1) Reflect on our trip to the UN. What did you think of your visit? Which speaker did you find the most inspiring and/or interesting and why? What surprised you the most about the experience? What did it feel like to be inside the UN to hear these conversations?
I considered the visit to the United Nation quite relaxing and interesting, because there were many novel things to learn. Among the three speakers in the UN, I found that the person who talked about Denmark was the most inspiring and interesting to me. His lectures about Denmark gave me an opportunity to get to know about the Danish culture in detail, which I had some interest but neglected to research. He also discussed about various types of chairs sculpted in Denmark. The most surprising part of the presentation was that Denmark is currently the number 1 country of sustainability in the world. I knew Denmark, alongside with Norway and Finland, has a great social welfare system, but it is also the leading country in sustaining the environment. Additionally, the interior Danish structures of the UN, such as chairs and desks, made me feel as if I were a president inside the Congress Building participating in an important international meeting.
2 Post a digital file or documentation of your completed Systems Map/Model on your LP. AND bring a printed copy to class for presentation and crit.
3) Reflect on your process for the three Art + Science labs (kombucha, watercolor and natural dye). Post an image of all three projects in their completed form (your samples from each project’s process). Did your projects turn out as expected? What was it like to grown your own material (leather)? What vegetables/plants did you use as dye? What surprised you the most in the process of these projects? Which did you enjoy the most? Which was the most challenging? Will you continue to work with any of them in your future work?
Overall, my projects did turn out as expected. Growing my own leather was a new experience, as it was neither animal nor plant. Initially, I checked the kombucha every day and got little nervous as I could not observe any growth. I did not borrow the heat mat, so I wondered if my room temperature was not high enough for it to grow properly. However, after some time had passed, by the time I forgot to check it daily, a layer formed at the top of the liquid before I realize, which surprised me much. From then, I enjoyed watching it getting thicker and longer – it eventually got bent a bit as the container became too small for it. For the watercolor project, drawing a red pepper and a blueberry with the watercolor made from red pepper and blueberry was interesting and funny. Furthermore, I used spinach for my natural dye project. On my first try, I either did not simmer long enough or added too much water; my dye was too faint and I could not really tell the difference among the mordants. Thankfully it worked better on the second try, but the simmering was definitely the hardest part of all experiment (I almost burned my pot during the process). Compared to the natural dye, the other two projects were rather simple and did not require too much attention. While the kombucha leather needed some initial set up, it was still a lot easier than simmering for half an hour and more; I do not think I would continue to work with the natural dye.
