lolozhaoworld

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Do you believe in Affinity?

Suddenly wanted to write about the story of affinity. However, before we get to that, what led to it? 

Well 3 things: 

1. Jackson wang 100 ways

2.  TỰ TÂM - NGUYỄN TRẦN TRUNG QUÂN

3. My love for interesting stories

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZS3ZS7Y1oQ

Jackson Wang-100 ways (Behind the scenes)

During behind the scenes, Jackson says that the story of 100 ways is about a warrior and a prince that both fall in love with a girl. The prince kills the warrior and the warrior waits 1000 years to finally be with her. Although I’m not sure which story this is, I suspect it’s a historical Chinese tale or perhaps an ancient Greek legend. Regardless, I was pleasantly surprised that his MV was based on a story. It felt like a cherry on top because it peaked my interest by adding depth and space for the mind to imagine and wander. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GuR_g75ufY

Then, soon after I saw TỰ TÂM - by NGUYỄN TRẦN TRUNG QUÂN which was mindblowing. 

Just seeing the background setup, clothing, props, everything, lord knows how much their company spent on all of this. Must have been a fortune, especially since generally even a simple single backdrop setup would be around the 5 digit range. 

From perfect lighting to intricate clothing, to the setting and detail, everything is absolutely beautiful. They really put a lot of work into the MV👏👏  

And although I don’t understand Vietnamese, the music is alluring and the story overflows with detail, capturing everything that the audience needs to know within 8 minutes. Watching it, you don’t even feel that it is 8 minutes long.

As we go on, we find out that it’s actually a 2 part series and in the second MV there’s more to the story. Not to spoil too much, it captures the story of love that slips away, a love that can’t be grasped no matter how much one wants to. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d6IiLmjQYg

And that leads me to the story of affinity. 

Why do we love some, but are unable to be with them? Why do we like some, but are unable to get closer to them? Why do we have interest, but never meet some? 

Perhaps, the story of affinity explains it all. Affinity is a story that I once read in a book when I was 12 years old and ever since then, I became so intrigued with the idea and have always wondered about affinity between people.

If you’re ready for the story, let’s enter.

The story of affinity (缘分)

Once upon a time... there was a young scholar who left his hometown for the imperial examination. Just before he left, he made a pact with his fiancee that when he returned, they would get married on a certain day of the year. However, when he returned, he found that she had already wed another. Struck by the news, he became unable to eat or sleep and fell devastatingly ill.

One day, a monk passes by and sees the scholar and his dire. The monk, wanting to help him, pulls out a mystical mirror and shows the scholar a scene:

As he stares into the mirror, a body appears. It is the dead body of a woman laying on the side of the road. As the body lays lifelessly on the ground, a passerby emerges. Approaching closer and closer, he simply glances at the woman, shakes his head and keeps on his way. Not soon after the first passerby leaves, another person appears. This time, the man takes off his clothes, covers the body and then leaves. 

However, even with the clothes, the body still laid noticeably on the side of the road. After quite a bit of time, a third person appears. This time, the third person digs a pit on the side of the road and carefully buries the body. 

The monk turns to the scholar and explains, “The female corpse on the road was the past life of your fiancee. You are the second person who passed by; the one who gave her your shirt and covered her with it. She fell in love with you in this life, only to repay you with her affection (love). However, the last person is the one who buried her. That is her current husband; the one she is to repay for a lifetime.”

Suddenly, it all became crystal clear for the scholar.

This is a Buddhist story that talks about the lifetime of a person and all that has to do with affinity. In the story, all three men had a chance to meet with the woman, but all three treated her differently. What they gave was different, so each of their endings and relation with the woman was different in the next life.

In the vast sea of people, we meet many individuals. Just like these people, some we meet but never get to understand. For others we meet, we get to come together fall in love with; but never to stay together for a lifetime. And for some, we get to walk down the path of life and grow old together.

