside. Listening, and eavesdropping as an innate curiosity in us that demands to be satisfied.

As the person tugs upon the toilet paper, facts would either juxtapose or match the words to the conversation heard outside. For instance, person X would be complaining to person Y outside about person Z; where the toilet paper would reveal that person X are spewing lies. It would test the human ability to discern truth and lies from just the voice; and that if we are able to tell so without looking at a person physically for cues.

2) Object of Scrutiny
Concept: People inherently, no matter how little or how badly, judge a person; and somehow it happens quite often when people are found to be alone and avoiding eye contact in the toilet. The said person would be led to the toilet and wait in the cubicles as group members walk in naturally. Then they either begin to praise or complain about the person inside the cubicle loudly; where the person inside can decide then when he or she would like to leave the cubicle.

Upon leaving, however, all praises or complains would cease completely. Everyone would go about their own business (wash hands, go into the cubicle or even tie shoelaces), as though the session never happened.

3) What will you do?
Concept: Inside the cubicle that the person is led to and told to await for the scene to start, they would hear urgent muttering of missing objects of great value or information that is hidden inside the very cubicle they are in. The scene outside would continue for a while as the person inside the cubicle would decide if he or she would take any course of action or await for the people involved in the scene to go away.

4) Rules of the Trade
Upon entering the toilet; and upon stepping on certain tiles from the selected individual, the group would scream or exclaim in different languages. The individual would not be able to know which tiles not to step save from a series of trial and error, where they will be navigated to the cubicle. Yet upon reopening the door, the set of ‘rules’ and tiles that cannot be stepped on changes as the languages themselves change.

It symbolises the idea of how regardless of a shared, common space; there are different rules to different cultures and settings.


ROLES

Group role: find out the possible sounds that can be made in the toilet, set beats and timing for different parts (based on proposal 1)

Calista: Record “symphony” on presentation day + OSS research and update items

Claudia: Guide people to designated areas and record “symphony” on presentation day

Sammi: Typeset instructions and print for presentation day

Lydia: Introduction of project on presentation day + OSS research and update items

Vanessa: Specific instructions for music scores

 

4D Project 1 Singapore Story

RESEARCH

I remembered that my mother would always tell me about her childhood whenever we visited Balestier Road, so I thought it would be great if I could find out a bit more about it for this project.

I went online to find out more about Balestier, and I found that the government has been preserving the area as a heritage site. There are Balestier Heritage Trail sign posts around the area and also an online brochure and website for people to take a look.

On one sunny Sunday, my father drove my mother and I to Boon Teck Rd, which is one of Balestier’s side roads.

Took a bunch of pictures while we explored the area:

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img_0304

As we walked, I would point out things I found interesting to my mother and ask if she remembered anything significant about it. Most of the landmarks, like Balestier Market, were pointed out by my mother. We walked around the main road after visiting Boon Teck Rd, then made our way to Whampoa Drive as well.

More pictures!

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img_0344

img_0369

img_0371

img_0390

img_0396

COMPILATION

I wanted to let people experience the memories of what my mother and I saw in Balestier, and as memories do not have an end to them, I wanted to do something in which people could see what we saw indefinitely. I thought that gifs would be a great aspect of media that I could explore, which then let me to thinking that I could make gifs from the still shots that I took from the area. Since I took pictures as well, I thought it would be great to compile all of these “memories” into a webpage.

It has been a while since I used Weebly, and it seems even more advanced now (the lack of coding makes everything much easier to work with).

The only regret I have with using Weebly for this project is the fact that I’d have to pay to upgrade my account to insert background sound (which would help with bringing people more engaged in the project).

My project’s final artwork can be found on this website:

http://memoriesofbalestier.weebly.com/

Review Post: New and emerging form of art

The following two art pieces from Waterloo centre caught my attention.


file-1-2-17-1-43-40-pm

Artist: Fajrina Razak

Title: Jalan Nan Juah (Far Distant), 2017

Medium: Batik painting on cotton, bamboo poles

“This artwork comprises 9 sets of contemporary batik paintings infused with tradition textile motifs. The imagery is inspired by Banyumas, a regency in Central Java, where the artist’s ancestors originate. The artist invites viewers to pass in between the paintings, creating a short journey through the work, and by extension, through the artist’s identity.”

Review

When I first caught a glimpse of this work, it reminded me of my childhood — I went on a family to Melaka when I was around 7 years old, and the hotel we were staying in had a batik painting session. It also reminded me of how my family used to wear batik printed pajamas many years ago.

I felt that the artist made great use of the windy and rustic environment to give their art piece its traditional mood. From the text, the main topic of interest is the artist’s identity, and I felt that the work greatly represented this idea and traced her traditional roots. The way the batik paintings were done on a thin piece of cotton and the vibrant colors used were able to express the traditional Javanese culture effectively.

However, I feel that the motivations in this piece will only be able to get across a few people, ultimately only those who have experienced a part of Javanese culture before. In my case, the text related to my initial impression of the piece – cultural identity. If it were to be shown to other people who have not experienced a part of Javanese culture before, it would be great if the artist could, keeping the environment in mind, present more artifacts or items of the Banyumas to further accentuate the idea of the artist’s identity in this art piece.


 

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Artist: Chan Jia Yu

Title: So Far Yet So Near, 2017

Medium: Plastic bags

“This work explores the idea of temporality, stemming from the artist’s interest in how quickly plastic bags transform from an essential into trash. The installation focuses on the lightness and translucency of the plastic bag, and the natural elements of wind and light can alter our experience of this common object.”

Review

Walking into the space where the art piece was installed, I first thought that the rows of white were clay, but after squatting down to get a closer look, I realized that they were actually rows of plastic bags, cut out into squares and put together. This art piece first encourages you to examine the installment more closely, then engages you to think of the possible motivations of the artist.

However, I feel that there is not much of an emotional response, other than curiosity. I also feel that the art piece was rather vague in terms of its meaning, and I could not discern what exactly the artist’s motivations were. Why cut the plastic bags into square pieces?  Why were the plastic squares placed together in such a fashion? Was it because of  the way plastic bags are sold in bulk? The text does not fully explain the arrangement and fashion of the medium, which frustrates me a lot.

I personally feel that the way the plastic bags were placed did not help with the idea of focusing “on the lightness and translucency of the plastic bag”, as they were packed too densely together and the wind could not affect them much. The artist could perhaps improve on this by hanging the plastic bags from the ceiling or pipes instead to emphasize the lightness and translucency of the plastic bags. The plastic bags could also be shredded or be torn in some ways to express the idea of the speed of them turning into trash.