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Week 8 Homage Source Material Video Oral And Visual Presentation

These are just some of the source material items that I have shortlisted for my Homage project. Also, I forgot to mention my handphone (apple) as well - which I used to take this video! Other source materials include pictures that I found online, which I edited/made reference to.

These are items that I generally have kept with me for quite some time as they mean a lot to me. They are part of my life and childhood (I grew up with most of these items). I wanted to tell a story based on everyday items that are relevant to my life and the Singapore society (as I am a Singaporean myself). These are thus things that are very real and applicable to my life and to the people around me (friends and family).

I would be using mainly photos and videos (combination of media) in my artwork, where I will digitally edit them. Apart from submitting my work on IVLE, I will also upload my photos and videos on Instagram, YouTube and Tumblr. I chose these media platforms as they allowed me to easily share, upload and relate my content, messages and ideas. It allowed me to easily convey my message/idea which was related to Singapore society, all while paying homage to artist Rene Magritte. These items will therefore all be included in my final homage project in certain pictures or videos and be related to the message/idea that I am trying to highlight/convey. 

Lastly, I think that the wearing of “masks” analogy is the most successful as it is both real and meaningful to Singaporeans and the Singapore society. It is a fact/truth that many don’t realise. 

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Assessment Task 2: Homage Project Summary

I payed homage to Rene Magritte. He’s famous for his approach to Surrealism. His artworks often provoke unsettling and deeper thoughts, which are in depth and can have multiple interpretations. 

Paying homage to Rene: I related my work to Rene Magritte by making it surreal and in depth. Viewers might not catch the message immediately, thus requiring critical thinking for them to understand the true message behind each picture/video. 

My project is about Singapore society and the lives of Singaporeans. I related my events to the struggles of Singaporeans and the culture here. I also made use of multiple techniques to highlight variety/diversity, where there isn’t just one way to see things. Distortions and society/reality can be complex, with multiple meaning/interpretations. 

Moreover, Rene usually covers his face in his work. Thus, I decided to either distort, cover my subjects' faces or not show them at all to better relate my work to Rene's. 

Relating to digital culture: In today’s day and age, technology’s so advanced that it can automatically detect a person’s face (for example when you upload a picture of you and your friends on Facebook and Facebook recognizes who your friend is). Face recognition is thus a norm now. Through the covering of faces using objects, masks or distortions (in my artwork), it acted as a form of camouflage for my subjects’ faces, allowing them to escape digital/facial detection. This highlighted my point of how Singaporeans hide themselves from the outside world. Covering their faces with either masks or objects would therefore allow them to hide from the ubiquitous social media and avoid recognition/detection so that they can live the “masked/hidden” lives they wish to. Having too much information of you exposed online is not a good thing and these “preventions” prevent that from happening. Thus, through my representations, everyone can avoid facial recognition and avoid surveillance in general. My source of inspiration came from the articles below. They talk about how fashion and face cages can make it harder to identify the wearer. The articles also talked about societal problems, which I found insightful. 

Articles: https://cvdazzle.com/ 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/01/04/could-camouflage-fashion-help-hide-facial-recognition-technology/

http://www.zachblas.info/works/face-cages/ 

Thus, I related Rene’s work to the 21st century via my artwork, where faces are hidden/protected now so that our data will not be captured/reflected online - a form of privacy remains. Although this is an indirect linkage to digital culture, it has a deep meaning linked to our digital-aged society today. 

Moreover, photography/videography was used since Rene Magritte’s time till now (though there’s a lot more softwares to help the process of capturing and editing now). This usage of videography in general can be linked to digital culture - how digitality has adapted and changed along with time, yet remaining constant fundamentally. 

Success: I think that my project properly highlighted the problems/struggles that people face in Singapore’s society. Some of these struggles include stress during examinations when one fails because results are so important to Singaporeans, the perception of beauty, which is heavily influenced thanks to social media and the constant portrayal of models who are thin and good looking, which somewhat makes us feel that our bodies will never be as good as theirs and that the model’s bodies are the norm, social media addiction where we are constantly glued to our gadgets and the Internet and we cannot survive without it, fragility of people in our society are very sensitive, where they are easily broken/offended by words and passing comments. My work also highlighted how people put a fake front by wearing a mask before they step outside or when they meet people, highlighting how the ‘real-self’ is never shown to others as feelings and intentions are often hidden. Thus, outsiders will never feel or know what an individual is really like. 

I highlighted how grades mean everything (especially to the kid’s parents), more important than going out with friends, having fun or doing what one loves/enjoys. Thus, failures can really lead to depressing/suicidal thoughts. In addition, we have created students who are book but not street smart – whatever they learn in theory might not be applicable or successful when they apply it to the real world. I also highlighted the famous “queuing culture” here, where one has to literally queue for everything - even for shelter during crisis, aka the bomb shelter reference picture in one of my posts. Lastly, I wanted to highlight the famous quote of “Do not judge a book by its cover” by having an image where a person is well dressed but has no money in reality. This further highlights Singaporeans in Singapore’s society, where people put up a strong, fake front and not let others know about their real plight. 

Through my different pictures and videos, I managed to incorporate items that I have previously stated in my journals – for example my Go-Pro, phone, computer, jerseys and boots. I also include meaningful quotes/phrases for each post to better explain the meaning (or what I want my viewers to think about) behind each picture/video. I also managed to include the book titled “Failure” edited by Lisa Le Feuvre - Documents of Contemporary Art, which was recommended by Dr Nancy. I found the book’s content really meaningful as it talked about how one should strive to fail as success is deemed overrated and “To be an artist is to fail as no other dare fail.” In a society like Singapore, failures are frowned upon and not widely accepted (especially so for parents reacting to kids’ failures in academics). However, the book highlights a different light, where it is through failure where one learns and develops further and becomes stronger. Thus, I hope that through the inclusion of such a book in my project, it allows one to question themselves of whether the book represents the person as a failure, or does it symbolise that failure is indeed normal and it’s okay to fail. Hopefully, this would evoke critical thinking among my viewers and they will understand the deeper message behind - which is that failure is okay and it is good to fail because one actually learns from such failure. One who only expects to success in life has already failed him/herself and with failure, it is already half the better won because through failure, you will know how to improve and become better.

