Image making through type ~ Process + Final

Before proceeding with my concept and 4 compositions, I had to first list out my 4 future jobs. Upon further reflection of these jobs, I realized that I’ve always wanted to pursue them as a child perceiving these as pretty fun jobs.

Flight attendant
Interior designer
Baker
Supermarket cashier

Starting off with objects that I could possibly include visually into my compositions, I began brainstorming for things that were relevant to the jobs in my sketchbook.

brainstorming

sketches

Following the development of ideas, I began sketching possible compositions. The interior designer ~ dollhouse sparked the idea of using other childhood toys to portray the remaining jobs. This concept of including childhood toy sets was then included in my art direction.

Toy cashiers

Kitchen/food sets

Prior to coming up with all the compositional concepts, I proceeded to draw them in greater detail so that I could lightly sketch it on the tracing paper before sewing the thread on.

SEWING PROCESS

Trial test aka exploring the medium:

embroidery + pen detail

embroidery + colouring details

I choose to sew on tracing paper because its translucency allowed for layering of backgrounds.

Sewing process

During the sewing of circles in the first composition, I realised that it was more efficient to poke holes in the paper beforehand with the needle.

Colouring in areas with colour pencils

TOP LAYERS

BACKGROUND LAYERS

Air stewardess – Plain white background
Interior designer – floor plan
1. floor plan
Baker – recipe pages
1. recipe pages
Cashier – receipts
1. grocery receipts

FINAL PRESENTATION

Concept & message of work:

Telling of my future jobs with the progression of time through
Neatness of embroidery and background layer decreases with time
- Creasing of paper increases
- Increased length of thread that remains at the back

Art direction:

Embroidery with monochromatic threads on the first layer with pen and colour pencil detailing
Setting of job further emphasized in the second layer
Fitting the letters of my name into the ‘structure’ of each respective job so that it can’t really be replaced with any other letter
Using childhood toys as a guide for the compositions

The order of my four jobs is in the chronological order of age starting from a young adult, to adult, middle age and lastly as an elderly.

my name is Teri and I am an air stewardess

Inspired by the Chinese aeroplane chess board game that I use to play as a kid, I thought it was very suitable for this job as an air stewardess. The background for this piece was plain white to portray the neatness and certainty I have as a young adult. Blue monochromatic colour scheme.

my name is Teri and I am an Interior designer

The composition of this piece I think turned out the strongest amongst the rest. It was the first piece that I was very certain of and it bridged the linking of letters into the structure of the item itself, which in this case was a dollhouse. As for the second layer background, I draw a floor plan in shades of pink to match with the red monochromatic scheme in the front.

my name is Teri and I am a baker

The letter t in this third piece represents a cake on a baker’s table. The surrounding decorative materials around it make up the remaining letters in my name. In this composition is where I bring in collaging in the background; collaging of old recipe books but still arranged rather neatly. The use of green/yellowish pages complements the green monochromatic scheme in the front.

my name is Teri and I am a supermarket cashier

For my final job as an old woman, I’ve also wanted to sit by the cashier scanning groceries for others. Using a toy cashier set as a guide, I altered the structure of the set so as to fit the letters of my name. The age in this is reflected in the messy collage of receipts in the background. I used shades of grey for the thread in this while pops of colours from the receipts peak through the tracing paper.

Image making through type ~ Research

Kicking off graphic form this semester 2, project 1 reminds me of a combination of last semesters activities such as mark making and the topics of surrealism and dadaism. The brief of this project is to create typographic portraits describing our future jobs by using letters from our names.

ARTIST RESEARCH ` DADA

Starting in the early 20th century, dada was a literary and artistic movement that began in Zurich, Switzerland. It revolved around European avant-garde and stepped away from crafting for aesthetic purposes, rather for creating works that evoked questions about the artist, the purpose of art and society. Creations from the dada movement ranged from performance art to poetry, photography, sculpture, painting and collage.

A few artists from the dada movement includes Marcel Duchamp, Hannah Hoch and Hans Arp.

Marcel Duchamp:
– mechanisms of desire and human sexuality
– fondness for wordplay

Fountain (1917), Marcel Duchamp

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_(Duchamp)#/media/File:Duchamp_Fountaine.jpg

“By removing the urinal from its everyday environment and placing it in an art context, Duchamp was questioning basic definitions of art as well as the role of the artist in creating it.” – Philadelphia Museum of Art

This artwork is a prime example of how dada artists are known for their manipulation and use of existing, everyday objects. Relating this back to the project, I was thinking that I could incorporate objects found/related to the future jobs with the inclusion of typography.

