Topic

Recent years, many fashion companies banned size zero model or fired some to show that they do not want promote the image of super skinny and unhealthy diet. However, I saw a model posted no her social media: “So many people asked me if I have anorexia, I just don’t. I workout, I’m just skinny from a young age. What’s the difference between asking a skinny girl whether she has anorexia and asking a obese girl if she has bulimia?”

If someone can be naturally a size 10, others can be naturally size 0, too. Many companies are trying to protect the group of people that are not that skinny, but it should not be based on harming the slim people to denying their image

Resources:

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/jaime-king-model-ban-size-zero-fashion-industry-a7949476.html

 

Project Final

In this project, I created composable ear pieces with fabrics and thread to further explore the relationship between the weather in union sqaure and human activity.

Topic – Sol Jihn

A political issue I want to utilize in this project is the depiction and sexualization of the female form in media, government, and by the gaze of the public. This is mainly because Korea is extremely conservative and underhand misogyny is heavily present in the entertainment industry. I was often discouraged from wearing certain outfits or wearing too much makeup from both Korean and American culture out of looking “immodest” or even “prostitute like”. I want to raise question if not changing the perspective of society why it is acceptable for external influences to control my physical appearance and even sexualize it, but when I choose to do so, I am disgraced. The constant need to conform to a standard imposed by people who don’t know who I am appalls me, and the fact that it is targeted specifically to women is just as offensive. Spycam pornography and secretly recording women is a very prevalent issue and it comes at the expense of the privacy of women–and it is not fair.

 

Source 1:

Click to access mulvey-visualpleasure.pdf

 

Source 2:

The Handmaiden, 2016 (Movie)

 

Source 3:

https://www.economist.com/asia/2018/12/08/south-korean-women-v-the-patriarchy

Manci, Topic: Chinese art films & the sixth generation of Chinese directors

Source1: Cannes Film Festival: Chinese film industry evolution embodied by ‘sixth generation’ directors Jia Zhangke and Zhang Ming

https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2145097/cannes-film-festival-chinese-film-industry-evolution-embodied-sixth

 

Source2: Jia Zhangke: why my films are received differently in China and abroad

https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/film-tv/article/1871408/jia-zhangke-why-my-films-are-received-differently-china-and-abroad

 

Source3: The reformation of Chinese Cinema and the birth of the the Six generation of Chinese directors

http://www.sohu.com/a/195458395_425345

 

I hardly have watched any Chinese art films until going abroad. In the past I was exposed to, and was  more interested in French and American films. Recently, I happened to watch Ash is the purest white with my sister, a great film with dark humor and a touch of people’s mental state in China. I have noticed that the majority of Chinese audience preferred popular movie genres, and merely exposed to art films. During the winter break, I went back China and watched a highly rated art film called The Last Night on Earth because interestingly, it received a lot of angry complaints from a part of the audience, mostly those who are not used to art film genre. It again called on my curiosity in learning about the situation of Chinese art films: where are them now and how is the Chinese cinema going to improve?

I looked up theree sources with related key words describing the situation and problems we are facing

  1. Chinese art films need a diversity of film languages and aesthetics.—Shen Yang
  2. “I think the main factor is our different perceptions of the current reality [in China],” says Jia of audiences in China. “It’s whether they can agree with the reality presented in my films. There was a dramatic shift in 2008 when nationalism began to rear its head. [It is promulgated] that China cannot have problems; that artists cannot reflect on China’s problems; that China is a happy society without a tinge of sadness,” he says.
  3. 第六代最初指北京电影学院导演系85级、87级学生,他们在校期间就被期待成为第五代的接班人。可是他们毕业分配到各电影厂后却发现很难有拍片机会,即使像王小帅选择边缘性的福建电影制片厂也没能复制第五代“一鸣惊人”的模式。其中摄影系出身的张元在用极低的成本拍摄黑白片《妈妈》却未申请公映许可证,而是私自带出国外参加国际电影节并获奖,这为在体制内找不到“出头日”的第六代提供了范式。

    ( The sixth generation was expected to become the ‘fifth’ while they were in college. However, after graduation they found it hard to direct their own movies when assigned to several domestic studios. Also art films were hardly approved by authority and got chance to be played in cinemas because the political and social sensitivity in content.)

