|
Profile 
C L A R EP-P-PEPPERONI is my art blog in which i blog about: My inspirations, art works, views on certain issues, experiences, etc. Yes, my name is Clare and no, i am no professional artist, just one who simply enjoys doing art. Without art, my life will lose its meaning and i will be square, so if you feel something sharp jab you, it probably means i haven't been doing art. Just kidding. |
|
Monday, September 26, 2011
Address (Project: Another Country)
7:18 AM
Address (Project: Another Country), Alfredo Juan Aquilizan & Maria Isabel Gaudinez- Auilizan
 
An installation that caught my eye during the Singapore Art Biennale 2008
would be the ‘Address (Project: Another
Country)’ by the couple, Alfredo Juan Aquilizan and Maria Isabel
Gaudinez-Aquilizan, who are both not local. They used to live in Philippines
then migrated to Australia.
Inspired from the balikbayan
box, they began to “cube” objects they have been storing in their home for more
than 10 years. And by joining these “cubes” of objects together, the couple
managed to form a “room”. This “room” created has a door and a narrow
passageway for the audience to actually go inside the “room” and view the other
side of the balikbayan box.
I think that this idea is very
creative as you could walk through the passageway in the “room” without worrying
that the objects would start crumbling down or bits and pieces would fall on
you even though the objects are not glued together. These items are arranged in
an artistic manner such as the cubes were clearly defined even without a
separating line.
Balikbayan
boxes are used a lot by Filipino migrants to store and relocate their
belongings from one place to another. The Aquilizans used
these boxes to “cast” their own belongings as they migrated from the
Philippines to Australia. To me, this is a smart idea as instead of letting so
many items go to waste by throwing them away, the Aquilizans used them to
create an art work. It sounds abit peculiar but I feel that the outcome of
piling your unwanted objects in such a way is really interesting and something
new to many people.
I got a
shock when I looked closer at the items piled together as some of the
balikbayan boxes contain scary items. For example, glow in the dark pictures of
monsters, severed Barbie dolls, a baby doll’s arm sticking out of a pile of blankets,
etc. However, some items were really cute and it just creates a temptation
to pluck items from that “cubes”. Such items include: Mr Happy toy, teddy
bears, figurines, etcetera. Thinking about how the rest would crush my friends
and I if one item was taken out, the possible outcomes takes that feeling away.
Some
items that I found funny were naked baby dolls getting squashed by towels, a
Telly tubby toy behind a microphone and toy houses with toys living in them.
These items also reminded me of how much stuff I can have at home. It made me
want to clean up my house one day and donate unwanted stuff to the Salvation
Army.
Come to
think of it, being able to pack so many objects into such neat “cubes” really
takes a lot of effort, calculations and planning. Everything must be planned
correctly and stacked in an orderly manner or the “room” would be unstable.
Especially the stacking of objects at the top must a hassle as the couple would
have to climb up and down a ladder.
I
really enjoyed viewing this art piece and had a fun time studying each “cube”
of items. Though some were obscene like naked Barbie dolls, I still had a good
laugh at how strange the Aquilizans personal items were. The Singapore Art Biennale never fails to surprise me :)
Labels: writings 0 comments
Emoticonned
2:09 AM
For NYMD's production I.D.2010, I was the in charge for costumes of the item: Emoticonned.
"Emoticonned" shows the life of 4 different types of toys: Dolls, Puppets, Clowns and Magicians
We live in a toy shop and we are left on the shelf or children buy us and then when we are spoilt, we are left alone to collect dust. we are desperate for attention, care and concern, we ask our owners, "Why don't you take me in your arms now?"
   For the puppets, we agreed on a very boxy effect, like they are "chopped up" to show the different limbs, hence the cropped top and why they do not wear short tights like the rest of the characters. Just like a puppet, it is like they are very stiff, and for the make up (if we can play with makeup) they had a stitched up scar across their face, to show as if they were repaired before. Also, the arm band and the leg warmer is to emphasize the stiffness of the puppets and shows that a string can be attached to them, to be controlled. 
For the magicians, i played with the colours red, white and black. White magician gloves, white vest black tights, red latex leggings and a golden hat (which is thrown out of stage early in the performance). I feel that although the design is very simple, it brings out the persona of a magician even without a wand or hat which many associate magicians with.
For the clowns, we decided on funky colours, like yellow! So i made yellow ruffle collars for them with the help of my mom, and sewed on 2 yellow buttons on their maroon leotard. Also, they have bright yellow leggings and black tights to match with the magicians.