Hannah Hoch

https://kunstvensters.com/2016/08/04/kunstgeschiedenis-dada/hannah-hoch-dada-dolls/

german photomontage artist active in the dada movement

Address in her pioneering artwork in the form of her photomontage the issue of gender and the figure of a woman in modern society
Hannah Hoch helped to expand the notion of what could be considered art by incorporating found elements of popular culture into ‘higher’ art
Dada puppet (1916), dark playful dolls, influenced by writer Hugo ball
Promoted the idea of women working creatively more generally in society

I was really inspired by Hoch’s collage style, especially the colours incorporated which flow together smoothly. The layers in her pieces add a lot of depth to the work.

Even though I did further research on artists during the dada movement such as Hans Arp, Hannah Hoch and the Russian Constructivists, I had other ideas in mind; one that included the use of embroidery, similar to what I did towards the end of last semester.

Recently, I had been following quite a few embroidery artists on Instagram hence influencing thoughts on wanting to explore this medium more. One of which is teeteeheehee aka Teresa, a Singaporean embroidery artist.

I really admired the level of detail that Teresa could achieve with embroidery as well as the texture that comes with it. It is also a form of art that feels very delicate which was something that I would like to work towards as an art direction.

Another aspect of the project that I was looking into while researching was colours. Considering that I had the intention of incorporating layers into my composition, I thought that I might be neater to go with a monochromatic colour scheme.

more instagram discoveries

Locale ~ Part 1

Before diving into the creation of our zine for part 2 of project 2, part 1 requires us to complete an in-depth research of our location; a unique site in Singapore. To kick off part 1, I began my research online to jot down a few places of interest that I could possibly visit.

PLACES OF INTEREST?

Bras Basah Complex
someplace familiar to me
second-hand bookstores

AVA Senoko fishery port
brings back memories of childhood
how I hate the smell of wet markets
reminded me of Tsukiji fish market in Japan but a local Singapore version
never knew of this fishery port
respect for the people in this industry and how it operates during the night

The Senoko fishery port is a place that I never knew existed in Singapore. I was really excited to visit the place initially, but after reading through online blogs about the place it seems that it isn’t much different from a regular wet market except that it operates during the night and through the early morning.

Upon further consideration, I realized that having lived out of Singapore for many years, there’s one place that I’ve always liked visiting when I’m back and that would be Haji Lane. It’s always been nice to just stroll through the shops on a quiet afternoon browsing through the quirky nic nacs that are rare to spot in regular shopping malls. The selection of my location was hence decided; Haji Lane.

RESEARCH METHODS

What is primary research and what is secondary research? Please provide examples of both.

Primary research involves gathering data that has never been collected before. For example, conducting your own survey with questionnaires or interviews with a specific group of people. Secondary research, on the other hand, involves the use of primary research data that is already available. It could be further analysis or interpretations of primary research. Examples are studies or reports by agencies or businesses within the same industry.

What is qualitative and quantitative data? How would you go about collecting the two?

Qualitative data is information about quality and cannot be measured numerically. Examples could be the softness of your hair or the grace at which you walk. It involves descriptions of the quality of things. Quantitative data, on the other hand, involves information that can be measured with numbers. Examples include the age of your car or the length of your fingers.

What are ethnography and participant-observation? What are some ways collecting data?

Ethnography is defined as “the scientific description of peoples and cultures with their customs, habits and mutual differences.” It is designed to explore cultural phenomena where researchers observe society from the subject’s point of view.

Participant-observation occurs when the observer participants in the activity and records his/her observations as a ‘player’ in action. They take on the role of being studied and may involve living in a commune, or becoming a firefighter.

What are infographics and how are they used to effectively communicate data? What other ways can we visually represent data?

Infographics are visual representations of information that use design to express content. The simple yet informative design effectively communicates data clearly and quickly. Examples of infographics are signs, maps and data representations. Other ways to visually represent data.

Interview Qns

Before visiting Haji Lane, I prepared two sets of interview questions for the respective interviewees. The questions are targeted at obtaining both quantitative and qualitative data.

