An Excursion To Art Science Museum

I was obviously extremely fascinated with the NASA Space Exhibits because all the artefacts gave such great insights to the life on space. So I was pretty snap heavy at this portion of the museum. It was largely informative and I definitely learnt a lot. I also paid to sit in the ride to experience a “ride” to space and experience zero-gravity for a split second. It gave me a headache but I guess it was pretty worth it. Turns out I can’t be an astronaut. And also, I think that the incorporation of costumes and the food they eat in space was also very insightful.

The other exhibit was all about technology and lights. I felt that this was a largely hands-on and interactive exhibits which is why I didn’t manage to take as much photos, was too busy playing and having fun at this point. We got to colour animals to add to the screen aquarium, through a scanner, which is really cute. And there was a place with large light up balls that children (and myself) were very happy to play with. Overall I felt like a kid again and definitely enjoyed myself very much.

2D II: Zine Process & Final

DRAFTS

Cover:

I chose an image with myself that emulates the idea of freedom. And using the little doodles to accentuate the movement in the photos inspired from some research on layouts in my previous post.

I added the scotch tape and paint swatch to make it look more hands-on.

However, after feedback from Mimi, the photo seems like it is a little bit mismatched from the title of the zine and its not clear what the theme of the zine is.

These pages are designed based off some inspirations of scrapbooking layouts.

Yet again, after consult, I realised that there should be more manipulation done to the photos to convey the theme of the magazine: lost and free.

 

So I went to do more research on photo manipulation for layouts:

Process:

Cover

After trying out different photo manipulations on my photo, I decided I liked the random cuts and pasted one (option 3) the best. So I incorporated the other elements of the zine cover like the title and the theme.

 

I also played around with the same cut and paste technique for the next photo. And using etched out photos as well to give it more organic shapes to contrast with the square cuts. The heather flowers were also added in to fill the space and I chose heather flowers because they represented ‘solitude’ and that’s essentially the essence of the spread here, my thoughts when I’m in solitude.

I decided to change the words at the bottom to Changi in the end to put the spread into context as well. And also to introduce my zine location right when you open it.

 

This spread was random trial and errors done by copy and pasting images and etching them out. I really like the haphazard-ness of this seemingly random copy and pasting method. Also added the fun doodles on the photo for a more personalised vibe.

I tried the cutting and pasting method once again for the last photo of myself but I didn’t like how it looked on the spread. So I decided to just use it and instead put in some doodles on the image to personalise it. And I ended it with a personal note to the those who would pick up the zine and read it.

To my fellow wanderers out there, 

it’s okay to feel a little lost sometimes. 

We are not forgotten, just free. 

 

FINAL ZINE:

 

Zine Research: Site Visit @ Changi

Background Information on Changi:

Changi is currently an Aviation hub, home to both the Changi airport and Changi airbase.

And of course how can we forget about Changi Prison – infamous for the Japanese Prisoner of War camp during World War II, currently Singapore’s oldest operating internment facility.

Popular activities at Changi Beach include: 

Family picnics, fishing, watching landing airplanes, jogging, watching sunrise.

Popular food: Bistro @ Changi or Changi Village

___________________________________________

A quick search of the location tag Changi on Instagram would generate a plethora of photos of people who are documenting their start of their overseas trips (you know, because #airportfashion).

But of course it led to me to some standout images of a place in Changi less explored: Changi Point.

 

So I headed over there to check it out a little, and I was greeted by this friendly board with truckloads of information of the location I was about to discover more of.

Some points that I’ve picked up on:

  • It was known for coconut plantations in 1800s.
  • It is segregated into cliff walk, kelong walk and sunset walk.
  • It was once a ferry terminal that connects Changi to offshore islands.
  • Mainly used for military barracks during 1920s period.
  • Recreational facilities like the Raf Officers swimming club, Changi Yacht Club, and Airmen’s swimming pool made Changi feel like a holiday resort.

Photos I’ve snapped

Personal diary of how I felt in my Changi exploration:

State of relaxation. Warm breeze, smell of the ocean, complete serenity.

Even though I was all alone and felt like it would be nice to share the moment with someone, I was completely enjoying the process of being alone.

It came to a point where I was simply following a path and not following any map at all. Just taking the whole moment to myself, getting LOST and being FREE, admiring beauty.

 

Concept Research

Flaneur

The stroller, the passionate wanderer emblematic of nineteenth-century French literary culture—has always been essentially timeless; he removes himself from the world while he stands astride its heart.

 

CONCEPT:

Lost & Free

Seaside Wanderer.

Isolation and its wonders.

The Art of being alone.

Appreciation of beauty.

Am I in the exact place that I should be in?

I wanted my zine to be a personal diary of myself and my thoughts in solitude, and I wanted to relate it to the millennials around me because I feel like they can all relate to how I feel: Lost & free.

We are stuck in this age where we are all trying to find ourselves and find our path in life, so this zine is dedicated to those thoughts. My little doodle journal on the shores of Changi Boardwalk.

 

Inspirations:

Artist: Fiphie

Her personal journals of her illustrations and poems are really something I really wanted to emulate because I want my zine to be a documentation of my personal journey to Changi. Something really organic and raw, which is what this artist does.

