Author: Minjee Cheon

And that happened

Pandora Revisited

Pandora Revisited was one long journey. So this post is organized into the following.

⚡️Flash Overview⚡️
1. The 3 magic words
2. Initial modules
3. Chosen module
4. Latex process
5. Problems & solutions
6. Ideal ice tray
7. Actual ice tray
8. Ice making process
9. Ice configuration
10. Looking back

 

1. The 3 Magic Words

These are the 3 words I was given to incorporate into my module and my understanding of them.
⚡️Shift: a slight change in position
⚡️ Offset: a spin off shape in a different position or size from the original one
⚡️ Join: different parts being attached to each other

 

2. Initial Modules

⚡️Initial Module #1

This was my very first module. I was thinking in terms of chains and linking each module together to create the final composition. It was difficult to use clay for creating straight lines for the squares. A better method would be to either use tools like a ruler to cut straight clay blocks or use foam.

The module was out of the picture when I heard we will be making ice trays out of it. It will be difficult to pull this module out of the tray let alone make an ice tray of it in the first place because of how the squares are linked to each other.

 

 

⚡️Initial Module #2

After realizing that complex forms like initial module #1 was not ideal for creating ice trays, I decided to simply the module. Learning from my mistakes, this time I also used a foam and a wire cutter to attain the straight lines.

This module was inspired by the shape of Korean characters (ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ). Viewing the module from different angles reveal each character.

For the final composition, this module can be stacked or pieced together like the Tetris blocks.

 

3. Chosen Module

The module I actually chose to make an ice tray out of had circular lines rather than straight lines like the other initial modules. I chose this module over other for two main reasons. First, the ice trays we see in everyday life usually have molds in the shape of cubes. I wanted to against this norm and create a voluptuous round mold. Second, I was curious to see how the ice molds will turn out to look like for this module.

After creating the module, I realized it somewhat resembles a break water. Funnily enough, the module will be replicated in ice and will melt to become water.

 

 

4. Latex Process

After creating the modules, the next step is to create a temporary mold out of it. This mold will allow us to make replica of the modules. With 4 to 6 replicas we will create the final industrial silicon mold. This last mold will be our ice tray.

There is 2 ways to create a temporary mold. One is a brush-on latex method and the other one is a press-in silicon method.

I only used the brush-on latex method because it was more suitable for the shape of my module. My chosen and initial modules all had a certain amount of length. Thus, it would be difficult to press it into silicon and get all the details. The press-in silicon method would be more suitable for small sized modules or flat ones.

⚡️ Secure your module on baking paper

I actually sort of cheated for this part. I forgot to bring baking paper back to hall. So I secured my module on a plastic smooth surface. It worked pretty well because it was easy to detach the latex module in the end.

⚡️ Brush a thin layer of latex for the first 1-3 times

This is the most important step because it will determine how your mold will turn out. I tried to keep two things in mind. First, brush a thin layer of latex that covers every nook and corner of your module. Second, do not forget to brush latex around the bottom surface where your module is touching the baking paper (plastic surface). This will allow you to have a proper mold that have edges that you can hold onto.

⚡️ Brush a thicker layer of latex

The struggle is real. It is a fight of patience. Apply a thicker layer of latex that covers the whole of your module at least 7-9 times. Let it dry for a hour before you apply another layer.

⚡️ Repeat until you get a thick white layer of latex on your module

You will know your mold is ready when it become hard to see the color or texture of your module beneath the layer. When it is completely dry, pull the latex layer off your module.

Tada you got your brush-on latex mold now!

 

5. Problems & Solutions

⚡️ Problems

Problems problems everywhere. I found out maybe I chose the wrong module for my finals when I was done with the latex process.

It was impossible to pull the module out from the latex mold because of all the curves it had. Also, the holes on the bottom were too small for the whole module to come out.

Pulling the module out by force did not end well.

I cut the latex mold to make the holes bigger.

Creating a plaster module ended in failure as well. This was largely due to the difficulties in pulling out the plaster replica.

