Picture picked:
This is my favorite image among all 7 photos I collected because it’s artistically composed and pleasing, and also it mirrors the past me in a conservative repetitive education system.
I was in Chinese Local school for 9 years where I do repetitive idealess works and isolated from creativity. Learning under the repressive system forced me to create imaginary fantasy characters to escape reality and maintain imagination.
These characters have since transformed into an essential component of my artworks and theme, and even become the main characters for my storybook.
What if questions (by Danielle)
-Source-
- what if you performed this image and made a short film of it?
- What if you live-performed it?
-Material-
- What if you make a mask out of plaster or clay or paper mache?
–Content-
- What if you try not to make fun of education and aim to express some other theme?
I picked Danielle’s material “what if question” and decided to make a rabbit headwear with paper mache.
Making Process
Materials list:
Ballons, white glue, newspaper, masking tape, foam, butterfly decoration.
Process:
- use a balloon to create the base of the shape of a head.
- whittle foam into the shape of rabbit ears as the base
- connect the ears with the head using masking tape
- put 3/4 of white glue and 1/4 water to create the paper mache gel
- put 3-4 layers of newspaper with paper mache gel over the base of the head I made.
- glue the butterfly decoration on the position of eyes after the gel dried.
Completed work:
Concept & Reflection
1, What is the content/meaning of your artwork and how does it relate to your theme?
Relates to my past, I want to demonstrate how education has shifted my identity as someone who transferred from Chinese local school to International school, from conservative repetitive system to a device and innovative environment.
2, What are the signifiers in your finished artwork?
The Overlapping Colorful newspaper full of Chinese words signifies the Chinese system
The reflective metal butterfly as eyes signifies the ability to escape reality and fly to dreams, a sense of hope and fantasy. Seeing the world through a dream-like lense.
The idea of a mask signifies restrictive language and expression, the desire to hide from something.
The shape of a rabbit head signifies imagined character and associate with rabbits who are used as experimental animals.
3, If your artwork is to be placed into the general circulation of Visual Culture, where would it go, what would it do, who would see it and where might it end up? (examples, a billboard, in a gallery, a prop in a movie or advertisement, etc.)
I would want my artwork to be part of a live performing art piece in a 5×5 meter square room with glass-wall. The viewers are viewing performers from the outside through the glass. The performers are doing repeating movements under quite rhythmic sounds. To symbolize how students in these repressive systems have lost their identity and forced to shape in a planned way. Rhythmic sounds as a sign of time pass by. The viewers viewing through without interacting to demonstrate the people who didn’t stand up to protect young souls’ identities.
What I learned from this project/making activity was__how to interact a image with my own emotions and identity, and how to use media/material to specify my idea.
The material/medium was/wasn’t successful at supporting the content because_it’s light and decorative which fits my setting of it being a wearable headwear_.
What I learned about my content through this medium exploration was_the realization of how big of a role education plays in shaping identity and how speechless media such as sculptures or images can still perfectly “speak” for me_.
