Tag: Photography

Testshoot and concept

February 10, 2017 / Zhang Longfei / 0 Comments

THE THING

Having done some test shoot, I finally decided I will go for creating illusional creature with milk and paint.

It is been experimented by others for a lot of time that if you put paint and dish soup together into milk, it will create amazing effect.

The oil will create bubbles that will constrain paint into a sphere.

Test in post production

By mirroring 4 footages, it creates a nice patterns but lesser creature.

By only flipping once and feathering the edges, the visual becomes more lively and organic.

By twisting its hue, it gives more Alien-like look

Concept

It describes a birth of “The Thing” abstractly from nothing to complexity, and finally to nothing again, which indicates the nature of life.

Moodboard

Project 3 Zine

April 20, 2016 / Zhang Longfei / 0 Comments

Concept

The intention of Zine project is to seek my own identity through the essence of Chinese culture – Food. We have developed a complicated custom, which is deeply based on food and determines our social behavior. It also rooted people to the soil they live on, as it is capable to produce abundant food. Especially during Chinese New Year, the reunion dinner calls every Chinese to return home and celebrate a brand new year with plentiful food.

To make the layout more interesting, I introduced elements like lines, and shapes. It also balances with and unifies the photographs and text. And all the elements are offset for the reason of dynamic composition.

FINAL LAYOUT

Back & Cover

IFC & PG 1

PG 2 & PG 3

PG 4 & IBC

A2 back poster

PROCESS

Initial development

Brain Storming

Initial Layout sketches on paper

Mock-up tryout

Tryouts of different layouts on mock-ups

Full spread of A4 mock up

Test Print

Test Print on black&white

Test print on color

Final mock-up with color

Color and Mateial Testing

Color testing on different scales and materials

Takeaway

In this project, I have learned a new software InDesign for the first time. I also had a chance to try different ways of creating a booklet, which is an enjoyable experience. What’s more, I’m quite interested in playing with images and typography to make a lively and dynamic composition.

Walking Home 1

April 11, 2016 / Zhang Longfei / 0 Comments

Task 1

A THOUSAND MILES AWAY

2016

Prints on paper

A thousand miles away is a series of 8 printed images, which depicts the concept of home to the artist. As a foreigner living in Singapore, the physical home is rather obscure and intangible. It can be represented as a suitcase which is always on the way. Spiritually, home can be established on the relationship, such as family and friends, and the taste of authentic hometown food. Fellows from the same country speak the same language, share the same jokes and have similar taste. And Food culture has been deeply rooted in Asia. It is popularly said that “民以食为天” which simply means foods are the most important to people.

Project 3: The Library

April 11, 2016 / Zhang Longfei / 0 Comments

Timeless

2016

3 framed videos

13 x 18 cm (each)

Timeless photo frames are installed on 3 tables of a corner at ADM library. The videos show ordinary phenomena that Singapore residence experience every day, but inexplicably, are partially static and motional and this comparison portrays the time with a surreal and infinite atmosphere.

Furthermore, time seems to be unnoticeable and faster in library relatively, as students concentrate on their work with so much effort, event without noticing time change outside. The artist is eager to juxtapose Singapore life with the idea of timelessness, as life in Singapore cycles forever in summer and we seldom experience natural phenomenon change. Inspired by Zen(襌), The work captured mundane scenes to express the idea of infinity and relativeness of time, to offer the library users to clear their thoughts and to take time off their work at the library.

Installation

3 Installations

Different loops

Documentation

Alignment and Measurement

Holes for earphone’s cable

Mark making for phone’s placement

Research: ADM Library I

March 21, 2016 / Zhang Longfei / 0 Comments

Researching the site – ADM Library

ADM Library is specially designed to reflect the creative and artistic nature of its environment. It houses a growing collection of resources in the visual arts, architecture, drawing, design, illustration, painting and photography and a strong collection of AV materials. It contains a cinema room, individual A/V viewing carrels, a flexible seating spaces, printing area, writable black glass wall as well as book section.