Overall, I felt that I properly adapted Rene’s work and created something of my own, which is relevant and thought provoking. I adapted his style of surrealism and covering of faces to fit my perspective of Singapore’s society, context and struggles people face here. 

Failures: One possible problem with my artwork would be the linkages to digital culture. It requires more explanation before one can really understanding what I’m driving at. I felt that I could have made things clearer to reduce the possibility of confusion.

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Assessment Task 2: Homage Project

Pictures:

Addict

Lock - http://s7d1.scene7.com/is/image/officedepot/503672_p

Porcelain, breakable, fragile

Marble - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Marble_pattern_006.jpg

Faded | Don’t judge my story by the chapter you walked in on 

Stressed, depressed 

NUS logo - http://www.nus.edu.sg/identity/images/identity/logo/NUS_logo_full-horizontal.jpg

Blood stain - http://img.clipartall.com/pictures-of-blood-splatter-rain-image-vector-clip-art-blood-splatter-clip-art-657_800.jpg

Choices to make 

Queue to survive 

No shame | Equality 

No shame - https://danceswithfat.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/shameless.gif

No shame | Illusion 

No shame - https://danceswithfat.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/shameless.gif

Stressed, depressed | Part II

Videos are in the posts down below

OR

Video links:

NM3205 Homage Video 1 - S.O.S | What’s important? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQgtB_OwuCg

NM3205 Homage Video 2 - Reality | Hidden https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2aHIU6ia8s

NM3205 Homage Video 3 - Theory does not equal application https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUJTj0D7gRQ

NM3205 Homage Video 4 - Reality | Hidden | Part II https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAXI6Zd52SU

To have a clearer overview of my pictures and videos (or if the links are not accessible), please visit my Instagram: @reveal_sg (includes all photos and videos with caption) for more details!

Overall references: 

Lock - http://s7d1.scene7.com/is/image/officedepot/503672_p

Marble - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Marble_pattern_006.jpg

NUS logo - http://www.nus.edu.sg/identity/images/identity/logo/NUS_logo_full-horizontal.jpg

Blood stain - http://img.clipartall.com/pictures-of-blood-splatter-rain-image-vector-clip-art-blood-splatter-clip-art-657_800.jpg

No shame - https://danceswithfat.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/shameless.gif

Male model - https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/51/2d/91/512d9103950c0c55e271e85054b057cb.jpg

Low batt Phone - http://www.geek.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/iphone-low-battery-307x440.png

Website - https://www.inc.com/steve-tobak/how-to-sell-anything-to-anybody.html

Google Hangouts

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Assessment Task 2: Homage Project (Video)

Reality | Hidden | Part II

Google Hangouts

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Assessment Task 2: Homage Project (Video)

Theory does not equal application 

Website - https://www.inc.com/steve-tobak/how-to-sell-anything-to-anybody.html

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Assessment Task 2: Homage Project (Video)

Reality | Hidden

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Assessment Task 2: Homage Project (Video)

S.O.S | What’s important?

Male model - https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/51/2d/91/512d9103950c0c55e271e85054b057cb.jpg

Low batt Phone - http://www.geek.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/iphone-low-battery-307x440.png

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Random Blends Reflection 2

Breathing Bags: 

Response:

This art piece really hit me as it is very real and relevant. Without really reading the description by the artists, I was sort of able to guess the message they were trying to convey - raising awareness and knowledge about the case pollution (by plastic waste) in Singapore/around the world. I felt guilty for contributing to pollution as I am a large consumer of plastic, thus contributing to the high plastic wastage. I felt that this art piece was able to raise awareness and knowledge about the problem we face in our world today - high wastage which leads to pollution. It really got me reflecting on my actions and I wanted to change and help the environment after seeing this. 

Description:

The use of the machines (cooling fans) that created air for the bags to expand and contract was really interesting. It was as though the bags were really breathing like a human and with that, I felt that the message sent across to viewers was very strong. The usage of plastic bags as well as everyday materials that one might consume is very apt and applicable (Eg the usage of bread bag, chips, fast food related bags/holders, egg tray and bottles), thereby highlighting how these can contribute to plastic wastage and pollution. I also liked the uniformity in the colour of all plastic bags (green), providing consistency. Overall, I felt that this was a simple yet elegant and purposeful art piece. 

Analysis and Interpretation: 

As mentioned above, this art piece got me reflecting on my actions. It is very relevant as almost all of us are guilty of plastic wastage. With an increasing usage of plastic every year, this highlights the importance of recycling and more importantly, the cutting down on plastic usage/wastage. This was the intent of the artists - to raise awareness and knowledge about pollution and plastic consumption and to hopefully reduce it’s consumption and usage through such an exhibition. I felt that the uniform green coloured bags highlighted a deeper message - an ideal clean and green environment with lower plastic consumption. In addition. the usage of the “breathing bags” really highlighted the deteriorating lungs/environment because of such high plastic usage/consumption. All in all, the message was clear - save the environment, cut down on plastic wastage, cut down the pollution levels and with that, we and the environment can “breathe normally” again. 

Evaluation and Judgement:

I felt that the artists were able to effectively accomplish their intentions - to get people to cut down on plastic wastage/usage so as to reduce pollution. In today’s culture and society where there is high plastic wastage and consumption, where it is contributing to high levels of pollution, it is important for us as everyday consumers to know what we are doing to the environment - causing harm. With that, this art piece was clearly able to highlight that as it got me as a viewer to think deeply and reflect on my actions. It thus successfully raised awareness and increased my knowledge about plastic wastage and pollution and I would definitely start to cut down on my usage from now on. 

