Month: November 2017

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Final Project – The Little Mermaid (Goldberg Machine)

After working on this project for a few weeks and through lots of trial and error, I managed to complete it!

However, there were a few challenges that I faced.

  1. Due to the plastic hose/tubes crossing each other at certain part and being tied to the metal frame, I had to trial and error on how tightly I could tie the tubes to the metal frame as problems like the ball bearing being stuck when it reaches the crossing if the tubes were tied to tightly against each other.
  2. Determining how much water to place in each of the containers as for the metal bucket, it has to be able to sink fully in the water to be able to trigger the pulley system to lift the plastic sphere upwards.
  3. Finding the best height of the wooden base needed for the structure with the metal frame and plastic tubes as the height determines how much force the ball bearing will produce once it drops out when exiting the plastic tubes.
  4. Exploring whats the best distance to tie the pulleys to the wooden stick as I found through trial and error that the distance between the pulleys greatly affects whether the pulley system will be activated when the ball bearing drops into the metal bucket.

Overall, I enjoyed myself while doing this project as it gave me a chance to think about how to link both the motion of the ball bearings to the story but at the same time, this project allowed me to think critically and learn through trial and error to see what works best in order to improve my work during the entire working process.

And thus, I present to you my final project (Image and Video on how it works) – The Little Mermaid (Goldberg Machine)!

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Final Project Research and Process – The Little Mermaid

My final project is based off the story of the Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. Of which, I did some research on the story and presented my findings in class.

I have chosen the part of the story where the little mermaid jumps in to the sea and gains and immortal soul while the prince sails off in a boat after he got married to the princess.

I decided on portraying the story in the way the ball bearing travels in the artwork.

These are my initial sketches when I was planning for this final project:

I had also planned out 4 main parts for this artwork.

  1. The part where the prince and the little mermaid spends time together – to show that their fates intertwined which I use the crossing of two plastic tubes to portray that as the two ball bearings would travel along the tubes at the same time but pass by each other while they are moving down the tubes.
  2. But they ended up being separated as the prince chose to marry a princess instead of the little mermaid – shown by having one ball bearing exiting from the left and the other from the right.
  3. The little mermaid then jumps into the sea as the prince marries the princess,  but instead of turning into foam, she was given an immortal soul – This is portrayed by having the ball bearing exit on the left, dropping into a small metal bucket which then is lowered into the water in the container through the use of pulleys (representing the little mermaid jumping into the sea) and a plastic sphere moving upwards due to the pulleys (to represent the little mermaid gaining an immortal soul and going to heaven).
  4. The prince marries the princess and moves off in a ship – This is shown by having the other ball bearing representing the prince to exit on the right and then falls into a boat which then moves off

After planning out, I went out to source for materials. Such as the wooden base to place the tall structure with tubes, the containers for the water, wooden sticks, the metal frame to hold the tubes. I did have go out to source certain materials which were not easily sold outside such as a plastic tube/hose that could accommodate the size of the ball bearings and the pulleys. The image below shows the process of my work in progress.

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Project 4 Final – The Unfolding Narrative

For our final work, we decided on a layout like this with the 3D model done in Autodesk Maya. Our installation is titled “The Unfolding Narrative“.

 

 

 

More renders of the 3D model:

The stories that would be played through the headphones initially before anyone records their thoughts in the booth:

1 – Working adult – Mild bipolar disorder
2- Old Uncle – Anhedonia (Major Depressive disorder)
3- Working Adult – Manic depression (Suicidal)
4- Working Adult – Relocation depression (change of nature in job)
5- Working Adult – Parenting through depression
6- Working Adult – Depression caused by chronic Illnesses/change of environment
7- Fresh Graduate – Financial depression

Our purpose:

  1. To encourage open conversations on our mental health
  2. Choose to use the toilet -> where private thoughts are most apparent, bringing them to a public space

Front view:

  1. A row of 9 toilet bowls placed at the ADM entrance
  2. A headset will be attached to each toilet bowl where participants can pick up and listen to the recorded stories
  3. Each toilet bowl will have a different encounter recorded

Back view:

  1. Participant can move to the back and contribute their own personal stories
  2. We want to create a safe and comfortable place -> drawing/ writing/ highly encouraged to share their stories verbally

Explaining the layout:

  1. According to statistics, 1 in 10 Singaporeans suffer from mental health issues
  2. So we made 9 toilet bowls -> equivalent to 9 listeners lending their listening ear to the one person in the booth.
  3. Straight line of toilet bowls

Stories shared:

  1. Most common problems -> depression, alcohol abuse, obsessive-compulsive disorder,
  2. Other problems -> Schizophrenia and Dementia

Community involvement:

  1. We want to have an interactive/community sharing component included in our project
  2. Reason why we encompass different ways of expression -> to have a greater sense of inclusion towards the process of story sharing

 

What we considered?

  • Live streaming of personal stories -> why not? -> might create a sense of fear, a sense of formality in the process of sharing -> therefore, we chose not to do it

 

 

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Project 4 – Research and Development

Our group decided to focus on mental health in Singapore.

Based on some research that I did, I found out that:

  • 1 in 10 people in Singapore suffer from a mental disorder (Singapore Mental Health Study 2010)
  • 5.8% of the adult population in Singapore has suffered from depression at some point in their lives
  • The top 3 most common disorders in Singapore are:

 

  1. Depression: loses interest in daily life, has feelings of hopelessness and thoughts of suicide
  2.  

    Alcohol Abuse: has to drink more and more alcohol to feel its effects as tolerance for the substance increases, experiences sweating and other withdrawal symptoms when not drinking

 

 

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Obsessive: has persistent and irrational thoughts, impulses or images that cause anxiety or distress like an overwhelming fear of germs and dirt Compulsive: repeats actions like checking and rechecking locks several times over

  • Based on a study, The Mind Matters: A Study of Mental Health Literacy, they found out that there was also considerable personal stigma towards mental illness. Of which majority shared several common perceptions – that those with mental health issues could get better “if they wanted to”, the problem is a “sign of personal weakness” and people with such disorders are “unpredictable”.
  • The study also showed a lack of recognition for disorders like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and schizophrenia.