Stairs to the cinema

Mainly ADM students visit ADM Library for reading books and magazines, doing assignments, relaxing and printing services.

Normally, most of students will sit at white table area. They can read or use their own laptops there. Seldom people really interact with others, rather doing their own work.

And I also noticed only few people would use A/V viewing carrels. Maybe the place is not comfortable, like a computer lab, compared to Hive’s library. However, people likes to sleep in the library also in the corner. Because library is a quiet and comfortable place, students like to spend whole day there.

Interestingly, there are a few of very large glasses and empty spaces which I could experiment with.

Developing Idea

Initial impression

ADM Library is well equipped with lots research resources and convenient for studying. Sometimes we focus on a project attentively without even knowing a few hours already has past, as if time in library is faster than outside. It inspired me to do a installation about time to let audience experience the idea of time change in library. the focus could be on faster time or timeless experience.

I did some research on history of timekeeping device. It is quite interesting that how ancient people used water and candle to calculate time. And timekeeping devices changed our world where all human activities refer to it.

My initial idea is to build several water timer devices, ranging from 15mins to 1 hour. People can grab any of them for testing and timing their study time.

Another idea struck me in the process is people like to sleeping in ADM Library. I wanted to draw attention on and amplify this issue. Mainly because students don’t get enough sleep or stress out from the school works. So plan A is to lay a few sleeping bags on the big empty area’s floor and put assignment papers or coffee cups and so forth around them. Plan B is to put a figure in only cloth form on a chair. In front of him is a laptop and all rubbishes he consumes.

TYPOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT PROBLEM FINAL

February 20, 2016 / Zhang Longfei / 0 Comments

Final Presented works

01 Concept

As a street photographer, I alway like to take a walk on the street and observe interesting scenes. Every one has an unique way of recognising things. An ‘L’ I composed from a building may not be legible to another person. And the most intriguing aspect of the street is the situation is never predictable. For instance, in the letters ‘L’ and ‘E’, a bird and a person emerged simultaneously when I pressed the shutter.

Process

Different compositions and bringing up contrast with black background.

02 Concept

Inspired by the low-shutter speed photography, where the light becomes traceable, I was using a light source as a brush to write my name in Chinese. The line of lights have various widths and weights, depict the essence of Chinese script Calligraphy, which ables to finish one character within one stroke.

Reference

Chinese script calligraphy

Slow shutter photography

Process

Chinese calligraphy requires the character to be squarish and structurally balanced.

03 Concept

The intention is to seek the essence of Chinese culture – Food. We Chinese have developed a complicated system and rules about how to eat and what to eat. And even daily greeting also involves ‘food’, like greeting people with ‘have you eaten already?’.

Reference

Process

I have chosen some iconic Chinese food, such as dumplings, bao, youtiao, sesame and century egg, to form strokes and shapes. And red chili represent my own taste as well as Sichuan food.

04 Concept

Living under censorship means only positive information about government is accessible to the public. And media, in China, becomes its mouth and agent, filtering, amending and twisting what is supposed to be right and true. Using newspaper collage indicates the process of how China media works.

Reference

I was inspired by Zhang Dali’s works, showing how China newspaper officials ‘photoshop’ some famous photos back to the 1950s and1960s.

Process

Different choices of font type

Walking Home 2

February 2, 2016 / Zhang Longfei / 0 Comments

Task 2

A THOUSAND MILES AWAY

2016

Video

A thousand miles away is a photo essay, in which the artist represents us with a collection of photographs implying the intimacy of home. With ambient sounds playing, audience are led to experience different feelings about home with artist together. As a foreigner living in Singapore, the physical home is rather obscure and intangible. It can be represented as a suitcase which is always on the way. Spiritually, home can be established on the relationship, such as family and friends, and the taste of authentic hometown food.