For the dolls, they have a very sweet and ballet-like feel to them, like ballerinas. They have a bun/pony tail (if hair is too short) which is neatly tied up, then a floral scrungie is tied around the bun/pony tail as a decoration, to show their innocence. The make up is very rosy cheeks with a heart shaped lip (similar to that of a fish). They wear a white skirt with some stripes of colours, with ballet tights and ballet shoes. There are silver ribbons tied to their leotard straps because ballet usually make use of ribbons.
All the costumes are actually everyday clothes bought from Bugis and Daiso. For example, we bought the leggings, vests, cropped tops and skirts from Bugis. Also, The leg warmers, arm bands and clown buttons are from Daiso. We also had many scavenger hunts around the house and the costume closet to find clothes like the floral scrungies, ribbons, gloves, ballet shoes and ballet tights. Sometimes i would have to help and "custom make" the costumes by sewing the pieces together or making something simple, like the clown collar and attaching their buttons.
To me, the hardest part of this project was the purchasing and collating all of the different pieces of costumes. I handled large amounts of money on every trip and I had to be very cautious with where i put them and had to organize my receipts and purchases very well.
It was really tiring to be in charge of costumes for this item and I've been to Bugis Street at least 10 times within that period, just to hunt for costumes, compare prices, get the cheapest one, pre-order and wait for stock before collecting, etc. But I am still very honoured that my batch put me up to this job. Even though I sometimes get annoyed with some shop owners who refused to cooperate or try to cheat us because I am a student, I was also touched that many of them volunteered to tag along and help me hunt for the costumes.
Although I've been to Bugis Street so much that up to now (1 year later) I am still sick of that stuffy place, I have never been there alone because my friends are all willing to help me. Even when I was sick, my batch mates told me to rest and they would go down to collect the costumes and that I should go home to rest. They were all very appreciative and helpful. Indeed, it was tiring and sometimes I felt as if the costumes were so messy, I would never be able to complete them and that they are up to standards. In the end, with their help, we did. My seniors even complemented me and my batchmates' smiles make me feel as if it all was worth it, as if our costume hunt was an ultimate budget shopping spree, it was super fun and enriching.
This is one of the unforgettable memories I've had with NYMD :')
Julia Pott
1:08 AM
Julia Pott is an artist who draws comics. I like the way she plays around with animals and personifies them by making them wear clothes, do our daily activities, etc. I just chanced upon her blog, hopping from link to link from Dawn Tan's blog.I'm not sure if you like these kind of comics but I am a fan of them. I've always wanted a shirt with these kind of pen-like animal cartoons, with very fine lines to show their fur and with some quotes here and there, but of course, these shirts are E X P E N S I V E :'( :'( :'(    
I hope that one day I will be able to draw like her because I have never been good at drawing with pen. I get panicky because pen is permanent while pencil can be erased, but hopefully after working with colour pencils (semi-permanent) for a year now, I will have the confidence to draw like this. I hope that after I have seen more and more of her works, I can get the proportions right, and eventually create characters on my own.
I've always wanted to invent a character to help my art works flow from one piece to another, as if like a comic.. I feel like a character can help you express emotions better, with speech/thought bubbles, actions, etc, making it easier to show what you think and what you feel. By putting myself in its shoes, i would be able to "witness" what is happening around me, imagine another world and it's pretty fun because I feel like a child again playing pretend..
Some day i will sit down and create her, I'm thinking of a bunny, but im not very sure yet. And she will hop from one work to another, that'd be quite cute, wouldn't it?
Labels: inspiration Sentosa boardwalk
12:44 AM
During the june holidays, my dad and I went to check out the Sentosa Boardwalk's night scene (his friend told him to check it out). It was really amazing and the view was just so magical, I felt like everything was a dream and it was actually quite romantic (weird because i was with my dad, hahaha)Anyways, we had a photography session there and we took turns to play with the camera :)  
The bridge that links Vivo City to Sentosa, it seems very long but actually when you walk down the bridge, the scenery actually takes your focus off the distance and the walk is truly enjoyable. This is taken from the "banks" of Vivo City. I erally like how the lights are reflected off the water, they are so colourful, instead of being all white or all yellow, there are actually shades of blue and pink. There were boats on the right, in the water. But it was too dark to be taken, they didn't look very nice with flash either..
