Team Shingaporu: Final Project

Hey everyone! We are team Shingaporu and for this project, we are working on a landscape digital painting as part of the celebration for Singapore and Japan to commemorate the 50th anniversary which is happening right here right now.

Claim:

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Japan-Singapore diplomatic relationship. That is the reason why we combine Japanese traditional aspect (folded screen) with modern landscape of Singapore. We feel that not many people know about this ongoing special celebration, hence this visual response might serve more than just a display but an informative artwork.

Artist Statement:

Shingaporu is made in a way that when the viewers moves in a direction that is parallel to the artwork, they would be able to experience a change in the landscape: from Japan to Singapore, and vice versa. There would also be a moment where two landscapes intersect and exist on the same plane side by side, which symbolizes the close relationship between the two countries.

In fact, our visual response is actually an art to celebrate and increase the appreciation for the ongoing celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Singapore-Japan diplomatic relationship.

Since our visual response is based on the topic Japanese Screen Painting, we played along with the idea of Japanese screen paintings that usually come in pairs. The difference from the original historical art is our art exists as one single screen with two separate different paintings.

Then, in relation to our selected artefact: Four Seasons with Sun and Moon, we decided to paint a landscape of the world we live in now. Unlike in the past, we are more surrounded by skyscrapers and man-made buildings rather than nature. The seasons in the artefact represents a cycle and the passing of time. However, we do not use the different seasons to represent this. Instead, we make use of the foregrounds of each landscape to represent the past, and the backgrounds to represent the present. The “foreground of the past” consists of torn old paper texture, each country’s iconic flower and one of the oldest iconic place. Then, as we look far into the present and the future, we see the background of today’s cityscape. This way, we are able to keep traditional taste of Japanese screen painting despite using modern medium.

Lastly, viewers might noticed that the landscape of singapore is during the night and the landscape of japan is during the day. This corresponds to the yin and yang concept evident in our selected artefact.

Group Members: Darren Ho Jian Hunt, Feliciana, Sarah and Isabella Tong

Title of artwork: Shingaporu

Size: 6 A4 and folded to make an anamorphic art style

Medium: Digital Painting plus filter to make it look like a Screen Painting

Job Allocations:

Darren Ho Jian Hunt – Digital Artist for Singapore Landscape painting
Feliciana: Concept Artist plus Final Touchup
Isabella Tong: Digital Artist for Japan Landscape painting
Sarah: Researcher, Writer and Planner

Research and Reference: Four Seasons With Sun and Moon in National Museum Of Singapore

 

Visual Analysis:

Both screens have subject matters of nature and landscape: trees in different seasons, hills and valleys ‘framing’ the trees, grass, flowers.
Golden frame.
Each screen is divided into 2 ‘scenery’. First image: winter (L) with its white snow on the leaves, autumn (R) with red falling leaves, and both are during the day because the tone is bright. Second image: Summer (L) with barren land and withered plant, spring (R) with baby plants, blooming flowers and grass, and both are during the night because there is circular moon at the top side of the painting
Visual Response Idea

The digital painting of Singapore modern landscape.
Might include famous landmarks, buildings and places such as Merlion, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Flyer, Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Esplanade Theatre and many more.
Nature’s element presented in the painting: rain forest trees, orchids, or other plants which are present in Singapore.
The painting can be folded, just like Japanese screen

What else is being done for the celebrations

http://www.sg.emb-japan.go.jp/events_SJ50PA_Schedule.htm

There are several events being held in Singapore throughout the entire year to celebrate this joyous event. Events that include food, Artwork, Travel Fair etc. Follow the link to get more details on the different events.

Are all the celebrations about let’s forget the past and focus on the present and the future.

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/12/30/sg30-sequel-singapore-japan-to-launch-sj50-to-celebrate-bilateral-ties.html

From the article, we read that,
“During World War II, when Japan occupied Singapore, thousands of Singaporeans were killed for being “anti-Japanese” or for being “Chinese sympathizers.”

But there has been a sea change in relations since the 1945 end of the occupation. The countries launched diplomatic relations in 1966 – a year after Singapore gained its independence – and in the 1970s Japan became Singapore’s largest foreign investor and trading partner. The Lion City was also the first country to sign a free-trade agreement with Japan in 2002.”

