Thought Process and research for Assignment 2: Homage
(Dated: April 4th, 2017; Tuesday)
I had an epiphany.
What, oh, what shall I do about my project?
All the crazy ideas I had before, all gone to dust.
It took me a long time to think of what to do.
Then it came to me:
Homage is showing respect to people. In this assignment, it is about paying homage to a digital artist, a digital art piece, or a concept.
I liked Lillian Schwartz a lot, so I decided to pay homage to her, and her work with digital collages. Then I began to wonder what collages I should do, and I took inspiration from her work with Mona Lisa and Leonardo da Vinci.
I have always had a love for numbers. Things that can be counted. I had also always liked toying with the seven deadly sins. The concept of it, the ideas that come about from it, and also the works that people have made from it.
This is a photo set taken by Johann Wolf, for America’s Next Top Model (Cycle 4) top 7 finalists. The concept was great. Modeling the 7 Deadly Sins in specially designed graves.
It features one of my favourite models, Kahlen Rondot, who portrays wrath, in the middle of them. What I really love about this piece is the use of colours and emotion and clothing to bring out the essence of each Deadly Sin.
I recently re-watched this episode and it brought the idea of incorporating the Seven Deadly Sins into my artwork.
Thought Process and research for assignment 2: Homage
(Dated: March 29th, 2017; Wednesday)
What/Who I want to pay Homage to?
Lillian Schwartz and her work.
Most of her work deals with comparisons. She compared the facial structure of Mona Lisa with her portrait painter, Leonardo da Vinci. She also compared the perspectives of the fresco where the Last Supper was supposedly held with the architecture of the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie.
Her life’s works were typically avant-garde for their time, often manipulating the digital medium before computers were widely available and popular. Her works were notably the pioneer for advancing computers as the futuristic medium, and many of her films were highly acclaimed.
Her works in comparison do not just stop at the Mona Lisa, though. She often delves into digital collages, which is the sampling of various materials and putting them together to form works, with the materials being of the digital sort.
Another great work of hers was to observe the similarities between the Droeshout portrait of William Shakespeare and the Armada portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. Similarly to what she did with Mona Lisa and Leonardo da Vinci, the outcome she gathered from such an experimental collage turned a few possibilities on questions that have plagued the art world.
What my work involves?
The vanguard of my work is Digital Collage, which is the bulk of Lillian Schwartz’s work, of whom I am paying homage to. I enjoy the process of collaging, and bringing it into the digital context allows me to explore new ways of processing various media, working with new software, and enhancing existing collaging skills.
Some preemptive work I have done was to superimpose parts of a portrait of photographers with the portraits of their subjects. Surprisingly, this early work allowed me to face the difficulties of scaling images to fit, as well as observe the possible similarities between an artist’s style between self-portraits and portraiture. (See: Portraits? Portraits!)
However, as time passed, and I observed many different works by different artists, I began to feel that my work was too naive, too simplistic. Not that the impact it had was meaningless, I only felt I could delve further into portraiture, digital collage, and comparison.
So we made it to the second day (Saturday) of Random Blends.
Despite the rain, it did not stop the rest of us from going to the ArtScience Museum through the unsheltered way. Yes, there was no sheltered way to the museum, how unfortunate. An underground walkway would have been nice.
Anyway, the place was filled with people, completely different from the Friday I went. As my friend and I went around the exhibits, we had differing views on most of the works, and it really helped us delve into different viewpoints. We had deep conversations on the aspects of the social issues that were brought up in some exhibits, as well as differing attraction to different pieces.
One piece we really liked was one of the games that we played. For the life of me, I cannot remember it right now, however, it centered around a polygon traversing the game’s map and growing and learning. I think what really attracted us to that game was the premise, the storyline, the undulating gameplay, as well as the setting. It really made us think deeply about the actions that we do, our pursuits in life, and the sacrifices we have to make to progress. The game was really thought-provoking.
We then sat down and watched a running video. It was a Virtual Reality simulation on a playable game about coping with depression. It did not really hit home because it was riddled with a lot of awkward moments of silence and pauses.
After surveying the various works for 45 minutes, we took a break and went back to the main hall to find our friend. Her experimental work consisted of an umbrella that lights up after a certain air quality threshold. She could not get it to work in the first place, only because the area was not appropriate for her experimental work.