⚡️ Solutions 

Professor Cheryl helped me settle into 2 solutions for the final ice tray.

1. Create replicas of initial module #2 and pour industrial silicon over it
2. Pour industrial silicon over the latex mold of the chosen module

 

6. Ideal Ice Tray

I want the configuration of the ice replicas to be done by hand. Ideally, the ice replicas can be stacked on each other like break waters. So ideal ice tray will be 4 molds side by side and not attached to each other.

 

 

 

7. Actual Ice Tray

So the actual ice tray looks nothing like my ideal ice tray but things go down right? You’re supposed to make the best out of what you have.

⚡️ Solution 1:
Create replicas of initial module #2 and pour industrial silicon over it

Positives:
-can create two ice replicas at a time

Negatives:
-the modules/replicas cannot be taken out

⚡️ Solution 2:
Pour industrial silicon over the latex mold of the chosen module

Positives:
-was possible to create an industrial silicon mold from a latex mold
-relatively easy to separate the mold and module because the mold has a wide opening

Negatives:
-can only create one ice replica at a time
-the bottom was filled with hot glue gun to cover the holes

Research Critique 2 // the inner self

Our project took advantage of Facebook Live’s split screen to create symmetry with hand gestures, facial expressions, and drawings as shown below.

This allowed us to create a “person” in a performance space that does not exist in reality. In other words, we created a “third” space which is “…the fusion of the physical (first space) and the remote (second space) into a third space that can be inhabited by remote users simultaneously or asynchronously” as Randall Packer’s The Third Space says.

“Third” space in our case is the creation of a “third” body by having two individuals (Azizah and I) becoming a singular individual collaboratively. This individual despite having halves of its bodies in different location was able to perform the same tasks from each half.

Maria Chatzichristodoulo states in Cyberperforamnce, “Telematic performance flourished in the dance technology field in particular, as the absence of textual narrative and the focus on movement and visuals made such explorations more intuitive”.

I found this to be true because the main method we used to collapse boundaries in the third space was by focusing on the visual aspects of the performance. For instance, to create the impression we are a singular individual, we would put together half of our faces to create one face and show the same emotions. This seemed more effective than using sound because we’ve been exposed to listening to music on sound systems even if we do not have a live band playing. 

An interesting fact is that Azizah and I did not really know or talk to each other prior to working on this project together. It was possible to create closeness and intimacy after the Facebook Live despite interacting in a fake space. I believe it was possible because:

1. 2 of our senses (vision and hearing) was being involved in the interaction

2. As Packer suggests, “The digital natives have never known another reality…”. As such, being able to Skype and video call others is an everyday reality for Azizah and I. Being “digital natives” we might be unconsciously accepting interaction in a third space the same as interaction in real space. Thus, we felt closeness and intimacy.

Research Critique 1 // Airdrop

Our collective artwork was focused on receiving images from viewers via Airdrop. The role of the artist was minimal as all we had to do was send an image requesting viewers to send an image back. The role of the viewer was crucial as we wanted a collection of images from strangers showing what they were doing at the moment.

Our goal was to create a collaborative album of our lifestyle in NTU through interactions with strangers.

Although there is no physical interaction, it is a DIWO because this project makes use of Airdrop which according to Marc Garrett in his DIWO article is “an umbrella term for various ‘art and technologically’ related practice”. This makes it different from traditional art because:

1. It requires and is created through the immediate response of the audience who become co-creators.
2. The artists no longer have control over their work. It will be re-edited and further developed freely by the audience.
3. As Garrett says, it “…go against the concept of scarcity and ownership. This prevents branding for economic value.”

The project is somewhat similar to the Human Clock by Craig D. Giffen.

Like the Human Clock, the Airdrop project requires photo contributions from strangers and like Garrett says, “it’s core values also involve self-governance” because we have no control over what photos we will receive. However, the difference is that it had specific directions on what photos to send and the co-creators of the art can view other people’s photos as well.

Our first attempt took place in the ADM library and ADM lounge.

This ended in failure as although we did acquire few photos, the contributors were not total strangers. They were ADM people helping out ADM people.

