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The Real Deal

These are the links to the actual objects, their descriptions and actual auctioned price:

-Book

-Vase 

-Hand Mirror 

-Table 

-Chair 

-Table Lamp 

-Jug 

-Cutlery 

-Contemp. Art 

-Painting

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The Fusion 360 process photos and also sneak peaks of the images of actual auctioned objects

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Reseaeaeaerch

Auctions:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/art/online-auctions/history-of-auctions/

The word “auction” derives from the Latin word “auctuc” which means “increasing”

17th century and the rise of candle auctions (a candle was lit at the beginning of the auction and the end was determined when the candle dies out. This ensures the ambiguity of when the last bid will be and adds to the anticipation)

Victorian Era Dolls and Doll Houses

http://www.victorian-era.org/victorian-era-dolls-and-doll-houses.html

History of dolls = record of civilisation in the Victorian era

Ancient times- objects of religious cults, beliefs, ideals and magic images

Victorian era- dolls also attached to religious beliefs, often gifted during special occasions from and to the royal class

Played the role of current fashion magazines (dresses and outfits)

Dolls of miniature royalties or of different professions were preferred and more valued

Dolls:

https://www.encyclopedia.com/medicine/anatomy-and-physiology/anatomy-and-physiology/dolls

Known in cultures as one of the oldest and most widespread forms of toys

Small human figures were once found in Egyptian graves originating from 2000B.CE.

Oldest dolls were “lady” dolls that represented women

Although created for play, their purpose is highly connected to the social and economic conditions of their times

Purpose of dolls also included preparing girls for their mother and housewife roles

Lady dolls in the 19th century emphasised the importance of luxurious dressing as it reflects their social standings with extravaganeous wardrobes

Dolls become a child’s “natural and trustworthy guide in daily life”

Dolls are given their own identity

20th Century - adult collectors of dolls and they become antiques with increasing prices

Their value/worth depends on: type, age, condition, clothing, accessories, original

Why are we so obsessed with miniature everything?

https://mic.com/articles/140621/why-are-we-so-obsessed-with-miniature-everything#.W3GumE0gl

“it's that smaller is simpler, and that tiny makes us feel powerful. In an age with so much going on, the ability to minimize anything and everything is optimal.”

Downsizing everything means less maintenance and time taking care of the things we own, more efficiency in the things we do

We are able to have control over tiny things

We’re able to consume and own tiny things in abundance, from objects to even snack-sized food products - they might be more expensive but they’re doing their job.

The value of miniatures doesn’t seem to come from the physical object, its more about their use/function - what they give to the consumer - and less about their size.

Miniature in history:

(Dollhouses - Dutch Golden Age)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGGb_M0dBcs

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a22728397/the-miniaturist-pbs-cabinet-doll-house-true-story/

17th & 18th century

The dollhouses are a copy and resemblance of the actual homes the owners lived in

Miniatures were made using the material they are representing (ex. Miniature of china vases actually being made in china)

Influx of wealth from trade (merchant class was created) which led to displays of wealth (miniatures) that brings status

Tied to women, more like collectors pieces rather than toys

Mostly tied to a marriage gift

Almost a piece of furniture with legs and doors to be seen at eye level

Women could take ownership of it, work with craftsmen, commission pieces

Highest symbol of wealth - silver, porcelain, paintings, pen and ink drawings

(Miniature’s value as religious artefacts)

Their value can be found in more religious inclinations, through the Egyptian figures (of servants and cats) which were thought to serve the pharaohs in the afterlife, voodoo puppets using black magic to inflict harm, household gods (eg. roman, buddhist) which depicted the gods which they worshipped. This also extends to currently practiced religions using them as symbols such as nativity scenes, crosses, miniature bibles, Buddha, and jade.

(Miniature’s value in games)

https://geekandsundry.com/a-board-gamers-guide-to-getting-into-miniatures-games/

https://www.tested.com/art/makers/452866-how-home-3d-printers-are-disrupting-miniature-gaming/

Does not hold as much value by themselves but is worth more due to their use in certain games such as Warhammer or DnD. These miniatures act as player pieces to control in the game and are sold at relatively high prices for these small figures, mainly due to use in the games and branding.

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ADAD1002 Assss3

This is basically a post on our progress, ideas and distribution of roles for this assessment task.