To improve further, I felt that it was possible for the art piece to be of a bigger scale to highlight more varieties/types of plastic waste in today’s society. My original response has indeed intensified and I now know that the issue of plastic wastage and pollution is real and very important, thus needing our immediate attention. Which is why, I am going to do my part to make the world a cleaner, greener and healthier environment. 

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Random Blends Reflection 1

Revisioning:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Response:

I really loved the way the artist portrayed to different sides of the artwork through the use of red and blue contrasts. Through each colour, the viewer will be able to see a different side of what the painting means. I felt that the artwork was able to highlight two contrasting viewpoints in today’s society. The artwork really captivated my attention as I wanted to see what each picture represented under the different colours (red and blue).  Also, the thick and large text font made the words distinct and obvious, capturing my attention. Overall, both images and text made me think deeply and critically as to what it means to me and how it is tied to our society today.

Description:

The medium was clearly still images but what was special about this work was that different colours highlighted a different image/alternative version. The usage of red and blue highlighted texts differently, as you can see above. In addition, different images/objects are highlighted differently in the different colours. The artwork made use of simple (thick and large) texts and images to highlight the problems and views of society today. Pictures were replicated, distorted, collaged, all to highlight different aspects and meanings of the art work (which I will discuss in detail in the next part). 

Analysis and Interpretation:

The two different colour schemes highlighted the concept of impermanence, diversity and multiplicity, specifically in the context of/about our society and culture. Overall I felt that the colour blue had a more neutral message while red had a stronger, more powerful message. 

Firstly, I like the fact that there was a repetition of cups in the first 2 images, clearly highlighting (mass) consumerism. “Consumerism is enslaving us all” in blue and “Consumerism is in us all” in red have very different meaning, with the former being more pessimistic, highlighting to bad parts of consumerism while the latter highlight a more neutral point of view. 

Secondly, “be you” in blue and “be us” in red also highlight contrasting meanings. The former highlights that you are free to be whoever you want to in this world (more optimistic) while the latter highlights that you need to fit in to the majority and be one of the rest, like everyone else (more pessimistic).

Thirdly, the first blue image highlights people putting make up for the woman using make up products and a comb in the centre, making her look good. She looks neat and well groomed too. This perhaps highlight the standard of beauty today while the second red image highlight people sort of drawing/painting or piecing together an abstract art piece, where there are different parts of the woman’s face being put together/torn apart. This image is clearly more abstract, perhaps highlighting a different version/concept of beauty, where it is up to individual’s, abstract perception. The image here is also more blur and distorted/unclear as compared to the one in blue above.

Fourthly, “Love more” in blue and “Hate less” in red. The former is a clear illustration of a more positive-formed phrase, to love more in general while the latter illustrate a more negatively-formed phrase, to hate less. These messages are pretty straightforward nonetheless.

Lastly, “Sit properly. Slut. Whore. Close your legs. Be a man. Stud. Sissy. Butch. Gay. Sensitive. Dyke” in blue highlight strong violent words about what someone is expected to do in today’s society to be deemed as ‘normal’ and that if you don’t carry out what you are expected/supposed to, you will be called names. The other image in red “Chivalry if you like it, sexism when you don’t” really highlight a deep meaning in today’s society, where some people may consider other’s action as ‘chivalry’ when they like/feel like it while others may think that it is a more extreme case, ‘sexism’, when they don’t like it. This highlights how one can be labelled on both ends of the spectrum at any point in time and the two word highlight the vast possible difference.

All these highlight problems and different positions that one might face in today’s society and I feel that it is especially relevant to us. There are differing viewpoints on the same issue based on the different colours (red and blue) and for that, I must say that I really love this art piece as it is unique yet real and relatable to today’s society and culture. 

Evaluation and Judgement: 

As stated in the short description by the artist, where he wanted to use a series of images to juxtapose the visible with the invisible, I feel that this series has successfully debunked the notion of cultural permanence and disrupted the fixed and stereotypical notions, highlighting a world of multiplicity and diversity that most people are often ignorant to. This series of images clearly highlighted different perspectives and provoked me as a viewer to think deeper and more critically about society and culture in general. Everything has more than one side/explanation and one must always know that there will always be differing viewpoints from people. 

To improve further, I felt that more contrasting images could be added or better yet, an interactive video instead of having so many different still images. I think that a video would be more interactive and cooler. My original response has intensified. Now, I feel that this artwork is really relevant to our society and culture and thus very meaningful - highlighting many possibilities and opinions about issues out there.

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IVLE Journal Posts/Replies

Individual Post: 

I have always been fascinated by pictures/videos that have deep meaning, especially those that requires one to think critically about what it actually means. It allows you to imagine, critic and think deeper. It also feels good when you are able to figure out what it actually represents.

One artist that really inspires me is Rene Magritte. He is well known for his idiosyncratic approach to Surrealism. His images are beautiful, clear and simple. They also provoke unsettling and deeper thoughts. His surrealist work often seems a little mysterious and deep too. In addition, the men in bowler hats (often seen in his pictures) are often interpreted as self-portraits, highlighting how he sort of includes himself in his artwork.

