arashikr

[arashikr]

#30 Let’s Get Ready to Rumble

Rank your classmates. Make a ranking of all the people in your class, you decide on the ranking subject (for example: date of birth, alphabetical order of birth places, number of letters in their last name, hair colour from light to dark, etc.) and make a video representation of the list and your own place in it. 

Introduction

The first thing I noticed is that people wanted to rank how high their battery percentage was, or how tall they are. And knowing myself, I always want to put something personal in there.

So what is the best thing to do? Asking for a battery percentage, the height of a person or even how fast someone runs, isn’t really personal in a way that is related to me.

So what is the next best thing?

Since we’re talking about ranking, there is some form of competition however small it may be. So what is something dear to me that I used to do, which involved some form of competition?

Sports? That’d be hard and irresponsible to do because of the virus. So what is the next best thing?

Games.

Concept

Something I grew up playing with friends, family and even strangers, is playing games. Especially the game called: Super Smash Brothers, it’s a game from the famous company: Nintendo. Back then I played it on the Gamecube, the console where the first Super Smash Brothers game was released on.

That was years ago and now a newer console game out, the Nintendo Switch and of course since the console is such a big hit, a new version of the Super Smash Brothers game has been released in 2018 and has sold 13.81 million units as of 2019.

So why not let the classmates brawl it out, as their own characters?

You can create your own character or as Nintendo calls it: Mii. after you created a Mii, you can customize your Mii to fight in the Super Smash Brothers game!

I created and customized all of our classmates and customized their outfits and abilities based on their personality!

Enjoy!

Let’s Get Ready to Rumble

PS.

For my beloved classmates that want to see only their fights (which I understand since the video is 30 minutes long..) I put all the timemarks of the fights below!

Intro | 00:00 - 01:15

Round 1

Yejin VS Jip | 01:25

Charli VS Abira | 02:40

Diego VS Bas | 04:00

Mia VS Markus | 05:05

Round 2

Yejin VS Jin | 06:20

Jette VS Vera | 07:30

Charli VS Fleur | 08:45

Jamilla VS Manon | 09:45

Diego VS Shavella | 10:25

Dave VS Siebe | 11:15

Mia VS Lukas | 12:35

Sam VS Hilary | 13:40

Round 3

Jin VS Jette | 14:50

Charli VS Manon | 15:55

Shavella VS Siebe | 17:15

Mia VS Sam | 18:40

Semi Finals

Jin VS Manon | 20:30

Siebe VS Mia | 22:10

Finals (please don’t win my own tournament)

Jin VS Siebe | 23:50

[arashikr]

#29 Imposter Syndrome

Look at the family portraits of artist Gillian Wearing. Create a self-portrait as one of your family members.

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/wearing-self-portrait-as-my-brother-richard-wearing-p81098

Introduction

Ever since I was a child, everyone who I’ve came across always said that I have the looks of my mother and of course, I was the one who could never see the resemblance.

Since the pandemic, she stopped working and has been at home for a long time, this means that I rarely see her in her “normal” clothes, I often only see her in her pajamas.

She also takes a lot more naps than usual and likes to take pictures etc. I wanted to take this version of my mom and expand on that.

Sketches

Gillian Wearing uses a number of different ways to create her self portraits from: silicone, canvas to paper masks.

Since I actually would rather not use a way that she herself has used, I decided to sketch different ways of creating this mask.

A way that Gillian Wearing has used before, a more straightforward and literal way of doing this. Cutting out holes in the eyes and mouth. 

This idea uses a mirror, with a face stuck on to this mirror. The eyes and mouth are cut out so the user can see their eyes and mouth.

Using a phone with AR capabilities to make a virtual version of the person you’re trying to recreate. This way you can seamlessly change without a hassle.

Concept

I decided to use the digital version, since I could play more with recreating what my mom would do in real life.

This way I can also dress up in my mom’s clothes and pose like how she would, I asked my mom to scan her face with the app, afterwards I used her visual face on my face and then proceeded with the project.

I also dressed up in the clothes my mom wears most, which is of course: her pajamas.

Imposter Syndrome

[arashikr]

#28 Tic Tac. Tic Tac.