On-site interview questions (passers-by):

What is your age and race?
Are you a local or tourist?
How often do you visit Haji lane and why are you here today/why do you come back here?
Could you name me your favourite quality about haji lane/a unique quality about the place
Approximately how much time do you spend here?
Do you take photos of the wall murals and do you know the artist?

On-site interview questions (shop staff/owners):

What is your age and race?
How long has this shop been around for?
Why did the owner choose haji lane as a location to buy/rent a unit?
Could you name me your favourite quality about haji lane/a unique quality about the place
Regarding the wall murals, have you ever taken pictures of them and do you know the artist
Are the items you carry your own products or are they commissioned and how do you source for them?

Jotting down notes + interview responses

Aside from conducting interviews on site, I also created another set of questions for an online survey on SurveyMonkey. The quantitative responses I received were helpful in contributing to my quantitative infographics while the qualitative data allowed me to gather more unique selling points of Haji Lane.

Qualitative Data

Quantitative Data

Haji Lane – History

Reputedly Singapore’s narrowest street
Named after “haji” – the pilgrimage undertaken by Muslims
Just over 4 meters wide, lined on both sides with centuries-old shophouses
Buildings are of early shophouse style, characterised by minimal plaster ornamentations and low ceiling height
In the past, they were used as accommodation for Muslim pilgrims transiting through Singapore
Today, some of the shophouses have been beautifully restored

WEEK 8 CONSULTATION

Primary research method:

on-site interviews

Secondary research method:

online research
history of haji lane
TripAdvisor

Qualitative Data: can be presented through illustrations + sketches

People’s favourite / unique quality about Haji Lane

Quantitative Data: can be presented through infographics

Time spent there
How often is their visit

UPS aka Unique selling point:

street art, boutiques, bars
combination of styles and character

Following this consultation, my next step was to arrange all the data that I have into an organised order for presentation.

Final presentation & Crit.

Here are my final slides for the research: Haji-Lane.pdf!

Joy mentioned that although I covered a large variety of different unique qualities, I can try to focus on one for part 2. The main point about Haji Lane as a creative space was brought through but I maybe I can consider the contrast between day and night at Haji Lane. Some classmates feedbacked that I had a good range of research methods and suggested that maybe I could look into patterns from the wall murals for my zine since they were eye-catching.

For part 1 of this project, I really focus on obtaining research and covered quite a few aspects of Haji lane as a whole so moving along I can now narrow down what I have. 🙂

Exquisite Glitch

joel

photoshop and audition

bryan

frederick

Research Critique 2 ~ Telematic performance

The third space to me is an infinite space for connection between people. Regardless of where they are, the third space could be defined as “a space with no geological boundaries” (Satellite Arts Project).

An interaction between one another despite being in different locations collapses boundaries in the third space. It involves defying distance similar to what we experimented with in our microproject 2, which is made possible with accessible advanced technology. Although the absence of physical contact may convey a lack of intimacy, I think space in terms or privacy and the scale in which the interaction is occurring in defines closeness.

Paul Sermon, Telematic Dreaming, 1992

A great example of an increase in intimacy through a private space is Sermon’s Telematic Dreaming where two beds are placed in different locations. According to Sermon, ” The ability to exist outside of the users own space and time are created by an alarmingly real sense of touch that is enhanced by the context of the bed.” The interaction with only one other individual will often hold greater intimacy in comparison to a group of people (e.g. Hold in Space)

“Our sense of reality is fragmented and juxtaposed”

In our own interpretation of a third space, Frederick and I approached it from a two-point perspective where I became his “eyes” as he wandered through the library.

Our collaboration into combining our perceptions into one portrayed on two screens demonstrates connection through the synchronization of our movements simultaneously. The outcome allowed for a journey that cannot be experienced in real life because we were virtually in the same space but physically apart. As Randall Packer says, “this state of shared presence inhabits an entirely new way of seeing via a fracturing perception.”

Pandora Revisited

Kicking off sem 2 with a new project, we were tasked to manipulate a basic 3D object volume with operative verbs that we picked at random. The verbs that I had chosen was bend, notch and array.