Some of his artwork that inspires me include (Here are my interpretations of what each image means): The Son of Man - Highlights humanity: everything we see hides some other things and there is always something interesting about what is hidden. Therefore, we want to find out what it actually is (There's a conflict between what is visible, and what isn't). Also, notice how you can see the man's eyes behind the apple and how his left arm is bending backwards near the elbow area. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e5/Magritte_TheSonOfMan.jpg

La Clairvoyance - Highlighting the creativity of the human mind and how one is able to "imagine" http://www.renemagritte.org/images/paintings/la-clairvoyance.jpg

The Pleasure Principle (Portrait of Edward James) - It highlights how the idea comes from a person's mind and how it lights up when something innovative comes to mind. https://www.toperfect.com/pic/Oil%20Painting%20Styles%20on%20Canvas/Abstract_Decorative%20Painting/Famous%20Abstract/Surrealism/4-the-pleasure-principle-portrait-of-edward-james-1937-Surrealism.jpg

Another artist that really inspires me is Instagram artist - Amalia Ulman (Week 2 readings). I like the way she uses drawings and text to tell a story and talk about an issue (somewhat related to the society we live in too). Her Instagram page showcases some really interesting and thought provoking work that will leave you deep in thought. Take a look at her Instagram page and see for yourself! https://www.instagram.com/amaliaulman/?hl=en\

Other useful links about Amalia Ulman: http://amaliaulman.eu http://www.elle.com/culture/art-design/a38857/amalia-ulman-instagram-artist/

As such, I wanted to pay homage to Rene Magritte (and Amalia Ulman). I wanted to apply Rene Magritte's concept of Surrealism and fit it into Singapore's context and society. As I am also taking a sociology mod this semester (Singapore Society), I now see things in a different light and would thus like my project to be about society in Singapore's context. For example, how it is constructed, what is like, how we practice and adapt to it in our everyday lives. My art pieces would be drawn out and digitally edited/coloured and it would reflect a deeper meaning as I want viewers to be able to think critically and decipher a message out of the art pieces (something similar to what Rene Magritte did).

I also have plans to alter the final art pieces by glitching the images. The purpose of glitching would be to make it bizarre and messy, somewhat reflecting the unstable/unpredictable society that we live in today.

After looking at the examples mentioned above, how would you guys come up with a story/artwork that would fit the context of Singapore's society or the society we live in today? Would love to hear your ideas and inputs! :)

Reply 1: 

Hi Kai Qi,

I really like your idea of collaging your favourite digital comics in glitch style. Instead of just collaging different random comics, I think you should strategically choose comics that can help you tell a compelling/interesting story. For example, I love superhero comics and I would suggest using a list of superhero-related comics to tell a good story. 

In addition, I think that this reading that Dr Nancy shared on IVLE is very interesting (and somewhat relatable to your work?). Take a look at how this guy collects different figurines and classifies them under different categories. I would suggest you do something similar for your comic-collage. Splitting things up into different categories might give you new ideas on what your final work will mean/look like! http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/arts/turning-trash-to-treasure

Also, you might want to consider how you can glitch your collage of digital comics with meaning.

Just my 2 cents! All the best! :)  

Reply 2: 

Hey Stephanie, ​

Interesting idea you got there! Adding on to the idea about social issues in Singapore (mentioned by Yu Xuan), I think you can also consider comparing keywords like race (Eg Chinese, Malay, Indians) and religion (Eg Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism) to better highlight social issues that are somewhat unique to Singapore. It would be interesting to see the outcome of such word trends here! 

Also, if you were to work on global issues, I'd recommend you to refer to this link that was shared by Dr Nancy: http://thepiratecinema.com What's interesting about this is that it highlights the files that are being shared/downloaded. It's interesting to see how certain shows are downloaded more frequently than others. I guess you can somewhat relate this to global trends, how one thing (or show/video) is more popular than another, and why. 

You may also wish to consider the trending topics that Twitter has at the left side of the screen. Here is a snapshot of current trends:

Hope this helped and all the best!  

Reply 3: 

Hi Natalie,

I think that you should create a real account so that people can really see what your work is about. Also, you might want to reconsider the idea of using grid patterns to form a larger image using smaller squares. This might be difficult as you have to constantly upload your pictures (a few at a time) for the images to make sense and fit the screen (otherwise it would just look like it's running all over the place).

Here are some Instagram accounts that will hopefully inspire you! @mr007 - This account covers mostly monochrome pictures, suitable for your approach on a colour theme. I like how he takes pictures of people/buildings, all in black and white. It really highlights a different perspective in life. A life without colour perhaps.

@hypebeast - Hypebeast covers street photography, brands and things that are hipster, cool and "in". The videos they upload often tell interesting stories about people around the world (Some are digital artists/creators/editors as well). Take a look at the different images the account has and hopefully, their content will inspire you further.

@Streetdreamsmag - Street Dreams Magazine is another account that focuses on street photography/publications and art which I find really interesting and nice.

You should also refer to this reading that was shared by Dr Nancy: https://newmindseye.wordpress.com/what-are-the-main-elements-of-sophie-calles-use-of-image-and-text/ It shows how the author makes use of black and white photographs, accompanied by text to tell a story that represented a journey.

Hope this helps! All the best for your project! :)

Reply 4: 

Hi Carissa,

I really like your idea on exaggerated advertising. I must also say that the Instagram accounts you shared are really unique and interesting. I like how the images portray a deeper meaning that is related to our society today. However, similar to the comment made by Zachary, I agree that maybe you should consider working on a specific advertising genre. 

To me, almost all forms of advertisements out there are exaggerated, at least to a certain extent. Take for example beauty products (not going to throw shade at any particular brand here). In general, do you think that just by using XX product, one will look as good and flawless as the model advertising for XX brand? I think that this is something worth considering - How there's this idealized form of beauty out there which can never be/impossible to achieve because it is not the norm (even when people feel that it is) - and this is a huge problem for us as consumers. We tend to have a false conception of what true beauty is and as a result, (sadly) many aren't comfortable in their own skin. 

Another particular brand that I would like to highlight is Red Bull. Red Bull tends to highlight their brand as a 'lifestyle product' - something fun, adventurous and bold. Take a look at their website and look at all the featured events and videos: https://www.redbull.com/sg-en/ For more videos (specific), take a look at their YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/user/redbull Their advertisements are often associated with extreme activities/sports and their tagline "Red Bull gives you wings" - Does it really though?

Is Red Bull's association with extreme activities/sports really a proof of it "giving you wings?" Does it really make you courageous, bold, adventurous just because one consumes their product? Or is it a SUPER exaggerated advertisement? 