And so the journey begins. Look at the contrast between the colour of the lights, Vivo's lights are all white, while Sentosa's lights are so colourful. I guess this shows the difference between the commercialized world and a resort style world.
 
Half way across the bridge, the Song of the Sea performance is currently on, which explains the burst of light. I could hear the performance from where I was standing, who needs a ticket right? hahaha
Approaching Sentosa!
To see the rest of the album, click here!
This was also taken with the Oly Pen EPL1, I really like this camera, it's so user friendly and captures amazing photos. :) Labels: art works, photography Sunday, September 25, 2011
Labrador park
1:31 AM
At the start of this year, my dad wanted to go to labrador park to test out his new camera- Olympus E-PL1 (which i have now became the official owner. bwahahahaha)
So I tagged along for a run to build my stamina for SYF2011. After my run, i played with the camera and took a couple of photos:
This was taken from where i was sitting, waiting for my mom to come back from her walk :) Also, one of the few non-editted photos (my dad editted the rest). I really like how tall the satelite looks behind the trees, i was hoping i'd capture the essence of its height, but i felt it could be done better? oh well.
  
Another picture of the park, from the porch(?) at where we were sitting at, to our right was the outline of the park and so i decided to capture this as it shows 2 sides of the world to me, like the dangers of the sea and our safe home. I wanted to capture waves crashing on the rocks but the tide refused to cooperate. -_-"
 Note: my photoshop skills are one kind of shitty, it is my dad who photoshopped the pictures. To see more of his photographs and my childhood pictures, go to his fotki page I guess you can say my dad's the one who made me fall in love with photography, he's the one who showed me how to use your camera to capture things from a different angle or draw attention to something people would usually take granted of. Labels: art works, photography course work final
1:30 AM
The Best of Life's Recipes:
A recipe book that reflects life, and its components. By using different ingredients to represent different attitudes, I make use of food to show the ideal way to live your life, so that you become a better person. The recipes represent ways to improve your life by adopting certain traits and attitudes. In other words, if you adopt the habits mentioned in my works, it allows you to become a better person.
Here are the first 5 pages of my course work (4 including front page):
 
BASICALLY, IT IS TO BE PRINTED ON A4.
There is a line that cuts the A4 paper into the above size and it serves as my margin so that when i bind my book, i know that i cannot exceed this line. But luckily for ya'll, i am no longer lazy and cropped all the pages to what you should see in my book (excluding the binding portion).
The recipes are kind of self explanatory from the text so please click on the image to enlarge to read more about the recipe,
and i would just talk about the materials and how i did it.
I used illustrator to create the front page and all the text. Going for a more fun and casual feel to the works, i decided to use a hand writing font, as if it was hand written out. Also, i changed some words and ingredients to represent what they meant, like "hard" would be seen as "HARD".
For the front page, i made it cute and bubbly, hence the polaroids are outlined with a dash line, instead of a hard line, to make it more jumpy and playful. Also, the block letters are in a very child like manner, making it seem happy and joyful. I also added in polaroids as to me, polaroids are like capturing important moments, just like how all kinds of food are important, and that every ingredient added is also important. It makes up the recipe, just like how our characteristics make us up.
The drawings are all done in colour pencil or sometimes water colour and then scanned in. They are then used as back ground images or page numbers or pictures in the polaroid.
I decided that for every step of the recipe, i would use a food to represent the page number, which is a idea suggested from Mrs Tan, and i feel that it really makes my work stand out a little bit more :)
Also, the background images used to be smacked right in the centre which was very distracting indeed, so I shifted them around, cropped them off the page, etc. I hope that my final composition actually helps to lead the viewer's eyes to the text and the main point of the recipe. To me it did, but hopefully to ya'll it did the same!
The last page of the recipe would be an illustration of the works "coming to life" where by the ingredients come together to create the recipe, it is very representative and if you read the steps and the description of the recipe, it would be reflected in the works.
1st recipe: Chocolate Lava Cake
  
the drawing is to show that the cake stands out strong in the ruins of shattered chocolate. To show that it is rebuilt and stronger than before, that one's self esteem is higher than before. I placed it in the centre as the crushed chocolate also emphasizes the cake, they are of different sizes to show the different extents to how much one's self esteem can be crushed, be it very small, or still quite a large piece. And the chocolate that flows out shows the process of being molten before, that this is no easy journey. The ingredients that pour into the cake such as: Butter, Eggs, Milk, Flour, and Sugar, are actually representative of attitudes one should adopt in order to rebuild one's self esteem when it is crushed. To understand more, please click on the steps :)
I hope that the words would help to enhance the feelings of the work.
