All posts by Viency Lee

trashy art student in her first year of art school

Typography Portrait – Progress #2

There hasn’t been much change conceptually for my designs other than for one of my attributes. Here are my intended attributes:

  1. EXISTENTIAL
  2. SYSTEMATIC
  3. TRAVELER
  4. PRICKLY

The following is a strengthening of my intended methodology with certain reference material.

The attribute that had undergone some change is SYSTEMATIC. Originally, I had intended to build a small model of a conveyor belt out of paper in order to generate the idea of being systematic. I later than toyed with the concept of digital artwork, but neither seemed to really work. I had also considered using negative space for the actual typography as well. Finally after a lot of thinking and a sudden moment of epiphany, I decided to make use of what I already have at home: Lego.

Below are a couple of references I found interesting –

I went ahead with the concept of negative space, and have already formed this piece out of rectilinear lego pieces. It all comes together a little stiff and chaotic, but systematically rectangular as well. This piece will be revealed on the day of the presentation, with both the model and the A5 submission.

For EXISTENTIAL, after a lot of painful experimentation with bright lights in pitch black rooms, I have decided to go with shadow typography, similar to the below:

For the other two, I have decided that I am going to attempt pin and thread typography as well with TRAVELER, as well tactile typography like the examples below:

Pin and Thread –

However, instead of coloured thread, I will be using white thread and pins. Perhaps with some other colours to highlight countries, as well as some pictorial aid.

Tactile Typography –

I will be using toothpicks for this piece as it is more inexpensive, though the background material is still being confirmed.

As of yet, I am still acquiring the necessary materials for the above projects so no progress has been made yet. However, I am fairly certain of my methodology and the ways I will be attempting my typography, all of which will taken photographically and submitted in an A5 format.

Hope it all turns out as planned! 🙂

 

Typographic Portrait – Progress

My intention with my pieces is to go with something more interactive that can be viewed from multiple perspectives, even if the ultimate A5 result is single-facing.

I have since settled on four major attributes and ideas:

  1. EXISTENTIAL

I’m going for a concept where one finds some light in an existential spiral. The idea I’ve crafted is as follows:

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I intend to build a black box, material yet to be confirmed. On the front face, the syllables of my name will be carved onto the surface in curved strips. The word existential will then be written in glow-in-the-dark ink to stand out in the box as shown below.

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However, my main issue with this work will be it’s presentation. The idea may or may not undergo some changes. My typographic name may be made out in translucent paper instead. Ideas are still being tossed around as to how to solve this problem.

2. SYSTEMATIC

My intention is to make this piece look like a conveyor belt. My initial concept was to make this typographic model out of paper, but after some consideration, the suggestion of negative space became a concept I am intrigued about. My initial sketch model is as shown below:

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The typographic outline I hope to fulfil:

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The concept I have in my mind is to perhaps outline the silhouette of the word instead of merely forming it out of paper. Initially, I thought of using daily objects to form this figure. However, it’s time-consuming nature is making me reconsider my option. The concept of 2D digital art is interesting as well, and may be able to achieve my desired effect better. Still toying around with ideas for this piece as well.

3. TRAVELER

I have always been a traveler, and this 3D typographic piece is meant to showcase this aspect of myself as a physical representation of my dream to travel the world. My intention is to piece my name together using string and pins.

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Certain strings will then branch out towards countries I have and haven’t visited, all in various colours for visual interest and easy identification. This is the only confirmed design that I will very likely proceed with.

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4. PRICKLY

I am easily irritable, even if I don’t always show it. This is something more textured that I’ll attempting to pursue. I intend to form my name with toothpicks on a styrofoam surface. I have considered the use of pins, but I realised that they may be a bit costly and went with the alternative of toothpicks instead. I may consider using a styrofoam board as its base.

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These pieces will all be shot in photos to display its 2D typographic nature, though they are mostly done in a 3D format.

Research – Singapore Art Museum Visit

Ringo Bunoan

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Endings, 2013. Framed Book Pages.
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No Endings, 2013. Book Installation.

