kiaraconcept

[kiaraconcept]

Time sure does fly by fast when you enjoy what you’re doing. I can’t believe that I’m done with my first semester of university. At first, I was really nervous since I never took art classes before. To my surprise, the class was actually beginner-friendly and everyone has been so helpful and supportive. Having to attend online classes was not what I was expecting but it wasn’t bad at all, it was easy to adapt to the new way of studying.

Communication design was something very new to me. This course helped me dive into heavy topics like discrimination and even the lighter ones like the use of emojis. I found new ways to design, this is where I designed my first website, made my first font, and also first time exploring digital collage.

With the help of all the teachers, I gained more knowledge and confidence in myself. Shayna kept encouraging us to do better every single week and to not forget build connections with each other. Through this tumblr assignment, I was able to connect with students from other classes by reblogging, liking, leaving comments on each other’s posts and get feedbacks on my work. Seeing the work of others also inspires me and made me learn from different perspectives. Overall, this semester has been so enjoyable and I couldn’t ask for a better class and teachers!

Image source: https://pin.it/3bGBguB

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I grew up learning different languages and cultures. From all the languages that I’ve learned, Chinese was probably the hardest for me. I’m actually quite comfortable speaking in Chinese but the last time I wrote in Chinese was back in highschool so now I’m not sure if I still can read/write Chinese characters. Other than Chinese, I also learned Japanese and Korean. I’m half Japanese and half Chinese so I have different names depending on which side of the family I’m talking to. My father’s side calls me はるか (Haruka) while my mother’s side calls me 瑶花 (Yao Hua).

I’m very proud to grow up in such a diverse family and also happy to be able to speak and understand different languages. Learning how to write the characters was the fun part since it was almost like creating small pieces of art. I should start studying a new language this holiday.. maybe Thai??

Image source: https://pin.it/6YbI2fK

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Week 2 lecture taught me one way of improving communication is to use the right emojis in the right context. So I studied the emojis and found some shocking new information . For example,

💫 - This shooting star emoji illustrates dizziness, like when a cartoon character when is hit on the head.

🙆🏻‍♀️ - A girl making an OK sign by creating an “O” shape with her arms, which is a gesture that the Japanese uses.

🙌🏻 - Often assumed that this emoji is meant to show praise but the original meaning of this emoji is to express joy or celebration of success.

🙏🏻 - Most people use this emoji as a symbol of pleading or praying, or even a high-five. But this is actually a hand gesture that shows gratitude for a meal or express an apology.

🍒 - Sometimes used as a way to compliment others. Also a way of showing that we are in a happy relationship is by adding this emoji beside our names.

💁🏻‍♀️ - Often used to convey sass, this emoji is actually an information desk person.

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The other 4 options that I considered for my interview subjects were Monalisa, Le Smoking, The Creation of Adam and Sam Shaw.

Preparing other topics made me feel safer since I’ll have backups incase my main plan doesn’t go as expected. However, I do feel like having a lot of choices increases stress from all the overthinking. Going into this assignment I knew that I wanted to interview the Water Dress since it’s so unique and special. At times, I can be quite indecisive so I’m glad that I wasn’t really putting a lot of effort when researching about the other topics or else I wouldn’t have decided so quickly and firmly.

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I’ve been watching the vlogs u recommended and now I can’t stop! It’s been really relaxing to watch others create art and lowkey wishing holiday to come sooner so I can start doing other things beside just focusing on uni assignments..

Tutorial 12

In today’s tutorial there was a session where we shared our inspiration for Shayna’s friendly competition. My inspiration would be watching vlogs of other people doing art. Seeing people being productive really inspires me to do the same, especially if they’re doing anything related to art or sharing about their experiences with art. I guess it kind of gave me an insight by looking through another perspective. 

I wanted to share a few of the youtube channels that I watch. Hopefully it’ll help inspire you as well!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOkA5rfhQ1SHCQ5qOsYNvLw

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzH-UT7eOGpsMC_al8ZQmOQ

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ9XXjX0eNReH28Ass8E-hw

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An interview with the Water Dress

1.       So, being that your name is the water dress, it would be logical to assume that you’ve been inspired by the water but, I want to know are there any other elements around water that have inspired your creation?

Yeah. Iris grew up next to the water and has always been fascinated by how just being there was so liberating for her. Nature has always been a big influence in Iris’s work and there are unfathomably many things to explore around it. For instance, the properties that identify with water in its different states, its calming and unbounded nature when in fluid-structure, the color, texture, movement, energy, even to the way light refracts on water. She wanted to create all these elements to form a tangible collection, it challenges her to create something as uncontrollable as water to control her design process.