Here's just my take/opinion on the issue of exaggerated advertisements in general. Feel free to disagree! Hopefully these brands/ideas can help you decide on a particular advertising genre! 

All the best for your project! Hope this helped! :) 

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Week 8 - Homage Source Material

I have kept these items for quite some time now. This would be a story about my life experiences and interests. All the following images have a level of importance to me and I will be explaining why/how they are. 

Firstly, my soccer boots. I am an avid sportsman and thus, soccer boots is an essential item. I love playing football with a nice, clean pair of boots!

Next up, my jerseys! The first yellow jersey is the name of my favourite football player from Brazil, Neymar Jr. He is my idol and that is the first jersey that I have kept for a long time. Secondly, my Kent Ridge jersey! I am currently staying in hall and I am really very proud of the jersey (and the nice number) because I felt that I earned it. Thus, this is something that I have kept and will continue keeping.

Another important pair of shoes! This is my pair of spike shoes for running. I am an athlete and run 100metres (individual and relay) and thus, a good pair of spikes is something really important. I have been using this for quite a few years now already and plan to keep it even when it’s spoilt. This has been my winning spikes and means a lot to me! 

Medals/accomplishments are something that I will always keep to remind myself of the positive success I had in life. Above are just some examples of the medals I have won before!

This right here is a very important gadget of mine. I bring it whenever I travel or go overseas so that I can capture nice photos and videos and compile them later on! 

Another essential of mine! I love my MacBook computer and I am able to take very nice pictures with it (it looks so slick!). 

Now this is just something that I can NEVER live without!! The first and last thing I touch every single day.

Some other things that I have kept with me for quite some time include my PS3 and PS4 (with controller) where I often use it to play games with my friends and family. Although the PS3 is somewhat obsolete now, I still keep it displayed in my living room! These are some electronics that have meaning to my childhood and life now too. 

I have always been quite a religious person (Buddhist) and this is a pendant of my god (Buddha) that I wear since young. It has been with me through everything (good and bad) and is something that I will always wear/keep with me.

Now, the following pictures and items are all related/connected by a story. In secondary 4, I had a horrific sports injury. I was unable to play sports for about half a year and that really crushed me, especially since I’m a sportsman. In addition, at that time, I was really very skinny (underweight). My confidence was low and I felt totally destroyed. I decided that the best way for me to get out of self pity and to feel more confident would be to work hard and get a body shape that I would be proud of. 

Through hard work and dedication, I managed to increase in size and build, gaining more confidence. 

I bought this shirt years back and have kept it ever since. It serves as a reminder that good things come at a cost and like the quote says, “No pain, no gain”. A motivational quote that has stuck with me for a long time.

These right here are essentials in my life too. This is a small personal gym in my room which I use to work out every week. Looking at it everyday keeps me motivated and I know that I never want to be skinny again. To do that, I have to work hard everyday and lift those weights. That’s the only way to get bigger and stronger. The third picture include my gym essentials (gloves, watch and routine book) that I have kept since I started gymming/working out few years back.

Another important thing would be my protein shaker bottle. It is a real important supplement for me to remain strong and fit. 

This weighing scale here serves as a ‘check’ for me to see how much progress I make every month. This is something really essential and important to me as it allows me to keep track of my actions (weight). 

All these above are items that I have kept for some time (both long and short) and things that I will continue to keep in times to come!

There are many quotes and movies that I really admire. Here are just a couple of quotes from some of my favourite YouTubers in their recent videos. “Do what you can’t” - Casey Neistat and “Don’t judge my story by the chapter you walked in on” - Jesse Wellens (PrankVsPrank). These quotes really inspire me and I keep them on my phone or write them down to remind and motivate myself to never give up, to keep pushing on because there is always room for improvement, room to better myself. That is what I want, to improve every single day.

Another quote from my good friend that I really like is “If you dream small, you stay small.” This is another motivational quote that keeps me going on in life.

I love such unique quotes and these are just some examples that I might include in my Homage project. 

Disclaimer: I might include other quotes/phrases, that are not listed here as well - too many to include. I might also include quotes/phrases of my own if I find it suitable for my project. In addition, I might not use all of the ideas, items and pictures mentioned above. Some ideas, items and pictures might be changed/adapted along the way as I gain more feedback/critic from my professor, tutor and peers.

Rene Magritte is an artist that really inspires me (above is his picture). He is well known for his idiosyncratic approach to Surrealism. His images are beautiful, clear and simple. They also provoke unsettling and deeper thoughts. His surrealist work often seems a little mysterious and deep too.

Here are some examples of his artwork that inspires me:

The Son of Man

La Clairvoyance

The Pleasure Principle (Portrait of Edward James) 

I like how each art piece of his highlight a deeper meaning and that it is up to there perception of viewers to decipher what the image means to that particular person. That is the beauty of his work. 

Another artist that really inspires me is Amalia Ulman (above is her picture). I like the way she uses drawings and text to tell a story and talk about an issue (somewhat related to the society we live in too). Her Instagram page showcases some really interesting and thought provoking work that will leave you deep in thought.

https://www.instagram.com/amaliaulman/?hl=en\

http://amaliaulman.eu

http://www.elle.com/culture/art-design/a38857/amalia-ulman-instagram-artist/

The way she highlights social issues in today’s societies through her drawings and images/videos is really very interesting. 

My Homage project will therefore be about pictures that highlight issues concerning Singapore’s society. I aim to make the unseen in today’s society, seen. I will be using an Instagram account to showcase my series of still images (medium), while using the materials mentioned above in the pictures of my project. These images will have a deeper meaning behind, which I hope will provoke viewers to think more critically as to what the pictures mean in the context of Singapore society. In addition, more material might be added along the way to better highlight what I am trying to say (if I deem necessary).