I guess this exhibition was really a novel thing for me. Some improvements I have though was if it was more organised. Another venue would have been better, only because the exhibition area of ArtScience Museum is not really that attractive, and also extremely limited. All in all, it was still very underwhelming.
Maybe it was the time I went, or maybe it was the preview ceremony, but it was less than what I expected Random Blends to be.
Made my way to ArtScience Museum to view the Random Blends exhibition today. Since my friend had already left, I made my own sweet time to the museum.
The moment I got there, I was greeted by helpful, yet awkward greeters, handing me pamphlets and stickers. Saw a few familiar faces around.
Walking through one of the halls, I came across my friend’s work. I could really see the amount of effort she put into her work. However, knowing they had to move her work to another part of the exhibition hall, which distorted her shadow projections, was quite a saddening turn of events. (Which was interpreted wrongly beforen but oh well)
Everything seemed cool, saw people I knew from school, and saw some pieces already promoted on the Random Blends Facebook page, as well as the physical manifestations of works featured on their Instagram page.
Overall, the whole thing felt a little bit awkward and lonely, with the place being quite empty and awkward. I guess people just did not think about coming today.
Tomorrow will be better, I suppose. I will get back to you tomorrow on the atmosphere and pieces of work when I go with a friend.
An homage to Lillian Schwartz, on her work regarding the portrait of Mona Lisa and Leonardo da Vinci.
Portraits? Portraits! delves into the works of famous portrait photographers and painters to observe the similarities in presentation of a subject’s portrait with (self-)portraits of the artist.
Lillian Schwartz is also a pioneer in computer-mediated art, and hence the presence of NM3205: Digital Culture ad Art right now.
Mona Leo, a comparison of Leonardo da Vinci’s self-portrait, and the Mona Lisa, done by Lillian Schwartz. A collage of digitally manipulated photographs.
This is one of the biggest inspirations of my Homage project, which is an homage to Lillian Schwartz.
Schwartz is a pioneer of computer-mediated art, and she was one of the first artists to base most of her oeuvre on computational media.
Wires are flexible rods of metal that carry loads of mechanical or electrical energy, or sometimes telecommunication systems. They keep a circuit running on electrical power, and transfer data from one source to another through its body.
I have always been fascinated with wires from a young age, always in awe during physics practicals on how we can light up a bulb by simply clipping crocodile clips from a battery to the bulb in 3 simple steps. And the ones I usually saw in Primary and Secondary school were coloured in at least 7 colours, giving the effect of an electrical rainbow.
From there, I learnt that I sometimes am this multi-coloured wires, connecting people from one end to another, often transferring energy to whoever I meet. And my ex-boyfriend used to say that the multi-coloured wires reminded me of how energetic and flamboyant to him.
4) Shut up and Staff it!
As I have mentioned before, I have been in the musical scene for almost 15 years, and during my adventures through various bands and orchestras, I have received many lessons and gifts. My favourite gift I have gotten from my former bandmate was staff book.
(Personal one not shown, due to it being very personal to me)
I have been self-taught in the art of composition, and from the day my friend got me that notebook, I have been avidly penning not only my thoughts but also been working at making short musical excerpts whenever I feel the urge to. Not known to many, I have been involved in the creative process of lyrical production for a few local bands in Singapore, due to my talent in rhythm manipulation.
Music, I must say, was not a talent borne on me, but it was a secondary hobby of mine, which not many people know or believe I still have an interest in. To each their own!
3) “Quotes” - Jiawei
Favourite sayings have come far and wide to be read or heard by me, and those that really made an impact to me have stayed with me throughout my growing up years.
Some of my favourite quotes come from a myriad of sources. From lecturers to books; from lyrics to billboards, there have been many that struck me at the right time and right place.
Some of my favourite quotes include:
"Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent underneath." - William Shakespeare
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words leave psychological wounds that never heal." - Mr. Turner (The Fairly OddParents)
"The silence is not in the room. It's inside me. It is cold and empty and vast." - Clare Morrall (Astonishing Splashes of Colour)
눈물은 빗물 되어 내 몸을 다 적시고
온몸이 얼어붙어 땅에 늘어뜨리고
- SeungAh (Sunny Hill - Pray)
ありのままで 生きていけたらいいよね
大事な時 もうひとりの私が邪魔をするの
- Utada Hikaru (Goodbye Happiness)
2) Watermelon, 我的美人
My favourite animated film ever is The Little Mermaid.