Failure: Create a campaign for your “tic”

Introduction

I never really had a real “tic” as a child however, everyone always thought I was angry. Why? Well, my face would constantly frown all the time as if I was constantly on edge.

Throughout the years I started frowning less when I was with people, however that angry frown would come back whenever I was focusing on my work or when I would get lost in my thoughts.

And since everyone always thinks that I was angry when frowning, I decided to expand upon this idea; anger.

Concept

Since my project is based on my angry looking face, I decided to make a campaign against something which angers me a lot. 

I decided to create a campaign about toxic masculinity. 

So what does “toxic masculinity,” or “traditional masculinity ideology,” mean? Researchers have defined it, in part, as a set of behaviors and beliefs that include the following:

Suppressing emotions or masking distress

Maintaining an appearance of hardness

Violence as an indicator of power (think: “tough-guy” behavior)

In other words: Toxic masculinity is what can come of teaching boys that they can’t express emotion openly; that they have to be “tough all the time”; that anything other than that makes them “feminine” or weak. (No, it doesn’t mean that all men are inherently toxic.)

I wanted to express my tic, which is an angry looking frown, as a way to stand against toxic masculinity.

Process

Frowning

Toxic Masculinity Campaigns

Test Photo

I eventually decided to photograph myself and use my own frown in the campaign, not because I am the only who is angry, but to make it more personal.

I started experimenting with other faces and eventually with my face.

I did not like how my expression came out and decided to create a more direct and personal expression.

Tic Tac. Tic Tac.

[arashikr]

#27 Buy Me

Describe yourself as if you were a product that people can purchase.

Introduction

As a kid I’ve always loved looking at toys, I liked their packaging, the information on it and the exaggerated & often ridiculous ways they tried to promote the toy.

In the rare event my parents finally gave in to my begging and actually bought me the toy, I would be staring at the package, the toy and all the information about it.

Since the assignment is about a product, I decided to design myself as a toy, that actual people can buy and read about.

Concept

I did research about how toy packaging is done and what kind of toys are on the market now, more often than not, the toys are just merchandise from other shows like; Star Wars, Marvel. etc.

That is why i decided to design a packaging that is a merchandise about our world naming it; Life on Earth, as if it was an actual show that is being broadcasted on tv.

I also think it would be a funny touch to add how accurate the figures are, almost like humans in this world are merely just fictional, not real at all. 

The “human actionfigures” are also able to talk and act. I decided to use this to describe how I would act when interacting with other people. 

This description is a description about how I act as a human being.

Buy Me

[arashikr]

#26 Childhood Drawing

Draw a child memory (1 visual)

Introduction

As a kid I always have been awkward and anxious as a little kid, I never knew how to act or what to say in all kinds of situations.

No one ever taught me, so I just stayed the same until I was an adult. It was a pretty bad memory of my childhood. But one thing always stayed even when I was getting older. 

The fear of a group looking at me. I’ve always have felt awkward about it or my mind became blank, and the world starts to turn around.

I wanted to create a drawing based on this fear.

Concept

I sometimes had dreams of these scenarios, people just staring at me. 

They were often just nightmares, I took these thoughts and expanded upon them, making them seem more creepy and nightmarish than they may have been in my dreams.

The nightmare was often played out with me opening a door, quickly afterwards a bunch of eyes would appear in the dark, as if they were staring upon me.

Childhood Fear

[arashikr]

#25 Mix ‘n Match

Eating together provides a time to be connected. This helps children feel loved, safe and secure. Focus on enjoying each other's company, not on what or how much each child is eating. Use meal times to teach children about family values and traditions. Mix two app or social media programs with each other and create a completely new service out of it. 

Introduction

I think we can all agree that it is kinda hard right now to be social. People who might want to get to know more people will have a horrible time, since the pandemic has been limiting so much of our regular social life. 

Social media apps have played a big part in accommodating this change, the services are now used more than ever before to stay in touch or even make new contacts.

And this made me think, what has been quite hard to do together lately while social distancing?

Eating and/or drinking out.

Everyone can agree that is has been such a hassle just trying to go out and drink or eat anywhere. So what is a solution for people who are either busy or are either afraid of going out to eat because of the virus?

Concept

Our assignment was to combine 2 apps. I chose to combine “UberEats” and “Facetime”.

I want to create a social media restaurant, where people can take a seat at their “table” (chatroom), the “customers” (users) can see and eat with the others using the phone’s camera and enjoy the same food they are enjoying.

Many of you will probably start thinking, then why not just order the same food and start a video chat together on Whatsapp or Facebook? 

Simple, the way these services work is not catered to a group, it is catered to an individual, meaning that the food won’t always arrive at the same time, sometimes the food will even arrive an hour or half an hour later or earlier.

The way my app works, works by calculating each of the customers location & distance to the restaurant chosen. 

Then the restaurant and the deliverer will deliver these dishes to the designated location in the perfect order. 

So no one has to wait too long to enjoy a meal together.

The name for my app will be: AanTafel!

Logo Sketches

AanTafel!

Expresses that someone (usually the cook) wants people (usually family or friends) to come and eat their food. Also known as: “Dinner’s ready!”

Eating together provides a time to be connected, to be vulnerable. This helps people build a bond and connect. Eating together can also reduce loneliness and anxiety, this way people have a way of sharing a personal moment, without being personal.

AanTafel is an app that goes further than your standard food delivery service. 

AanTafel tries to connect people on another level, by combining the intimate bonding experience of eating together. 

This service takes in account the distance & location of people, so no one has to wait too long for their food. Everyone can also be rated, that way, annoying or rude people will be filtered out immediately. 

[arashikr]

#24 The lost Protest

Find an image of a specific protest that speaks to you. In-text provide context to the protest with the year, location, issue, and why it resonates with you.

Introduction

I was never one to follow any protests.. or the news in general, thus I did not know what protest to represent. So what should I do? What is part of my identity, of my culture, what do I take pride in?

My heritage.

I am from Hong Kong, I have a Hong Kong ID (all be it expired). And even though I live here in the Netherlands, I still take pride of my own heritage. 

I think lots of people have heard of the protests in Hong Kong, for the ones that aren’t familiar. Here is a link for you to read up on it.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/06/asia/hong-kong-protests-elections-arrest-intl/index.html

Concept

The ongoing 2019–20 Hong Kong protests were triggered by the introduction of the Fugitive Offenders amendment bill by the Hong Kong government. The now aborted bill would have allowed extradition to jurisdictions with which Hong Kong did not have extradition agreements, including mainland China and Taiwan. This led to concerns that Hong Kong residents and visitors would be exposed to the legal system of mainland China, thereby undermining Hong Kong's autonomy and infringing civil liberties.

However this amendment bill got through, triggering an even bigger backlash from the people of Hong Kong.

The Lost Fight

How must that have felt? 

The people that share the same birthplace as I do, I speak the same language, I long for the same freedom, so why are they not recognized? 

They’re fighting for their freedom, their culture, their lives. And then to have that freedom taken away by a force that doesn’t budge. 

To have lived your entire life in democracy and suddenly have it taken away, even though they were literally risking their life for it.

To have done everything you can and still lose..

How heartbreaking is that?

[arashikr]

#23 A new Product

Design a new product for your favourite brand (prototype).

Introduction

Obey Clothing (stylized as OBEY) is a popular clothing producing company founded in 2001 by street artist and illustrator Shepard Fairey as an extension to his work in activism. It expropriates a theme from the film They Live. Fairey inherited one of his most popular slogans from Canadian intellectual Marshall McLuhan. “The medium is the message”.

The brand is well known for incorporating politically and socially provocative propaganda into the designs of their clothing and its founder describes this as manufacturing dissent.

Concept

Since this is about a brand that already establishes his/her view political standpoints etc. I thought it might be cool to follow in their footsteps but elaborate more on the current problems of society.

The brand is very much built on activism and it’s propaganda. Which is already a very interesting topic on it’s own.

The first aim of phenomenology is to reawaken a sense of wonder about one’s environment. The obey sticker attempts to stimulate curiosity and bring people to question both the sticker and their relationship with their surroundings.

The original sticker attempts to stimulate curiosity and bring people to question.. What can we do to expand on that? 

A lot of people back in the day used to peel off these stickers, thinking they were an eye sore or a form of petty vandalism. Which is ironic considering the number of commercial graphic images everyone in American society is assaulted with daily.

So what about a device that hacks all digital advert boards and replaces them all with the original OBEY sticker with PROPAGANDA on there?

We reawaken people’s sense of wonder about their environment and this sudden change will surely make people question about what is real and what is fake.

OBEY PROPAGANDA

[arashikr]

#22 Just another Recreation

Recreate a performance of Guido van der Werve or Ragnar Kjartansson and record it in the same medium as them.

Introduction

To be honest I did not know what to do, since it had to be in the same medium. I wanted to change the concept and recreate it on my own way, since that was the only thing I could do to make it mine as well.

However, I think I failed this assignment since the objectives has not been met.

Concept

I wanted to recreate “Number 8″ of Guido van der Werve. I wanted to change the medium, but I still wanted it to be recognizable as “Number 8″.

But what is behind Guido’s work? What does he use as a tool to create art?

Endurance.

Guido is a very active person, going so far as doing a triathlon for his work and even going as far as running on a frozen sea whilst being chased by a giant ship.

He likes to endure, he thinks that enduring brings out the most primal form out of us. A form which doesn’t lie and doesn’t hide. So I asked myself the question.

What am I constantly enduring? Is it mentally?

And what happens when you keep enduring something mentally? The answer is quite simple actually.

We keep emotional baggage. We hoard our emotions until they finally burst as we break down. That’s how I endure, that’s what brings out the most primal form in me, a break down, an explosion of emotions.

Emotional Baggage

[arashikr]

#21 Paris is Burning

Watch the film Paris Is Burning by Jennie Livingston and write a review for it https://youtu.be/yNE6nv3-l1w

Introduction

When I watched Paris is Burning, I did not know what to feel, it is so interesting to me how frowned upon it was to be a gay black male in that time. So much so that they had to group up to feel accepted, to have a place where they could be themselves.

Because they could not be in public, not even in front of their damn parents.

How hard must that have been for so many, to not be able to express themselves, the need to hide, the need to survive and act “straight” in order to feel safe in their own neighbourhood.

Concept

Everyone is gonna do a real review. Just text, in some ways, this text is as well, but that’s kind of boring, right? I want to be able to describe the documentary in one word.

Just one.

But what word is best used here? What is one aspect about this documentary that was apparent? The movie discusses the community, a community where they could be themselves. Where fights are fought their way. 

This community allowed them to be free, to be reminded that they matter and that they can matter.

It made their life real, it made them feel relevant.

Realness was shown in this documentary more so than their extravagant style, or they unique ways. 

It showed them being themselves, nothing more, nothing less. 

The Realness in Paris is Burning

[arashikr]

#20 A forest of Chairs?

Take a wooden chair deep into a forest. Leave it there and photograph it.

Introduction

Taking a wooden chair deep in the forest and leave it there? 

Sounds Expensive.

I don’t have enough money to buy a chair and leave it be. So i decided to take a plastic foldable chair we never use and do something fun with it.

Concept

So, I figured that everyone would be creating beautiful photos of lonely chairs in a deep forest.

But that’s boring isn’t it? Doing what everyone else is doing, of course, I have been guilty of sometimes doing that as well. However, I’d like to change this to stand out. 

That’s the point of being creative right? Doing what no one else would.

So what would I change about the assignment?

Most people would think very literally about a forest, however a forest has been used for other objects as well. A forest of people, a forest of concrete etc. Isn’t that more interesting?

So instead of putting my chair deep in a forest, why not put a forest of chairs around a single tree?

A forest of Chairs?

The single chair I photographed

Since it is quite unreasonable to take a forest of chairs with me, I decided to photoshop the remaining chairs around the tree.

I thought it was funnier to not put the chairs in focus, it is something the viewer has to explore. Without paying attention, this picture may seem even super normal. That’s the beauty of it.

[arashikr]

#19 Ode to my Body

Write an ode to one particular part of your body.

Introduction

I don’t have a particular part of my body that I have a special connection with, unfortunately.

However, I do have a tattoo which I find very important and I decided to photograph the part of my body where the tattoo is visible. Which is my forearm.

Concept

I wanted to write about what this tattoo means, it is a promise, an oath, to how I should improve myself and how I know that I can still be better. As a person, as a friend & at life.

This tattoo represents my promise to be a better me. To be someone I can be proud of.

However, I am not proud of this tattoo. Yes I designed it, yes I like how it has been tattooed, yes I think it represents me. But, I am not proud of it yet. 

Why?

As long as I have not reached my goal yet, to be a better version of myself, I cannot ever be proud of this tattoo. This tattoo represents an oath, an oath that I will keep forever.

The Ode of an Oath

[arashikr]

#18 Nature Class

Photoshop yourself in a cultural landscape you aren’t familiar with and give an online class about it in a short movie of max 2 min.

Introduction

I feel like I have taken a lot of the assignments pretty seriously, and if there was an assignment I wanted to take it easy with, to have a funny time with, then it should be this one.

Concept

I photoshopped myself in a Japanese bamboo forest, because when I was in Japan, I never had the time to explore to nature side of Japan. So this was my reasoning to photoshop myself in this enviroment.

And since we’re in Japan, we’ll need a tour guide, giving us the class. I researched a bit about the forest in Japan and started to write a text. 

I also wanted to know how much vandalism has been there over the years since millions pass through the forest every year. 

But of course, since our tour guide is Japanese, and not everyone’s English is perfect in Japan. I decided to add an accent to the automated voice. I added this with a special tool online and I think it turned out pretty funny and amusing.

Stay tuned at the end!

Nature Class

[arashikr]

#17 Artsy Fartsy

Visit an art exhibition. Document the exhibition and choose one work to expand on. Write why you chose to visit that exhibition and what made you gravitate towards your chosen artwork. Be creative in the way you use documentation and text.

Introduction

I wanted to focus on more abstract forms of art & or pop art, because that can be so deep and open to your own interpretation. I liked that there are so many different ideas and interpretations that can be taken from just one piece of abstract art.

Concept 

This pandemic has made it harder to visit art exhibitions in a big group, so I wanted to avoid that. However, one thing this pandemic has brought upon is a way bigger catalog of online art exhibitions that are equally as interesting as a real exhibition would be.

I thought that using an online art exhibition would be a responsible and more creative thing to do.

New Museum

Founded in 1977, the New Museum is a leading destination for new art and new ideas. It is Manhattan’s only dedicated contemporary art museum and is respected internationally for the adventurousness and global scope of its curatorial program.

The museum’s mission is; New Art, New Ideas.

Which is perfect for this assignment since it is about expanding an art piece, creating something new.

Virtual tour link:

https://gesso.fm/newmu/items/peter-saul-virtual-tour/video

Crime Doesn’t Pay - Paul Saul

What does this represent? It’s a criminal, sitting on an electric chair, waiting to be executed in front of the US citizens.

For Peter himself America is at it’s heart is a sadistic and a punitive country by nature and he looked at things like crime, comics and the stories in the press, he even remembers from his childhood the stories of murderers and and their victims and the public spectacle of executions as being inherent to the American psyche. 

So the electric chair for him, really is this reputation of this idea about America’s lust for violence and lust for imagery around punishment. Here we have Ethel Rosenberg in the electric chair.

Concept for Expansion

So how am I going to expand upon this piece? The piece does a very good job at representing the cruel acts of execution and represents the US very well too.

So how can I add something meaningful to the piece?

I decided to add the US as a whole, if Peter saw America at it’s heart like a sadistic and punitive country. Then why not exaggerate that idea? 

Why not create a crowd around the electric chair, indicating the cruel and sadistic people who see this only as an entertainment?

Sketches

I wanted to emphasize on how Paul Saul saw America as a sadistic and punitive country, I wanted to create a crowd where there were people watching that are representive of the people of America. 

This idea however did not emphasize this feeling enough.

I decided to make it more personal, a family. Your standard family living in America, living in a colourful world. However the people, the family who are watching the tv are cold, colourless & without any feeling.

They are watching the execution, like it’s the most normal day of the month. I think this represents Paul Saul’s thoughts more than the previous sketch, however I did not like how the room came out.