Embarrassingly, I didn’t actually realise the installation was an installation at first. Walking into the room, I had initially assumed that the column of books was just a plain simple wood pillar. Upon closer inspection, the seemingly wooden pillar was actually constructed out of tightly compacted, yellowing books, their spines pushed against the wall to hide the titles. I was amazed by the sheer height of it; the column of books appeared to stretch right through the ceiling. As a book lover, I was immediately intrigued to know the meaning behind this installation. Books are used frequently in installations, but different artists can always offer a brand new perspective towards their utilisation. Strolling towards the next part of the exhibit, it took me a few seconds before I realised that the pages were all perfectly cut pages of book endings. Framed in brown tape and stacked on top of each other, they occupied a shelf the entire length of the wall. The only thing that ran through my mind as I scanned the pages was my intense need to know the story. My eyes kept flitting towards the top of the page where a title would usually be placed. Some contained the titles, but almost all of them refused to reveal the story they belonged to. By the time I reached the end of the shelf, the fact that I recognised next to nothing was extremely frustrating.

I then proceeded to the description, which instead of providing me a definitive answer, only served to throw more questions back at me. The idea behind the installation definitely became clearer to me however. With the spines turned away from the audience, and the titles missing from their pages, one could never truly know which book the ending belonged to. The artist almost wants you to construct your own ending. Ironically, instead of providing a sense of closure, the endings lead you wondering towards new beginnings. There is a lingering sense of mystery and unsettled curiosity. Especially when you realise no more can be gleaned from the installation, and that it was high time you left.

I like how the two pieces were installed next to each other. If they had been installed any other way, say more haphazardly, or even stuck against the wall, its visual influence may have been diminished. If the stack of books hadn’t reached towards the ceiling and disappeared out of sight, that never-ending quality of a continuous story wouldn’t have shown through. (I like that the artist removed the endings and then decided to show the stack of books climbing upward into oblivion. It’s almost as if the story itself could never be completed without a true ending.) At its core, they are complementary installations. Neither piece would have made sense without the other, or have made such a great impact on its viewers. It was definitely my favourite installation in the entire Time of Others exhibit.

Basir Mahmood

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Manmade, 2010. Single-channel video, silent, colour. (Source)

As a person who has always been easily enchanted by moving image, this piece immediately caught my attention. Most of the time, I can never keep still enough to deliberate on a still image. Moving image however strikes a delicate balance between the silence of film and the articulation of movement – this is exactly what drew me to the piece. I saw that there were two screens, both simultaneously playing a silent film of a man of colour. In one frame, he attempts quite hesitantly to put on a stiff suit, committing many a faux pas. In the other frame, is the same man, already dressed, well-groomed and seated stolidly in his chair. I waited and watched quietly, my curiosity planting my feet to the ground.

In the first frame, the subject’s discomfort is clear. He constantly looked off-screen for directions. His suit was donned in a slipshod manner – vest unbuttoned and shirt untucked. He obviously knew next to nothing about what he was doing with that unfamiliar suit. Juxtaposed next to the well-established, impassive second frame, it makes you believe you were watching two completely different men when it isn’t the case. A still image would not have worked. It could not have provided this stage for the man to perform his awkward dance with the suit. The moving film was essential to document the process of the suit-wearer and his later, stoic expressions.

With next to no ideas on what the exhibit could mean, I proceeded to read the description. Once I finished, I began to see the piece in a new light. The suit, instead of being a familiar outfit, became a disguise for the subject. He had to remove his traditional clothing all to reach a semblance of supposed civility – a tired, grey suit. I could see now that the suit represented British colonialism, and the impacts it had left behind. To me, the artwork is a piece of social commentary on the abandoning of one’s roots in order to blend in with an order more accepted and ‘correct’. Wearing the suit wasn’t a choice – it was a directive. The need to wear a suit in an Americanised world has become the new mandate of respectable civilisation.

However, I could not have caught any of these meanings without the help of the description. Perhaps I just wasn’t thinking hard enough, but maybe dialogue could add sound and interaction between the subject and viewer. This piece was definitely thought-provoking and interesting. I would love to see more pieces with similar socio-political commentary.

