ADAD

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Process 4

After a short discussion during the exchange session with another group, we’ve talked about how our content and procedures are running. They’ve given advice that we should adopt the second idea initially, because it is less exposure and more private to everyone's own self. As well as playing the 2 videos together at the same time, both inverse and reverse can create a very cinematic and calm environment during the meditation session with audience. So we’ve conduct experiment at one of the rooms and setting up our devices to see the effect.

As the video had shown, the large scale video effect among with the sound creates a very calm and static environment. Where the video had filled the room with the blue color, and the color blue is often used when relating to psychological actives, therefore the entire environment will be very ideal to conduct our group activity.

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Process 3

In our continuous experiment with the activity, we’ve also done an additional reversed water dropping video. That could play correspondingly to the inverse water drop video. 

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Process 2

After discussion and brainstorm with our group members, we decided to go with the first scenario. That is to have every writing their things up on the board, this can increase the visual shock, and at the same time give everyone to understand another a bit more.

The contents that we deicide to play while giving the meditation, are two lopping water drop videos. That represents our current time that’s continuing, then by pausing and playing the video reversed, it can then represent the time going backwards, taking the whole ‘space’ within the room back to a time where audience can change their decision. 

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Process 1

Our idea of this assessment 3 activity is based on the weekly concept of time and context, and interpreting it in our own perception of time and context. It means to us that time is an ongoing process of journey, where we as human come across many different things and people. During this journey, there are contexts that’s consistently happening in our life; and within that contexts, there are small proportion of things that we regrets doing or wanted to change. But there’s never a return in the journey of time,  therefore our idea was to come up with an activity or ‘meditational’ session. Where we offer audience with an opportunity of changing one of the things that they wish to change. By providing this opportunity, it will provoke a sense of self reflection and ultimately leads to an appreciation of our current time.

Ideas of achieving this activity:

1: Setting up a board for all the audience to write down one things they wished could change if the time had went back. Then asking the audience to cross out the thing and re-write the situation with a different change. It will be an indoor and dark lighting based environment, where this dark environment can calm the audience down by segregating them from the external world. Playing videos that are representing both inverse and reverse time. 

2. Instead of writing all things down on the board, another method would be to speak verbally in order to avoid the exposure of personal details. Following the same idea route as the first.

3. Create a game that would physically engage audience in joining the activity, that is more time and context related, rather than meditation.

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ADAD Assessment 2 Concept Statement

After the completion of assessment 1, I was triggered and engaged by the binaries of rich and poor. Initially it was simply the contrast between rich and poor, and the perspective that I’ve reviewed this topic from is briefly the materialistic differences, such as wealth, assets or life differences. This comparison had gradually led me into a deeper understanding of the binaries of rich and poor, and started to investigate into matters of having and not having, accessing and not accessing etc. There are more to explore and yet to be spoken rather than reviewing it from an average one-sided understanding from the society. Therefore, this thinking process had inspired my idea for the final project, which is to develop a series of works that conveys the message of to have and not to have while the contrast between rich and poor is being implied. 

Through my series of conducted research that relates to binary that I’ve selected, I’m mainly focusing of the shifting of value in the field of art industry. By adopting art as an example, it demonstrates the unchangeable purpose of art that continuously serves the rich throughout century, stating that art had become another way of showing off their wealth. Thus, leading art to an extend that it became unreachable and inaccessible for those who are eager for, my research 2 indicates that residents from rural regions of the city tend to have less chances and possibilities of accessing art galleries or other art related resources. While those who live in the center region of the city had received more distribution grant from the government, directly conveying the message of to access and not to access, ultimately reflecting the binaries of rich and poor.