I plan to combine both the items that I have kept for long, together with the artists/people that inspire me (paying Homage to Rene Magritte in particular) to tell a story based on Singapore’s society - a place where I have lived all my life. I feel that this items may not only be relevant to me, but other Singaporeans as well. My work will highlight my experiences in Singapore and what I see in this society. My work should thus be relevant to Singaporeans as it comprises and highlights: Singapore, our society, which will be backed by my own experiences in this country.

Other items to include (possibly): More motivational stuff, unique quotes, favourite songs and idols/stars. 

[aloysiuskow-blog]

Assignment Task 1 - I am.. I like.. I want to..

Below is the link to my video as well as the summary of my project and thought process:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/c013weqanb326qr/A0139287R_Aloysius%20Kow%20Yuan%20Heng_AssignmentTask1%20_NM3205%20Project%20%28I%20am..%20I%20like..%20I%20want%20to..%29.mp4?dl=0

For this assignment, I wanted to create a video-log about my life. I was inspired by two of my favourite YouTubers like Casey Neistat and Jesse Wellens, who are great video-loggers and story tellers. I tried to mimic their work and created a video about the journey of my life (What I am, I like and want to).

I also highlighted my interests and aspirations throughout the video and started and concluded the video by having a plane taking off and plane landing to symbolise the start and end of my journey.

Title: 

My Journey, My Rules, My Life – Life is an art. It is all about taking risks and believing in opportunities. This is my journey, this is my story.

I have submitted the hard copy of my video project in a black 16GB SONY thumb-drive.

Summary:

I have always been inspired by YouTubers like Casey Neistat and Jesse Wellens. I find their concept of video-logging very interesting as they’re always able to tell a compelling and fun story about their lives.  As an audience, I learnt a lot and got to know them pretty well through their videos, thus highlighting the power of video story-telling. I wanted my video to be similar. This 9-minute video showcases the story of my life, specifically what I am, I like and I want to be/do in future. 

To make the video seem like a journey, I incorporated the concept of a plane taking off to symbolize the start and a plane landing to symbolize the end. I started by introducing my personal demographics, followed by a summary of what I really like. These include Taylor Swift and her music, sports such as soccer and Track and Field, outdoor activities as well as travelling to various destinations. Through the span of the entire video, there were snippets from various countries such as Japan, Taiwan and Indonesia, Bali. I really love to do anything sport related or anything fun and exciting, especially adventurous stuff that I can’t do in Singapore, whenever I travel. Throughout the video, you could see me doing unique activities such as waterboarding, fly-fish, wide water rafting, ATV, paragliding and mountain climbing in several different countries. I feel that I’m able to learn a lot whenever I go overseas as I get to have unique experiences, meet different people and learn about different cultures. I also talked about how I like to spend good quality time with my family, loved ones and friends, which sadly, I have lesser and lesser opportunities to spend time with due to school commitments.

One other main interest of mine includes taking nice photographs. As you can see, I really love photography and videography (thanks to my inspirations) and thus, I like taking photos at iconic places or places with nice backgrounds/scenery. This part of the video, where I included the behind-the-scenes of my photoshoot as well as a sample of an edited photo at the end of each photo-shoot, was also the main part and focus of my entire project. I find it the most relevant to digital art and culture as I added special effects to make the entire process more abstract and unique. I even edited and chose the best photo at the end. These places all highlighted various ‘art and culture’ in the background. To me, the various iconic locations where I took pictures at, which included the Singapore National Gallery, Rochor Centre, Haji Lane and Singapore National Museum, all highlighted some form of art at the background. This includes colourful buildings, graffiti and plain white aesthetics to name a few. The effects, aesthetics, behind-the-scenes videos and final product all highlighted the art and culture of unique Singapore. With that, I blended it with the concept of an online video-log to incorporate the idea of digital art and culture in today’s society. Digitalism to me in this case, is in the form of video story-telling. To tell a story is one thing but to tell an interesting story that can captivate an audience, that is the dream and that is my goal. Photo taking is quite tiring as I must constantly think of new poses during the shoot and later, I would still have to edit my photos and videos to make it better.

Lastly, I talked about what I wanted to be and do in future. These included me wanting to travel more and visit the United States and Europe as I have never explored these places before. I also feel that limiting myself (and ideas) within the spaces of a little red dot like Singapore would be such a shame.  I wish to experience new cultures, meet more people around the world and experience life abroad more, hoping that I can gain more insights and learn more from these opportunities. There is so much more to explore! I also talked about how I aspire to be a future entrepreneur and how I want to own my own business one day. I hope that through all these travel experiences, I will be able to create something useful at the end of the day and be able to contribute to society. Hopefully, I will be a successful businessman cum entrepreneur in future.

This has been the summary of my life and project. It was really an interesting piece to work on and I hope that with this, you as the audience got to understand me better and saw things from my perspective. Digital art and culture is up and coming and I choose to focus on videography and photography to tell my story and to share my art work.

[aloysiuskow-blog]

PetchaKutcha + Reflection

My presentation:

I am Aloysius Kow Yuan Heng, Year 2 NM major (FASS). I am interested in photography, video-logs, especially by YouTubers like CaseyNeistat and Jesse Wellens and I am inspired by them. My story/project will thus be focusing a lot on cool, pretentious pictures of myself, as well as iconic places in Singapore. 

I am a fan of Taylor Swift. I actually like her music a lot. Her lyrics are really well thought of and has a lot of meaning. I had the opportuinty to meet her when she was in Singapore. I created this board and got selected to meet her backstage. She’s a really nice person and really really tall as you can see.

I like sports of any kind. I like exercising. Two of my main sports include soccer and Track & Field. As mentioned, I like photography and videography a lot. I also like drone shots (unfortunately it is too expensive for me to own one) and videos that tell a story of someone’s life (for example video-logs by my favourite YouTubers). 