BEND~NOTCH~ARRAY

Bend: shape or force something into a curve or angle
Notch: an indentation or incision on an edge or surface
Array: display or arrange things in a curved manner

Diving straight into the assignment, we started moulding our modules to represent all 3 verbs out of clay. Although it was fun to work with clay, my modules kept breaking after the clay was dry so here are 2 of my initial modules, one of which I used as the final model.

First Module

Working with the terms, bend and notch, both my modules consist of 3 separate parts varying in size that are bent and notched together when they are cradled.

In this first module, I took a more curved approach to the structure and hence although the modules are bent, they do not have a sharp angular edge. It turned out to somewhat resemble 3 ticks that are notched together at its curved edge. The module was sculpted with clay which was a great material to work with when creating curved shapes but is very fragile when dried because some of my other prototypes kept breaking.

Technical drawings

Right ~ top view
Left ~ bottom view

Plan ~ top & bottom

4 sides

Elevation ~ 4 sides

Second Module

In this second module, I created it out of blue foam because it was a much more angular structure and it was easier to achieve its smooth edges with the foam cutter.

Similar to my first module, this one was again made out of 3 parts, each that was bent and notched together. The difference here is that the sizes for each part were kept the same.

Technical drawings

Right ~ top view
Left ~ bottom view

Plan ~ top & bottom

4 sides

Elevation ~ 4 sides

Sectional cut

Section

Isometric

After creating the individual modules, the next step to this project was to create an ice tray out of multiples of our model.

DUPLICATING WITH LATEX

Moving to the next step which was to duplicate our modules, we had the option of either working with silicon or latex. It was up until this point where I decided that I would go with my second module design as the individual pieces could notch with one another and fit into my final verb, array. After analyzing both modules, I also realized that the second one would be easier to duplicate as there were no gaps in between them.

Since the design of my module was rather “step-like” as there were many levels and also a void in the middle, I thought that working with latex would be better since I could really cover all its edges.

latex

After applying a coat of baby oil to my foam model, I began coating it in thin layers of latex. Many many hours and many many layers of latex after, I successfully created a latex mould out of my module.

latex mould

After the latex mould was created, it was time for the duplication process to start with the use of plaster. After mixing the plaster powder with water, I poured it into the latex mould and waited 30-60mins for it to set before removing it.

After repeating this process for 6 times, I ended up with 3 successful and 3 unsuccessful outcomes.

Successful attempts

Here are 3 of the plaster duplicates that came out alright. The surfaces were not the smoothest but they were still held together as one piece. The other 3, however, broke into pieces as I was taking it out of the mould. This occurred because the opening gap of my mould was quite small and hence I had to force the bottom parts out.

Unsuccessful attempts

Ice Module Arrangements

Arrangement 1

3 modules

Arrangement 2

2 modules

Arrangement 3

2 modules

Arrangement 4

2 modules

After multiple attempts at different arrangements, I found that it was actually simpler to notch together just 2 modules instead of 3.

Ice tray – Isometric drawings

individual modules

Final ice tray arrangement

This is my final arrangement for the ice tray placed in a circular manner so as to have them in an array manner.

Ice tray ~ Plan

Ice tray ~ section and elevation

Pouring in the Silicon

Although I did have my duplicates made out of plaster, I decided to use foam for the final pouring of silicon for the ice tray instead because the details were a lot smoother and neater with blue foam.

Due to the very angular structure of my module, it was going to be challenging for me to remove the modules from the silicon after it dries. In an attempt to fix this problem, I stuck each module onto a rectangular base, in the hopes of it creating a wider opening gap.

Rectangular bases

To save the amount of silicon wasted, I placed a cylinder block in the middle in order to occupy more volume.

Unfortunately soon after the silicon was poured, two out of my five modules began to float up. The cause of this might because the glue used to stick the foam down hadn’t been dried enough yet, or maybe because the weight of the silicon between the voids in my module lifted them up. I was glad that I still had 3 other modules to rely on 🙂

Ice Making

Coming back to my silicone mould a week after it was poured, it was strangely still not completely dried and hence I left it for almost another week. Unfortunately, it still wasn’t completely dry, especially the areas around my modules.

shiny bits = still sticky

Nonetheless, I proceeded to try making some ice.

