Find your Beach

The advertisement that I chose is an ad that comes across very often on my Instagram page. It is from a Korean online store called Yes style. The website sells on-trend Asian lifestyle items at an affordable price. The website is most popular amongst teenagers interested in Asian pop culture studying in North America since the website covers brands that these teenagers are normally exposed to.

In the advertisement, it depicts a super slender, fair skin model dressed in a beige mini skirt with a mini cream white crop top and a see-through cardigan on top. The model is placed in a very simplistic background, cohesive to the color palette of her outfit. The photograph is conveying a strong sense of simplicity and casualness, with a hint of sexiness in it. I definitely think my everyday stylistic choice is highly influenced by these advertisements. With an aim to look clean, casual, approachable and feminine. Also, considering my status in my surrounding environment, the advertisement serves as a solution to look artsy and classy at an affordable price.

My perspective on body image serves as a factor from these advertisements as well. After being bombarded by similar advertisements with a slender model in it, it subconsciously paints a false image in my mind, of what an average woman should look like to be wearing these clothes. And this results in a daily routine, where I would pick clothing that depicts a more slender version of myself. I believe this touches upon the categories of politics and culture. Since this image strongly depicts the stereotypical image of Asian women.

One Week’s Trash / Assessment & Creative Response

Creative Response:

Spreadsheet/Log document.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rL6WNZSucf0ugLxE4-kGzRtoXnZXEftFuxjAUJIwNO8/edit?usp=sharing

After documenting my waste, I realize my biggest category of waste comes from plastic. I am most annoyed by the amount of contact lense cap I throw out on a weekly bases. Never have I imagined the amount of plastic I could accumulate by just using disposable contact lenses every day. On top of that, candy wrappers, paper wrappers, and containers. All forms of packaging made out of plastic that I’m not aware of. How can I avoid accumulating them? I believe a lot of it comes down to changing habits and ditching the idea of convenience. To start, I would like to switch to using monthly contacts instead of daily.  

 

INT.SEM -Bridge 1 fieldwork process

One thing I found most interesting was a flyer looking for a cat caretaker. And one of the requirements states “A professional Highly Educated Kind Lady” And that started to make me question what a professional high educated kind lady looks like, what do they do? What do they eat? How do they behave?

INT.STU Final research

Reflection:

When I first came up with the idea of researching cigarette commercials, I never would’ve thought that I’d end up tieing the theme of “truth” into this project. Initially, my intention was to only research the concept, story, and aesthetics behind a successful commercial campaign and recreate my own ad exaggerating those advertisement techniques to criticize the media’s effect on increasing the rate of smokers in the 90s and 80s. However, after reading maps of the imagination and reflecting back to my seminar research, I started to wonder how the media, in general, have led to my depiction of smokers. And has led to my urge to criticize advertisement campaigns for promoting something that I believe is negative. Therefore, I created a series of photographs, accompanied by text magnifying the media’s influence on myself. The texts are slogans and conversations I’ve grown up with, which influenced my depiction of smokers. The photographs are taken in the perspective of how adults I’ve grown up with would want me to depict teenage smokers as, to prevent me from becoming “one of them”.

Overall, exploring the theme of manipulation in media in both studio and seminar has been very intriguing. I am glad that my main idea came across in the final piece and started a meaningful discussion in class. I look forward to keep developing on this piece and go deeper into this research as well.

Risograph:

INT.STU Final.2

Initial Research Proposal :

For this research assignment, I chose to research advertisement posters, films, and news media that portray the cigarette culture amongst teenagers in the 40s-80s. I was drawn to the topic after listening to a podcast from the New York Times “The Promise and Peril of Vaping, Part 2 The story of Juul” In the podcast, it addresses how Juul advertisements play a role on this ongoing trend for vaping. Therefore I was curious to see how cigarette commercials are like back in the 40s to 80s. For my risograph poster, I would like to create an advertisement for an e-cigarette company emulating the commercial style back in the 40s to 80s.

Mindmap:

The Human Non- Human

Written reflection

Profile of Non-Human response, Emobied lessons :

The Non-human that I chose is my dog Bingo. I admire his positivity, energy, and lovingness growing up. And although he is not by my side anymore, I still remember the happiness and playfulness he brings to the people around him. Therefore I want to create an object that brings out the child-like qualities to people. Something that a person would wear on a jolly day and spreads positivity.

I have always wanted to explore making jewelry and accessories with delicate details, therefore I chose to create a set of earrings and a headband. I believe the size of the earring and the color palette I chose for the headband support my idea of creating something cute and child-like. Throughout the process, I have learned technical skills such as creating small detailed shapes from wire,  3D building with hot glue and different knot constructions. And one lesson that I found most rewarding is developing the skill to make earring attachments from wire. Design as such is often overlooked from its complexity.