We thought the problems were:

1. Unspecific instructions
2. Not enough people with their Air Drop on
3. People being suspicious or unwilling to accept a photograph from a stranger

With these in mind, the second attempt took place in areas like the North Spine Canteen and Lee Wee Nam library where there are a wider range of possible participants.

The changes we made was to make use of the AirDrop preview function. This allows the person to see the photograph we will be dropping to them. So we decide to make the font of the photo bigger so that the participant can see what we’re sending them. Also, we made the request more specific and moved to a new location.

Despite these efforts, the project ended in failure.

We can learn from this that the platform we choose for DIWO and media art in general (especially if it requires participation from audience) should be easily accessible to everyone.

TELE-DRIFT // the inner self

THE INNER SELF

VIDEO LINK
https://www.facebook.com/minjee.cheon.5/videos/2005737919696007/

 

PERFORMERS
Azizah Nur, Minjee Cheon


DESCRIPTION
For our network culture micro-project 3, we thought of taking advantage of the split screen to create symmetry. To create a symmetry or a mirroring image, we decided to present simple gestures so that the viewer will be able to understand what we are trying to convey through our live video. One example is clapping hands together.

Image of clapping hands together

After that, we created symmetry by showing half of our faces on each side.

Lastly, we each drew half of an animal, a portrait, and a scenery. We did not discuss what we will be drawing. The only information we shared was that Azizah will draw the bottom half and Minjee will draw the top half.

 


WHERE IT WAS PERFORMED
We had two takes and both were performed in separate hallways. For the second take, we applied an additional idea to use different color backgrounds. Azizah used the white wall as a background while Minjee used a black door.

 

OBJECTIVES
The objective was to show how our inner selves are different and unique. We are able to copy other people’s actions, but we cannot lie to ourselves who we truly are. How we can copy other people are shown through the hand gestures and facial expressions while who we truly are is shown through the different drawings we drew.

 

OUTCOMES
Overall the performance was decent. Although our timings for doing our tasks simultaneously was not perfect, it was enough to get the message across. We could definitely see some improvements in the second take so we would be able to improve further if we have any more projects like this one.

 

DIFFICULTIES
1. We had difficulty mirroring each other. As we were in different places at the same time, it was hard to do the same actions simultaneously. The timings we matched prior to doing the live broadcast was hard to keep up with. Hence, we had to keep looking at the screen and following each other’s movement.

2. The first drawing of the animal was a failure because we did not rehearse before going on live. But after that, we know our mistake and overcome it.

3. Internet connection. This was something we did not have control over and did not take into account when we did decided to do the same actions simultaneously. Sometimes there were delays in the live streaming and made it more difficult to do the actions at the same time.

 

OVERALL EXPERIENCE
Despite facing some confusions like not knowing how to add another person to do Facebook live with, we enjoyed the process of creating a new space and trying to add meaning to it. Neither of us have never used Facebook live before so it was a new experience for us both.

MY LINE IS EMO / Final

Dear OSS,
The project “My Line is Emo” is over.
(The process taken to create the piece can be found here)


This post is about
discussing the final product I have created and to go over the evaluation I was given as well as evaluating myself.

 

01. Fear (Apprehension)
Represents the apprehension I had as I was packing to head to this mysterious new land. I had no idea what to expect. The curvy looped lines stretched along the strip represents not only the confusion but also the writhing feeling in my stomach. The randomly placed rectangular marks gives more dimension. The range of values in each rectangular marks illustrates how I would move back and forth from either thinking confidently “I got this” and nervously cooking up nervous scenarios such as “But what if”. The contrast between the straight lines of the rectangles and looped line also helps exaggerate the confusion.

The marks were created by the use of string and the angle of a lithograph. At first I placed a thin piece of sewing thread on a lithograph. Afterwards I unevenly applied ink onto the surface of the lithograph. This created the imprint of the curvy looped lines and rectangles with different values.