I really like travelling. I like going to places with nice sceneries and doing adventurous stuff, especially things that I can’t do in Singapore. I have been on a helicopter tour, submarine tour and climbed a mountain as you can see. This is a picture of Mount Batur in Bali, Indonesia. I basically like doing things that you don’t typically find in Singapore, and like going to places with great views. Thus, as mentioned earlier, my pictures will be focusing a lot on iconic places in Singapore, as well as photos of places that I have travelled to (overseas). I will also be featuring my Mount Batur climbing experience (the picture above).

I want to travel more, around the world, especially to US and Europe. I want to visit as many cities as possible. I also want to own my own business in future. I want to get myself exposed to different cultures and people. I think this will allow me to explore and learn and it will definitely help me in coming up with a useful business idea in future. I also want to focus on cool photos and videos in my upcoming project, linking it to my interests and at the same time, showing and telling everyone more about myself as a person.

My Reflection:

Reflect in your journal about how successful you and/or your peers PetchaKutcha described the Assessment task – are the ideas expressed in a contemplated manner did the models, diagrams, images show a considered creative approach? 

Me - Apart from talking more about myself and my interests, which included sports, I also talked about how I like video-logs, especially videos that told a story. I was inspired by some of my favourite YouTubers like CaseyNeistat and Jesse Wellens. Where they take video-logs and basically travelled around the city, showcasing their everyday life in a very interesting way. I also talked about how I like taking cool/somewhat pretentious pictures and also pictures of places with great views (see above). Combining my interests and inspirations, I will thus be focusing on telling a story of myself in Singapore, which will include images/videos of iconic places/sceneries in Singapore. I thought that it was rather successful as I was able to link my interest to my project well. 

Adam - He was able to clearly link what he liked doing (graphic design), to his project approach, where he will be making use of different multiple social media platforms, as well as highlighting his interests. It was successful as I could clearly see the link between his interests and his project.

Jade - She was able to link her past experiences in dance to tell a modern story of her struggles and successes along her life (especially dance since dance has been part of most of her life). She also talked about how her project will be a story of her experiences throughout, with the main focus being about dance, music and art. It was successful as I could clearly see the link between her interests/life story and her project.

Wing En - She linked her interest in fashion as well as her inspirations (iconic people) well to her project approach. It was successful as I could clearly see the link between her interests/inspirations and her project.

Overall, however, I felt that 5 slides (for each person) were insufficient for us to truly understand each other or highlight (in detail) what we wanted to.

Think about: Originality and research: Has the student shown evidence of individual research in their selection of a material? 

Me - I only used photos that I have taken myself to give a more in depth explanation about what I wanted to say. It was also linked to me, particularly my interests. 

Adam - He shared photos of graphic design and social media platforms to illustrate what his interests are, as well as what his project is going to be about.

Jade - She talked about how her life revolves around dancing and later art and used mainly pictures that she took on her own.

Wing En - She related her topic of fashion to images of iconic people who inspire her (as well as other fashion related photos). She then linked her interests to what her project will be about.

Do the models and diagrams demonstrate an individual and experimental approach or have they over-relied on existing works of digital art and culture?

Me - I wouldn't say I over-relied but I was inspired by my favourite YouTubers (as mentioned above) and would really love to create videos like theirs. 

Adam - No over reliance as I felt his presentation images were well used to help enforce what he wanted to explain/what he wanted to do.

Jade - No over reliance as she was able to tell her own story, with meaning, from her own photos.

Wing En - No over reliance as well as the pictures she used were related to her focus on fashion. 

Presentation: to what extent are the oral and visual requirements of the project presented clearly and creatively? Are the ideas expressed in a considered manner and do the models or diagrams show evidence of a considered creative approach?

Me - I felt that I was able to link my interests to my project. I also shared with them how I visioned my project to be like - a form of story telling (about myself), including nice photos of iconic places/sceneries in Singapore. 

Adam - Presented what he wanted to focus on in his upcoming project and related it well to his interests (graphic design) and provided reason for focusing on different social media platforms.

Jade - Used past experiences to tell a story of herself, which I thought was really interesting. I felt that the picture of her own artwork (the emotional dancer) was really creative and had a deep meaning (especially to her). 

Wing En - Clearly articulated her interests, which was linked to her project direction/outline. I could tell that her inspirations really got her interested and motivated to choose this particular path/focus for her upcoming project. 

How successfully has the student described themselves in their choice of material, object or piece of text and used this to develop an original idea? Ideas development: to what extent do the diagrams, sketches or models for the three works of art or design reflect a considered approach to the links between form, content and context?

Me - I felt that the content of the presentation allowed me to show everyone what kind of person I am. From there, I linked it to how I envisioned my final project to be like (context). 

Adam - Again, I was able to clearly understand his interests through his presentation (content) and how it linked to his idea for his project (context).

Jade - Similarly, from her content about her “journey of dance”, I was able to understand what she wanted to create with her project (context) based on the storyline/link to her content. 

Wing En - Likewise, her presentation of her interest in fashion (content) also allowed me to vision what her final outcome in the project (context) would look like when linked to her content. 

The form of presentation wasn't really discussed as I think most of us are still somewhat unsure of what exactly we want to do, be it picture/video form etc.

[aloysiuskow-blog]

Week 6 - Self Portrait In Glitch Style (Series Of Stills) - ‘Progression’

Make a self-portrait in a glitch style (can be video or a series of stills)

This is my self portrait in glitch style. I decided to use a series of still images instead of a video because honestly, I am not very confident in creating a glitched video. Images seemed more straight forward! There wasn't a minimum/maximum image requirement stated so I thought that 10 images would be sufficient. I played around with the link provided on IVLE and also tried to glitch my images manually (using the texts on notepad and altering them). I must say that the link provided definitely made it easier for me to create a good glitch image rather than the doing it manually. 

I decided to name this project “Progression” as these are image/selfies of me over time (Notice the change in hair colour). These are images from 2016-2017, obviously with the first one from 2016 and for the last photo, I actually took it just now - present 2017. 

[aloysiuskow-blog]

Week 5/6 - PechaKucha!