Topic- Alyssa

 

 

 

The topic I chose was the recent defunding of Planned Parenthood in several states along with the “gag rule” preventing safe and legal abortions. This is a major issue because it not only prevents women from having safe abortions, but also prevents millions of patients from receiving accessible health care. This is so frustrating to me because this administration feels as though they have a right to police women’s bodies and limit anyone from their health care rights. There is a negative stigma about Planned Parenthood and that they “promote abortions,” meanwhile abortions only make up 2% of their provided services. Their other services include: STI/HIV testing/treatment, pregnancy testing, forms of contraception, sex education, cancer screenings, and primary care. Removing Planned Parenthood will not end abortions, it will only end safe ones.

 

https://dailycaller.com/2019/04/05/massachusetts-planned-parenthood-funds/

https://hellogiggles.com/news/states-trying-to-defund-planned-parenthood/?utm_source=emailshare&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-share-article&utm_content=2019040

Ohio Has a New Strategy to Defund Planned Parenthood—and Other States May Follow Its Lead

 

 

Current Upcycle Topic-Scyler

The topic I am looking into for the upcycle project is animal abuse involved in the fashion industry.  Millions of animals are killed every year so that we can wear them, or animals are tested on (without regard for their well being) for our fiber for our clothing products.  The process of creating new clothing from animals is abusive and damaging to the environment, yet it isn’t talked about very much.  I think making a garment with a political statement is a great way to draw attention to the subject.

 

Some sites with information about the issue:

 

Animals Used for Clothing

 

Animals Used for Clothing

Fashion and Animal Welfare: Everything You Should Know Before You Buy

 

 

Current Topic -Dilara

The topic I    looked into was how fast fashion factories emit mass amounts of greenhouse gases. It is estimated that five percent of global greenhouse gases come from the fashion industry which is about equal to the amount that Russia emits as well, to put things into perspective. This is obviously very bad. The way garments are produced, even in mass markets, need to change in order to become more sustainable. Some companies liked H&M have vowed adapt to more sustainable practices by 2030, which is good but not soon enough which I    feel is the main issue at hand. In order to avoid further harm to our environment, we can’t wait until 2030 for change. Change needs to happen now.

https://fashionista.com/2017/09/fashion-industry-greenhouse-gas-climate-change-sustainability

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-017-0058-9

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/environment/amp/fashion-industry-may-use-quarter-of-world-s-carbon-budget-by-2050-61183

Project inspiration + concept

My concept is to make a soft-structure skateboard as a comfort object. The stickers will be embroidered instead. Some of the stickers will be in protest against the rule that you can’t skate in Washington Square Park anymore.

My inspiration is an exhibit I saw in Houston 2 years ago (I can’t find images now, sorry) where they wrapped found objects and wrapped them in canvas and then sold them to people with adoption papers. Most of the objects were baby-related, such as socks, smocks, strollers.

More inspo:

Project Statement- Alyssa

My project is creating a tote bag with an embroidered/painted design that represents the interconnectivity of my site, which is my local public library. The text will read “am New York” which is taken from my sketch (and also a picture taken while at the library) and also gives context to the space and how it is used. This is particularly inspired by the morning or “am” life of the library. For the image I will create a rainbow open book to show the main source of connection and the vibrancy of the books within the space.

Zine Project

my_ricecooker-2fqhexk (PDF file of my zine)

When presented this assignment about my identity, I decided to pick an aspect of myself that I always had trouble understanding from my childhood. I often wondered whether I am Korean or an American, but it never struck to me that I could be both. My parents are Korean immigrants, and I am a first generation American. I learned Korean as a required skill to communicate with my parents, but I learned English to connect with the world that was separate from my house. However, as I came to college, I realized that the gap between my crossed cultures was growing bigger because I began to use more English than Korean. I decided to use a rice cooker that my mom had sent me to illustrate the story of my mother and I’s relationship. And despite the fact that I am an American and my mom is Korean by legal definition, the rice cooker my mom sent served as a bridge to connect our barriers when language failed both of us. However, I wanted to keep this zine as simple as I could without breaching any unnecessary emotional thresholds. Therefore, I ended the zine by simply stating the story in its most non fiction form, which is that my mom had sent me a rice cooker and I made rice with it.