Labels: art works, coursework course work #2
1:04 AM
These are the remaining pages of my coursework The 2nd recipe: A burger to symbolize determination    I hope that people will understand that at this moment, life may seem in a mess and you're about to fall and break down but there is still hope, relax and stay positive, keep your balance and keep moving forward. The higher you go, the nearer you are to your goal. 3rd recipe:    There will be many incidents in which you find your life in a complete mess, and you're struggling to find the answers. Of course, when you're unsure about everything and you can't see the main problem, how are you going to be able to solve it? Hence, I suggest simplifying your problems and unravelling them. Just like how a pile of pretzels looks more complicated than a single pretzel, and a single pretzel looks more complicated than a long line of dough. K.I.S.S. stands for: Keep It Simple, Sweetie (or stupid, depending on context. hahaha) which is straightforward enough, keep your life simple, do not complicate matters. Keep your problems small and within control, rather than problems blown up so big, they are no longer controllable Labels: art works, coursework Saturday, September 24, 2011
comments
9:46 AM
Here are the artworks which i've commented on: http://iamapurpleicicle.blogspot.com/2011/09/courseworkkk.html?showComment=1316881018675#c5447336793375075754 http://four-memories.blogspot.com/2011/09/andy-goldsworthy.html?showComment=1316881535711#c4820145581105724107 http://pocketsizedjoy.blogspot.com/2011/09/cd-cover-design.html?showComment=1316882038320#c3525850579870598739 http://cherfolio.blogspot.com/2011/09/cca-tank-top-design.html?showComment=1316882422055#c8402689680636401868 http://chiawei-loves-colours.blogspot.com/2011/09/attempt-to-explain-coursework-in.html?showComment=1316882754991#c6924159924623429523 Labels: others Light as sand
8:49 AM
Sand animation
This sand animation really touched me, at the end of it the first thing i dwelled upon wasn't her amazing skills, but the story line of World War II.Adapted from Youtube: First, the couple falls in love. Then the radio says war starts and people are scared. The guy goes to war, the girl cries. And a baby is born, a new life, then she recieves a letter saying he is dead and the sorrow ages her. She is then transformed into a monument to unknown soldier - grieving mother. The final scene: mother and child look at the vision/reflection of father (sailor) in the wondow. It's so sad how fragile our lives are, and how unexpected life may be. Sometimes, things do not go as planned, and we feel hopeless, but we have to learn to treasure what we have now and be glad things happened, instead of being sad they are no longer around. Any thing might happen tomorrow, it may be happy, it may be heart breaking, but all in all, we have to accept it and move on. This video taught me to treasure every thing i have now. Which is why, when i play with my camera, i like to take everyday items, like biscuit tins, my pets, my family, my friends, the roses in my garden, etc. Because you'll never know what might happen the next moment. After watching this video, my artworks (non curriculum) that i do now, are largely based on recording my life, or what i miss in my life. Because to me, life is very important, especially the people and things around me, because they make up who i am. Even if i were to be gone from the surface of the earth tomorrow, I know for sure that through my artworks, people will know what i've been thinking and feeling, my likes and dislikes, my wishes, etc. I no longer draw meaningless cartoons of animals or someone tripping or just a cartoon, instead i draw a cartoon version of myself doing what i feel like doing or what i did. My friends and family, sometimes my favourite toy or a flower. Basically, everything i treasure now and wish that things will stay the same and not change. But things will still change, the world never stops turning and we cannot stop change from happening. Labels: inspiration Birthday Card!