[aloysiuskow-blog]

Week 5 - Electronic Component Post

1) Take picture of one electronic component or tool (break some old machine etc.)

2) Write a small monologue on the picture ask yourself and reflect - what would that object say if it could speak?

This is an image of a hard drive from my old computer. It got obsolete and corrupted due to wear and tear (to be fair, I have used this computer for about 7 years already).

If it could talk to me, it would probably say “Please update and make me relevant so that I can be revived. Please remove/erase the corrupted space so that I can be renewed and reused. I want to be useful to someone again instead of facing ‘death’ and become incinerated just like other obsolete parts which are deemed useless now too.”

[aloysiuskow-blog]

Week 4 - Group Critic Exercise (Bill Viola’s Martyrs - A capsule of emotions)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_ZcIoGeRIQ

Response: 

Bill Viola made use of natural elements like earth, air, fire and water, together with time to highlight the process that each human being in the 4 panels go through. 

Bill Viola made use of the spatial aspects of the medium as he started with making installations. He also tries to highlight ideas like the birth (rise), death (fall), basically the existence of the human beings (who are creatures of time) in this artwork. The usage of natural elements made the artwork more real and raw at the same time and the usage of a video platform/format (over time) expresses his ideas/thoughts well.  

The artist considers art a branch of knowledge and at the same time, links his work to spiritual-related ideas. He focused mainly on the experiences that the human beings in each panel face/go through. He highlights that the birth (rise), death (fall) and mere existence of humans are actually experiences. It allows audiences to think deeply and reflect on questions such as “why/how we are born/die and what are the experiences involved” - and at the same time, how this links to spirit-related ideas.

Description:

The artwork represents four main elements (from left to right): Earth (by Norman Scott), Air (by Sarah Steben), Fire (by Darrow Igus) and Water (John Hay) and was set in St. Paul’s Cathedral. The location of this artwork thus brings in the spiritual component of his work.

The video started with small and steady movements which later changed to larger, intensified, violent and consistent movements across the 4 panels. Nearer to the end, the effects slow down and eventually ends off with a calm finish. In this video, the music makes the video more dramatic (as time goes by), making audiences feel more emotionally connected/anxious and drawn into the artwork but the actual artwork is actually silent (making it more intense).

As the work opens, four individuals are shown in stasis, a pause from their suffering. Gradually there is movement in each scene as an element of nature begins to disturb their stillness. Flames rain down, winds begin to lash, water cascades, and earth flies up.

The video was digitally edited after filming, where the artist added on additional effects to the finalized artwork. The video also captured notion of fluxes, where it started off with small, slow, steady movements which got larger, more intense and violent overtime. All four panels in the video experienced the same changes in intensity over time. Even when the video ended, there was still movement (although minimal). This highlighted that everything was in equilibrium (all were equal). In addition, the video was also in an infinite loop. 

In the video, the light is in parallel among panels and divided into lines. Motions and energy of movements are made from vertical lines. There are different vertical motions of each panel. The light and motion diverts the direction in the viewer’s gaze.

All the subject matter centralised, thus, this puts the attention on the people in the 4 individual panels. There is synchronicity of movement in both the level of energy and intensity when the people in the panels are centralised. The video clearly highlights the process of what the individuals are experiencing or going through over time. 

Analysis and Interpretation:

Bill Viola’s theme of experience is presented throughout the process of the video.

As the elements rage, each martyr’s resolve remains unchanged. In their most violent assault, the elements represent the darkest hour of the martyr’s passage through death into the light. Ultimate zen can be found at the end of the video, where everything stops and turns to dust. There is a short moment of zen before it loops again. This sort of mimics life - It feels as though it is a reference from death, to light (going through a tough phase). There is a moment of peace at the end of the video and everything stops momentarily (before it starts to loop again). The loops seem to represent cycles of life and death, over time (happening over and over again, naturally - for example, the process of a human growing old and eventually dying).

Bill Viola’s artwork seem to revolve around spiritual-related ideas (for example Buddhism and Christianity, idea of zen) - in this case mainly about Christianity. This art piece could possible represent the crucifixion of Christ and the suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross. On the first panel at the end of the video, it looks like Jesus being raised from the dead.

This could be seen as a process, beginning from the right panel. The water element on the right could represent the Romans soldier stabbing Jesus’s heart and water flowed out. The person was also hung with the symbolism of Jesus being nailed to the cross. The second from the right is when God’s wrath of the sinners was put onto Jesus’ as Jesus died for us sinners. The fire represent the wrath that is overpowering and ever consuming. The third from the right with wind element is Jesus’ last breath on the cross when he said “It is finished!” and there was a storm. Then, his soul ascended to heaven. For the one on the left, it was his resurrection when he was raised from the dead and the tomb was left empty.  In addition, there is also an underlying notion of “the Son has risen” when everyone ascends.

In addition, the colour scheme used in each panel are according to the different elements, highlighting them well. Green representing earth, white representing air, orange/red representing fire and blue representing water.

Evaluation and Judgement:

The use of the video platform distances us from the pain and suffering experienced by the humans in each of their elements. This reduces the effectiveness of the artwork as it makes the audiences (who are watching this video) mere viewers, as compared to someone watching the artwork live (emotions will be stronger and much more overwhelming in real life). Audiences emotions would likely be much more different (intensified) when they watch it in real life. 

Emotions are very raw because of tangent in movement. Emotions are piled up over time progressively and there is a build up and climax (similar to films with a story line). The flow of energy over time can be used to provoke a reaction from audiences.

The location of the work showcased (St. Paul’s Cathedral) brings in the spiritual component of his work. In addition, since the video is in infinite loop, it highlights the idea of continuum/continuity - notion of cycles. As emotions in the video are rather raw, this allows audiences to connect to their own emotions and think critically what this actually means to them. This allows audiences to reflect and think deeply. There is a lot of room for reflection and what audiences take away/learn from this artwork may differ from person to person.