I grew very attached to this project very quickly, so I had a very natural process to create it. I wanted something abstract yet sentimental, so I spent a lot of time trying to weave in a metaphor without cheesy text. The process was very based off of my own stream of consciousness, and I followed my organic attachment towards it in order to make it meaningful to both the author and the spectator. Overall, I enjoyed exploring an identity that I had ignored for so long and communicating my thoughts when finally confronted with it.

Concept

I was inspired by the subway map to use the colorful lines in my work with embroidery. I plan to use black vinyl as my fabric as it is close to the idea that the technology that we are using now is an extension of ourselves. Essentially, the gloves will become an extension of our arms as I plan to put keyboard keys onto the fingertips.

Inspiration, Manci

I plan to use organza as my basic material. I looked up the works of the artist Benjamin Shine because he used tulle to represent his ideas. Many of us realize the fragile characteristic of tulle or organza or any other gauze-like material, but I appreciate that Benjamin overcame the difficulty of using the textile, considering that it is very soft and thus hard to control.  Benjamin also played well with the tangible materials and give them untouchable smoke-like effect. I am interested in the techniques he applied to support the fabrics and make them stand on their own.

In the panel that I will make, I want to reserve the uncertainty of the material. The shape of the panel would be close to circular, since my idea is that the street performers spread their passion like radiation to surroundings.

I want to sew a pillow like structure with organza and put the content inside. The pillow would probably be lying rather than standing or hanging.

Inspiration and Concept-Scyler Byrne

These pieces were made by Al Loving, a mixed media artist.  I found his works inspiring because he uses abstraction to create unique art that makes the viewer want to know more.  Loving makes his wall hangings by dying strips of torn canvas and attaching them together.

For my piece, I also want to do a wall hanging that incorporates strips of fabric–weaving in geomoetric pattern.  I think this process reflects interconectivity in a way, and I would like to dye my fabric with tea and coffee since my site is a coffee shop.  I would also embroider over the wall hanging in an organic pattern, which would contrast the gridlike weave (I noticed a contrast in the activity of my coffee shop).

 

inspiration – dilara huryasar

These pieces by artist Maya Matthew inspires me because I    think the choice of using muslin to create a book like form is really interesting. The idea to use fabric at all as opposed to another perhaps more solid medium creates a unique end product that is both visually and texturally appealing to those viewing the piece. The detailed embroidery work Matthew has done also adds to this visual appeal.

My own project is similar to this piece regarding materiality, however I    would like to take on an approach with more narrative.

Health and Wellness

My chosen location for the field site research was Student Health Services. Similar to what a lot of students discovered at their chosen field sites, I found that each section seemed very independent. The receptionists stayed within the reception area and the Peer Health Advocates stayed relative to their space. Each person played a role that helped to assist order within the medical facility. I noticed that both doctoral faculty and students connected best and most while helping students. The doctors would do all possible for the needs of students and would students. By making oils, natural teas, and sleep kits, PHA’s spread wellness and health throughout The New School.  I want to approach the promotion of health among the community by using what both doctors and students do, medicine. I plan to incorporate lavender, ginger, eucalyptus, and other natural herbs in my embroidery project.

Interconnectivity sketches

My field study location was at the bean coffee shop. When I was there, I realized that there were two types of poeple there. Ones who were meeting up with friends and ones who were doing work on their laptops. Everyone was in their own bubble, not really interacting with anyone outside their circle. As I was brainstorming about the interconnectivity inside the coffee shop, I realized that everyone was so excluded from each other, and the only thing that really connected people together in the coffee shop was the internet. So for my bridge three I want to explore how the internet decides is into our own universe, yet still connects us with each other.

Concept Sketch, Manci

Concept: public performers glow with their passion like heat source transmitting energy to the surrounding. This transmitting process isn’t even. It cannot reach everyone. It is impossible for the performers to affect every audience, and sometimes it can be really lonely, but even knowing that there is just one who understands the performer’s body language and emotions is encouraging enough for the performers. These invisible radiation rays go through people and connect strangers into a community. It can be from one performer to an audience, or one performer to the other. The warmer the color is, the more connected they are.