I was created during a collaboration between Iris and Benthem Crouwel Architects. His design for a new extension to Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum earned its nickname, “bathtub”. To live up to the name, and to represent the museum, Iris created me to mimic a splash of water, like when someone is doused in water. I symbolize the incomprehensible magic of the human body and how water is manifested in all its states.

2.       Since your debut there has been a lot of talk both within the fashion world and the outside world where people who would not have otherwise explored high fashion. How do you think going viral has impacted the fashion industry?

Ever since the collection became a huge hit, people started imitating my design and I was recreated by so many different designers who all interprets it in their own different ways. They started realizing that fashion has become a lot more extensive and that it is important to incorporate elements of art, science, philosophy, sculpture, computer technology, engineering, and architecture. The interest in wearable technology and 3D printing has increased exponentially and Iris has been labelled as the pioneer of utilizing 3D printing in fashion. Iris's pieces grabbed the attention of icons like Björk and Lady Gaga, which then popularize Iris’s designs and bring fame to her brand.

People started following Iris’s unique vision and design approach to create designs that we have never seen before while making use of 3D printers as another creative tool, a canvas for creative expression. Like Jenny Wu, an architect that launched her own 3D-printed jewelry company or Danit Peleg, a fashion design student who launched the first fashion collection 3D-printed at home.

3.       Iris has been producing numerous new collections over the years, if you could be one other dress which dress would it be? And why?

It was always a dream of hers to create a fully transparent water dress using 3D printer. But at the time I was made, it was impossible because the technology was still limited. So she tried to find other ways and opted for another design. She finally finished all her hard work and it was in the magnetic moon collection that she was able to showcase it. To get there, the process wasn’t easy. It took 81 hours just for the printing and that was followed by another 8 hours of polishing and finishing work.

The outcome was a dress that almost looks like an ice sculpture. It was the first ever fully transparent 3D printed dress and I’ve always wanted that title to be mine. Iris also described this achievement as one of the happiest moments in her life. So if I could be one other dress, it would undoubtedly be the ice dress.

4.       I see that there has been a project where you were evolved into a new dress. For this remake, you were worn by Daphne Guinness. How does that make you feel? Can you tell me more about the experience?

Daphne Guinness has always been famous for her love of couture and extravagant style. To be worn by someone so stunning like her was such an honor. Her warm personality made this project so much more enjoyable and it didn’t take long for all of us to bond together.

Not only is she beautiful outside, her personality also shines through. Being raised as a socialite and an heiress, it is easy to be caught up in a world of luxury and glamour. But Daphne never forgets to give back, she has set up The Isabella Blow Foundation to support aspiring art and fashion students and also facilitating further research into mental health. She also raised money for Womankind, a charity that believes in improving the life standards of women in developing countries. Overall, this was such a great opportunity for everyone to gather and make art while learning from one another.

5.       You’ve obviously being constructed using techniques that are not commonly used in the average atelier. What are some of the unique or unexpected techniques that have been used to create yourself?

Knight captured the action of Guinness being splashed with black and clear water using high speed cameras and the video was a guide reference imagery for Iris to create my structure. Iris defies logic by combined archaic crafts with futuristic technologies, she heated plastic with a hot air gun and then pulled it with pliers to form an undulating transparent sheet with jagged edges, and used the result to create me.

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Assignment 3 progress

How the website layout looks like for now. I still have to include the last two questions before class next week. Progress is kind of slow since I was originally planning to make a video but it was not working out for me. Shayna made sure I have plan B so I decided to just make a website last minute but honestly I��m quite liking how this looks. Let me know what you guys think!

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Saw this post on instagram and I immediately thought of posting this on tumblr. This art by @denanguyencom covers some of our recent lecture points: female in design industry, decolonizing design, spreading awareness and the use digital collage technique.

This is so empowering and it brings strength for people out there that are constantly being discriminated. Just like this one, I hope that through my art I can bring joy and also comfort to others.

“Asians have been assaulted because of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Black people are often viewed as a threat by the police and the society. Muslim countries are always targeted and also their refugees are discriminated. Hispanics are treated unfairly and labelled as illegal immigrants. Indigenous Americans are still perceived as second class Americans.”