 

Typographic Portrait – Research

For this project, I decided to focus most of my research towards handmade and interactive typography. I’ve always been more comfortable with 2D and digital design, but I decided that I would do something more organic and more three dimensional this time. With this in mind, the artists I was inspired by tend to borrow more unconventional methods of representation with unusual materials.

Handmade Typography

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Daniella Evans – http://marmaladebleue.com/

Her art leans towards more textured, handmade typography using unconventional materials. She has a tendency to depict her art using food materials, though she has used other mediums as well. Other than her lovely calligraphy, her typography emanate a sense of deliciousness, obviously borrowed from how she makes use of food, but lends a three dimensional, interactive quality to the art. It really reaches out of the picture to grasp the attention of the viewer. Thus inspired, I decided to further my research towards 3D typography.

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I was also enchanted by the idea of paper cutting and layering in order to form a three-dimensional quality. Paper is a simple medium, plain when untreated and untouched. But after simple manipulation, the new form it inhabits becomes something visually engaging and interesting. The artist below is a perfect example about how form can be sculpted out of paper into new, hidden perspectives.

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There wasn’t as much focus on the calligraphic style in her work compared Daniella Evans. For Sayer, it’s all about the form and the interactivity between the artwork and her audience. Her sculptures here inhabit a three-dimensional form that never remains still: the exhibit is different no matter where you look at it. What I hope to achieve, after viewing her work, is the idea of interactivity between the artist and the viewer. The work I’ve created previously have always felt static and lifeless to me. This time, I wish to imbue a sense of personality and emotion into my work. Making it participatory for the audience might give it an extra kick as well, if I can pull it off.

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With that in mind, I decided to throw out a couple ideas to start off the creative process by making use of the themes provided in the project brief.

For the above three designs, I was actively attempting to utilise the research I have done, in order to produce handmade, interactive typography. Three dimensional paper sculptures is an option I will definitely be experimenting with in the future so I decided to make use of that in the first design. Being inspired by Daniella Evans as well, I was also thinking to use unconventional materials for the other two designs.  However, as they are only unofficial ideas, I have yet to truly come up with something I can use.

For now, this concept definitely intrigues me and I have great hopes to proceed towards this direction for my project.

Introduction – Hi My Name is…

Coming up with an intricate design under situations that require me to produce things spontaneously is often harder as it’s a bad habit of mine to play things safe. As someone who envisions on becoming an artist, this is something that is often detrimental to the process of creation. These designs weren’t as experimental as they could have been, but I decided to go with these pieces anyway, to understand where my attempts at spontaneity will lead me. Hopefully, with my next project, I may free myself from my creative boundaries to step into unfamiliar territory.

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My first design is simple and straightforward. It basically reflects my current interest in calligraphy and handmade script. The analogous colour scheme I chose is also one of my favourite  schemes as well, hence utilising it in this piece. I used generic coloured markers overlaid on a pencil sketch to darken the design.

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My second design is meant to show two conflicting sides of my character. I have a tendency to prefer strictly organisation and preparation whenever I attempt to complete something. Barring that, I am actually quite a messy person in real life. The strict stiff lines are meant to showcase the order in my life, while the randomised colours are meant to display a more discordant side to me. I used black sharpie and colour pencils here.

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My final design is meant to be a reminder to myself that there may always be slivers of light no matter how dark something will appear. The doorway is meant to show how even the darkest path could end in a bright exit. I used black sharpie, copic line pens and a metallic calligraphy pen.

Final Product:

In terms of design, not much was changed for the nametags. However, there was a couple of medium changes for a few designs.

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My initial attempt with the coloured markers on the real nametag cause the lines to bleed, roughening up the script. I also underestimated the space I needed for the name, and everything felt too squashed together. Dissatisfied with the result, I decided to start anew on a blank name tag and went with simple colour pencils inside. The outcome turned out slightly better.

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Not much was changed for this design, other than the fact that I had no black sharpies at home and had to make do with black copic liners instead. I wasn’t as happy with the thin lines it produced and it did not generate the stiff and solid effect I wanted my lines to have. Everything else remained the same.