I would say that the overall structure of the module turned out pretty well except that some edges started to curve as it melted. During this first round, no silicon was transferred onto the ice. However, during my second round, the non-dry silicon transferred onto the ice cubes and hence it melted a lot quicker as I tried to wipe it off.

notching the individual cubes together

Despite some rather tedious process this project entails, I had a lot of fun throughout it all and I worked with mediums like silicon, latex and plaster which I have never experimented with before 🙂 A lot of trial and error went into this project which definitely taught me about thinking ahead for the success of future procedures.

Research Critique 1 ~ Micro project 2

Crowdsourced time-based art

Drawing on each of our arms respective to the images that we had

For our micro-project 2, crowdsourced time-based art, the direction that my team went for was to gather a collection of visual reactions through simple, on the spot drawings. With a random image on each of our phones, we set out to people within the vicinity of ADM to ask for their participation. With the limitation of three markers, in the colours red, green and blue, they had the freedom to draw anything they wanted in reaction to the images we showed them.

This crowd-sourced project includes great qualities of D.I.W.O because it involves creation through a community of people. Unlike works that are created by a single artist, a collective artwork enables participants to possible inspire future participants. It allows for constant growth and redefinition of “the final product”. Instead of looking at the final outcome as whats valuable, the process is what tells a story.

“Everyday people are choosing to find their own examples of what they consider to be art, rather than just reading approved promotions by the mainstream press”

This quote from the D.I.W.O article reinforces the versatility of art and how each individual can contribute something uniquely different and hence determining what the outcome becomes.

The work that we created involves social interaction not only between us and the participants but also between the participants themselves. Since there are no limitations to what they can create, we end up with an outcome consisting of various interpretations of the same image. Our group took a more physical approach to the project where not much of technology was involved.

the sheep market, Aaron Koblin

the sheep market

Similarly to the sheep market crowdsourcing project by Aaron Koblin, our project also involves the collection of drawings except not done digitally. Koblin’s work shows an example of crowdsourcing works breaking the boundaries of “art” and “artists” as anyone can create art. If our group possibly chose our images more strategically, our drawn outcomes could have been more unified.

Poetics of time ~ Project 4

Project 4, poetics of time requires us to create a final project that expresses one of the categories of time. Since it could be created with any medium of our choice, I decided to work with film and record a video. Below is a copy of my first very first project proposal draft. (Explanation of changes below!)

project proposal

Project Title
- the inverse of time
Describe the Art Project
1. What is it about?
  - changing the normality of time that we experience every day
  - things that normally occur fast will become slow; vice versa
  - focus on human behaviours/emotions
  - Focus: Human reactions, grooming needs
    - Sneezing, pre-sneeze
    - Yawning
    - Smiling
    - Blinking
    - Nail biting/cutting
    - Nodding
    - Wave
    - Frown
    - Cough
    - Wink
    - Crawl
    - Laughing
2. What has inspired you?
  - I wanted to explore a universe that experiences time otherwise
3. Are you trying out a new concept or a continuation of a previous project?
  - New concept
4. What do you intend to communicate to your audience?
  - Let us appreciate motion and live in the moment
5. What is innovative or new about it?
  - Portrays scenarios that are against the norm
  - points out moments that we tend to overlook
Objectives and activities of the Art Project
1. What are you going to make or produce?
  - A video
2. How are you going to produce it?
  - Film it from various angles
  - capture subtle movement
3. What is the type of work?
  - Edited time
4. What is the dimension?
5. What is the length of time of this experience you are creating?
  - 2-3 minutes
Art Materials and Equipment for the Art Project
1. Describe the materials you are going to use
  - DSLR camera
2. What tools will you be using?
  - Singapore
  - my surroundings
Mounting and Installing the art project
1. describe how you would install the art project
  - Played on the classroom projector
Art Project Design
1. Mockup of your artwork
  - Trial shots below

concept development

Throughout the start of this project, I really struggled with the ideas that I had and was indecisive about what I wanted to focus on. However, I did kind of have a filming/editing style in mind which was inspired by the artists in my project 4 research post. For the filming and editing, I knew that I wanted it to be quite raw in nature, capturing the moments itself without the input of additional background music or visual effects.

ORIGINAL IDEA

As seen in my original proposal, I wanted to create a video that expressed the inverse of time. Since there was no focus initially, I then thought of focusing on human behaviour/actions. After consulting with Lei, my plan was to film very close up shots of people in their natural state and try to capture the moments of sneezing, coughing, etc… With this focus, I proceeded to take test shots in the public space of a mall. Below is a compilation of some test shots.