 

02. Anger (Frustration)
Represents the frustration I felt when I first arrived in the unfamiliar country. Starting from my arrival at 4AM Singapore time I was stranded alone to solve things on my own lugging a bag half my height. My problems did not end at the airport. Even simple things like having a hard time memorizing names in an unfamiliar language as well as getting used to Singlish was hard for me “sia”. Aware of the fact that the same actions can represent different meanings in each culture, I decided to choose actions that all humans regardless of culture can relate to as a way to represent frustration. I chose the action of crumpling objects and scribbling To me, the crumpled folds and messy lines shows the let out of heat and felt appropriate to represent frustration. Thus, I used the two actions to create the marks for this strip. After several attempts I was able to attain a strip dark in value to show the low sunken feeling of being angry.

The marks were created through three steps. First, crumpling plastic bags. To capture the texture of the crumpled surface, I crumpled the bag and then flattened it. After doing so I applied ink on each flattened side. One side will allow the plastic bag to stick to the lithograph while the other side’s ink will be imprinted on the paper. Second, once the paper was placed on top of the lithograph that had crumpled plastic bags on it, I pressed the paper down by using a scruffy brush. This helped give more texture to the marks. Lastly, I took the bottom edge of a toothbrush and dragged it across the back of paper and scribbled. This created the messy scribbling shown on the strip.

 

03. Surprise (Surprise)
Represents the initial feelings of surprise when I arrived in Singapore. I felt like I was dropped onto an island unprepared. This thought was exactly what surprised me the most because I did prepare prior to coming to Singapore. I printed out maps, took notes on my phone, marked dates on my calendar, and on and on. Thus, I was further taken back with the fact that I was still lost when I arrived in Singapore. Things did not go according to plan. There are two main components I used to present this feeling. First, the blank organic shapes. They represents the lost me in Singapore. I chose to use shapes that are organic instead of straight lines because that would give a feeling of order and structure. In other words, the opposite vibe of what I intended. Second is the diagonal lines. The diagonal lines passing through represents the fast paced city of Singapore where everyone seems to know what they are doing. This is in stark contrast with me who is quite lost. The contrast is reaffirmed by the value and thickness of the shape of the two subjects as well. The first subject of organic shapes are light in value and lumpy. On the other hand, the second subject of diagonal lines are thin and dark in value. Overall, it helps create the feeling that the blank spaces are stationary or slower than the background where diagonal lines are swooshing by.

The marks were created in mainly two components. The first was ripping out the notes I have taken down to help me navigate Singapore. These were placed on the lithograph and ink was applied over it so it creates a blank space. The second is creating the diagonal lines. Once the paper was placed on the lithograph with ink applied on it, I ran the edge of a toothbrush against the lithograph to create the lines.

 

04. Sadness (Homesickness)

Represents the infectious characteristic that sadnesses like homesickness possesses. Like how one small crack can lead to another bigger one, one depressed thought leads to a trail of them. I showed them through series of lines intertwined and connected to each other to emulate a crack. The strip as a whole is bland because to me homesickness is feeling empty and missing a part of  yourself.

The marks were created through trials. To create the lines that emulate cracks I used sewing thread. I realized when I placed the string soaked in ink on the paper the marks were too clear and not fit for the hazy bland look I was going for. I realized by flipping the paper I was able to use the back of the paper were the ink seeps through the achieve the mood I wanted.

 

 

05. Joy (Delight)

Represents the feeling of joy that I had as I discovered and learned more about Singapore and started to find my place here. While I related my personal experience and situation for the rest of the emotions, I decided to choose a comparatively generic way to express delight. This is because compared to the other emotions which could be felt in different ways depending on the individual, I felt like delight could be felt in a common way. I decided to choose a generic expression that is used to describe delight; “burst of delight”. As a result, I attempted to illustrate the bubbly explosive feeling of delight. The long ink trails that starts from the left top corner helps emphasize the active feeling of delight.

The marks were created by spraying ink mixed with water. Water was added to the ink to making it more flowing. This allowed more splatters to be created. In addition, to give the feeling of ‘bubbly’ I placed the cap of a green tea bottle (which I was delighted to find a drink I used to have back at home in Singapore) in the center of where I was spraying the ink. To create the strip, I sprayed a strip of paper at least 5 times bigger than the assigned strip dimensions. I intended to crop out any random area as delight is sudden rush of emotions.

