Category Archives: Pandora

Gaia’s 生け花 – Development and Outcome

Hello, Cheryl! Hello, World!

Elements found on the Ikebana are called shin, soe and tai. Which translates to Dominant (D), Sub-Dominant (SD) and Sub-Ordinate (SO) respectively. The longest branch, called shin, represents heaven. The medium branch, soe, represents man. And the shortest branch, tai, represents earth.

 

// Concept 1:  The Spirit of Fukuoka, Japan (福岡)

https://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Spend-a-day-seeing-the-past-and-present-of-the-great-city-of-Fukuoka.jpg

Fukuoka is one of Japan’s top 10 most populated cities, often known as the “Liverpool of Japan”. It is home to many of the most famous food in Japan (e.g mizutaki, ramen noodles), one of the city’s attractions in Fukuoka is their variety of outdoor food stalls that decorated the river bank.  These food stalls are known as Yatai. Many tourists came from all over the world to visit and experience this food trial.

 

LIGHTS  ライト

Port and tower at Fukuoka, Japan.

https://blog.gaijinpot.com/yatai-fukuoka-street-food/

http://art8.photozou.jp/pub/173/14173/photo/12082871_624.jpg

The LED lights beautifully decorated the river bank, and it gives off an outburst of a modern vibe, bringing life to the night sky. This is one of the must-go places in Fukuoka, a chance to watch and experience the Japanese culture and to dig into some of the most delicious food in Japan. I feel that the light element really gave the entire aesthetic a big push and is one of the biggest highlights of this place, hence making it look so photogenic on any camera.

 

FOOD  フード

https://blog.gaijinpot.com/yatai-fukuoka-street-food/

Food brings people together. The 150 Yatai stalls along the river bank are famous for their various dishes, and one of it is the Japanese Soft Serve and Oden.

 

WINTER IN FUKUOKA –  

http://favimages.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/japan-fukuoka-snow-landscape-winter-hometown.jpg

http://ishikawakanta.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/20170212hassel-12-1280×1280.jpg

By this time, the leaves have fallen and the tree is stripped bare. The branches are covered in thick layer of snow, which make the trees look like they have white leaves. The branches are curvey and organic in shape.

 

//Artist Reference: BAIKO 

cr: http://zen-images.blogspot.sg/

http://zen-images.blogspot.sg/

http://zen-images.blogspot.sg/

 

IDEATION:

For my final Ikebana Model, I decided to incorporate the main elements that represent the Yatai stalls of Fukuoka. They are Lights, Food items & lastly, a tree branch that looked like it had braved through winter.

This! >>>

 

// The Assembly

 

// Final Ikebana Model:

Color Scheme: Muted, Earthy tones (Blue, Brown, White, Cream)

Rationale: A winter representation of Fukuoka in a whole. The cotton wools at the base represent fallen snow, and the cotton balls (sphere) represent accumulated snowflakes on the branch. The ice cream cone and marshmallows (cylinder) signify the Yatai’s tradition. However, I am unable to hang ramen noodles and dango (ダンゴ ) on the branch since they do not constitute to the winter theme. I thought the colours of marshmallows and cone would better compliment my ensemble. Ice cream reflects about the harshness of weather in temperature during winter. The blue LED lights (sphere)  brings about the distinctive spirit of Yatai stalls along the river bank, also adding on to the overall winter mood.

Feedback: It was said that I could better portray the pattern of fallen snowflakes by reducing the amount at the bottom branches (since the top part should look more densely covered in snow).

Rhythm of Flow:

Dominant: The Branch

Sub-Dominant: Fallen Snowflakes AKA Cotton balls

Sub-Ordinate: Cone & Marshmallows

 

 

//Rejected Ikebana Model (Documentating my attempt):

Elements: Wooden Spiral Piece, Cotton ball, Ice Cream Cone, Shaved Ice Ball (On the cone) and the Wooden piece I found interesting

Dominant: Wooden Spiral Piece (implied cylinder), Wood/Branch (cylinder)

Sub-Dominant: Ice Cream (cone)

Sub-Ordinate: Iceball (sphere), Cotton snowballs (sphere)

The reason why it’s rejected: I find that it somehow lacks the Ikebana essence, but I am still going to document it anyway since it has already been assembled. The structure looked too static and curated, hence this leads me to create another design.

 

//On that day:

That’s all folks!

バイ~

 

Pandora: The Eventual Outcome

// Hello, World!