Experiment 1 was conducted in order to explore the notion of to have and not to have, by better understanding this binary and the deeper meanings behind it. The inspiration of this experiment was from my tutor, where she mentioned about applying a plastic bag on top of a tap to simply convey the message of not access. I’ve also decided to adopt mediums outside of computer software in this series of experiment and work, in order to challenge myself during the process of creation. Therefore, the first experiment was completed through an installation art form, where I’ve applied a lock onto are tab, door and car key, as each symbolizes different aspects of life. Tab refers to the resources provided, the door refers to freedom and mobility, and the car key means materialistic owning such as wealth, houses or cars. By simply applying a lock onto each item, it could broadly represent the notion of to have and not to have.

The second experiment was conducted to focus on the notion of to access and not to access. I’ve simulated the scene of a merchant shelf, where the iPad act as the shelf with a photo, and on top of it is an acrylic board that separates the distance between audience and the shelf, creating the sense of hopelessness and inaccessibility through the obscure visual shock. It generates both physical and psychological barrier that restricts from those who can’t access to resources, that can possibly provoke audience’s sympathy towards the matter of to or not to access towards certain things.

Leading my idea to the final work, which is a combination of both ‘to have and not to have’ and ‘to access and not to access’. Where the major idea of portraying this idea was inspired by my work environment, a retail store. Due to some circumstances I encounter during my work, I’ve witnessed many of those who cannot access to the resources that are sitting right in front of them, and had emotionally triggered myself in creating the final work. That is a series of photographs that focuses on the quantity of the merchandise, inspired by photographer Andreas Gursky’s work 99 Cent II Diptychon, 2001.Where his purpose is to always demonstrate the excess resources vs those who can’t access. My had similar idea, but from a different approach, that is, I’ve changed the price tag of each merchandise within the photo manually and increased the price by 100% to create a visual shock towards audience. This would provoke audience’s curiosity in why the price is so high and begin to understand those who can’t access’s perspective. I’ve further enhanced this idea through the presentation form, as I’ve printed the photos In a lightly transparent paper, that would be stick onto the wall to act as a ‘virtual’ shelf, and really setting the scene for the audience to review and understand the binary.  

Bibliography:

Blumberg, N, "Andreas Gursky | German photographer.". in Encyclopedia Britannica, , 2018, <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Andreas-Gursky#ref1203735> [accessed 17 September 2018].

Cao, J, “Taiwan Cracked How to Provide Art Access to Rural Communities.”. in Artsy, , 2018, <https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-learn-taiwans-commitment-providing-museum-access-rural-poor#annotations:Ngbl1Fp-EeilQW8j1aBG2Q> [accessed 29 August 2018].

Dunne, A, “When poverty is a virtue: ‘art is not a commodity for rich people’.”. in The Irish Times, , 2018, <https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/when-poverty-is-a-virtue-art-is-not-a-commodity-for-rich-people-1.1675330> [accessed 29 August 2018].

Gursky, A, 99 Cent II, Diptychon. in , , 2011.

“Louis XIV and the Royal Family at the Fall of Versailles | Art UK”. in , , 2018, <https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/louis-xiv-and-the-royal-family-at-the-fall-of-versailles-29766#> [accessed 29 August 2018].

“Renaissance Art Movement - Characteristics”. in , , 2018, <https://www.identifythisart.com/art-movements-styles/pre-modern-art/renaissance-art-movement/> [accessed 29 August 2018].

Wetzler, R, “How Modern Art Serves the Rich.”. in The New Republic, , 2018, <https://newrepublic.com/article/147192/modern-art-serves-rich> [accessed 29 August 2018].

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Form of presentation 2

I’ve decided to incorporate sketch paper as a printing paper, and applying the photos onto the sketching paper due to its transparency and color printing characteristic. The effect of transferring the photos onto a more transparent paper is firstly, it could be stick on any place and blend with its background perfectly. The photo can then act as a ‘virtual’ merchant shelf that reflects the idea of to access and not to access. The transparency adds sense of vagueness and obscurity further more depicts the unreachable distance for those who can't access through the visual effect. 