Observing The Payment of Crime

I got rid of the background and replaced each person with a black grey character. Cold, colourless, their personality has been stripped away and their cruel core can be seen from the outside.

[arashikr]

#16 Painful Confessions

Take a sheet of paper and write down the worst way you ever hurt somebody. Go outside and ask a stranger for a light. Burn the sheet of paper. Return the lighter to its owner. Explain Nothing.

Introduction

Burning the worst way you ever hurt someone? That sounds like burning your past, nah I don’t like that.

We should accept our mistakes in life and use those experiences to better ourselves. Burning them only causes you to deny your past, to deny your mistakes. It’s bullshit.

Concept

I am going to burn something, ofcourse. But what? What should be burn when accepting our mistakes? What should we let go when admitting our wrongs?

Our pride.

I am going to burn my pride, in order for me to accept who I am.

I’m gonna draw a heart and rip it in half, symbolic for a broken heart,

Afterwards I’m gonna write “Pride” on another paper.

The Burning

[arashikr]

#15 Unknown Territory

Spend a day at a neighbourhood you are unfamiliar with. After careful and sensitive observation visually map out the neighbourhood. Be as detailed as possible.

Introduction

I wanted to do something fun, something maybe even nostalgic. But how can a neighbourhood that I don’t know be nostalgic?

Maybe it’s better to rediscover something, a place which I am very much attached to. At the same time I want my own memories, experiences & even thoughts on the place to shine through my work.

Concept

What place am I more attached to and has more nostalgic value than any other neighbourhood?

Of course, that’d be my own neighbourhood; Katendrecht.

Throughout the years I haven’t been able to keep up with the changes in town and I thought that this might be the best time to rediscover my hometown.

Katendrecht is known now in Rotterdam for it’s many events and trendy restaurants and cafes. Located just after the Erasmusbrug and with just a travel time of 15 minutes to reach the center of the city, makes Katendrecht a very attractive neighbourhood to move into.

I am going on a walk, rediscovering all the things in my own hometown. After I will be choosing the places, landmarks, views and even buildings that I liked the most.

I want this work to look like a visual diary, a map that is very cold and unpersonal, mixed with my own experiences and thoughts, which in turn makes it very personal and warm.

The pictures I took

A nice ass view

The fancy part that is not really Katendrecht, but almost is Katendrecht.

Lots of places to get drunk at!

The giant ship at the end of Katendrecht, SS Rotterdam

One of the most unique building in Katendrecht

A memorial for the fallen in the Wars

A random gate I used to play at when I was a kid

The rich part of the neighbourhood, this house was made by the owner, who is of course, an architect. I went in here as a child once!

“Be the captain of your own life” - Rotterdam.. Ew

Provimi, a factory that has been here for decades, I still don’t know the use of it.

Another house of the rich part of the neighbourhood.

My old elementary school; OBS De Schalm

My old kindergarten.. yes it is designed after a ship.

Sketch #01

This was my inital sketch, however, it felt very unorganized and messy, I wanted a more clear and fun map. Not necessarily an accurate one.

Sketch #02

I went with an almost isometric 3D theme to make it very much fun & lighthearted. I continued with this theme and have had a lot of fun making it.

Rediscovering my hometown; Katendrecht

Please click on the image to enlarge it, if you look closely, you can see the text of all the landmarks, views & buildings I like the most in Katendrecht.

I hope you’ll enjoy it.

[arashikr]

#14 Adventurous Poster

Mix Up: Go outside, shoot random texts for an hour. Combine the texts in a poster to create a new meaning

Introduction

I’ll be honest, I had no idea. I did not know what to do or what to expect. You could even say that this was a failure, it kind of is really.

I have learned that incorporating randomized acts, is a good way to create something new, something that the mind cannot do off the bat.

However, sometimes being random may not get you the results you wish for..

Concept

I wanted to walk around the city, taking as many random photo’s of text. After I would put the words/letters together to create a new poster. 

From the random words, something new must have been born. However, this did not have as much as an impact unfortunately.

Adventurous Poster

I will be revising this project once I have more free time, stay tuned.