After the previous consultation with Cheryl, I saw the amount of improvement I needed to make to my 3D Model. My allocated theme was HALF and hence, my main idea revolving the final product lies in the ability to create an interesting structure that resonates with the concept of a 50-50% ratio.

This is how my model looks like after further improvisations:

Actual Structure:

 

// Materials I used to make my 3D Structure:

  • Terracotta Clay (earthenware, clay-based ceramic)
  • A piece of white Acrylic Plastic
  • Metallic Strip
  • Acrylic Paint (Dominant)

 

// The Process:

 

// My Rationale behind the ensemble:

Uses of my Model:

  1. An Architecture that showcases the idea of ‘Half’
  2. A Binocular that enables the lovers of nature to take a closer peek at far away objects
  3. An old school lomo Camera

Terracotta clay, in my opinion, is an ideal replica in replacement of a stone or brick (which is almost too difficult to reshape).  It provides me ample amount of time to mold the clay into a structure I deem fit. On top of that, the natural color from the clay adds on to the overall aesthetic of a ceramic stone texture, making the viewing experience more realistic. Just like the structure of a building which is made of hard concrete, Terracotta clay would replicate a similar effect.

After another consultation on Thursday, I brought home my model for further improvisation on the width of the Sub-Dominant. Yup, got it trimmed into half after a lot of sawing and sanding! On top of that, I wanted to have a monochromatic color scheme to my model, hence, I painted matt black acrylic paint over the Dominant, Glossy white acrylic for the Sub-Dominant, and Shiny reflective metal piece for the Sub-Ordinate. This would balance out their overall aesthetic, starting with the biggest piece being the dullest, and the smallest most inconspicuous piece being the most attention seeking.

 

// Reflection for Pandora:

These few lessons were admittedly insightful. I attempted to toggle with several differences in terms of the length and width of my 3D Foam Model. I learned that every centimeter could potentially result in a shift of D to SD/SD to SO.

With that, I grew a sensitive eye to better distinguish how the size and position relative to its view point could potentially change the game plan.

 

Thanks for reading.

Week 2 – Further Improvisation on 3D Model

Hello, World.

(Oh no, I suck at doing intro, let’s have a cliche one k) Continuing from previous week’s progress, we have now come to the improvisation phase!  To recap, the assigned word was: Half.

I searched it up on google and its definition came up to – “either of two equal or corresponding parts into which something is or can be divided.” 

 

Presenting our first 3D model: The Human Barricade

Applying what I have learned from today’s lesson, I registered the ‘Wedging’ and ‘Piercing’ concept into my first 3D Model. The little gap on the Dominant foam gives it an interesting visual, which is known as the Void (1/3 unoccupied). Additionally, I added in a horizontal foam that brings about the pierced through concept. Overall, the key idea was to develop into a Human Barricade alike structure that can withstand heavy weights.

 

 

Presenting our second 3D model: The Wing Chun Wooden Dummy 

(Damn this is so unlike me…) Anyway, had one of the Sub-Ordinate foam pierced through the body of a Dominant foam. It was a lot of reshaping and cutting and slicing down before I manage to settle with this one. Hmm, on second thoughts, I might need to shave one of them down further. We’ll see…

 

& lastly, here’s the 2-Dimensional Sketch Analysis!

 

In summation, some of the key pointers I have acquired through this lesson were:

  1. Cantilever: A long projecting beam fixed at one end, used in bridge construction
  2. Gestalt Principle:  Where the sum of the whole is greater than it’s part
  3. Wedging: Cutting out a section, wedging another object in between the cut-out
  4. Piercing: When one box literally go through another
  5. Cradling: When an object is stuck between 2 others

 

(Happen to suck at doing an outro too, so…)

Toodles! wink

2D Sketch Analysis & 3D Models

A 3-dimensional item I found to be interesting:

• KNOTTED BANDANA •

Bandana is a multi-functional item. The possibility is endless. I can choose to style up an outfit by having it wrapped around my head or it can be used as a decorative piece on any handbags. Have an open wound? Well, fret not. It can be used as a bandage as well, so use it to dress your wound in time of crisis! This is why I am so intrigued by it.

2-Dimensional Sketch Analysis:

  • Dominant: Band of the bandana
  • Sub-Dominant: Knot
  • Sub-Ordinate: Ribbon
  • Texture: 100% Pure Cotton, Opaque
  • Void: The negative space between the batik patterns

3-Dimensional Cardboard Models

Central Theme: HALF

#01: 

 

#02:

#03:

 

3D Models Sketch Analysis: