ADAD Assessment 2
STATEMENT
Art and design often explore relationships between humans and non-humans, the environment and ecology. How can contemporary art and design propose new possibilities for imagining the 'human' and the environment.
In this second assessment I approached the question on a personal level. After conducting some research and reading. I thought about Michelle Reader's 'Seven Wasted Men' and it interested me in the way she used one month's worth of garbage to construct her sculptures. Furthermore, she commented on how much you can tell about someone through their waste. I agree with her statement, however, I thought about it the opposite way. How much you can tell about a person through their shopping trolley. In a consumer driven society, sometimes when I go out shopping, I can't help but look at what other people have in their trolley/basket and without knowing it, I start making assumptions. As mentioned before, I wanted to make a comment on the relationship between the humans, non-humans and the environment within a household. This led to the idea of exploring the relationship and discovering the purpose of the indoor plants within my own home.
With further research, I focused on one specific area, Feng Shui. As well as having the ability to lean the air, "Plants have innate positive chi, clear the air of allergens, and really do wonders for us," Marianne Gordon of Feng Shui With Me says. "Much like caring for animals, caring for plants and the action of planting or watering elevates our chi and makes us true or more grounded." Plants are associated with the wood element and are believed to balance the other elements within the house: fire, metal, air and earth.
For my first experimental activity, I took some photos that I found quite interesting to look at. After an in-class critic session between my fellow classmates, I was able to see which direction I want to take with my project and imagine what my final work would be like. For my next experiment I wanted to move away from photography but not completely. Having decided on a personal/cultural theme. I found two photos which were taken from my last trip overseas to my mother's hometown in China and the other photo was of buildings at night in Hong Kong. With these two photos I did some small alterations with the colour/ contrast and hue/saturation options to enhance the photo. These images reflect a different relationship between humans and non-humans in a different environment/setting. The environment which you are brought up in has a relatively high impact on the individual's life.
For my third experiment I went back to photography and further explored the indoor and outdoor plants and experimented on how I would like to document them. For my fourth and last experiment I went to search for more information about the Chinese Zodiac, here I wanted to explore the relationship between humans and non-humans. The Chinese Zodiac is part of a traditional Chinese Culture. There are 12 Zodiac signs and are represented by 12 animals. Together they form a recurring cycle where one year is represented by an animal. Each Zodiac sign has an element. It is believed that the year a person is born determines their zodiac sign which affects their personality. It is also believed that there are different degrees of compatibility between the Zodiac signs. The relationship between humans determined by their Zodiac sign really interests me. Furthermore, Chinese culture, the koi fish holds many meanings. It symbolises, good fortune, success, prosperity, longevity, courage, etc. However, Koi in Feng Shui, is said to attract abundance and prosperity. Although I really liked the significance of the fish and the photos I took, I felt like it looks unfinished.
For my final work, I decided to choose the following photos. The plants I have chosen to display as a part of my final work includes, Orchids and Snake plant. With my final work I wanted to express the significance of the plants by exploring the relationship and discovering the purpose of the indoor plants within my own home. Plants are believed to help the flow of energy within the house and help build a harmonious relationship between the family. I represented the images separately with a white background around them to communicate that you can't just have one plant, you need other types to balance out the energy within one's house. The white background is the space within the house, the different positions where the plants placed in the rooms.
Reference
1. Harness.J. Mental Floss ' 11 artists Doing Amazing Things With Recycled Materials' [12th Nov 2013. Available from http://mentalfloss.com/article/13046/11-artists-doing-amazing-things-recycled-materials [Online. Accessed 4th Sept 2018]
2. Frazier.K. Lovetoknow 'Feng Shui Plants' [2006-2018 Available from] https://feng-shui.lovetoknow.com/feng-shui-home/feng-shui-plants [Online. Accessed 7th Sept 2018]
3. Carty.L.S Lovetoknow 'What Do Koi Fish Symbolize?' 2014 [2006-2018 Available from] https://feng-shui.lovetoknow.com/What_Do_Koi_Fish_Symbolize [Online. Accessed 14th Sep 2018]
4. Kelly. ChinaHighlights '10 Simple Facts For Discovering The Chinese Zodiac' [Available from] https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/facts.htm [Online. Accessed 14th Sept 2018]