We started this assessment with the concept of developing miniature representations of objects as the subjects of value, which we could 3D print and present. This was followed by the idea of making the event into an auction, to create an interactive and fun experience in terms of trying to purchase the most expensive items with the least amount of money. Although there were times that our concept and auction interactivity became complex, we simplified it so the event focuses on the challenging the idea of value and can be conducted within the time frame. With this event, we decided to question the relationship between value and matter, as size does not determine the price. This was done through hiding the true values of objects which were 3D modelled after and allowing groups to bid with only knowledge on the vague representations offered. Hints will be provided, however they do not denote its true value. In order to keep things balanced, the objects chosen were within the 1000 and 50000 range, with the spending limit of 50000. These objects were chosen from “Christie’s”, a prestigious auction house, which our 3D prints are modelled after in Fusion 360. Later rescaled for white filament printing at Kensington, our objects were produced. Through our project, we questioned the value of objects in terms of miniatures, the idea that an object is only worth what you pay (auctions), value is increased through knowledge (our hints) and conventions (popularity increases value). 

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Week 10 Class activity

Disrupting the walking system

@ezratehstudio

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A twist on Sandra’s ADAD1002 Assessment2 final work on collaboration.

Rather than smooth connections and links to create a final product, collaboration my have pauses, glitches and challenges within the process of working together

@s-andoitchi2018

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Rashinal

With assessment 2, I have continued to address the question regarding the relationship between ‘human’ and the environment (Question 1). At the beginning, my approach to this question once again after assessment 1 was a bit unsure and basically just series of experiments and research in order to establish a direction. After researching artists that have used nature to contrast with infrastructure through installations (Jeff Koons’ “Puppy”, 1992) and body performance art to highlight the connection between human and the environment (Jill Orr’s “Bleeding Trees”, 1979), I wanted to continue my argument from assessment 1, targeting the concept that human and nature exists as one, and that everything belongs to the circle of life.

Initially, I began with the idea that a human’s most direct and physical, almost instinctive method of connection to their surroundings is with their hand. Touch, being one of the five senses, is often seen as a symbol for connection and interaction. Playing with shadows, I wanted to highlight the grey area that exists between humans and our surroundings. The grey area where, for some people, genuine developments of relationships are lost. To put simply, feeling/touching, but not establishing a relation. After that, I proceeded to photograph my hand actually grasping, holding, objects that have been created by humans and are often touched subconsciously in our everyday lives. By applying a green tint on the hand to all the above photographs, I wanted to emphasise the fact that the deep connection with nature exists within all of us. Or that us humans, are the reason nature is currently conflicting with human waste and man-made objects. As the hand, implying connection, has been painted green, an irreversible, unremovable relationship with nature has been established. This idea was taken an extra step by incorporating real leaves to become extensions to the hand and act as the device in which we use to reach out to the world.

By using leaves to restructure our hands, I wanted to elevate this idea and address it through redefining the identity of a human with the use of leaves and face masks. Masks are an object created by humans with purposes that include covering/hiding identity. By placing leaves onto the mask, it suggests that the human features and identity have been covered, instead replaced nature. This further enforces the concept that human and nature are one, and that humans belong to nature, being part of the circle of life. With the completion of the mask, I then wore it over not only the bottom half of my face, but also the top, resulting in an entire masking of identity. No longer able to distinguish our unique personal features, we are all solely children of Mother Nature. To document this, I chose two locations to lie down upon. One was a grassy area, a green colour which resonates with the green leaf mask I am wearing. While the other was grey, hard concrete. The contrast between the two platforms not only exists within the colour contrast, but also in texture and origin. The grey and the green are symbolic representations of nature and the manufactured world. While lying down, it is prominent that the green grass and mask find a sense of belonging as compared to the colour contrast with the concrete. My hair also acted as a sign of reaching out to the surroundings, like roots which extend, intertwine and grow. Hence, this reinforces the idea of becoming one with nature.

My final artwork is a silent video production of photographs that have been digitally altered to highlight the relationship between humans and nature. This is done through the colour contrast between the green and grey, but also through the interplay between the leaves and the hair. Roots, often directly linked with plants and nature, was symbolised through my hair extending and branching out. The leaves used to mask the identity of humans, continues to emphasise its ambiguity and that humans originate from nature. As fallen leaves, become soil and continue the circle of life, so do humans, suggested through the act of lying down alongside fallen leaves.

