March 2016 – rebe0009

2D II – Project 2 FINAL

Hey everyone! So this post will be broken into two parts, one to show my final steps of food stamping, and secondly, the pictorial examples of my end products! (:

FOOD STAMPING:

I used food that was related to each of the compositions for various reasons, as I wanted the item I chose to have a deeper meaning and symbolise something rather than be used for it’s print just for aesthetic reasons.

Image above shows the first food stamped collection. Printed two sets of the compositions so there would be room for trial and error, which proved to be a good decision because I felt the first set that I stamped on was too dark in terms of colour, and was kind of distracting. I also noted that I should not stamp too near to the centre of the image, because then the background became unnoticeable, and that wasn’t what I wanted, as the background plays a large part in the irony of my work.

Food in the point of view of instagram is popularity

I chose wafers because I wanted to keep the sort of geometric shape of the Instagram layout, so I did not want anything circular or rounded. I also felt that the print made was rather different and pretty, something that was very easily identifiable, which captured the essence of my subject, because that’s what popularity represented on Instagram – wanting to stand out from others and gain following.

Food from the point of view of a model is calories

I used lime halves for this composition, because I wanted something that was currently keeping up with the trend of detoxing one’s body. It’s a pretty big area right now, with many models and influencers promoting this ritual, so I wanted a medium that showed that as well.

Food from the point of view of obesity is diabetes

Marshmallows! I used it for this mainly because it’s a snack that is well known to be very unhealthy, and too much consumption of this type of food will lead to unhealthy consequences, much like the chocolate coated chips and rock sugar I used to make the background.

Food from the point of view of farmers is income

For this composition, I wanted something else that farmers are known to harvest. The tea industry has always, and will probably continue to be one of the better known farmers produce. This is a high in demand product with a large consumer market, therefore, I decided to use teabags. The print made had a line down the middle and smaller lines outlining it. I managed to get this shape by using the base of the tea bag, instead of the side.

Food in the point of view of the homeless is survival

I chose to use dried bread that I left out without covering or wrapping up, to get a more rough texture. I wanted to use bread to attain a messy kind of effect, and also because of the idea that the homeless would not have access to fresh goods.

Food in the point of view of starvation is luxury

I chose to use dog food as a medium for food stamping because in my opinion, I feel if people are pushed towards starvation with no way out and they are on the brink of death, at the moment no one would hesitate to eat whatever they find, even if it’s not seen as clean, or even food made for humans, because the only thing they would be thinking of is to fill their stomachs. So, I chose dog food to encompass the desperation they would feel.

FINAL COMPOSITIONS:

Thanks for reading, guys! 😀

2D ll – Project 2 Development (#3)

_{SETTING UP FOR PHOTOS}

And here’s another update that will be shown mainly through photos! (: I apologise in advance for the length of this post, due to all the images, because I have a few variations and examples for each hahah. So here are some process shots that I took to document the initial stage of setting up the place and props for taking photos to use for each piece. Below shows things like the cutting the cucumbers into thin slices, taking the fat out of meat, staining coins using red and brown paint, and arranging the crackers to make backgrounds.

EXAMPLES OF ORIGINAL PHOTOS

I decided to go with placing something that is not edible by itself on the plate, because it shows irony, as people would expect a meal to be served on each dish. I thought it would make things more interesting if the background were food items, while the plates/bowls signify something else that targets the social issues.

I had a lot of fun playing around with the lighting and positioning of the props. Firstly, I had to ensure that I took the photos between 1pm to 6pm, because I wanted bright sunlight. The morning would be too blue-ish, while the night time would be too dark, or yellowish, especially since I did not have access to a studio, and my lights at home all use yellow bulbs. Therefore, I set up outside of my house, and laid the food items on the ground, on top of kitchen towels or a tray to keep the area as clean as possible. I took a couple test shots using average shutter speed, and found that it was sufficient, since the subject was not a moving one. I also increased the exposure, as I personally prefer brighter ones as compared to dark photos. I feel that unless the subject is a light form, bright photos bring out details better.

Food in the point of view of a model is calories

Food from the point of view of obesity is diabetes

Food from the point of view of Instagram is popularity

Food from the point of view of starvation is a luxury

After digital manipulation (without warped background)

These are the shots after being edited on photoshop. I changed things like the colour and contrast, saturation, colour balance, etc. I also added in certain features into a couple of the compositions, if I did not manage to create props for them (like cockroaches, because I ain’t touching the real ones hahahah).