To conclude, we can tell that the relationship between Singapore and Japan is ever growing and are going stronger as years goes by.

Why is the painting folded into anamorphic style and its function:

Our artwork is such that when the viewer moves in a direction that is parallel to the artwork, they would be able to experience a change in the landscape (from singapore to japan, and vice versa). While moving, there would also be a moment where the two landscapes intersect and exist on the same plane. This symbolises the relationship between the two countries. Furthermore, the artwork when viewed from the front can be seen as a combined landscape of singapore and japan.
Since japanese screen paintings usually come in pairs, we played along with that idea. Our artwork can be seen as two separate screens but they exists as one single screen.

Why this medium and how we see the co-relation:

In relation to our selected artifact, we decided to paint a landscape of the world we live in now. While people used to be surrounded by nature in the past, we now live in a world where we are surrounded by skyscrapers. We intended to show how our landscapes have changed from past in this artwork. The seasons represents a cycle and the passing of time. The seasons has been used to portray the idea of time in our chosen artifact. In our artwork, we plan to do so with our choice of medium while keeping some elements of the original artefact (such as the gold borders, trees and flowers), since the digital medium had not existed in the past.
Viewers might noticed that the landscape of Singapore is during the night and the landscape of japan is during the day. This corresponds to the yin and yang concept evident in our selected artifact.

What is it’s size and purpose of the painting:

The artwork will be printed in 6 A4 styles and pasted plus folded in a way to make it into a larger size printing to bring out the sort of impact to the audience. The printing can either be a banner to mark the Anniversary or can be used as a brochure for people to realize the existence of the relationship.
Process Images:

Concept & Idea:

20160413124334Base Paintings:

japanyokohama-min MarinaBayp

Final Touch-ups:

JapanYokohamaa MarinaBayp 2

Printing & Folding Format:

Process-min

Presentation & Proposal

AH Last Assignment.pptx.compressed

Reflection:

First and foremost, I would am grateful to be working and planning an artistic project for the first time. It definitely was a learning experience as I have no background knowledge to art history beyond this class, so it was a challenge to work and create a visual response to an ancient or historical artifact. After this project, I know that I have learned more art visualization techniques which has helped me broaden my background knowledge and appreciation towards art and its connections.

In the beginning, our team thought it was rigorous to create a visual response to an artifact without difficulty or compromise. However, we decided on a topic because it related to our location, Singapore, and the 50th anniversary with Japan. It was definitely controversial however if relations with Japan should be cast in a positive or negative light.

However, non-controversial art would not be as interesting as a controversial piece, so we decided to stay with our topic of the Japan-Singapore diplomatic relationship. Because of this, we made something that was easily relatable to, not just ADM students, but also the community of NTU. So, we chose Singapore as a big part of theme with popular landmarks as the art signifying Singapore.

Yet, something was not entirely there when we initially thought of the idea of drawing Singapore landscape with a Japanese screen painting format to demonstrate the relationship between Singapore and Japan. To fix this dilemma, we incorporated different parts to depict the 50th anniversary of Singapore-Japan relationship. Feliciana was the one who inspired this wonderful idea after watching one of the commemorative performances and noticing an installation related to this 50th commemoration at the Changi Airport.

After Feliciana informed us of this news, I realized the many similarities Singapore has with Japan. It is important to understand the meaning within your surrounding environment in order to truly appreciate your surroundings. After realizing this, I want to understand the meaning behind art and the relation to other cultures to really understand the background and not feel naive about the areas I am visiting. I finally understand the importance of an artist and anyone in general to have the knowledge behind art in order to truly appreciate its value.

 

Group Presentation-Final Project

Team: Ho Jian Hunt, Feliciana, Sarah and Isabella

Topic: Nihonga Japanese Screen Painting

Chosen Artifact: Four Seasons with Sun and Moon, as seen in the Asian Civilization Museum, Singapore.