Image source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CAvonMYgigC/?igshid=1b65lgffpgnwo

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I really like the way you explore the rotation and composition of the images and lines. This looks so clean without looking boring. Looking forward to seeing the final results! Please please share it on your tumblr! ☻

For one of my questions in my zine I am exploring gender in Marianne Brandt’s photomontages. In my zine I want to keep the visuals as stripped back as possible - to the bare bones of the message I am exploring (in keeping with Bauhaus aesthetic and approach to design). From here I might explore variations in the composition, but I think it does visually explore the changing roles and views of women in post war Germany, but also the continued pressure to return to confines of tradition.

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My submission for today’s (friendly) contest. Sad that I didn’t get to win an illustration by Shayna but happy that my two besties won! *poke @bygabb & @lattaegram* Thought that I’ll just share my entries here because this might help inspire others too.

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thispersondoesnotexist.com

This website generates a different face images each time the page is refreshed(but with a little twist). Just like the website name, the person DOES NOT exist and all of the faces are fake. Every image is generated using AI technology, and with technology advancing each day, the results were crazy.

Much different from just editing facial structures using photoshop, this website create faces from scratch. To think that creating a fake person could be this easy, the future of technology is kind of scary. Manipulating images to look so realistic is going to affect how society think about trust and evidence. After learning a lot from the “Fact Check” microcred, even I start to question wether or not I can believe the news.

It can be fatal for such technologies to be in the wrong hands. Pictures from this website should have a watermark, or atleast a warning for the audience to recognize the images as a fake immediately. There’s really nothing wrong with inventing new programs as long as the creator keep note of the consequences that their program will bring. Although there are disadvantages from technology, I can’t ignore the fact that technology keeps me updated and entertained, especially in this quarantine.

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What we did today as a group using the collage activity.

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Created another typeface but this time by collaging images from a property magazine. Naming this one “realestate”.

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Made a wallpaper for my everyday reminder. Words are from “Peter Fischli and David Weiss: How to Work Better” that was discussed in this week’s lecture.

Image source: https://pin.it/6YS746n

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Gucci logo, redesigned.

Using digital collage technique, I combined elements that make Gucci the brand that it is today. Starting from the iconic double Gs logo to the textile that Gucci often uses. This symbolic design of Gucci is entirely different from the original but I made sure to keep the luxurious feel of the brand.

1. A girl with a strong presence and sophisticated look to represent the high luxury brand.

2. Flora and fauna illustrations inspired by the branding and advertisements of Gucci

3. Lace pattern from Gucci stockings

4. One eye element from Gucci Garden

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One great example of minimalism where the designer uses as little elements as possible but has created something so well-composed. Shinya Oguchi is provoking his audience, not only with this bench structure but with the normal things missing as well. This unusual design gains more attention, naturally. Couldn’t help but wonder how much time was put into creating this, from the mathematical calculations up to the production.

Arch Bench by Shinya Oguchi

The Arch bench is a minimalistic design that emphasizes the architectural beauty of arches. The structural strength of an arch and the material sheet metal in combination allow for a very filigree design. The white baking finish makes the sheet metal look like a sheet of paper, making it even more unbelievable to carry the weight of three people. But it is possible. The Japanese designer Shinya Oguchi presented this beautiful bench at the Stockholm Furniture Fair 2019.

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It was in the early 20th century when conceptualism entered cultural activity. In 1917, Marcel Duchmap proved that artwork is a broad spectrum and not just paintings or sculptures. Anything that is conceptualized by the artists themselves can be called an artwork.

There was this controversial statement from a manifesto, basically saying that design is just a means of making profit. I disagree completely, design is a lot more than that. One supporting example from the lecture is the Rainbow Flag designed by Gilbert Baker. He claimed that a flag is a different form of art, not a painting, not just a cloth, not just a logo. The flag has become a representation of the LGBTG+ community, celebrating inclusivity, diversity, and unity.

“We needed something to express our joy, our beauty, our power. And the rainbow did that,” Baker told CNN in 2015.

We were also introduced to the Guerrilla Girls, the feminist activist artist. The action that they took to fight against gender inequality as well as corruption in politics, art, film, and pop culture. Sadly, up to this day these are issues that we still have to face. This picture sarcastically shows the unfair treatments that we, female designers have to encounter.

Although this might be the longest lecture, this is actually my favorite. Andy and Karen provided a lot of great discussions that raises awareness on social issues.

Image source: https://images.app.goo.gl/xCVaWpoCk9YzJd9T7 , https://pin.it/30oefBL