8:15 AM
 And this card is significant to me because this is the first time i touched colour pencils since i was a child, and also the first time i am colouring the human form, realistically. To make this card, i also used ribbons, letter-stickers and markers, but that's not the imporant bit. It's very similar to scrapbooking, really. I even drew my mom on a blank sheet of white paper then cut her out and pasted it on the card. Before this card, the only time i used colour pencils was when i was in p4 and was colouring within the lines given. How do i know i was 9? My colourpencil box had my p4 class (4j) written on it, and im very sure i did not touch any in p5, hahahaha!!!!! This card was hard to make because i wasn't very sure with my colour pencil skills. Also, as my colour pencils are ridiculously old, the colour would not rub off on the paper properlly :( So i had to press really hard, which in turn created indents, and made it even harder to colour.. Also, i wasn't very sure how to mix the colours and how exactly to blend 2 colours together. I also could not use pencil to sketch my mom first and then colour over because she would have a pencil outline and no matter how much you erase, there will still be a pencil mark. So i started off with her face, hen her neck and lastly her hair. I remember spending close to 3 hours drawing her and even though it is not perfect, i feel like i captured her happy glow, just like in the photo of her. I truly am proud of myself as to me, this is my first realistic colourpencil work. My mom finally got her answer to why she had to dig out my colour pencils from the store room 3 days before her birthday, and also found out that it wasn't school work. This would be the few out of the many occasions whereby i lied to her and she didn't scold me. But what really meant to me the most, was the smile on her face when she saw the card, I could tell she was really proud of me drawing this and definitely did not regret forcing me to try out for AEP. :) Labels: art works Soap
7:55 AM
Fei Zao (2008) by Paulo Tamburella
As I stepped into the Singapore
Art Biennale 2008, I saw a white sheet of lumpy objects scattered all over the
ground underneath a tree. Those lumpy objects had a sweet smell which attracted
me over to have a closer look. Curiously, I went over and realised they were all
soap bars!
This art piece by Paolo
Tamburella involves more than 8,000 bars of soap. Weeks were taken simply for
unwrapping and cutting these bars of soap even with volunteers. To make the
newly opened 8,000 bars of soap look used, Tamburella and the volunteers fused two
or more soap bars into a lump. This
was a monumental task which required much dedication and determination from the
volunteers involved and Tamburella himself. Some volunteers even sacrificed their entire week’s
time just to fuse soap!
I found it quite strange that so many people
would dedicate so much effort and time for an art work. Usually it would be the
artist himself who is so dedicated to his work; I never knew that people would
actually help the artist complete his art piece without getting paid or asking
for any sort of reward.
Opening more than 8,000 bars of
soap, cutting them then fusing them is indeed a very tough job. The amount of
effort and strength used for this art piece must have been sky high. However, I
do not think that all these efforts are wasted. The smell of this art piece
attracts attention and simply standing beside that white blanket of soap makes
me feel calm and serene.
Tamburella made this art piece to depict a
life lived, with daily routines and rituals that mark out a lifetime use of
consumption production, such as soap. The idea of repeated actions in daily and
ordinary life associates to some memories. And these memories are Tamburella’s
attempts to show an aspect of deep humanity.
I feel that Tamburella has
successfully shown an aspect of deep humanity. When I was looking at the art
piece, the smell reminded me of times in the bathroom and some incidents like
bubble baths or falls. The empty chair and pail reminded me of my previous maid
who sometimes washes our clothes manually. And the emptiness of that chair
depicts that she has gone somewhere else.
The tree in the middle of the
soap field also adds to the atmosphere. The tree is huge and stands strong
alone in the middle of a white space. I feel that the size of the tree shows
that it is old. It is lonely with no company but it does not seem bored like
how one bathes everyday yet one does not get bored of it.
I found this work rather
interesting and the reason behind the making of it even more. This is the first
time I ever saw an art piece that uses the sense of smell to change the mood
and feelings of the audience. And I certainly hope to be able to view more of
such art pieces.
Labels: writings Gallery
7:46 AM
Featuring artworks of: Casey Chen, Saya Yamaguchi, Tan Sock Fong
21 September to 9 October 2011
Opening hours: Tues-Sat: 12-8pm, Sun: 10am-6pm, Closed on Mondays and Public Holidays
White Canvas Gallery
78 Guan Chuan Street #01-41 Tiong Bahru Singapore 160078
There have works like a teddy bear wrapped in Singapore's old 1 dollar notes, and a 50 cent coin the size of your table, a gigantic dollar note carpet, glass art, ceremics etc.
If you have the time, please do check it out :) It's really cool!!