Approach: Two layers. The bottom layer has printed patterns on it. The top layer combines various materials including fabric and thread and even acrylic sheet. The goal is to maintain a gap between two layers so as to create sense of 3D.

sketches

For my embroidery project I want to use old fabric swatches from a company that my mom works for that sells mens clothing. She has a lot of different samples of different suiting materials. This represents the idea of the business man and woman going through these parks and commuting. I want to stitch all of these materials together to create a big sheet. I plan to embroider vine/ flowers into the material to show the aspect of nature in the city which is mostly what I was studying at my field site. I may also incorporate the famous monuments at each location, the flat iron and the arch.

 

 

3 sketches for fabric project-Scyler

Concept: To recyle fabric and dye with different tea, coffee, and natural dyes, creating an array of colors.  Then I would cut the fabrics into pieces and and repiece into one large piece of fabrc. I would then use this new fabric to construct a hat that covers the eyes.  This process would reflect the contradiciton I noticed at my field site–the interconectiviy among the people at Bwe Kafe, as well as the barrier that technology created in the space.  If I don’t do a hat, I will do a wall hanging with embroidery in the same process as the hat.

3 sketches for fabric & thread project -dilara

 

My concept for this piece is to explore the narrative I    encountered during the time I    spent at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe by creating a “book” made from fabric and perhaps other materials that include pages that will contain quotes, ideas and imagery I    overheard there by the bookstore-cafe goers. My goal is to highlight how the bookstore-cafe was a “safe space” for many who chose to spend their time there and through the quotes and imagery, give a small glimpse into the lives of those people.

Florence Gao Zine Reflection

Below is the link to my whole zine(flipping through the entire zine), it was too large of a file to be directly uploaded to this post.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uuV6i9cF8wm5Eka13X_aoYwqeeDcBJRC/view?usp=sharing

(please log in to your New School email account for access)

Zvc  

My zine was about my trouble of sleeping and how my cat that I adopted helped me through it. Basically, my zine contains a few pages of me alone, then introduced my sleeping problems and smoking problems, then to when I first met my cat and at last I gave up smoking+slept much better now because of my cat. In the end, I also attached a part of my therapist’s letter about my cat being my emotional support animal, which I hope it would help my readers understand what my zine is about. Above is the front cover or my zine. For the cover, I used one of the previous pieces that I did called “Studio Chaos” that was based on my nightmare/the messy feeling that I had while working in my studio.

I feel like it would be hard for a lot of people to understand what my cat means for me-to me, he is more than a pet. Before having him, I would wake up at least 3 times per night and have reoccurring nightmares. After getting my cat, I not only got less depressed, having him slept by my side also made me able to sleep without taking medicines. I feel that my cat is a big part of my identity, just because that sleeping is so important(think about this, about 1/3 of our life we spent sleeping).

Here is what my zine looked like in my indesign. One of the photos of multiple me and my cat was photoshopped. That took me a long time and hard work but I love how it turned out, that is for sure my favorite page of all.

 

I made all my zine except the handwriting part on InDesign and printed the final one at village copier. I first tried to print it on the procolor printer and the first day the printer broke so I could not print at all. The second day it successfully printed but it was a much bigger size than I wanted and also the color was quite off(I had a lot of vibrant colors). Then I went to a shop to print out my zine in the size and color I wanted, but when I wanted to pick it up they told me that their machine was broken so they could not bind my zine. In the end, I had to go to village copier the day before it is due and paid the extra fee for the rush fee and got my zine 30 minutes before school started and wrote rest of my scripts when the class was starting.

If I would do another zine, I would definitely make sure that my printing was successful at the first time. It was such a struggle to print and this was my first ever zine so I never like tried to print anything like this. I think this was a great experience to try making something that I have never done and I think I did a pretty good job of making the whole zine looked put together and all the concepts throughout my zine made sense. However, my handwriting is crappy because I was in such a hurry and made a writing mistake. I would so want to do it better if I had more time(but I guess it kinda represents the clumsy side of me..). Other than that, I think my zine was very put together and I am satisfied with my first ever zine.

 

 

Interconnectivity Project Idea

My idea is to make a skateboard from fabric. I want to focus on the friendship and community created by the teenagers/young adults skating together in Washington Square Park. By stuffing it like a plushie, I’ll show how the skateboards are like a teenage comfort-toy. On the bottom of the board, where a design or stickers might be, I’ll embroider “stickers” in skater-brand fonts with different phrases about friendship and community.