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19/09/18 Assessment 2 Share

Artist Statement

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11/09/18 Experiment 6 for Assessment 2 Paper

I continued my experimentation with the use of paper to cover my face, then taking a portrait-style photo. The process was difficult as tape doesn’t adhere to skin well and the suffocation by the paper was almost unbearable. Also, extremely difficult to set the timer off to take a photo.

Along with the extreme process, the quality of the results are too intimidating for my original idea. The contortion of paper to my face gives too much of a horror vibe, doesn’t allow the audience to connect, and I’m not digging it.

This experimentation was interesting and allowed me to decide on the ideas for my final work.

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11/09/18 Experiment 5 for Assessment 2 Paper, Cloth

As stated previously, I wished to use external objects to continue covering my face. Using my hands, paper, and cloth, I played around with the ability of different forms.

I particularly like the interaction between cloth and paper. My next experiment will dig more into this.

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10/09/18 Experiment 4 for Assessment 2

For this experiment, I wished to use physical means to block the view of my face from the audience. As stated before, using digital means didn’t achieve the look I wished and this compelled me to use different angles to take portraits without my face.

The results emphasize a quality I hoped for. I will continue this experiment with using materials.

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07/09/18 Experiment 3 for Assessment 2 Photoshop, Stock Images

I continued my experiments by using Photoshop to remove the faces out of portraits. I decided to try it out on instant photographs to explore the difference in results respective to the original quality.

As shown, it is much more obvious than the previous experiment. Hair, especially, proves difficult to remove.

For my next experiments, I wish to use physical means to block the face in portraits.

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07/09/18 Experiment 2 for Assessment 2 Photoshop, Stock Images

For this experiment, I used Photoshop to assist with removing the faces of people. The capability of Content-Aware Fill, Patch Tool, and Spot-Healing Tool improved the ease and results. I also notice that it is extremely difficult to cleanly ‘detach’ the head of the person - it ended with a blur of skin between the neck and chin.

For portraits, the focus is a person’s face. Although background and lighting contribute to a delivered atmosphere, I realise now that the facial expression of the person delivers the most ‘information’ when interpreting portraits.

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27/08/18 Experiment #1 for Assessment 2 Pixlr, Stock Images

I wanted to further explore the binary of symbolism to the meaningless, as decpited in my assessment 1 piece, by looking at the relationship between photo-documentary style, mood/emotion, and an absence of languge.

In this experiment I wished to experiment with how I can interact with the deception of perspectives by deleting the “focus” - or subject in the middle of the shot.  It did not turn out as well as I wanted to, so I will continue experimenting through physical means and also using more advanced technology.

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15/08/18 Assessment 1 Meaningless

Within my understanding of binaries, the majority were linked towards humans; rich to poor, female to male, organic to man-made. This leading to my question: Instead of how differences segregate us, how do these differences bring us together? The language of movement always intrigued me – the expression of meaning without a voice. Through capturing this existence, I elevate how body language unify binaries of symbolism and the meaningless. In my piece, Meaningless, I captured nine different hand movements which held no universal meaning. However, the configuration of our psyche produces a meaning unique to each individual. By enlarging this binary in poster-form, the insight into the relationship and connection between humans as well as the understanding of their language is emphasised.

In my experiments I explored a language through movement – an often-forgotten aspect of communication. Stills showcasing seconds-apart movement like clicking and talking evoked connections on a psychological level – that is, these images of only a single aspect of the body translated entire emotions or understandings. This is my motivation for my final piece: to elevate the language of movement by emphasising its ability to influence people of all walks in life.

Photography which experimented the impression of human form majorly inspired me. Prue Stent’s “Moulding” demonstrates the limitless interaction between human-form, materials, and the environment, resulting in the creation of surrealistic forms. Her exploration within human forms forces me to ask: how does our own shape influence understandings and impressions?

“Essay on the Body”, stills focused on the physique by Camila Falquez, accentuates a deeper connection between the body and the mind. Her works evoke certain emotions or memory, unique to each person. This intrigued me and I was compelled to explore the art of body language in more detail.

Claire O’Keefe’s jewellery line Keef Palas focuses on the ephemeral sense of accessories created with natural sources of vegetables and plants. The pieces distinguished a binary as it emphasised natural decay within a trend of fast-fashion. To me, it encapsulates how art may combine and unify binaries, serving as great inspiration in my own exploration between language and the meaningless.

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12/08/18 Experiment #2 for Assessment 1

I further explored how movement translates by focusing on the relationship between the shapes of the mouth and speech. As opposed to Experiment #1, the text spoken is not clear. Here, I say “Hi, how are you?” but to anyone else, it’s hard to decipher. This experiment allowed me to understand that there exists varying levels of complexity in the language of movement.