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Form of presentation

With the completion of the two works, I’m beginning to consider the form of presenting my works, because by simply presenting the 2 photos through digital form is not as strong as physical form. The visual shock couldn’t be delivered until I've found out a way to best present my work and convey the message across. Some ideas I have in head are:

1. Printing it on a large scale paper, A1 or A0 poster.

2. Large scale transparent material

3. Projection on physical objects, like boxes or screen.

4. Splitting one entire image into grids, and placing them on the wall to form a big image.

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Work of assessment 2 

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Final work

By combining the 2 experiments and notions together, I've got a good understanding of these issues and major differences between the binary of to have and not to have, to access and not to access. Therefore, I’ve adopted experiences during my work, where I work at a retail store and often come across the circumstances of homeless people or those who had low financial situation, standing in-front of the merchandise and staring at it. To me it felt like, even though they are so close in accessing resources, yet so far. There are so much that we as human can access and have, but it is these differences between people that had caused the not to have and not to access situation. 

Therefore, I'm utilizing my store as a background to create my work, as all my experiences and thoughts happened during work. Therefore, I’ve decided to  create work that revolves around the environment through certain acts or variation. Encountering the idea of inaccessible by creating a perspective from those who can’t, in order to provoke audience’s reaction. My idea of achieving this idea is by adopting the most relevant object in the store, such as merchandise or price tags, manipulating it to best relate to my idea (to have and not to have, to access and not to access). 

I’ve used my job position as a advantage, replacing price tags on the merchant shelf to a number that is outrages and ridiculous. This is done to bring up audience’s curiosity and also placing them into the perspective from those who can’t access resources, as it is my major inspiration. I’ve taken 2 photos of the merchant shelf that would reflect the consistency and excess amount of resources that are provided and being sell. Then adjusting all the price tags in within the image, by replacing it with an amount that is 100% more than the original price, for instance $4.00 to $400.00. In order to produce a visual shock towards the audiences. 

The presentation and structural layout of this work is inspired by Andreas Gursky’s work 99 Cent II Diptychon, 2001. He had a similar idea as my, which is to demonstrate the excess amount of resources in our contemporary society that is only limited towards certain group of people, but rather everyone. Where his repetition of the merchant, and the largely layout products had result an impressive image.

Reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andreas_Gursky#/media/File:99_cent_II,_diptychon_-_Photo_courtesy_of_Sotheby%27s.jpg

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Experiment 2

After conducting experiments with the notion of to have and not to have, I am to continuously explore the second notion, which is to access and not to access. This is a more commonly occurred issue throughout the world, where people are suffering from accessing natural resources in some deserted areas. Comparing to the developed countries, delivering every possible resources for residents to access. Apart from those physical and materialistic things, my research had also depicted the issue of rural region residents intend to have less opportunities in accessing public facilities like library, galleries and educations. 

In experiment 2, I've then adopted a more practical method to convey my idea. I want to convey a sense of hopelessness for those who couldn't access. I want to create something physical, imitating the environment of a retail store by transferring the image onto a physical container, something like a cardboard box, or resin box. In additional, I'll add a layer that separates the internal from external. This is done in order to portray the idea of inaccessible and sense of unreachable.  

Therefore I’ve used a box, and placing my iPad with an image of the supermarket goods shelf to reflect the resources our society had provided towards people. By placing an additional layer of acrylic board, designating the distance between the resources and people who couldn’t access. This acrylic board act as a symbolism of  ‘can't acess’ through the barrier that resist from people’s access. The blurry acrylic board also provide a visual shock where resources that were supposed to be for everyone now became ambiguous. 

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Experiment 1

In my series of experiments, I want to explore binary through the 3 notions of to have and not to have/to access and not to access. In this first experiment, I'll be focusing on the notion of to have and not to have. In order to start experimenting, I have to firstly understand the meaning of to have and not to have. Due to the society’s inequality and heavily classified society, there are many things, values or thoughts that people can and cannot have. It can be rights that people can or cannot have, it can be wealth that people can or cannot have, It can be thoughts that people can or cannot have, it can also be resources that people can or cannot have. But more eventually, it is the happiness that people cannot have due to this phenomenon. Those who tend to ‘have’ are more happier that those who cannot and doesn't ‘have’, therefore my experiment is to target this issue, and conduct a work that provoke a sense of thinking and respond from the audience. 