Labels: others
7:29 AM
My cousin showed me this blog: scrapbooksisters a couple of years ago,back then she was into scrap booking and taught me how to scrap book :) Up to now i still occasionally visit that blog because it gives me new insights on ways to scrapbook. There are endless possibilities of how a scrapbook can turn out and this blog shows me how to be innovative and how it is possible to decorate areas people normally would ignore. For example, if the binding of the book is by rings, you can tie ribbons to them or thread them, so that it appears to be a dotted line down. This blog spurred me to start scrapbooking and make a collage of bits and pieces of my life 5 years ago. Up to now I still occasionally scrapbook and I hope that I will never stop scrapbooking for the rest of my life because each time you make a scrapbook and paste meaningful items, it is like reflecting on yourself. And each time you think of a new way to create an effect, it is learning a new skill and adding a new method to your own personal list of "how to scrap". I feel that one of the most creative ideas I have learnt is to use nature. I can pick up leaves, flower petals, etc. and just tape them down to the book. I remember picking up twigs from the floor in my patio and then gluing them down on a book, making them branch across the page. Then i drew 2 birds standing on the branches, humming a tune. I gave this book to my friend though so i can't take a picture of it :( I also learnt that scrapbooking doesn't only mean decorating a book. In fact, decorating your room by sticking photos and ribbons on the wall, pasting stickers and post it notes in your planner, drawing on your calender, all these are considered scrapbooking. After reading scrabooksisters, I think outside of the box and pause to ponder on ways to convert objects i no longer need into objects i can use to scrapbook. The things you throw away everyday, can actually be used again, just like how plastic bags can actually create a water-like effect when pasted over different shades of blue paper. I feel that buying cards have lesser meaning than a card made from scrap. A hand made card has a very friendly feel, like it is full of love. It is not commercialized and is unique. Also, more time is spent on it which means that it takes alot of effort. I personally would rather receive a hand made card than one bought of the shelf, even if your art sense is bad, I would still rather a card with a hand drawn stick man than a card with a beautifully printed sketch of a man. :) Labels: inspiration Scrapbooks
7:07 AM
Although scraps that you buy from stores are always prettier than the one you really scavenge for, we feel that the whole fun bit about scrap booking is really just finding bits and pieces of paper/stickers in your house and pasting them.I find my materials from my sticker book which is like close to 10 years old! As well as magazines, news papers, pens, coloured paper, scrapbooking gifts from friends, markers, pens, scissors, etc. Basically, with all these, you can start scrap booking too. I like to decorate and personalize notebooks for myself, as well as for my friends (as a gift!), mostly for friends. I feel that notebooks are more meaningful because when you write something inside, it is also another way of scrapbooking to me. And more importantly, it is a scrapbook. Also, notebooks are very useful unlike cards. I just grabbed the 2 nearest scrapbooks i have within sight and here they are: 
This is my first notebook i made in p6 (old, i know), and also the notebook my cousin taught me how to scrapbook with. Back then we used to have this autograph craze, and inside are the contacts, likes, dislikes and messages of my prischool friends. Everytime i open this book up to read, it really makes me laugh at our grammar mistakes, our innocent minds and stuff. This book really means alot to me, it's almost as if my pri school days were recorded down inside.
You can see Rihanna having her swag on, she's there because I used to love Rihanna, but now i dont. My cousin sponsored me stickers then. I stuck the bear there a year later though, just to match the heart to form a diagonal line. And the rest was done with coloured paper.
This is the notebook i used for biology last year :)
It was initially meant to be my diary, but after 2 days i gave up on
documenting my life and so i decided to document my notes instead...
To me, the most fun part about scrapbooking is just ransacking my box-of-possible-scraps and choosing the few materials to stick it down. Also, shifting them around, trying out different compositions and being innovative is what makes scrapbooking so special. Anyone can scrapbook, you don't have to be rich to buy the mad-expensive materials, just coloured paper from popular, magazines, and you're good to go. Anyone can scrapbook, why don't you give it a try? Labels: art works Food Fight!
5:43 AM
I remember Mr Lim showing this to me and watching this at the start of the year again. I was facinated at the manipulation of food as they came to life and are fighting as if in a war. Burgers are tanks, pretzels are machine guns (i think?). And i really liked how creative the artist is and how he could persevere and make this film, i mean, stop motion is really tiring!! At that moment, i realized that if i were to use food to represent something, I didn't have to manipulate it like draw faces, arms and legs on it or anything. Instead, i could use different parts of the food to create an action, for example, the kebab are like bullets and shoot out of the stick. hahahaha. "Food Fight" represented war, which I personally felt was very meaningful. And so I was inspired on making my food represent aspects of life. Maybe not as big a matter as war, but something on a smaller scale, like daily encounters. The reason why I decided to use food to represent challenges was also probably due to the creeping thought in my subconscious that made me marvel at how challenging it was to make the stop motion movie in the first place. I brainstormed about the tiny challenges we face everyday and how I could use food to represent them. For example, climbing so many flights of stairs is really tiring, and i linked this to piling scoops of icecream. (I didn't use this example in the end!) Another reason why i arrived at this idea would be that my mom told me that art should represent something, it shouldn't be something you can find everywhere or anywhere. Which is true, I mean, there are millions of recipe books in the world.. I thought about poverty and how they lack food, but then i wanted something I could relate to.. Something meaningful to me as well as the world. So I was thinking about what im gonna do with my life, where I'm heading, who I really am? If i am the artist, i have to be able to relate to my work and my art has to influence me as well. Labels: coursework, inspiration Sunday, September 18, 2011
New Artwork in Nanyang?
