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So… we had to do a string sculpture. I knew from the start that I wanted to keep my string sculpture very simple and minimalistic.

So, for my study model, I drew out a circle and square on opposite ends of the paper. Then for each corresponding side, I connected the string from one corner to the opposite corner. This, however, resulted in a large gap on all four sides, which was not appealing at all. The strings also came loose very quickly. For my study model, I had also curved the edges of the square but I didn’t like the look of it.

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My study model!

 

 

Hence, for my final piece, I kept the edges of the square straight. I also connected the strings differently by skipping only a few holes when connecting the string from the circle to its corresponding hole in the square (not sure if that made any sense). But anyway, it resulted in a slightly twisted effect which I really like. This time, I also started from the inside, which was the shorter edge to prevent the strings from going too loose.

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Halfway through my final piece!

 

 

Some photos of my final string sculpture!

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In week 3, we had to bring all our junk materials and assemble our animal in class.

 

I had only brought the three items that i had bought at the Thieves’ Market the previous week. After seeing my classmates’ pile of junk, I started to worry if I had brought enough. However, because I had a very clear idea of where everything should go, I decided to put down my worries and just start on my owl. The first thing I did was to cut out the wire from the headphones I had gotten for the eyes. Then I glued on the headphones to the remote control with a hot glue gun.

 

I then went on to cut the handle off my tongs. I was quite afraid of this part as the tool had made such a loud and scary noise during the demonstration. For the first side, it made a really loud noise and I moved the tool up and down a lot, which was what (I think) caused the cutting to take such a long time and make a lot of sparks. For the second side of the tong, I decided to keep the cutting tool still and to my surprise, it was almost silent and there were no sparks at all. This might also be because I used a different cutting tool for my other side.

 

I couldn’t decide the placement of the wings on my owl at first: do I put it in front like most photos I see of owls? Or at the back, spread out, like it was about to fly? I also had the problem of limited space as my remote control was rather narrow to fit the wings nicely. Calista then suggested that I put the wings one in front and one at the back. I tried it out and really liked the look of it.

First of all, it set a comical tone to my owl and it looked like it was singing, which I think portrayed the character of a psychotic owl really well. But also, I think it gave the owl a more dynamic silhouette, which brought more attention to the owl and made it more interesting.

 

Here is the final outcome of my psychotic owl!

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img_5679-1The yellow bottom is only used as a stand to hold my owl up for photo-taking!

All in all, it was really fun making this and I am glad that I kept it simple, using pieces to represent only the most iconic parts of an owl: the eyes and the wings.

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In Week 2, we embarked on an adventure to the Thieves’ Market along Kelantan Road to search for our junk and scrap materials to make our first project.

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(I couldn’t seem to upload any other photos other than one, so i will try to describe my shopping process as much as I can)

I had decided to make an owl and to me, the most iconic feature of an owl is its eyes. So that was the main thing i looked out for. Initially, it was really hard picking out the things i wanted and i didn’t know how to start bargaining with the aunties and uncles. However, i got to a stall where the uncle started talking to us and asked if we were students. At his stall, i spotted a helmet that i felt was very resemblant of an owl, and also picked out two round objects for its eyes. However, i did not end up getting them as they were too expensive and the uncle was not willing to bargain.

 

But after that, i started spotting more possible items for my owl and managed to find a pair of earphones that i thought really resembled an owl’s eyes. It even had spiral patterns on it which reminded me of a psychotic owl.

For its body, I had different ideas on what i could use: a fan cover, a cheese grater, a plate, a clock, etc. But after getting the earphones, i realised none of these items really matched in terms of scale and size. After walking around, i saw a bucket of remote controls and decided to get one for the owl’s body. By then, i had a suntan forming and the sun was starting to really get to me. I decided that those two items would be enough to make an owl and look like one. Then i saw a pair of tongs that really reminded me of wings. At first, i did not get them as i was hesitant whether i would be able to cut the metal handle off. But as i walked around with my friends, i kept walking past that stall and could not stop thinking about getting it. So i got it.

 

I had been to the Thieves’ Market once, but did not look at the items these aunties and uncles were selling. This trip has allowed me to see the wide variety of things sold here at the Thieves’ Market and i have a newfound respect for these aunties and uncles for bearing the heat everyday. I also saw these junk and scrap materials in a different light, now thinking of different purposes for them and various materials for my purpose. Overall, I really enjoyed myself despite the heat and scorching sun.