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11/08/18 Experiment #1 for Assessment 1

My brainstorm led me to be intrigued by the relationship between the human form and movement: How is movement, body language, and the physical environment related and how can it allow audiences of vast backgrounds to relate? I decided to experiment by simply snapping 6 frames of fingers clicking; a common hand movement but usually paired with sound, then asking others to announce what they saw. All described the movement as fingers clicking.

I would like to explore conventions in movement further by experimenting with other movements like eating and talking.

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08/08/18 Assessment 1 Brainstorm

Brainstorm in class about Assessment 1 after being introduced to Ecology.

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30/05/18 Assessment 3 Buds

My final work encapsulates the results of my experimentation with the beautiful union of the growing and the decaying. I reimagined re-birth by framing a young model’s face with decaying flowers; coalescing opposites to visualise restoration. Precisely, I elevate how nature surpasses the cycle of ‘death’ in beauty and how its interaction with the continually-growing human form paradoxically refines both subjects.

I first drew inspiration from Yeha Leung (otherwise known as creepyyeha), who creates wearable art, specifically BDSM/fetish lingerie. Her works redefine a taboo perspective and emphasises the “coexistence between feminism and lingerie”; this intrigued me to explore the connections between the female form. Carlotta Guerrero’s work, like Rupi Kaur – the sun and her flowers, inspired my exploration of flowers. Her pieces elevate a sacred and divine relationship between the female form and flora. zaobai_lyric further influenced my experimentation between the affinities of woman and nature by presenting parodies of feminine daily-life. Overall, these artists inspired my own depiction of the deep spiritual relationship between flora and the female form.

I limited myself with using only natural substances – crushed aged rose petals, plucked buds of baby’s breath, and organic substances of olive oil and honey to delineate nature’s ability of redefining itself. I placed the flowers where freckles, spots on the skin created from exposure of sunlight, to symbolise germination thus renewal. An emphasis on how nature continues its beauty through death is visualised with soft lighting and tones. With the model, who symbolises growth, these decayed petals fuse to paradoxically emerges a transformed essence. With these concepts, re-birth is reimagined.

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experiment 2

I then found another representative brand—— Hot-Kid Milk beverage. This milk beverage just like The drink reminds me of my childhood and the cheap commercials that circulated on all the channels. Grew up, it transformed from ordinary beverage with a strong memory of color label, the taste of it more than ten years still does not change, my friends and I love it, love the taste of it, even if there are more and more delicious and look better milk drink, we also from time to time to buy it, because it seemed to be no alternative.

When I drew it, I also chose deeper and less saturated color to show a feeling of retro and nostalgia.

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experiment one - moon surface

graphite on toned grey paper

Throughout these experiments and my final work, I wanted to try establishing a sense of vagueness through the use of texture and patterns, mostly through a traditional drawing medium. I think any mass or subject can be depicted with ambiguity when its pattern/texture has been manipulated. Here I sampled different views of the moon, and drew them in square panels positioned diagonally from one another. In removing these patterns from their original context I intended for them to be less accessible and less recognisable. In class, some were able to identify the drawings as being of the moon, whilst others remarked that they looked organic, or that it was interesting that something as distant as the moon could look familiar to them.

process below the cut:

Keep reading

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26/05/18 Experiment #3 for Assessment 3 Honey, Flour + Water, Butter, Dried Flowers

Following my previous experiments, I proceeded onto playing around with the dried flowers as a whole (rather than crushing them). I wanted to see how different types of shapes and sizes emphasise different areas of the face - however I realised that no matter where, the duality between these flowers and the face is always present. 

 I used three different types of dried flowers - baby's breath, a yellow rose, and small, purple flowers (which I do not know the name of). I also experimented with the "glue" - honey, flour mixed with water, and butter. The honey had a somewhat- opaque yellow-brown colour and had a good strength. The flour/water mix was stronger but left a white residue. The butter was weak and only had a clear but shiny residue. The direction of these experiments have allowed me to depict a clear image of how the final piece looks like. I'll be continuing the experiments by using more flowers and different variations.

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Milk for Creepyyeha

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24/05/16 Experiment #2 for Assessment 3

Following my previous experiment, I wanted to expand on the idea of creating makeup through natural extracts by making powders - a texture common in makeup. 

I extracted colours from red pepper flakes, sweet paprika, and imitation saffron (I realised the saffron was purely chemical fruit colouring so I discarded it). First, I boiled each powder in about 50ml of water for 5 mins. Both were an orange-brown, with the paprika being more opaque. I then strained both to remove the residue and mixed this liquid with flour. I kept mixing and adding more flour until it formed a thick paste. Unfortunately, after waiting overnight for the paste to dry, I decided this method would be too inconvenient and unsanitary. This experiment resulted in a failure. 

Rather than creating powders, I have decided to focus future experiments on liquids and oils.