11:39 PM
In the recent Block Test 2 paper, there was a question about choosing between 2 artworks to put in my school, and why i chose it.I thought it was a really interesting question, instead of the mundane "describe the subject matter, compare and contrast them, describe colours and brushwork, etc." I have never encountered such a free response question and I feel that we should have more questions in our exams that are similar to this. :) Honestly, I wouldnt mind taking exams if all the questions were as "casual" and fun to do like this one. Here are the 2 given works to choose from:  Looking ahead, 1987, Ng Eng Teng  And even though i did not score 10/10 for this, i will still post my answer up because i truly enjoyed doing this, maybe you can choose too and decide which one you would put up? For now, let me try to convince you that "Growth", 1985, by Han Sai Por is more practical than "Looking Ahead", 1987, by Ng Eng Teng. In my opinion, I would choose "Growth" by Han Sai Por to be exhibited in Nanyang Girls' High School as part of our permanent art collection. I also think that the work should be exhibited in front of the General Office that is where the behind the scenes work is done to help maintain and sustain the school, which is similar to being the heart of the school as it ensures that the school does not fall. I feel that "Growth" is more appropriate than "Looking Ahead" as during education, students are still growing, and are still very pure, being groomed into someone. The forms are very organic and seem to grow into something else and hence, I feel that this is symbolic to the development in students' minds and personality. Han Sai Por has also taught in Nanyang in the past and has three works found within the compounds of the school, which includes "Spirit of Nature" and "Family of Three". Both artworks depict organic forms budding and a sense of movement which seems to head for the sky, as if achieving new heights. Hence i feel tha t"Growth" would go well with these two other works, especially since they are located near each other along the driveway to the General Office. It is like leading from one work to another to tell a story and the motto of the school. As "Growth" is white, pure, simplified and delicate forms, it embodies some of the values of Nanyang such as simplicity and respectability. Han Sai Por also received formal art education which is what Nanyang provides. As she is a female artist, she would be able to inspire many art students that that Art is not a hopeless route, it is not a dead end. Her main idea is that man is part of nature, not a part from nature. Therefore, in our increasingly fast paced modern world, I feel that it is important to feel connected to nature and remain true to oneself. "Growth" can remind the students not to be too focused in studies and sometimes think about nature and with global warming as an uprising threat, think of ways to salvage it and save the earth. It is also important to be as a society, not an individual, to think on a larger scale that we are part of the world, instead of thinking merely for ourselves. This is another key idea in Han Sai Por's work whereby we cannot let modernization affect the purity within and I feel that this is expressed very well in "Growth". Nanyang being a highly competitive school, it is important for students to help each other out and think about others instead of their individual self. Instead of thinking about themselves, doing things for their benefits but causing harm to others, "Growth" will hopefully remind the students to look at the larger picture and realize how their actions affect the world around them. This is like staying back to study, and make the school custodian wait for you before they can go home. Even if you don't mind eating dinner late, the school custodians would have to eat dinner later also, and sometimes they would not be able to eat their meals with their family (some of them mind a lot) so we have to be more considerate and less selfish. I actually hope that "Growth" would be placed in our school for real, but i know it's like 99.9% chance it would not so nevermind :( Labels: writings SriKandi
1:59 AM
 Lucia Hartini, Srikandi (1993), oil on canvas, 150 cms x 150 cms The use of space, colour and brushwork. Srikandi by Lucia Hartini 1993 depicts herself as the main subject matter, dressed in the blue cloth that the female warriors of Indonesia. She appears muscular and stands arms and legs akimbo in the centre of the painting and has a very strong and independent look. In this painting, Lucia Hartini repels the critical and doubting eyes of society, no longer rendered by them thus she has courage. There is evident use of geometrical shapes. This can be seen in the many triangles formed by the zig zag brick walls as well as the triangle-shaped vision shooting from her eyes. Her 2 arms also form triangles and this gives the painting a very sharp and fierce feel. Also, the cracks and zig zag lines create a lot of angles. This contrasts to the soft flowing fabric of the blue cloth she is wearing as well as the moon and the fluffy clouds in the back ground which makes the painting seem peaceful, as if Lucia Hartini has found herself and has settled down in society. There is another contrast between the colours used to depict the blue cloth and the background, compared to the brick walls and