Thus we decided to create an installation, titled “The Unfolding Narrative” because we want people to share their stories. And we don’t want a title that’s very loud and directly associated to mental health. We want to ingnite interest and curiosity first.

I came up with 2 drafts before modifying them to create the last sketch.

Draft 1:

Draft 2:

 

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Ego – Final

Me, Stressed about school work + Being outdoors = Fun day out kayaking

Being easily anxious and worried, I often stress out due to my school’s workload and trying to balance a work-life balance. Other than being in school, I love being outdoors, especially near the sea. Thus, I always try to make time for kayaking as it is one of my hobbies and just by watching the waves and kayaking at sea really helps to de-stress me a lot!

 

Me, A creative individual + Studying at NTU ADM = New ideas and inspirations

Since young, I was interested in drawing and crafting. I grew up to enjoy the creative process of making art and studying at NTU ADM was a great chance and opportunity for me to explore new art mediums thus the creation of new ideas and inspirations!

 

Me, Being broke + A trip to Artfriend to buy school supplies = Eating instant noodles for weeks

Being a full time student, I barely have the time to work on the side thus me being broke on a regular basis. Having to buy art supplies from Artfriend often costs a lot and I would have to resort to eating noodles.

 

Me, Feeling depressed + Being around my family = Motivation and Strength

Sometimes, when the stress of school becomes too much for me to bear, I would feel depressed but being around my family when I come home from school really helps with cheering me up and thus giving me the motivation and strength to push on for my work.

I’ve enjoyed the process of creating this piece of work as it allowed to explore the use of color schemes and the ability for me to express myself through each of the panels!

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Ego – Process

I listed down the 4 equations for my panels before starting on this project. In order to come up with the equations, I thought about the things that meant the most to me in life. This is the list that I came up with:

  • Me, Stressed about school work + Being outdoors = Fun day out kayaking
  • Me, A creative individual + Studying at NTU ADM = New ideas and inspirations
  • Me, Being broke + A trip to Artfriend to buy school supplies = Eating instant noodles for weeks
  • Me, Feeling depressed + Being around my family = Motivation and Strength

Next, I sketched out my ideas to get a rough idea on how the final layout of the panel will be like. After that I did the line art for each of the panels, added shade and color to panels based on the split complementary color scheme.

After the feedback that was given during the consultations, I made some changes like changing the colors and the blending of the line art into the image for the final panels. The initial sketches for the “Stressed Me” panel was me carrying a rock but after receiving feedback, it was more suitable to replace the rock with books and paintbrushes/paint cans as it portrays my school stress more clearly.

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Ego – Research

I did some research on color schemes as this project required the use of color harmonies.

In color theory, a color scheme is the choice of colors used in design for a range of media. They are often used to create style and appeal.

There are 8 types of basic color schemes:

  1. Complementary: Complementary or opposite colors from the color wheel
  2. Split Complementary: Three colors—the main color and colors from either side of its complement
  3. Triad: Three colors from equidistant points on the color wheel
  4. Monochromatic: Different shades and depths of a single color
  5. Analogous: The main color and the colors from either side of it on the color wheel
  6. Neutral: Uses a color that has been reduced by adding black
  7. Achromatic: No color—just blacks, whites and grays
  8. Secondary: Green, purple and orange used together

Examples:

  • Red, Yellow-Green and Blue-Green
  • Yellow, Blue-Violet and Red-Violet
  • Green, Red-Violet and Red-Orange

I chose the use of the split complementary color scheme for my panels as it provides the visual interest of a complementary color scheme and allows the use of more colors.

The images above are my references for the color scheme that has been implemented for my panels.

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Project 3 Research

I came across this stop motion video which made use of Legos to be part of their stop motion. This inspired me to use Legos as part of my 90 sequential images as it allows me to showcase a transition and mix of the real world and a dreamlike world with Legos.

I researched on dream meanings and thus decided to create these 3 main parts of my sequential images. Each has a certain meaning to them :

  1. Me walking down a corridor – Going through a period of transition in real life (The transition of me entering university after finishing my studies at a Polytechnic)
  2. Becoming a Lego and walking past various Lego animals – When one dreams of animals, it signifies a hidden part of themselves.
  3. The Lego character holding the string and moving upwards – Represents moving forward to achieve goals
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Interactive Artworks

I feel that Interactive artworks are able to communicate and include the audiences more as it allows visitors to be part of the installation. This allows the visitors to be more involved in the artwork and thus having a lasting memory of the installation.

Tiger & Turtle – Magic Mountain by Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth

Its made out of metal of which it resembles a theme-park thrill ride, with its soaring height and extreme loops. From afar, it looks like a roller coaster but when you get closer to view it, it is actually interactive and walk-able, allowing visitors to fully engage with it. Being 45 m tall, it allows visitors to have a great view of the surrounding landscapes. It has curved flights of stairs and led lit handrails that illuminated the artwork at night and allows visitors to visit at night.

 

21 Balançoires by Design team Daily Tous Les Jours (Mouna Andraos and Melissa Mongiat)

It is made up of swings that light up and played tunes when the visitors swing on the swings. Each swing played a different pre-recorded sound, some being piano notes and sounds from a xylophone. Whenever more swings are played at the same time, the greater the song will be.  The installation’s location is at Montreal, Quebec in the Quartier des Spectacles.