Just like the story tells, the first person that passed by without doing anything is similar to those that you meet but never get to know more about. The second person that gave her the clothes is the ones that you date and love, but without fruition. And lastly, the third person is the one that saved you in the past, only for you to return this favor in this lifetime.

In this story, there may be some concepts that seem foreign to many. One example may be: Why does the woman have to return the favor for a lifetime just because the third person buries her?

This is because historically, burying someone is a sign of respect and allows their soul to rest peacefully. Giving their physical body a place to rest allows them to pass on in peace and reincarnate.

In Chinese culture, burying someone well is important because it is viewed as a sign of respect to your ancestors, who will in turn bless you and future generations to come. There are many superstitions and folk/regional rules about how and where to bury the deceased, along with how they and their graves are to be treated afterwards. 

Many believe that by following these rules, it affects their luck and how their future generations live. If they happen to get rich, people will say “you buried your ancestors well” or “your ancestral grave is buried in a good place”- often referring to the Feng Shui aspect that’s connected to it. And if bad events continuously happen or a major bad event happens, some may wonder if it’s because they chose a bad location for the grave or if they’ve somehow angered their ancestor’s spirit by not doing something correctly.

Tying this back to the story, the third person showed respect to an unknown woman and went out of his way to bury her. He gave her soul a place to rest and allowed her to move on and reincarnate. In a way, he took care of her in the form of a duty that would only be carried out by family. Thus, in the next life she repays him by becoming his lifelong family; his wife.

Anyways, Affinity is an interesting story that I came by when I was very young. At that time, I thought the concept was so interesting (just as much as I think Rick and Morty series or the Fermi Pardox is interesting). It kind of ties in with the lesson of karma and that what we do can affect us in different ways. If we take a step forward, our story can change, and that in turn can also create a change in someone else’s life. Regardless of whether we believe in reincarnation or not, relationships are built on taking that step forward. Without the back and forth interaction, we kind of seem like the first passerby; the one that looks and walks away.

For now, I choose to be the onlooker. #Social distancing #Goodnight

[lolozhaoworld]

Fine130- Retrogression

As an artist, I like create pieces that address issues in the world that are often ignored or forgotten by the masses. 

Boots can represent distance and progress if presented correctly. To give meaning to the boots in my piece, I applied principles of design that include not only repetition and overlapping, but also space and perspective. By using these techniques I wanted to give the boots an elongated and advancing forward/backwards type of feel. 

To give a bit of insight into the piece, Retrogression addresses the progress of mankind. The inspiration for this piece comes from a book called All Quiet on The Western Front. In this book, one of the most important metaphors is the representation of human life through boots. In this novel, boots represented the cheapness of human life in war, because within the novel, a good pair of boots was more valuable and durable than a human life.

This got me thinking that mankind has made so much progress in terms of technology, medicine and means of communication. In all these aspects, mankind is growing and constantly improving, however wars have not stopped.

In fact, the amount of wars compared to 50 years ago has risen instead of decreased. So, did we really progress from 50, 100 years ago? People in power are still treating resources, money and power more valuable than a human life. As well, social media was created to connect the world, but at the same time it also seems to be creating more distance in relationships. In this way, progression is like regression. 

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Title: Necessity

 ‘Necessity’ is a piece that focuses on the concept of interior vs exterior. The inspiration for this piece comes from a friend of mine who came back from her travels to south Asian countries. From her travel, she gained many experiences and came back with a lot of stories to tell. These experiences combined with the many books she read, seemed to widen her world and make her wiser than before. As my dad, a former professor of WuYi University liked to say, “It is important to read books, but even reading 1000 books is not as good as experiencing the real thing and walking upon the road itself”. With her experiences and the recollection of my father’s quote, I created ‘Necessity’ as a reflection of what I thought was interesting but also important.

Often when questioned what people deem as a necessity, physical needs such as food and water are considered first. However, I’d like to propose an alternate perspective that people don’t often associate with necessity; knowledge. Knowledge is a necessity because without knowledge, humans would not be able to diverge from archaism. Without knowledge we’d be unable to grow; an empty shell of a person.

