integrated cultural self-portrait in tile
creating the installation design –
my prototype
popular prototype (labyrinth)
final prototype (playpen)
my original idea for this project’s prototype was to create a house-type structure that could be interactively walked inside. although, this idea was difficult because in order to build it we would’ve had to keep the individual tiles joined together permanently instead of being detachable. my idea was also difficult because it wouldn’t be structurally stable without supporting beams inside. we decided between two different designs my other classmates suggested; the labyrinth and the playpen. we decided on the playpen because we thought it would be interesting and fun to be able to climb/crawl inside of it and make it an interactive piece that involved your whole body.
building the structure
we first started by attaching two hinges to each side of our tiles and aligning it to the board next to it.
we then decided how to arrange the tiles together, and how the observer would walk in and out of the installation.
we decided to make the viewer crawl into the structure because stepping over the tiles could be problematic for short people. no tripping!
after finalizing our idea, we labeled who’s tile would go where by writing our names on a chart and labeling each tile so as to remember who’s tiles goes next to who’s.
designing my tile –
sketches
the first thought I had after visiting and getting my casting orientation was that I wanted to incorporate hand casting somehow into this project! I firstly wanted to make my hand or fingers into a shelf to make the visuals of my tile more interesting. my first idea for a concept was to make it all about the five senses, each attempting to make the observer interact with each of the senses when encountering my tile. because of the time crunch and the fact that the tile had to be a self-portrait, I decided to rethink my idea.
the story I ultimately wanted to tell was about the multiple ways I present myself to the world, and how these different parts of my personality are always overlapping and connecting. I ended up going with the concept of yin and yang, representing it with my color choice and using a koi fish to depict the yin and yang symbol. using the koi fish was also representative for me because I have a tattoo of it and it resembles perseverance and good luck!
construction –
the secret
the first step of this project was to add a secret sealed up forever inside the tile! we did this by drilling a hole inside one of the sides of the tile and rolling up the slip of paper with the note and putting it inside. we sealed it inside with a dowel and wood glue.
the windows
I started out creating the windows by sketching and measuring out where I wanted to cut out the holes and place the mirrors. we had glass provided to us by our professor Robert, and we all got 4×4 in squares. so I decided to cut the hole a half-inch smaller so I could build a frame to hold the piece of glass.
after cutting out the windows with a jigsaw with Robert’s helping hand, I had to sand vigorously to make the sides straight.
I found two pieces of scrap wood pieces that I decided to use for the frame.
after measuring and cutting the pieces to fit the 4×4 in glass square, I glued the pieces together with wood glue. I added an additional piece on the side of the frame so as to keep the piece of glass from sliding out of the side and shattering.
I then aligned the frame to the window and glued on the frame to the tile.
the drawer
to start off I cut out pieces of a thinner type of wood to create the drawer. I then lined up the pieces and sanded them to be straight. after I glued each piece together and used an f-clamp to hold the pieces together to dry. I then painted it white.
for the drawer crevice, I reused the poplar wood from the previous project and cut it to fit the drawer insert. I cut these pieces by using the bandsaw and sanding it straight with the sander in the woodshop. to ensure the pieces fit together, I continued using the sander in the woodshop to get straight edges. I attached the drawer to the tile with wood glue and putting heavy things on top to ensure a strong ledge.
the door
because my other glass piece got stolen from the making center, I decided to make the second frame I made an opportunity to use it as a door. I found another piece of scrap wood from the making center and measured it to fit inside the frame. I used hinges to attach the door to the frame. to do this I used an awl to mark the screw spots and a drill to make it easier to screw in the hinges. I made another mistake during this part as the door doesn’t close all the way, as I screwed the hinges in unevenly because of the weird angle I had when attaching the screws to the frame.
casting
when casting my fingers, I made sure to use the algae-based casting formula so it wouldn’t burn my hand!
for the mold, I had to use one part water, one part powder and keep my hand inside for 10-15 minutes.
I had made a few errors in the duration of this part as I added too much water as the mold came out jiggly and still super wet. I also made the same mistake when putting in the plaster, as it took a really long time to dry and came out of the mold still feeling wet until the next day.
I originally cast my fingers with T-pins inside them, but the pins were too long for the wood so I ended up trying again and using epoxy to glue the finger directly to the tile. I then painted the fingers with iridescent acrylic. I also added two little pinky fingers to use as drawer handles!
painting the inside/outside
I started the decor of the tile by adding clay around the windows to create a more organic feel to the hard wooden board. I then painted the outside white, dabbing the paintbrush to give it a textured effect similar to water ripples or splashes.
I chose to add some more textural aspects to the white side using black to show the seeping of the yang side into the yin.
I then painted koi fish onto the white side using silver and gold alcohol ink.
I added a black pocket to the white side of the board using an upholstery staple gun in the woodshop.
I added pieces of hanging jewelry onto my finger shelves to give the piece more dimension and to reflect my personal style and aesthetic.
I then painted the inside of the tile black, using gold accents to bring in some light to the darkness. I used gold foil and rubber cement to paint a koi fish.
I added silver alcohol ink to the inside of the window to give a dripping illusion of light into the dark side of the tile.
I added a perfume bottle and some little drinks that are actually earrings to sit on top of the drawer/shelf!
I added a pearl necklace inside the drawer to symbolize and connect to the water feeling of the piece and to again add some more balance of light and dark to the black side of the tile.
I added the mirror to reflect the duality of the piece and how both sides have both light and dark within them. I really wanted to depict how there are two sides of me that are always intertwining and meshing with each other.
overall I really enjoyed this project even though it was incredibly stressful for me to figure out what I wanted to do and how I wanted the finished project to look. I feel as though I depicted the vision I wanted, although there are always things I wish I could change or improve!