Therefore, the action I've taken to convey the idea of to have and not to have, is through the usage of photography. I’ve transform the idea of ‘having’ by symbolizing it with an object, and that object is lock. The reason why I chose lock as the symbol to manifest the idea is because there are two things with a lock. One is the key, and one is the lock itself. Once the lock is being locked onto certain object, then it requires the key in order to unlock and have the object. Therefore, I think it represents the idea of to have and not to have. Where not to have refers to it is being locked, and to have means it is being opened. I’ve then incorporate this idea on things that I think are relevant to this binary. Taken photos on objects like water faucet, car key and doors. Each represents one different idea, where the faucet represents resources that people can or cannot have. The car means materialistic things in our life, like car, houses, money etc. Lastly the door means freedom, the choice of being free or not being free. 

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Assessment 2 Research 2

Spoken about the relationship between rich and art world, it is fairly obvious when rich and poor are being contrasted with the approach from art. Research had shown that, rural communities had less opportunity to access art. Resident from New York city of Washington DC had more than hundreds of free art spaces and galleries to interact with contemporary artworks across the world. Whilst resident from rural America intend to find it difficult to access art and enjoy artworks. As National Endowment for the Arts had stated, the distribution grants for residents in New York is $38,937.71 per 10,000, and while Arkansas’s Faulkner County received $88.31 per 10,000. These statistics not only convey the inequality issue within the society, but also the major cause of diversity between different classes. Embodying the values of binary wealth and poverty, from physical to psychological, and from the perspective of art. 

Taking a step back, to review this binary from the perspective of an individual. Despite the literal rich and poor, or the clear line that defines wealth and poverty. It is the true meaning behind this issue, it is leaning more towards to have and not to have, to access or not access, and to take and not to take. Therefore ill be conducting experiments that explores these meanings, by transforming it onto objects. 

Reference:

Cao, J, "Taiwan Cracked How to Provide Art Access to Rural Communities.". in Artsy, , 2018, <https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-learn-taiwans-commitment-providing-museum-access-rural-poor#annotations:Ngbl1Fp-EeilQW8j1aBG2Q> [accessed 29 August 2018].

Dunne, A, "When poverty is a virtue: ‘art is not a commodity for rich people’.". in The Irish Times, , 2018, <https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/when-poverty-is-a-virtue-art-is-not-a-commodity-for-rich-people-1.1675330> [accessed 29 August 2018].

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Assessment 2 Research

After the completion of assessment 1, it had provoked my understanding towards the binary issue of rich and poor. Broadly overviewing this issue through a global perspective, exploring multiple aspects of rich and poor issues in ways that affect human. Through the series of research and exploration, I've decided to take this further by focusing it within the Australian society. Shifting the focus in a more deeper understanding of the binary rich and poor, where inequality and the lack of protection had being overlooked. 

Before focusing my attention within Australia, I've research into the relationship between art and wealth. How contemporary art reviews binary issue of rich and poor, and reversely how rich and poor had affected art in ways to approach the society. Oppositely, how is art being served towards the poor when juxtaposing with the “rich”’s artwork. 

Through the changes in economic, more and more artist intend to create artworks that are targeting towards the higher classes owners. In which had similar characteristic to artworks in the Renaissance period where artists are being employed to paint for the rich and royal families. Demonstrating the showcasing their power, wealth and dominance etc. This phenomenon had reappeared in our contemporary society, whilst art forms and style are constantly changing and verifying, but the purpose and usage of art had remain the unchanged due to capitalism. 

The value of art is becoming more and more ambiguous, as art market is inflating rapidly in 21 century. Auctions of contemporary artwork became a competing ‘game’ between the rich, in ways that artworks are just another way for the rich to show off their wealth. When artworks became one of the assets for the superrich, its purpose and the approach from its artist had changed. 