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Here, I decided to play with the name tag itself and cut slits into it so that real light could seep through. It gave it an eerie feeling, but a more organic, three-dimensional form as well. My initial attempts with slicing it up weren’t as successful, resulting in crude cuts as I was still unused to the detailed ones required of me and my penknife. But I managed to get the hang of it soon enough.

In conclusion, this was an interesting exercise in self-discovery and made me realise how truly lacking I was in terms of spontaneity and experimenting creatively. I am still glad that I was able to produce something vaguely satisfactory but I hope that in time I will be able to produce, better, more original work.

 

Project 3: EGO

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ENTERTAINMENT + THEATRE = DREAMER

BLEEDING HEART – INSECURITY = SERENITY

FREEDOM x INDEPENDENCE = MATURITY

STABILITY + CAT = SECURITY

In this series, I attempted at something less literal, and decided to go for less physical traits that would describe me. The first row is meant to show a full skeleton, where the traits here show something close to the foundation of my character. Hence, being embedded in my “skeleton”. For row two, the traits here are still important, but are more external. The last row means to depict a human body formed through different panels, fully fleshed and formed. This is because when the other two traits were to be combined, it would result in a complete being.

The shapes behind each figure is meant to provide a window of escaping and to show a cohesive statement of shapes.

RESEARCH AND VISUAL JOURNAL

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Project 2: Nursery Rhyme

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Heavily inspired by surrealism, I wished to give my pieces are mystical yet sombre feeling to them because of the nursery rhymes I drew inspiration from. Most of these poems, seemingly innocent when we first heard them as a child actually have alternate, much darker meanings to them. It is from these

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THE INDIVIDUAL PIECES

Ring-a-ring o’ roses,
A pocket full of posies,
A-tishoo! A-tishoo!

We all fall down.

For this piece, it was the first one I did with surrealism inspired ideas behind it. It is often said that the poem itself is about Black Death, and the falling down is a result of people dying. Therefore, inspired by the entire poem, this piece came into fruition. I wanted to convey the feeling of lying down and yet the chaotic feeling of death. It’s relatively peaceful and calm, but underneath the persona’s skin, as a representation of ‘ashes’ is a tremoring, explosive fire threatening to consume her very being. Together with the explosive fire at the centre of the ring of roses, it is meant to depict the suddenness and immediacy of death in seemingly perfect, quiet circumstances.

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Jack and Jill went up the hill

To fetch a pail of water.

Jack fell down and broke his crown,

And Jill came tumbling after. 

The next two pieces in the four part series come together as a set. Inspired by consecutive lines next to each other, both are heavily influenced by surrealism as well. Yet again, it’s a seemingly innocent poem with much darker connotations and I wished to communicate the darker aspect of the poem, without making it grotesque. The texture and atmosphere of the chosen images are meant to project a surreal, mysterious perspective of his demise, like it is implied in the poem. The roses provide balance, coupled with the mysterious ambiguity of the image itself. It also provides the added function of making the composition more visually engaging.

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This is the second part of the Jack and Jill set. For this piece it is much simpler but I wanted to convey a metaphorical feeling of falling, perhaps even mentally. The reflection and the floating hair is meant to show a psychological effect of drowning and falling at the same time. Negative space in the composition made it far more mysterious and I quite like the effect it generated, despite its final simplicity.

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FINALLY THE PERSONAL FAVOURITE

Hush, little baby, don’t say a word,
Mama’s going to buy you a mockingbird.

If that mockingbird won’t sing,
Mama’s going to buy you a diamond ring.

If that diamond ring turns brass,
Mama’s going to buy you a looking glass.

If that looking glass gets broke,
Mama’s going to buy you a billy goat.

If that billy goat won’t pull,
Mama’s going to buy you a cart and bull.

If that cart and bull turn over,
Mama’s going to buy you a dog named Rover.

If that dog named Rover won’t bark,
Mama’s going to buy you a horse and cart.

If that horse and cart fall down,
You’ll still be the sweetest little boy in town.