Embodied lessons:

  1. Model making with hot glue
  2. Creating earring attachments
  3. Utilizing daily tools such as tips of a ball pen to create detailed shapes with clay
  4. Using clay as a mold for hot glue
  5. Knot constructions
  6. Different types of fabric response
  7. Single stitch

3D sketch model

Sketch

Fullscale prototype 

Process photos

researching different types of earring attachments and knot constructions

photographing final works

Molding hot glue to clay

Technical drawings 

Final photographs 

 

 

Introduction to Research: Yesterday’s Tomorrow

Research Proposal :

For this research assignment, I chose to research advertisement posters, films, and news media that portray the cigarette culture amongst teenagers in the 40s-80s. I was drawn to the topic after listening to a podcast from the New York Times “The Promise and Peril of Vaping, Part 2 The story of Juul” In the podcast, it addresses how Juul advertisements play a role on this ongoing trend for vaping. Therefore I was curious to see how cigarette commercials are like back in the 40s to 80s. For my risograph poster, I would like to create an advertisement for an e-cigarette company emulating the commercial style back in the 40s to 80s.

Mind Map:

 

Social Ecological Space Mini Projects

Photos of original object

3 compositions of component parts

photo documentation of new piece

 

 

 

 

process documentation

Written Reflection

Object Story:
I have had this pair of forever 21 jeans since 5 years ago. Through these 5 years I have lost them, torn them, overgrown them as well as repaired them numerous times. It has been through several stylistic changes in my wardrobe and has not been eliminated once. However, I am slowly witnessing that the fabric is losing its color and elasticity. Therefore I chose to deconstruct this pair of jeans for this project. To give this garment another usage before it reaches the end of its life as a pair of jeans.
Embodied Lessons
1. Learned different ways of hand sewing (running stitch, back stitch, blind stich etc..)
2. Learned how to use a sewing machine.
I learned the basic structure of a sewing machine, I learned how to set a machine up,  control the pedal, how to make a straight stitch, and precautions to sewing a zipper on.
3. Learned methods to deconstruct and piece together fabric strategically to create more “professional” looking seems.
4. Learned to reverse stitch on a sewing machine to secure the seem

Int. Stu Skillshare workshop

For the skillshare workshop, I decided to teach my classmates how to make a portable studio lightbox. A design that has been very useful for my classes at parsons especially for taking product photography. After conducting the workshop I realize that the time is not enough for my peers to finish creating a lightbox. Which resulted in having my classmates to bring home the materials and finishing it up on their own. If I were to conduct this workshop again, I would only do a quick demonstration of how to make the lightbox and focus more on the photography aspect inside the lightbox. For example, teaching my peers how to create interesting shadows, lighting techniques and angles to taking product photography. However, I am glad to see some of my classmates were interested in the design and toke the materials home to continue.

Int. Stu Pierre Cardin Review

I found it very interesting to see Pierre Cardin’s Futuristic design from 1960s to 1980s today. Because as Pierre’s “future audience” I believe he had a pretty accurate vision to what future fashion looked like. From materials such as vinyl to organic circular shapes in his design, he had brought the future to the eyes in the past. Despite his extraordinary designs I found his idea of creating unisex couture clothing to be very contemporary. A design that I enjoy a lot is his rib trim vinyl maxi coat. It is a red unisex coat made of vinyl. During the 60s plastic is not a common material to be used in fashion. Looking through the eyes of the past, I believe the glossiness of the plastic and the straight zipper on the side chest really gave a futuristic look to it’s audience. Especially the ambiguous sex of the model must have created interesting conversation around its audience. Overall I really enjoy the exhibition and wonder if there are artists today like Pierre, creating fashion depicting the future today.

Space & Mat – Body Rooted in Place

3D paper/cardboard study models

Concept Sketches

Full-scale cardboard/muslin prototype

Process Photos

Scaled Orthographic Drawings

Final photographs

Written Reflection

LESSONS:

Material lessons:

  • Heat ceiling plastic vinyl
  • Plastic Vinyl is made of Ethylane and Chlorine
  • The difference between plastic and Vinyl is the chemicals it is made out of. Plastic is made from poly propylane resin and Vinyl is made from plyvinyl chloride (PVC)
  • Home-depot sells Plastic Vinyl . Usually sold as Carpet films/ shower curtains
  • Vinyl is easy to break after folding too much
  • There is two layers. Option for using thinner material or thicker.
  • Learned alot about different types of plastic glue, adhesive fasteners

Embodied lesson:

  • Self-protection: To wear mask or be in ventilated room to heat vinyl
  • My body gained a sensitivity to heat. Using heat to determine the time for melting.
  • Gained a stronger connection and memory with my site partner by modifying the discomfort.
  • Challenged myself to use an unknown material.
  • Side effects of inhaling too much chemical – felt dizzy, nauseous
  • How to safely remove glue from skin ( melt under warm water slowly rubbing it off)

No/Yes/Modify