To express such a perspective, books are included in the piece as a universal symbol of knowledge. By placing a lifeless figure inside the face that is not near the books, the absence of knowledge on the interior is shown. Furthermore a white background is used to represent the emptiness of the exterior that comes from the absence of knowledge within the interior.

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Artist statement-Assignment 3

For our project “Trapped”, our group worked together really well. There was no excessive waiting for another person to complete their part or waiting for someone finish their work so another person could start working. Each person completed their part on time so the next person could add assets to the project or start working. We all had different strengths and we managed to use that to our benefit by assigning the work accordingly. If our group’s system was a water system, it would be one without a leak; the work flowed from one person to another. The group’s strengths and efforts were very harmonious.

To start off, we met together as a group and started brainstorming poems that we could use for our project. We started off by listing any poems from the top of our head. Then, we decided to narrow down our ideas and start choosing by genre. The genres that we had in mind were: comedy, horror and romance. However, when we were discussing our individual strengths and the skills we had learned in class, we realized that horror would be the best genre to demonstrate and apply our newly learnt skills to. We wanted to venture but also create a product in which we could showcase what we had learnt. In the end, we all decide we would create an entirely new story based off of the genre “horror”.

Before we started assigning assets to each group member, we discussed the direction we wanted to go to and our artistic vision. Our artistic vision was to create a horror story in which the main character is trapped and being chased by a ghost, not in a movie but rather a comic strip. We believed that a comic strip location would help set the story to have a feeling where the character is in a whole new realm. By doing so, we could start off our story with the character reading a comic and falling into the comic and ending the story off by having the main character wake up. However, before the character falls into the comic and after he wakes up, the setting is entirely different; he is in his house rather than a comic book. These two different setting creates all the difference of defining reality from dreams.

After discussing our vision, we split up the assets and work. I was responsible for creating the speech bubbles on Illustrator, as well as vectorizing a picture of a comic book that I had taken for this project. The process was simple due to practice and because we had learned the skills earlier in the course. However, vectorizing the people and little details of the comic was quite time consuming as there was a lot to complete. In my individual contribution I also drew a rough copy of the story board which I gave to Tiana, and she was responsible for making the final copy of the storyboard.

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Link to video on vimeo https://vimeo.com/111668655

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Infographic- Max

The first thing I see when looking at Max’s infographic is the red octopus and the white text upon the gradient background. By using a gradient that starts from yellow-green at the top and ends with a darker green on the bottom, it uses colors associated with water and creates a sense of depth (like the ocean).  In the two things that are first noticed, the octopus stands out a lot because of the strong contrast against the green gradient background.  However, this contrast works because red and green are complementary colors and they emphasize each other’s qualities, giving the piece a bold and vibrant dash of color on top of the subtle and naturalistic colors he used for the ocean.  

While on the other hand, the white text stands out in a subtle yet eye-catching way on top of the gradient background due to the fact that it is incased in a white bubble like line. This gives the bubble more dimension and depth, as Max even added a white strip in the bubble to demonstrate the effect of what the bubble would look like in a 3 dimensional situation when the light shines against the bubble.

The 3D effect also creates a focal point for the audience to stop and read the text when the eye is trying to follow the flow of the line that the seaweed is creating. This works very well because without the 3D effect of the bubble around the text, it would be easy for the viewer’s eyes to skip directly over the important information being portrayed in the bubble due to the line of the seaweed being so gentle and flowing.

In general, I think Max’s infographic is about where different underwater animals are located in the depths of the ocean. Another observation that leads to me thinking that his infographic was related to the ocean and underwater animals is the application of using words, colors, and themes associated with ocean to create his infographic. For example, the words that are often associated with ocean are very clearly shown in his work, such as water and depth as I mentioned in the earlier paragraphs. 