Biblio:

Orr, J, ‘Jill Orr Series/Exhibitions’, Bleeding Trees, accessed 15 Sep, 2018, https://jillorr.com.au/e/bleeding-trees

Koons, J, ‘Jeff Koons Artworks’, Puppy, accessed 15 Sep, 2018, http://www.jeffkoons.com/artwork/puppy

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Final Video

So after having a set of images, I made it into a video. I would have added a soundtrack, however I felt like the silence added to the ignorance of people admitting the fact that human and nature exist as one and are not willing to look after it.

The constant shuffling of the images continues to add into the affect of confusion and ambiguous identity, further blurring the boundary between human and nature.

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With the images I previously took, I inversed the green and grey of the original photographs in order to create a confusion of our environment. Previously, it was obvious to identify between nature and man-made material through colour identification, but after changing the grey to a green, and the green to the grey, it highlights the layered relation and connection between human and nature that cannot be undone.

The human, with features and identity masks, remains to be prominent and influential within both environment and surroundingz

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So after creating the masks, I’ve put them on my face to cover my own identity and take photos while lying on different platforms. With my hair laid out like that, I was hoping to create a look, where like plants, branch out to our surroundings.

The concrete and the grass again addresses the relation between human and nature, like all the colour contrasts I’ve done before. In the first photo, it will be more like reconnecting with our roots, branching out to remind us of our origin and being part of our environment, nature and circle of life. While the second photo is lying on man-made concrete, something developed by mankind to replace that of nature, showing the kind of non-belonging and the unnatural feel as evident through the colour contrast instead of the continuous family of green in the left photo.

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So I decided to play around more with the composition and created an oval that resembled the shape of a human head. Of course the duller shade of green represents human’s neglection of being a part of nature and ignorance of the deep relationship with the circle of life. Because within each person, each human regardless of anything, you are a part of nature’s circle and in the middle, you are always one with nature (as shown with the bright saturated green amidst the dull green)

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Masks have been used by humans to hide or cover their identity. Therefore, in order to further explore the concept of humans being a part of nature, I added leaves to a face mask to address the idea of masking human features and replacing it with the leaves from nature. 

I also played around with the saturation on photoshop on the images of the mask I created, to create something like a patterned wall of nature.

Hence, from raw interaction with our environment, to becoming a platform for the establishment of relationship between nature and our man-made environment through the green hand. To becoming one with the nature through our fingers becoming leaves, and now masking our human features and identity to reconnect with nature and rejoin the circle of life.

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After experimenting with photoshop for the green tint and highlighting the idea of extending to our environment and surroundings, I decided to literally use leaves the symbolise humans becoming one with nature and reaching back to it.

As our hands are our initial contact with everything around us, the leaves at the fingertips signify the reconnection of humans and the natural environment through interaction.

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In order to continue the green hand theme (like Hulk), I photoshopped the images I took before. 

The reaching out action can be see with the images, and with the green tint representing nature and our environment reaching to each other, we continue to remain as the cause of these two overlapping.

After retouching the images, I realised that the green contrasted greatly with the man-made objects where as it established a sense of belonging with the natural greens, almost blending within. It is obvious that the above 6 pictures can be split into two categories by comparing the contrast in colours.

This can also suggest that harmony can only be achieved when humans extend their hands and support/nurture it (represented by the green hand)

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In order to also link back to my previous concept with humans and the relationship with nature, I changed the colour of my hand to a more green tone.

As the objects that my hands are in contact with are all human manufactured, nothing raw and natural, I was hoping the address the relationships between humans, the natural environment (nature) and the man-made environment through tinting green my hand. The green used to mimic nature, highlights that through humans, the natural environment and man-made environment are forced to interact with each other.

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After that, instead of using shadows, i thought about taking a series of our hands with actual interactions with things around us. Touching objects that we subconsciously do everyday, holding onto something, grasping something for a purpose. We have always wanted, needed, to touch, to interact with out surroundings in order to establish a relationship.

Our body and physical touch, is the most primal, basic form of connection us humans make with things around us.

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At first, I experimented by taking photos of my hand and its shadow interacting with our surroundings. As our hands are almost the first part of the body that we extend to touch and interact with our world, I wanted to emphasise that through the use of my own hand and its subtle but prominent connection with everything around us.

I tried it out on different surfaces that had different texture in order to get corresponding shadows.