During the filming process of these test shots, I realised that it was too challenging to capture the moments of natural human behaviours that I wanted; especially in a raw setting because the moment is unpredictable. It was also very awkward for me since I was trying to film strangers without them knowing. I also could not film them to the level of closeness within a frame than I intended.

FINAL IDEA

Moving on to another idea, I thought of filming something that could mark the end of this first semester and the new chapter in my life of staying at university. With this, I aimed to create a video that documents a day in my life specifically spent at hall. I took the DSLR around with me throughout the day to record everything and compiled it into a video filled with many short clips.

“day in the life of” // project 4 final outcome
falls under the category of edited time

From morning to night, this video includes repeated clips of my window and the view when you step outside the door to show a progression of time throughout the day. Other repeated visuals included my shower basket, my bed, the view from when I am laying in my bed and the wall hook on my wall where my towel and shower bag hangs. Time stamps were also included to mark the time of day.

day // night

throughout the day

To sum up all the clips:

Morning	– waking up – ceiling fan – window – brushing teeth – starting work
Afternoon	– window – afternoon sun – cup noodle lunch – cooking cup noodle – enjoying cup noodle – back to work – nap time in the evening – waking up
Night	– receiving a dinner invite – window – heading downstairs – having dinner with friends – spending time with time – heading back up – shower time – watching tv shows/scrolling social media – lights out

Filming/editing qualities

Throughout the filming process, I held the camera still in a single position without the use of a tripod for the effect of a presence behind the camera as well as to portray my day through my own eyes.

A few clips that I had to re-film another morning were the clips that turned out a little too dark and of bad resolution due to the lack of light. Initially, I had also filmed them out of focus to mimic the effect of me not wearing my glasses but it turned out even worse with the lack of light.

Out of focus // in low light

The audios present in the video were all ‘natural’ sounds that were present in my surrounding environment itself. I wanted to really capture the presence of motion and movement through the things around me that are often missed and overlooked hence for the lack of speaking and minimal movement of the camera.

As for the editing, I made decisions about altering the length of each clip when piecing everything together. During parts where I captured subtle motions such as natural movements and reflections within the frame, they tend to appear longer in order for the audience to appreciate the moment.

Critique/reflection

To sum up project 4, I really enjoyed experimenting with this style of filming and editing that I have always wanted to try. I am also glad that the outcome of this project documents this time in my life which I can look back on in the future. In the context that this video was shown in class and to an audience that is probably experiencing similar routines currently, I hope to have created something that feels familiar in some ways as they can relate to it.

Lastly, I had an amazing time during our last critique session admiring everyone’s amazing creations and development of their own styles 🙂

Project 4 ~ Research

Space and Time

In different ways, space and time are organising principles of all art. In the context of films, space and time allow for the inclusion of motion. In the late 19th and early 20th century, the development of film medium led to a great influence on changing perceptions of space and time.

Measured time

Actual, objective, clock time
time is quantitatively measured by regularly recurring events of intervals
examples: cast shadows, recurring sounds, live durational performances

Linear time – there is a beginning (past) and end (future), the present is always moving forward
Circular time – repeated processes like cycles and seasons which creates continuous outcomes

Experienced time

Subjective, psychological, implied or perceived time
measured by the attention of the participant

Edited time

has been cut up and rearranged
can be linear or non-linear
linear is mapped out in the order of past, present and future
non-linear time can reveal parts of the future mixed in with the past and present
examples are montage and time-lapse photography

Biological time

a measure of time-related to bodily functions, such as when we feel awake, tired or hungry

Digital time

measured in milliseconds and often associated with technology
an example is how long a webpage takes to load and how long you feel when it takes longer

Running time

the total length of a live event or a video piece
running time = plot time

Artist Inspiration

Singapore Gaga (2005) ” Tan Pin Pin

Singapore GaGa (2005)

“If you see only one Singapore film, let this be it” – TODAY

Subject: Singapore’s aural landscape

Form: A 55 minutes documentary with English and Chinese subtitles

Context: Considering the subject of this film, it is very relevant in the cultural context of Singaporean as well as other races living in Singapore. In relation to audiences outside of Singapore, they can learn a lot about Singapore from this film

Content: This documentary reveals the unique characteristics of Singapore and captures moments that makeup what this country embodies