Link to Max's infographic :

http://33.media.tumblr.com/9045cc04a6d4a71f67334c3569e1ba63/tumblr_neopk24zf81socgs9o1_500.jpg

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Assignment 2-Infographic on Gaming +Artist Statement

As students who are also gamers, Gordon and I decided to stem our research into gamers at Waterloo. The first reason was because this is our area of interest and the second being we wanted to find out more about others who are like ourselves. At first we wanted to do research on a game called League Of Legends, but then we thought that might limit us on who we would be able to conduct the research on. Eventually, we decide to do a general survey on student gamers at Waterloo to see what their gaming life consists of (ex. how long do they game before they take a break, what kind of games do they play, etc.). I was responsible for writing the survey questions and Gordon was responsible for posting it to various Waterloo Facebook pages to acquire survey results.

From there on, after we finished our survey and collected our results, Gordon and I decided to work our own. When I was doing brainstorming for what I wanted my infographic to look like, I thought about all the games that I had played in my life. I thought about what the most popular games were, which ones were classics and what games people played in the past and during the present.

I thought about all the old games that I used to play such as: Pac-man, Mario Kart, Duck Hunt, and other games that were played on the NES, and realized that they all had a similar color theme. From there I was pretty sure I wanted to base my color concepts on Pac-man because of the fun colors they used.  Instead of taking all the colors that the Pac-man game had (ex. dark blue, neon green, red, light blue, pink, etc.) I decided to use only a few.  I used colors that were more on the bright side because I wanted to show gaming in a fun and light way. To reduce the chance of my infographic being distracting with all of its bright colors, I used a few characters from Pac-Man (the red ghost, blue ghost, Pac-woman etc.).

Finally, as so not to make our survey about general gaming in such a way that it only reflects old games, I decided to include survey results about gaming systems that are also popular in this decade, such as the Xbox controller, Wii, PC and much more. As well, to help lead the eyes downwards and help the viewer know where to go, I decided to apply the knowledge I learned in class. I specifically used dotted lines, shapes and circles in the direction that I want the viewer’s eyes to follow. Aside from that, I applied the 3D effect to my title because I wanted it to stand out more and draw more attention to the viewer’s eyes so that they know what they are reading about and where to start.

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GBDA -101 Assignment 2A- Illustrator vectorizing

For this project we were supposed to take a photo of an interior location that is important to us, and vectorize a portion of the photo. I chose the library.  The reason why I chose the library is because it is one of my favorite places to be. It's quiet, calming, and there are a ton of books there. It's one of the places that I escape to when I want to be alone. I enjoy the feeling of losing myself in the world of books. Overall, when I'm there, time passes by really fast.  If there was one place I could stay a whole day at and not complain, it'd probably be the library. The library is truly a wonderful place :)

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Textual blog assignment- Solomon Cheung's "Tool" Piece

http://solcheung.tumblr.com/ Solomon's reworking of the two pictures (bow and arrows, chopstick and noodles) is a great example of how two simple pictures can be envisioned to represent  a diptych that expresses oneself while addressing world issues at the same time. To begin with, he used one picture of himself holding onto chopsticks above a bowl of noodles as well as a picture of a bird's eye view of bow and arrows. Both of these pictures have a flow which pleases the eye (the flow of chopsticks lead the eye from the hand to the bowl of noodles and the flow of the arrows create lines that pleases the eye in search for repetition). The hues he uses match well and are very aesthetically pleasing in that in both pictures the colors do not vary too much from the other. The colors used in the piece do not seem as if they are out of place. Additionally he is able to shift the focus of the viewer onto the main items in each picture through the use of complementary colors (the color yellow on blue).  This method highlights the object in a striking manner while creating a soothing atmosphere for the overall picture.