Visual Analysis:

Both screens have subject matters of nature and landscape: trees in different seasons, hills and valleys ‘framing’ the trees, grass, flowers.
Golden frame.
Each screen is divided into 2 ‘scenery’. First image: winter (L) with its white snow on the leaves, autumn (R) with red falling leaves, and both are during the day because the tone is bright. Second image: Summer (L) with barren land and withered plant, spring (R) with baby plants, blooming flowers and grass, and both are during the night because there is circular moon at the top side of the painting
Contextual Analysis

Visual Response Idea:

The digital painting of Singapore modern landscape.
Might include famous landmarks, buildings and places such as Merlion, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Flyer, Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Esplanade Theatre and many more.
Nature’s element presented in the painting: rain forest trees, orchids, or other plants which are present in Singapore.
The painting can be folded, just like Japanese screen
Claim

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Japan-Singapore diplomatic relationship. That is the reason why we combine Japanese traditional aspect (folded screen) with modern landscape of Singapore. We feel that not many people know about this ongoing special celebration, hence this visual response might serve more than just a display but an informative artwork.

Research Paper Introduction and Body Paragraphs Rough Draft

3) What are Chinese ceramics? Compare two ceramics found on a shipwreck.

 

Introduction:

Chinese ceramic ware is artwork made of clay that has benefitted many different cultures. This ceramic ware also covered about 45 centuries of Chinese history and represents innovation, trade, and global impact.Evolution of Chinese ceramics between the white splashed green ceramic pieces and the more elaborate gold and silver has developed through trade relations with the middle east and other countries .Green Chinese ceramics and more elaborate gold or silver Chinese ceramics, as seen in the Tang shipwreck, evolved due to the heavy prevalence of trade with the Middle East.

Body Paragraphs:

Chinese kilns produced white vessels speckled with green coloring, which appealed to the Islamic Middle East. Most of these white with green ceramics were created in the Gangxian kilns in the Henan province of China, but also were seen from the Tang shipwreck. Designs on the white speckled green ceramics, such as floral patterns, were developed in the Abbasid Empire in Iran, which led to Chinese artists adopting the pattern. This shared artistic pattern signifies the historic trading relationship between China and the Middle East.

Gold and silver luxurious ceramics were mostly made in southern China, but mostly fled production in China due to the expense. Because of this, gold and silver became produced in more wealthy seaports. Finely craft gold and silver ceramics were enjoyed at the Imperial court and delivered to Java and the Middle East probably as gifts for foreign merchants and leaders.

Essay Proposal

3) What are Chinese ceramics? Compare two ceramics found on a shipwreck.

 

Introduction:

 

  • Chinese ceramic ware is artwork made of clay that has benefitted many different

 

cultures. This ceramic ware also covered about 45 centuries of Chinese history and

 

represents innovation, trade, and global impact.

 

  • Evolution of Chinese ceramics between the white splashed green ceramic pieces and the more elaborate gold and silver has developed through trade relations with the middle east and other countries
  • Thesis: Green Chinese ceramics and more elaborate gold or silver Chinese ceramics, as seen in the Tang shipwreck, evolved due to the heavy prevalence of trade with other countries.

Body Paragraphs:

  • Chinese kilns produced white vessels speckled with green coloring, which appealed to the Islamic Middle East
  • Most of these white with green ceramics were created in the Gangxian kilns in the Henan province of China, but also were seen from the Tang shipwreck
  • Designs on the white speckled green ceramics, such as floral patterns, was developed in the Abbasid Empite in Iran, which led to Chinese artists adopting the pattern. This shared artistic pattern signifies the historic trading relationship between China and the Middle East
  • Gold and silver luxurious ceramics were mostly made in southern China, but mostly fled China due to the expense and was being produced in more wealthy seaports
  • Finely craft gold and silver ceramics were enjoyed at the Imperial court and delivered to Java and the Middle East probably as gifts for foreign merchants and leaders

 

Week 2: Buddhism Temples

In Singapore, I haven’t really explored many Buddhism temples. However, I have seen the Uttamayanmuni temple and so far that Buddhist temple is my favorite. The temple’s colorful and unique architecture and multiple flag decorations around the temple are very fascinating and add to the temple’s beauty. Also, the very ornate blue, gold, and the red outline of the building added to the beauty of the temple and intrigued me to learn more about this Buddhist temple.