AFTER DIGITAL MANIPULATION (WITH WARPED BACKGROUND and sizing)

I wanted each composition to be evenly sized, meaning the plates to be all uniform in terms of placing in the centre, as well as sizing. I used grid lines on photoshop to measure each piece and keep the dishes constant. I also added a warped-ish texture by using the smudge tool on photoshop, because I feel it creates a more dynamic tone, and I want it to reflect the inconsistencies and disillusion of society and its social issues. I will do food stamping on the edges of each composition, to create a border and add texture to the art work, using food that is related to the theme of each (e.g. obesity = biscuits, or homeless = crackers)

Food in the point of view of farmers is income

I used rice for the photo background, because it is a staple produce that farmers always harvest, and it’s a big part of our Asian culture. I chose to use blood stained coins because I want it to represent that farmers work hard using their blood, sweat and tears, but reap very little (hence the coins).

Food from the point of view of the homeless is survival

I used instant noodles because I feel it’s something that is very fragile and breakable, as well as convenient to be eaten. Also, due to the nature of it, the noodles can be eaten before boiling (although it isn’t advised, but it can be if people are desperate = survival). I chose a can and wrappers in the middle because the homeless typically live on these products, especially when it comes from food donations/food drives.

Food from the point of view of Instagram is popularity

The crackers behind represent the application because of it’s square shape, and the layout of how posts on Instagram are shown (in grid form). I felt the warp especially added to it because of how what we see on social media is usually twisted from reality. The eyeballs are to symbolise popularity, in a way that people are always watching.

Food from the point of view of a model is calories

I chose cucumbers, because it is a type of food that models always eat, like carrots and asparagus. In fact, many of them develop eating disorders from it, health problems, or faint from not having enough food intake. The butter and chicken skin and fats on the sterile, clean looking dish is to show calories.

Food from the point of view of obesity is diabetes

I used chocolate coated potato chips, as well as rock sugar to show unhealthy snacks or food that contributes to obesity. The plate contains pills and syringes to signify diabetes, like how diabetic patients have to consistently take insulin shots.

Food from the point of view of starvation is a luxury

I made gruel for the background using cereals, oats, grains and chopped up bread – a type of food that is typically known in the past especially, for feeding the poor and hungry, as it is very filling and loaded with carbohydrates. For the bowl, I chose a crystal one, to show the contrast between luxury and starvation, and placed products like perfume and jewellery that is associated with privilege into the dish. I also used blue cheese and grapes to juxtapose this, as I think it is ironic that the starving will eat mouldy food out of survival instincts, but the rich may consume it in this context as it is an expensive product.

4D II – Project #2, Soundscape

Background story:

There are two men in the room, one of which is awakened by the sound of a helicopter flying over the old, wooden house. The house is found in the middle of spacious land, near a forested area, and there are very few houses in the area as most of them are sporadically placed. It is at night, and only the rather strong wind and insects can be heard.

The man who wakes up creeps around the room, rummaging for the keys. He opens the bedroom door, and walks down the corridor, coming to a creaky flight of stairs. He descends, feeling nervous, and takes a deep breath before opening the heavy front door, looking out to see where the helicopter is.

Visual representation:

Soundscape:

2D ll – Project 2 Development (#2)

Exploration:

I thought these were pretty cool images of food and how it uses separate products to create something that obviously represents something – in this situation, a location.

I thought these were pretty cool, I like that it focuses on a single item in the middle, and the backgrounds are solid coloured, or gradient (but in colours that are not too bright).

The first photo (with pink markings) are actually made of ink marks using celery stalks, and I was considering combining that with various food like pomegranates, oranges and bread to create a textured background. Another thought was to use black watercolour to create various backgrounds for each piece, to show collaboration.

These are a couple of things I tried out at home, using dry food as mediums and watercolour.

2D ll – Project 2 Development (#1)

Hello everyone! Just updating on my progress for the second project, and I’ve decided that I want to focus on the 6 points that focus on social issues, because it’s a subject I feel quite strongly about, and I feel it will string my ideas together better if they’re related in this way. I also hope that my work will be able to bring across poignant or thought provoking messages in terms of its tone, in an underlying manner that isn’t too direct.