Asia (2015) ” Will Darbyshire

Short film created by Youtuber Will Darbyshire

Subject: Asia/Thailand

Form: 2:26 minutes edited short film, montage style

Context: Presence of Thailand’s cultural context, similar to other Asian cultures hence more relatable to audiences from these regions

Content: This video captures characteristics of Thailand whether its the food, people, culture or environment. It has been edited in a way whereby parts of a clip are removed to create a stop-motion like effect with matching audio

Formats from project 3:

synesthesia
a stream of consciousness
experimentation (material/medium)
semiotics (signs and signifiers)
non-linear editing (flashback/flashforward)
movement/choreography

Ego in Different Settings ~ Project 3

As the last third of this semester approaches, our final project requires us to create a total of 12 compositions. We were given the freedom to use any 2D medium that we wish in order to portray our “egos in different settings”. The 12 compositions will be split into 4 rows of threes and amongst each row, we had to represent ourselves, a setting and our reaction in that setting.

Since the style of this project was entirely up to us, the one rule we had to follow was to match our use of colours with various colour theories. Hence, I started this project with research on colour theories.

Research on Colour Theories

http://designingfortheweb.co.uk/part4/part4_chapter16.php

Monochromes Harmony

http://designingfortheweb.co.uk/part4/part4_chapter16.php

In the monochromatic colour scheme, the lightness and saturation of a single colour are altered. Derived from a single hue, a variety of shades and tones are achieved by adding a darker colour, grey or black. It can also be lightened with the addition of white.

Analogous Harmony

Image result for analogous colour scheme

https://30daysweater.com/ultimate-guide-color-theory-sweater-knitters-part-2-basic-color-schemes/

Colours in the analogous colour scheme are adjacent to each other on the colour wheel. Out of two colours, one is the dominant colour while the other is used to enrich the scheme. Since the colours are rather close to each other on the wheel, they do not create much contrast.

Analogous Harmony Warm and Cool

The warm and cool analogous harmony are differentiated through the warm and cool portions of the colour scheme. The range of colours from red to yellow can be paired together as warm analogous harmony while colours ranging from violet to green can be paired together as cool analogous harmony.

Complementary Hues

http://designingfortheweb.co.uk/part4/part4_chapter16.php

Made of two colours that are directly opposite each other on the colour wheel, the complementary colour schemes offer a great contrast between warm and cool colours. Its high contrast draws a lot of attention and is eye-catching.

Split Complementary

https://designmodo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Split-Complementary.jpg

Expanding on the standard complementary colour scheme, the split complementary uses a colour and the two colours adjacent to its complementary. It provides high contrast but is not as strong as the complementary colour scheme. It is harder to balance in comparison to the other colour schemes.

Triad

https://www.homedit.com/triadic-color-scheme/

The triadic colour scheme essentially involves the use of three colours that are equally spaced on the colour wheel. The use of colours that falls under this scheme will look create contrast and look harmonious simultaneously. To allow for a nice balance, normally one colour will dominate while the other two will be used as accents.

Ideation

In the midst of missing many aspects of Hong Kong after having lived there for the majority of my childhood, I decided to incorporate these feelings into my compositions as an overarching theme. After mind mapping on things that I am reminiscent of in Hong Kong (which can be found in my visual journal), I decided on the top few and came up with 4 equations.

First plan

tired me + in my bean bag = relaxed (digital)
- base colour = blue
cozy me + during autumn = at peace (embroidery on felt)
- base colour = orange
walking home + at Ap Lei Chau/Hong Kong = safe, comforted and homey (colour pencil)
- base colour = purple
hungry me + eating home cooked food = comforted (watercolour)
- base colour = blue

As for the colour scheme of each row, I decided to stick with a base colour and use it to work with various colour schemes for each individual compositions.

artist inspiration ” Mireia Ruiz

http://mireiaysuscosas.tumblr.com/

Mireia Ruiz was the inspiration for the last compositions of each of my four rows. During the planning of my compositions, I struggled with coming up with ideas for “me and my reaction to the setting” as I didn’t know how to express my emotions through the application of objects. Having stumbled across an interview with artist Mireia Ruiz in a magazine, I was intrigued by her abstract creations, especially her use of colours.