 

Layout inspirations:

 

4D II Final Project: Obsession Possession Installation

This documentation post is written in a chronological manner:

Idea 1
Our group wanted to use utilitarian objects to present a narrative. Through discussion and brainstorming sessions, the overarching concept for our first idea is:

A significant development from Kai’s and my assignment 2 where the male lead, Pierre Tan, left her. Lead actress wants to tell –

  1. The story of how it happened through the objects she obsessively collected from her ex during the relationship and what these objects mean to her.
  2. To tell the story of their 1 month relationship through these objects. The short time frame is used to highlight her obsessive behaviour.

Read more about idea 1 here

Consultation 1:

Unfortunately, the feedback we had received was that our story was too convoluted. There were too many ideas brought together — Craziness, sadness, sense of lost, etc. Furthermore, we wanted to present our idea is a non-linear manner. To bring so many ideas together and present it this way, our idea no longer evokes the fuzzy feelin’ we were looking for but instead seem rather haphazard. Our story was also lacking substance. Oh yes, and our request to use the 2D dark room was rejected too.

Major Brainstorm 1:

Story/Plot: We had to defined our break-up story and we decided that our main characters remains as a pair of young adults– an enlisted boyfriend and a undergraduate girlfriend– that broke up due to inherent problems of our society. This story is largely based on my personal experience where the differences between two of them in the relationship was pulling them apart. Some inherent problems the characters faced are the clashing schedules they have that resulted in less time together (as a result of them being in different phases in their lives), the different goals they have in life and the income gap between them. While these problems may sound materialistic, they are the reality. As an undergraduate, the girlfriend is all eager to get things right to prepare for the future whereas the boyfriend may learn to see life beyond the paper chase during his enlistment.

Space: With our request rejected, we were forced to pick a new space. This was a blessing in disguise as we downsized from a room to a cupboard. Firstly, it was easier to fill up a cupboard. Secondly, the limited space creates a greater sense of intimacy which was a big part of our work. Furthermore, we ditched the idea of a shrine in order to better focus on what was necessary. Hence, creepiness was no longer a factor of consideration. Creating an intimate and private space was our main objective.

 Props: Instead of the original 30 objects, we had also reduced to only the necessary objects because 1) it wasn’t necessary to talk about every single day of their 1-month relationship and 2) a cupboard is smaller than a room. Also, instead of merely displaying the objects, some of the objects are of different state from its original state in the film. Eg: the graduation was painstakingly taped together, the fresh flowers had dried and wilted. These changes in objects was to show that a phase had passed and also reflects the girlfriend’s obsession with keeping these objects despite they are pretty much useless.

Presentation: We had decided to do away with the non-linear film in order to convey our story clearly.Instead, we would add a voice-over in order to show that these whole project was from the girlfriend’s POV.

Okay, so we are not going to bore you with the finer details of our plan. The plans on google doc are up here for read if you’re keen! So now, let’s move on to the next exciting step – filming.

Execution:

Filming:

All thanks to Kai steady filming skills and Naomi and Chris amazing acting, we’ve managed to film all that was necessary within a day. The first half of the scenes were filmed in school and the second half at Naomi’s house. The key scenes we filmed were:
*note MC = Main character, GC = Guy character

Scene 1. Object: Letters and graduation cup
Have a few shots at our school first. GC and MC at school, GC made the first move to write a   letter to MC, passed the letter secretly to the locker. (this is how they first met and from there, take a shot of them studying and spent time together”, Graduates but then GC has to serve the army. MC went on to uni to continue study.

Scene 2. Object: Cologne and t-shirt
One shot of the guy preparing to go out, to celebrate their anniversary (maybe 1 year anniversary?), wearing his cologne, MC hugs him from behind, smelling the cologne.

Scene 3. Candles
GC just books out from army, MC visited him at his house and changed into his t-shirt), but GC just ignore cause had a long day, MC get pissed cause MC is also tired from a hectic day (?), broke out into a fight. (dramatic transition to when the watch stopped……. To symbolically show that from this point onwards everything goes downhill)

Scene 4. Object: Cup again
Different scenes of them arguing of small things and eventually the end.

Set-up

While setting-up we tried to arrange them randomly but not messily. We wanted some form of order amidst the mess. The key objects had to be touched, letters could be read and photos could be seen. It’s tricky to re-create a mess.

We also added fairy lights to re-create this cozy atmosphere in the cupboard space. We wanted viewers to feel that opening this cupboard is like entering the mind of the protagonist.

 

Final Aesthetic:

With the projection on….

 

Final Video:

Audience Response:

Bloopers:

…and a final group photo.

Personal reflections:

I feel that our project really fit into how I envisioned it to be, which was how the use of objects could bring about personal feelings and relevance to the audience. I’m glad to have received feedback about how this installation really managed to evoke personal feelings in my classmates because they could relate to the subject. That was ultimately my goal for this project. This project is also really close to my heart because it used my personal story of heartbreak. Overall, I’m glad that I did use my story as inspiration because the vibe would be a little more raw and organic that way and thus make it more relatable to the audience as well.


THE END.