The 6 points are:

Food from the point of view of starvation is a luxury.
Food from the point of view of a model is calories.
Food from the point of view of farmers is income.
Food from the point of view of the homeless is survival.
Food from the point of view of obesity is diabetes.
Food from the point of view of Instagram is popularity.

Before beginning my thought process on how and what I will use to go about this project, my first step is to pen down how I feel about each point. I’m hoping this will help me consolidate and categorise, so I know what exactly it is about each subject that I want to bring across to the audience, and how to stimulate the related thoughts and emotions.

Food from the point of view of starvation is a luxury

I’ve travelled to places like India and Cambodia because I find it is a beautiful thing to immerse in another’s culture, and these trips are real eye openers. Starvation is a sad thing that affects 795 million people in the world – and that’s almost 13% of the world’s population. It’s also attributed to almost half of the deaths of children in the world.

I think what strikes me most about starvation is the cruelty of the situation, yet it is something that links to the political and economical success (or lack of) of a country. Therefore, I feel food is a luxury to those suffering from starvation, because it isn’t something that can be easily solved, and although there are humanitarian movements that aim to alleviate this matter, there isn’t a solution that will easily change things.

Food from the point of view of a model is calories

And yet, there is an irony in this situation. There are so many models (regular people as well, not just women) who are fixated on being a size 0 so they can walk the runway for high end brands, or simply, just to look good. I personally feel that this is because of society’s standards of beauty, and how the media portrays them, seeing how it’s been modified for centuries. Anorexia and bulimia are very tangible issues right now, and it’s so unhealthy for the body.

I believe it is each individual’s choice on how they want to live their life, so it’s really up to them to define their eating habits, but people should not be easily influenced. Instead, they should think for themselves, and live the kind of lifestyle they want. In this case, I always feel healthiness is the most important aspect to take into consideration.

Food from the point of view of farmers is income

Farmers are the ones who begin the cycle of harvesting and growing crops to give us food in it’s raw form, and I feel that it’s a commendable act. However, in less developed countries, the time and effort to monetary ratio is not something that is in favour of the farmers.

The point I hope to bring across: what’s most severe for farmers is that they may spend hours labouring in fields or factories, and they do not earn very much profit or income, as most of it goes to the middlemen, or distributors, who earn a lot more from us, who in turn, purchase the produce from supermarkets and stores.

Food from the point of view of the homeless is survival

Many social issues affect the homeless, which turns the lack of available housing for people into a social issue itself. Problems would include substance abuse, deinstitutionalisation, urbanisation, lack of family support and economic downturn. The homeless then find themselves trapped in this predicament that is incredible difficult to break out of, and this in turn, affects their children as well. The saying goes, ‘The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.’

However, I think a large part of how the homeless survive is through food drives or food donations that people participate in. In Singapore, we may not have many homeless people, but we do have organisations like The Food Bank or Food From The Heart that contributes to delivering food to the less privileged. In this sense, when they do not own materialistic things like fancy clothes or houses, food is more or less a major part of what the homeless need for survival.

Food from the point of view of obesity is diabetes

Society is very focused on image – how a person looks and behaves. It’s sad, but in a way, it is also very true that generally larger sized people are subject to more prejudgment from people. It affects body image and is stressful as well. They may become introverted and lose confidence. Another issue is that health issues like diabetes is a very real threat to people of all ages (Singapore has the second highest proportion of diabetics amongst developed nations).

My personal stance on this is that too much food is capable of causing body image issues, but on a more serious note, it can endanger lives through diseases like diabetes, and the latter is something that people should be more conscious about, because sometimes diabetes is dormant and only acts up in later years.

Food from the point of view of Instagram is popularity

Social media is a platform for people to connect, expand businesses, create awareness, and share moments or opinions. However, it can be also used in an unhealthy way. I’ve decided to focus on Instagram because I think it’s one of the platforms that is currently in the spotlight, and many people are still on it.

I feel it can be unhealthy when users take to it to gain validation to a point of obsession. For example, if they are on it simply to attain popularity because it temporarily satisfies them. It is not a permanent solution, and is a social issue because so many people are using Instagram, and that leaves a lot of room for users to be susceptible to this, especially those growing up in the digital age.