I chose to look at a single material, bamboo. The material has been used to masterfully craft out objects varying in purpose, showing the versatility of bamboo.
These photos were taken in Malaysia, Thailand, and Japan respectively. I chose to focus on interesting structures that made use of cylindrical or rectilinear forms to build upon itself.
Researching for bamboo eventually led me to Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement, and Bonsai, the Asian art of cultivating plants to look like mini trees in containers. I’m not sure if they are considered art in the western world but it’s interesting to see the irregular forms that come out of it. Somehow, I stumbled across a few artists who specialises in using plants in their instalments, such as Patrick Dougherty and John Grade.
Also, while looking at the branches, it reminded me of Tinus Vermeersch, whose art was displayed at the Parkview museum some time in November last year. These are some of the photos I took, you have to see it in person to understand how beautiful these pieces are.
Here are some studies I did after receiving feedback from Jesse. I sifted out those that really spoke to me and here’s what I got.
I’ll be including some of my sketches as well ( to be continued )
Here’s the link to a google drive just in case the photos turn out looking like crap: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-DKtr328fjzRh7yoS0IyHrEw41dtp8dZ?usp=sharing
Hi Yi Lei, Im really liking all the organic feeling artworks you’ve put together here. Wondering how that will inspire your sketching and ultimately your final drawings. would definitely like to see some sketching you’ve done alongside these inspirations so I can know how you are processing the design.