 

06. Love (Fondness)

MY LINE IS EMO / Process

Dear OSS,
for Foundation 2D Week 1 my class will be working on “My Line is Emo”.


The project is about
creating 6 strips where each represents a different emotion in the primary emotion categories that consists of love, joy, surprise, anger, sadness, and fear. Emotions will be presented through the technique of mark making.


I want to
have a constant theme that ties all the emotions into one story. The story I chose is related to my personal experience and the movie Lost in Translation (2003) directed by Sofia Coppola.

Growing up I had to be constantly on the move. Every 2 to 3 years I would move to a new area and sometimes even new countries due to the characteristics of my father’s occupation. Whenever this happened I had to go through the phase of being “lost in translation”.

To me Lost in Translation (2003) accurately captures the alienation and slight discomfort it causes you when you are dropped into the middle of no where.

Thus, for project 1 I would like to walk the viewer through the emotional phases of moving and adapting to a new environment based on my experience of coming to Singapore for the first time.


Experimentation #1: string
I used strings to attain continuous curved lines. To me it seemed fit to present the emotions of fear or anger. Whenever I get nervous or frustrated I would get a wriggling sensation in my stomach. I felt like strings could represent this feeling. While experimenting I found that the amount of ink applied to the lithograph significantly changes the amount of texture that will be imprinted on the paper. So for the picture shown above, I lifted up a certain amount of ink in the area where I will place the string with scrap paper. Not only did this create a interesting block of grey in a black background, the curves of the string became more visible. I think curves would have been even more visible if I was able to get yarn instead of sewing thread.

Experimentation #2: tissue, choice of pressure tool, lines
I wanted to capture the texture of my mark making tool as well so I chose tissue that has a bumpy surface. I wanted to show the emotion of surprise. One of the things that surprised me was that the canteens in the school do not provide tissues. As a messy eater who only been to food courts where tissues are provided this was surprising and hard to get used to.  I created marks that cartoons use to show their characters shivering around the tissues to exaggerate the surprise. In addition to the shiver marks I drew straight diagonal lines to give a sense of movement to my piece. I wanted to emulate that feeling of being alone in the city not sure where to go to while everyone around me are rushing on with their lives. 

For my second try I tried folding the tissues. To me being surprised is a sudden reaction that leaves an impression on me.So I wanted to use straight lines in contrast to the curves used for fear and anger through string.   At first I was unable to capture the bumpy surface of the tissue as shown in the photo. So for the second try I lightly rolled my roller soaked in ink over the tissues so it would create a mark on the paper.

 

Experimentation #3: plastic bag
In addition to the trying to capture the texture of tissues I wanted to capture the rough texture of a crumpled plastic bag. I chose plastic over tissues or paper because it would be easier to press down and thus the crumpled marks will imprint better. I found it was easier to apply bit of ink on both sides. One side will imprint the ink on paper and the other will allow the plastic bag to stick to lithograph. Compared to the tissues, the plastic bag creates a more grungy impression on the paper as it has sharp angles.


Looking back
through the combination of experimenting, talking to other classmates, and critique from our professor I realized I was overly focused on my theme of “Lost in Translation”. Yes, sticking to the theme is important but as I have the freedom to choose whatever mark making tool I want and can make a tool as well if I want, I should be more considerate of what tools I can be using. The tools could also be related to what emotion I am trying to show. For instance my plane tickets or the forms I had to fill out could be incorporated to give a further personal touch.

In addition, my original plan was to decrease the value of the black and white strips as is moves on from fear to falling in love with Singapore. However, I found it difficult to execute this change in value. Due to the different sizes and textures of the mark making tools as well as the difficulty in controlling the right amount of ink applied I was unable to do so.

Lastly, as I was putting this post together I realized I should have taken more pictures. It would have helped me remember how I got certain marks and would have supplemented this post with visuals.