Brief discussion

As playing a very important part in story-telling, still images sequence provides us a whole framework of the story and allows audience to observe every image in detail, whereas in moving image, audience have to follow the timeline of the video. However, still images may also make audience confused. Because it will either give too many clues or little hint that could lead to varies of directions. Under some context, because of culture or background difference, sometimes visual is not enough to bring up or recall some emotion. It needs motion or audio to support the visual content. For instance, in my work, I’m using ambient sound as a second narrative form to bridge the cultural gap as well as add a hearing dimension to my work. If you have never heard of how Sichuan dialect sounds or been to a China restaurant, you will experience it when video plays at related images.

SAM visit

January 26, 2016 / Zhang Longfei / 1 Comment

Calendars (2020-2096)

Brief Description

“Calendars” is done during 2004 to 2010 and contains 1001 offset prints with matte lamination. Each print is 30cm x 30cm and represents a page of calendar with a photograph. All pages spread out according to the year and date on 3 walls.

Artist: Heman Chong

Heman Chong (b. 1977, Muar) is an artist, curator, and writer. he lives and works in Singapore.

Preliminary Read

The first impression of “Calendar” is I was overwhelmed by a massive and huge calendar with many details. When looking closer, I noticed the date and year of each calendar set to future time and there’s no human involved in any photo. Therefore, I thought the artist was raising a question on how environment been affected by human population through time being and empty space. But why it sets in the near future 2020 to 2096 confused me.

Secondary Read

As I read the description, my initial impression is somehow related to Heman’s work. The project is experimenting with body of time, space and people. The brusque year let us step outside the current circumstance to get a better insight of our common dense spaces and how it influenced and change our identity. As the description says, the exhibition itself has been recognised as another public space, which becomes another view of others.

It’d be interesting if every photo has a location tag. So the contrast of uncanny atmosphere will be more amplified.

Endings

No Endings

Brief Description

“Endings” & “No Endings” were done by Ringo Bunoan in 2013. “Endings” consists of variable size of framed book ending pages, whereas “No endings” is a book installation, which showcases several books are stacked from the floor to the ceiling, leaning against the wall.

Artist: Ringo Bunoan

Ringo Bunoan (b. 1974, Manila) is an artist, curator, writer and researcher. She lives and works in Manila, Philippines.

Preliminary Read

It drew my attention as soon as I saw the last words in every frame, which obviously indicates the artist had torn down the ending section of some novels and framed them. I found it interesting in reading the ending, because beginning and ending are the most important and tricky parts in a book. And ending is alway about looking back and regretting what the main character has not done. So I thought the artist wants to teach us a lesson. In order to get a regretless and happy ending in life, we have to try our best to get there.

And for the stacked books beside, I didn’t link it to “Ending”. It seems to me like an individual installation with different concept from “Ending”.

Secondary Read

After reading the text, I got a different idea of what Ringo want to convey, which is many possible conclusions of , and in time. Ringo opens up a new way of reading, where audience are allowed to choose what to read and how to end a story. And ending pages are all removed from the books stacked against the wall. Intentionally the book spines are concealed to hide book’s name and author, which symbolises each story anonymous in more than one way. However, I would still suggest that letting audience read those novels will enhance the link between “Endings” and ” No Endings”.

Groovy Steps

January 11, 2016 / Zhang Longfei / 0 Comments

Groovy Steps

Redhill – 4D project

ABOUT DREAM

October 20, 2015 / Zhang Longfei / 0 Comments

About dream is a photo essay portraying the dreams occurring in different levels of sleep, light sleep, deep sleep and REM (rapid eyes movement). Dream in light sleep seems to be a mixture of reality and fiction. In the first stage, I started losing my consciousness and became more tentative of surrounding things, like air-conditioning and fans. Then I morphed into a flying insect and exited my room, which marked the complete loss of consciousness. Dreams now turned to be more vague and hard to recall in deep sleep. Foreground and background appeared to emerge. In the last stage, vivid dreams occurred and were often memorable. In the video, I was put in a familiar, but bizarre place and trying to hide from the crowds. In the middle of escaping from the place, the exposure of myself awakened me to reality.

Methods of shooting

Detach the lens and use big aperture to create macro and title-shift lens effect.

Sketches

Sequence Flow

Rough Storyboard