Reference:

Wetzler, R, "How Modern Art Serves the Rich.". in The New Republic, , 2018, <https://newrepublic.com/article/147192/modern-art-serves-rich> [accessed 29 August 2018].

"Louis XIV and the Royal Family at the Fall of Versailles | Art UK". in , , 2018, <https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/louis-xiv-and-the-royal-family-at-the-fall-of-versailles-29766#> [accessed 29 August 2018].

"Renaissance Art Movement - Characteristics". in , , 2018, <https://www.identifythisart.com/art-movements-styles/pre-modern-art/renaissance-art-movement/> [accessed 29 August 2018].

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ADAD1002 Week 5 activity. The Toilet Pub 🤩

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ADAD1002 Assessment 1 Research

Initial research based on the life expectancy and health issue across different countries, and was firstly drawn by the BBC uk news attention, where investigation of Stockton in UK was found that the richer area had a completely different health condition compares to the poorer area. Demonstrating multiple issues brought by the class differences as well as financial differences, these differences causes diverse perspective such as food, health, work and other issues. These issues then directly impacted on the people, eventually impacting the health condition of these two classes of people.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-44985650

By further investigating this issue, I've found that the Stockton issue can be exposed to a wider range, where the whole world consists of a similar issue. Richer countries provide better health care and environment for people live, while the poorer could not provide any health support to sustain people’s everyday life. After my research, I've found that there are more than 40% of the world population that has a difference in life expectancy. Countries predominantly in Africa consists of the lowest life expectancy, near 52 age of life, contrasting to the high life expectancy in bigger countries like Japan, US, China, Australia etc. These difference are dominantly caused by the issue of poor and rich, and in a broader view, poor and rich does not only talks about wealth, but rather every aspect of human living environment and condition.

http://www.who.int/gho/mortality_burden_disease/life_tables/situation_trends/en/

http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/world-life-expectancy-map

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ADAD1002 Assessment Rationale

ADAD rationale

Contemporary art and design often look at the idea of constructed binaries, such as man/woman, soft/hard, straight/gay, dirty/clean, organic/synthetic. Considering the history of these ‘pairs’, how can art and design interrogate these binaries and offers new insights?

For my assessment 1 in ADAD1002, I’ve chosen the question that explores binaries within contemporary art and design. I’ve furthermore researched and extended my understanding and knowledge about this question. In order to understand the question thoroughly, I’ve investigated into the history of binary form in art and design. The binary opposition, or the nebular opposition explores concepts that have the opposing meaning to one another, for example, true and false, rational and emotional, presence and absence, and so on. These concepts are being purposefully contrasted to indicate the fundamental ideology of human civilization, like culture and language. Artist then adopts these opposing concepts to explore controversial issues that are happening to our contemporary world. In order demonstrate my own understanding towards this perspective, I’ve picked the binary opposition of rich and poor, which are the most common opposition throughout the human history.

After thorough research about the difference in rich and poor, I’ve found out that rich and poor does not simply mean the difference in assets, but rather the way people live, the food and resources each group of people consume. Eventually causing the major difference in lifetime, where richer countries consists of longer life expectancy, and the poorer countries will have a significant amount of decrease in their life expectancy. Therefore, I have decided to create a poster that demonstrates these differences through the large amount of numbers, which each represents the life expectancy of rich and poor countries. Lastly by forming the letter RICH and POOR with these numbers, audience can instantly receive a visual shock, which provokes in the thinking of rich and poor issue in our world.

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Week 3 Activity

Ecologies within the school poster, utilizing found objects which relates to one another, depicting the process of cycle of life. The upper part of the poster is contrasted with the lower part, where the death are being juxtapose with alive and the color against the colorless. The collective garnish and thrown aways are being purposefully gathered in order to contrast with the natural environment. The earth in the center demonstrating our focus of the earth as a planet, and surround plants creating sense of vivid and existence of life. When all objects are being placed, the contrast can be easily seen through the destruction made by human being, forming an ecology within the environment of paddington campus.