So hush little baby, don’t you cry,
Daddy loves you and so do I.

This composition’s inspiration was drawn from the entire first stanza of the rhyme. It’s meant to be just as dark, if not darker than its predecessors. In the foreground, the child’s arms have turned to that of a mockingbird. A faint hint of a bandage can be seen masking transparently over the child’s lips, barring it’s ability to speak. It’s meant to depict how the limitations of speech will still be present, no matter how invisible its barriers are. The mother in the midground looms threateningly behind the child, contained within her own silence. She is a faceless, threatening, overbearing presence over the child. The rustic background means to create a feeling of decay, conjured by the mother. All in all, it is a mysterious, strategic composition that really draws attention.

 

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Project 2: Sequentiality – Impossibilities of Being

“The only time she has anything resembling a life is when she sleeps because when she sleeps, she can dream.” – Donna Lynn Hope

The Concept

My intention behind this photo series is to convey the idea where dreams are better than reality, and that one would much rather remain sleeping than wake up. From there I considered the reasons as to why one would consider dreaming a better place to reside in than reality. At first I considered the idea of a three part dismantling of a fantasy relationship, but felt it would be too typical. Finally, I considered depicting a person’s fixation on their failures and how this pushes them finding escape in their much brighter, much more successful dreams, quite literally.

Inspired by a personal friend’s trials, I decided I was going to attempt to depict the character’s trial with depression and self-hate in their waking world, and how in their dreams, they are the complete opposite of themselves.

This photoset is really a four part series instead of three:

  1. the Dream: the ideal world
  2. the Reality: the state of being awake
  3. the Deconstruction: flashes between reality and dreaming
  4. the Choice: the ultimate decision of choosing being Dreams and Reality

The first major scene will be with the character in their dreams where they are everything they want to be, and what they hope and what they wish for. I wanted to make sure these two worlds are shown to be separate and a stark contrast from each other from the start.

The second major scene is meant to show the stark contrast of reality, compared to soft colours of their dreamscape. Their reality is meant to be mundane, boring, black and white. There is a boredom to their routine, cold, lifeless and repetitive in a way that does not come from discipline, but from apathy. 

In the third part the character herself becomes unable to discern between the truth and the lies. Dreams and reality start overlapping; she wants so badly to escape to her dream world that her reality has been tainted by her fantasies. This is also where she feels the extent of her failure, her expectations the most, weighing in upon her like a dark cloud.

Finally, she makes her choice in the fourth scene: going back to her Dreams, where she could be so much happier, where her failures disappears and her expectations are realised.The viewers themselves start becoming confused: has the character really been dreaming? Or has she been awake? Was she ever awake at all? Or is this still part of her dreamscape? The ending leaves itself to ambiguity. She could be sleeping and dreaming again, or the pills could ultimately have chosen to take her from her unending, harsh realities. It is up to the viewer to decide.

The reality and overlapping shots are in black and white as I wanted to depict the mundane quality of the protagonist’s life. This is to contrast against the soft, brightly lit colours of her dream. In her dream, her friends are faceless, as is real dreams where you never really truly remember who you were talking to or interacting with. The shots here also include more wide shots to really show off the environment. The reality and overlapping shots are more close-ups, to really get up close and personal to the character and her trial with this illness.

Artist References

My artist references are Katie Crawford and Christian Hopkins.

Katie did a series called My Anxious Heart, whereupon she depicted her own journey with anxiety. Her images depict the many symptoms and effects of anxiety, with dark imagery helps one understand the impact the illness has on her.

Some images include:

Christian Hopkins himself did a series on his own trial with depression. The dark, eerie photographs really capture the essence of his battle with this mental illness. One can really feel how much it holds him captive in his embrace.

The Final Piece

Reflection

Not only did I gain a better understanding about depression as an illness and it’s effects on their victims, I also learned how to inject more emotion into my imagery. I also gained more knowledge about technical skill and composition, and how to tell a narrative with images so as to form a cohesive story. All in all, it was a very interesting and eye-opening experience that really let me gain insight about a mental illness, as well as the technical aspects of the project.