The story of a mermaid princess named Ariel, daughter of King Triton, who falls in love with the idea of living on land. Falling in love with a human prince, and signing a contract with a sea witch to trade her voice for a pair of legs.
What hooked me to this movie were the songs that resonated with me at the point in my life where I wanted things I could not have or longed for a better life above the ocean. “Part Of Your World” was one of the most memorable songs throughout my childhood, and I still belt it out as a grown up.
This movie has shaped my childhood thoughts of the world out there, that if I had things handed to me, I would be in deep shit. The best motivations I got out of this movie was to work hard for what I want, not to rely on easy-ways-out of situations. It has also taught me that acceptance knows no boundaries, that everything will fall into place, eventually.
1) Where it ends, it begins
A big inspiration, and a constant in my life since I came onto this site, is Tumblr.
I am a big Tumblr nerd, having first been introduced to it by my college best mate. Having several Tumblr blogs for various different interests, it is a wonder how I managed to maintain relatively good grades despite the amount of time I spent scrolling mindlessly on Tumblr.
Interestingly, apart from this, I have 2 other blogs dedicated to Art, one of Japanese and Korean artists, the other on more general art pieces. The other blogs I have ranged from R-rated materials, an Overwatch fandom blog, Food focussed recipes and discussions, as well as general interesting things I come across on this site.
All I can say is Tumblr has been a huge inspiration on my creative life from as long as I can remember, and I look up to all artists that have captured my soul with their incredible dedication to the creation of pieces that resonate in my mind on how inept my skills as an artist are. #cripplingdepression #self-esteemhitsalltimelow #SaveJiawei20xx
Part 2 of my Source Materials discussion, aiming at more on experiences I look back on for inspiration, rather than using the physical materials in my art projects.
Box explores the synthesis of real and digital space through projection-mapping on moving surfaces. The short film documents a live performance, captured entirely in camera.
Bot & Dolly produced this work to serve as both an artistic statement and technical demonstration. It is the culmination of multiple technologies, including large scale robotics, projection mapping, and software engineering. We believe this methodology has tremendous potential to radically transform theatrical presentations, and define new genres of expression.
9th March 2017, 2229 hours
From this visualisation, I have begun planting an idea on using 3D Projections to grow my Homage project.
Discounting the countless of work I have to put in for animation and design, I still have yet to come to a concrete concept on the homage. However, I have narrowed down the subjects of my homage.
Time will only tell what my idea can manifest into.
The discus is a heavy disc used in the discus throws event in Track and Field. The goal is to get a further distance than your competitors or yourself.
I have been enthralled by the discus, and other throwing events, as I was never a fast kid back then, neither am I one now. However, I have been admiring various throwers, local or international otherwise, and they have inspired me to take up the sport a few years back.
Ever since, I have been interested in the movement of human bodies, and always looking for he flexibility limits, speed transitions, and power positions of throwers. The strongest man alive without good technique could never throw as far as a well-trained athlete. This has been the premise of my life’s goal to perfect the right technique to achieve greater things than just brute strength through life.
9) Trumpets trump the competition.
The trumpet is a brass instrument capable of producing sounds of 3 octaves. They are commonly used in styles of jazz, orchestra, classical, and concert bands. Containing the highest registers of all brass instruments, they are often known for their clear tones for signalling in history.
This is my instrument of choice for 14 years of my life, and I have never looked back at it. Playing music lets me relax my mind, albeit during rehersals, I feel nothing but stress. Inspiration for pieces of work, in this case musical work, come from the variety of melodies I come up with on the trumpet.
The intricate design of the trumpet, and most other brass instruments, let me imagine them as networks in a system, converting air into vibrations to produce magnificent sounds for the universe.
8) A secret, The Secret World
The Secret World is a Massive Multi-player Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG). The setting features modern-day real world, engulfed in mysteries, occults, supernaturals, and Lovecraftian identities. Playing as one of 3 factions of world reknowned (or unknown) organisations, the London-based Templars, the New York-based Illuminati, and the Dragon noamds (currently based in Seoul), the goal is to solve extraordinary occurances plaguing the world.
Games, especially role playing games, have made a huge impact on my life. Able to immerse myself in the fantasy world allows me to be who I want to be, unlimiting my imagination, except for the limits in the game itself.