her skin tone. The blue cloth that she wears and the clouds in the background make use of cool and calm colours such as blue and violet, this gives the painting a very tranquil feel, as if there are no more social issues that bother Lucia Hartini. This contrasts to the warm colours used to depict the brick walls and her skin tone which are different shades of orange. The brick walls are cracking and on the right, it is zig zagged while on the left, it is straight. This possibly depicts that it is straightening out and her life is becoming less complicated. It also leads into the distance and the viewer is unable to see where it ends. This possibly suggests that this is just the beginning and that her life will still continue to further unravel. There is a glow in her skin, as if she is shining and is very confident about herself. This shows that she is no longer subdued by society and is outstanding instead. The use of warm colours creates a very bright and powerful effect, as if she does not blend into the crowd but stands by herself as a strong person. There is a meticulous use of brushwork, similar to that of super surrealism. It is carefully blended and there is no visible brushwork. It is painted very realistically, and the forms are well defined and use of shadow to highlight certain parts of the cloth and the skin to add emphasis. The painting is painted realistically so that it is easier for viewers to relate to it and understand the message Lucia Hartini wishes to convey in her painting.
Influences behind this work: Lucia Hartini is an Indonesian artist who is a Catholic in a predominantly Muslim community. She was a victim of domestic violence and her earlier works express the suffering she has endured. Over the years, her works change from revealing a self that is very powerless, into one that that has her own fighting powers. From fear and grieving into determination and confidence. In Central Java, there is a very prominent gender inequality whereby female artists are generally not recognised as compared to male artists, even if they are very talented in art. There are many talented women who are unable to complete art studies as the drop rate is high even though there is already a small intake. These women marry into families and are required to stop painting in order to support the family. They are also financially unable to study art due to the lack of support, hence it is very difficult and tedious to be a female artist as one has very little supporters, not recognised in the art industry and people generally look down on female artists. Women in Indonesia are expected to stay at home and take care of the family. Hence they are not allowed to go out to work and make a living for themselves. They are seen as a hindrance and stealing the male’s jobs if they do work. Therefore, female artists are unrecognised as the brothers or husband might feel insulted if their sisters or wife’s are recognised and theirs is not, even though they are the bread winners of the family. Women are expected to help out domestically and are usually subjected to domestic violence. Lucia Hartini herself has endured such hardships and she attempts to create new visions of women having a more important role in society in her works. She is a feminist and influential woman whereby she yearns for freedom from the norms and judgement of the world. This is depicted by the many spying eyes prominent in her works, whereby the eyes are constantly watching her, as if they know her every move and are constantly judging her. Hence, in Srikandi 1993, Lucia Hartini has depicted herself as a strong idealised figure, free from the doubtful and critical eyes of society. She repels these eyes as she is no longer subjected to the norms of society, instead she has settled down and is confident of herself. In a much globalised society today, Lucia Hartini is recognised as an artist due to international influence, her works not recognised by Indonesian collectors but by collectors from all over the world instead. Hence, this helped her gain her confidence and her social status in the world. In Srikandi, she is no longer weak and helpless, instead she is seen as a powerful figure draped in the blue cloth worn by female warriors of Indonesia, with her fist clenched. She has a fighting spirit, as if she represents women in society, fighting for their rights in society. Her arms and legs akimbo and is rooted to the ground, also the cloth has settled down and this shows that there is a sense of “weight” in the painting, as if she is of importance to the world and is no longer a mere floating figure. The eyes no longer watch her in this work, instead she is the one watching the eyes. She repels the critical and doubting eyes of society, showing that it does not affect her anymore. Srikandi is like a work of social realism, whereby it is showing the world that women do have a stand in the world and should not be repressed by society. It also tells women that they themselves should find their own fighting spirit and fight for their rights. Labels: writings |
Search Labels others inspirations writings art works course work photography Archives  January 2011 May 2011 August 2011 September 2011Friends Chermaine Chiawei Elizabeth Heyao Jiashin Linhui Liyi Lois Mingzhen Rachel Ruisian Shihui Shiyin Shiyun Valerie Xinda Xindi Xuedi Xueying Zhiping Zhiyi Zhuhong |