  I was able to discern that the noodles and the bow may have had a particular significance to Solomon. In essence, the noodles may have a special relationship with Solomon as one of his favorite foods as well as representing his Asian heritage while the bow represents an important part of his life. By switching the arrows with the chopsticks to create the final image of a bowl of noodles with a hand holding arrows above it, and a bow loaded with chopsticks, it creates a whole new meaning. With this new revelation, endless instances are created, each with the possibility of being interpreted differently. My interpretation of Solomon's work was that he was trying to address issues about wildlife and hunger. The use of arrows as replacement for chopsticks in his work revealed a message buried deep within, which cautions us to nurture and care for animals. To me, the image sends the message that "many animals are slaughtered for food without any regards to the cruelty of the method". The other image with chopsticks replacing arrows invoked a feeling of despair as I am reminded of the gradual destruction of our forests; how we scrape away the beauty of the world through deforestation. 

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Assignment 1-diptych

Original photo A:

Original photo B:

Final photo A:

Final Photo B:

Concept: Homelessness

My diptych focuses on portraying homelessness and concept of "home". Although at first glance it is not blatantly obvious that my diptych is about homelessness, but once the viewer carefully inspects and deconstructs the symbols in the pictures, they will be able to tell that the theme is focused around the concept of "home" and "homelessness". If careful, the viewer might even be able to deduct through the symbols in the picture, that it is more specifically centered on youth homelessness due to the children's jacket and the juice box on the side of the blue bin. 

  The reason I wanted to center my concept on youth homelessness is because there are many misconceptions that society often has about homelessness. Even I have had many misconceptions about homelessness before researching about this topic. Some myths, assumptions or misconceptions that society might have about the homeless are: only grownups and poor people can be homeless, all of them are drug addicts, they are too lazy to work, and they are all criminals. However, many of these misconceptions are wrong. 

  According to the Covenant house (Canada's largest homeless youth agency), 50% of homeless youth come from middle-upper income families, and there are about as many as 2000 homeless youth in Toronto on any given night. Many of these children/teens are homeless mostly due to: their sexual orientation, domestic abuse, neglect, foster care, family issues, or even lack of monetary funds. 

  Anyone could be homeless because homelessness describes the situation of an individual or family without stable, permanent, appropriate housing, or the immediate prospect, means and ability of acquiring it.

  Why I switched the garbage can and windows:

PICTURE A: First of all, I photoshopped the windows onto the blue bin because I wanted to send across the message that a blue bin, a garbage can, or even the sidewalk could become a temporary “home” for a wandering child because of the lack of shelter they have access to. 

  The reason why I chose to Photoshop only the windows onto the blue bin rather than photoshopping both the windows and the door is because like a house without a door, they are susceptible to attacks/harm anytime. Likewise, similar to a person looking from the outside of the house, we, as bystanders can only see a little bit of what it is like on the inside.

  PICTURE B:

I photoshopped the garbage can to the house because I wanted to send across the message of the difference between those who have a home and those who do not. For those who have a home, a garbage can is where they throw things away. However, for those who do not have a home, a garbage can is where they take things from.

    Citations:

"Facts and Stats". Facts and Stats. n.d., n.d. Web.11 Oct. 2014.

<http://www.covenanthousetoronto.ca/homeless-youth/facts-and-stats>

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There are other types of remixes such as photo remixing, fusion cooking, song remixing, poem remixing and much more. As of now, my favorite remix is this remix of the Gangnam style and Linkin park song. The two songs are not original, however, the idea behind them are.  The reason is because I think it is really hard to be completely original nowdays. That's why there is appropriation, and originality through the intent of the artist. As long as the intent and meaning of the artist is different, it is possible to be original. 

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SWAG.

This gives me cancer. I don't know why. 

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Asian Festival-Uniform try ons

This was taken on my own camera but the lighting was too bright because the battery was dying and I just wanted to get a photo. 

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By Dalemann photography-During Asian Festival at Renison

So I was at the Asian festival at Renison trying on the Yukata when I got asked if it was ok to take some photos of me. This is the edited version that was sent back to me. 

Feel free to check out his website: http://www.dalemannphotography.com/ I think his People & Travel section is amazing. It's just interesting to see all the places that he's been to and taken pictures of.