http://mireiaysuscosas.tumblr.com/

Although all her works were abstract pieces, the variety of form, colours, lines, negative and positive space present in her work really gave each painting its own unique quality. Thereafter, I was inspired to create abstract pieces to express my various emotions of me in my comforting setting.

first row

My 1st row of compositions portrays the reunion of tired me and my beanbag which I use to always take naps on after returning from a long day of school. The layered placement of the eye mask was executed in order to convey the deterioration of my energy during school; further emphasised with the monochromatic scheme that creates a depth within the piece. As for the setting, my beanbag is ‘personified’ in the sense that I had given it arms as a way to show its openness and invitation for me to join it. Coloured in a dark greyish blue hue, its dullness shows the absence of a companionship which in this scenario is me.

	Tired Me	Beanbag	Feeling relaxed
Colour scheme	Monochromatic	Complementary	Spilt complementary (blue, red-orange, yellow-orange)

Eye Mask trials

After deciding on the second version amongst these two, Joy and I discussed during our first consult that the eye masks could be portrayed more clearly as eye masked and hence I added the straps for a clearer image.

Bean Bag trials

After my consult with Joy where she suggested I could try including features that related to the context of Hong Kong such as dim sum basket texture, food textures, etc…, the piece on the right was my attempt for that which didn’t work out quite well. Since I wasn’t able to capture the texture of a dim sum basket, I decided to go with the paper below steamed buns and dim sum dishes instead which is present in my final composition.

First Attempt // Final

The last composition for this row was the first abstract piece I tried to create. The piece on the right was my first attempt at it whereby the colours did not match well with the split complementary colour theory. Since I felt like the placement of lines and shape were also not as concise, I redid this piece which turned out to be the one on the right, that I choose for the final.

second row

This second row portrays my cravings for home-cooked food since living in hall at university. The distressed looked on the spoons in the first compositions represent my longing for home-cooked food and the placement of it also resembles tears of desperation. As for the second piece, the image of home-cooked food has been pixelated in attempt to show that although I still have memories of it, it is currently not present in my life and hence blurred.

	Hungry Me	Home-cooked food	Feeling Comforted
Colour scheme	Complementary	Triadic	Triadic

The triadic scheme adopted in the majority of this row is blue, red and yellow. Specifically because blue and red to me are iconic colours that represent Hong Kong. To allow for the presence of both these colours, I had to include yellow for them to fit as a colour theory. Hence for the paleness of yellow.

third row

Working with autumn as my favourite season out of the four seasons, I wanted to portray the cosiness and comfort that this weather brings me. Specifically for this row, I decided that I wanted to work with embroidery because it was suitable for portraying the theme of warmth and thicker clothes. The first composition is of myself being wrapped in a blanket as I do during the majority of autumn. Secondly, I conveyed autumn as my setting through an image of autumn being in a cozy cup of a hot drink.

	Cold Me	Autumn	Feeling Cozy
Colour scheme	Spilt complementary (orange, blue-green, blue-violet)	Spilt complementary (orange, blue-green, blue-violet)	Analogous

Orange used as the base colour to represent autumn, while the other two colours were used to create depth and shadow.

Photoshop sketches before embroidery

Digital draft of the third composition before embroidery

Before starting to embroider straight onto my felt, I created digital sketches and drafts of the compositions that I wanted to sew in order to get the measurements right and have a clear idea of what I was embroidering.

fourth row

Lastly, my fourth row of composition encompasses my feeling of comfort and safeness on the island of “Ap Lei Chau” in Hong Kong where I have lived all my childhood. I portrayed myself being lost, which could be interpreted mentally or physically, with darker hues of purple to express a sense of mis-belonging. In the second piece of this row, the use of lighter purple was intended to express a sense of nostalgia.

	Lost Me	Ap Lei Chau	Feeling Safe
Colour scheme	Monochromatic	Complementary	Spilt complementary (violet, yellow-orange, yellow-green)

First attempt

During the process of creating my abstract pieces, I actually found it quite challenging to piece together lines and forms that would somehow look neat yet random. This process resulted in many half-completed pieces as I redid them.

final presentation

To end of the first semester of foundation 2D, I really enjoyed implementing a style of my own into this project as well as experimenting with a variety of mediums. Although it was time-consuming and stressful at times, it was a great experience and I had a great time admiring the amazing work that my classmates created 🙂