The Secret World is an exception in this regard, where the customisation fully allows you to be who you really want to be, and with a real-life setting, it allows my imagination to expand.
7) Bombing Bongyoung
One of my favourite dancers and inspiraions to life is Park Bongyoung, a South Korean dancer and choreographer, known for his fluid yet powerful movements, and creative, challenging choreographies. He is the main reason why I got into dance, amongst other dancers.
With dance, I can express my emotions and thoughts into movements, that encapsulate what I feel and say to better effect. I have always been interested in movements in a space, and dance is what allows me to fill the void of space with my body.
Dance also inspires me to feel better about myself. I have always had low self-esteem, because of the way my body looks. Although new found self-esteem issues have popped up because of dance, I feel way better about it than when I had started, so it was a plus in my life.
6) Unfortunatey, this was just A Series of Unfortunate Events
Literature has always been the death of me. I hated reading as a child, only liked to be read to. All grown-up, and I never liked reading my prescribed readings, either. However, there is a series of books that I loved to read as a child. And this was a Series of Unfortunate Events.
The difference that ASOUE brings about is the writing style of Lemony Snicket, pen name Daniel Handler, brings to the table. His melodramatic, yet entertaining style brings out the gems of his books. The story of 3 Baudelaire orphans, whose parents died in a house fire, engulfs them in a series of unfortunate events surrounding a secret organisation and a villain. The network of guardians taking care of the orphans and their distinct personalities shape he story in ways many have tried to do in their own.
The intricate detail he pays to red herrings and subtle clues allow the reader to make their own inferences on certain connections, allowing for endless possibilities of story development and interpretation. His art stye inspires me to lead my audience in through a jungle of ideas with a broken compass and 42 match sticks, alone.
This is just part 1 of my Source Materials discussion, which includes some ideas I might have or inspiration through imitation, that works toward my Homage project.
Jiawei’s parents always believe that people should love themselves first before any other kind of love can be created or reciprocated. He explored the extremes of self-love, boarding the self-obsession ship. He enhances the relationship he feels with himself, imagining the minds from narcissists and egoists.
What makes them so obsessed with themselves?
The process of coming with an idea began with me bugging my mind to come up with a concept of exploring ‘me’. Questions I asked myself throughout the day consisted of “What am I doing here?”, “Why am I doing this?”, and “Where am I?”
I explored many ideas, amidst the death of my grandmother, friends leaving for exchange, rejections from love confessions. Ideas began to crumble to dust. It was not until Valentine’s Day when my mom lamented that I was still single, citing that I did not love myself enough to have other people love me back. Her comment hit my heart and head like the boulder Sisyphus got too tired of rolling up the hill and threw it at me.
I have always suffered from self-pity and low self-esteem, so I took what my mom said and tried to prove that I could do it. The concept for this project came to me with I was high, dancing up on the podium at a club, making out with some random dude. I was so out of it, I vaguely remember seeing thrice as many people as before, and just shouted to my friend “WHAT IF I DATED MYSELF?”
The process began with scouting areas around school for locations that I could feel romance in the air, places I could court myself.The original idea was to have two versions of myself shell out a love story, from the ‘love at first sight’ effect, to the ‘will you marry?’ stage. Inspired by couple-shot photos circulating on Instagram, I managed to take several photos of myself, some on one week, and the rest on another. (This was mainly because I wanted to have my hair dyed the following week, thus I could utilise the ‘doppelgänger’ effect)
With pictures in tow, I got down to editing the photos to superimpose myself with myself. However, problems arose as most, if not all the pictures, displayed the wrong angles and/or lighting. (This was a huge problem for me as I did not anticipate using different photographers)
That was when I began breaking down what was essential in the photograph that I wanted to portray. I went back to Santigold’s song, and the music video for it. In it, she was seen dancing with herself, and it inspired me to duplicate myself in image, placing my clones side-to-side, giving a psychedelic, trippy feel.
Some comments I got from friends and people from other groups, were that it made them feel uncomfortable and questioned which of ‘me’ was the real me. This was a secondary goal I set for myself when attempting this idea, and it really pleased me I got the response I wanted.
What I can say about the future of this project is that it does not end here. I want to take it further, to explore spaces in Singapore, and explore the idea of self-love to other people.
Explore more of I, Me, Myself on Jiawei’s curated dedicated Instagram, madamada.adam
