FINAL PROJECT
WHITE OUT
18 x 24
Medium: Acrylic Plastic Pen on Acrylic sheet, Acrylic sheet, Wood on chipboard, Acrylic on chipboard.
Saskia Wulandiarti
Indonesia was colonized by the Dutch for 300 years; this piece is a commentary on how Indonesia is still suffering from the post-colonial era. The window is an abstract representation of a Dutch architectural window, the 3D window allows the viewer to stand inside a Dutch house in Indonesia looking outside into the paddy fields. The window will allow the viewer to really look beneath the surface as it acts as a metaphor of the barrier between the Indonesians and the Dutch.
1st project mock-up
2nd project mock-up
3rd project mock-up
Proposal For Drawing/Imaging: Places and Things
CONCEPT
I plan to create an actual 3D window that allows the viewer to stand inside a Dutch house looking outside into the paddy fields. The window will allow the viewer to really look beneath the surface as it acts as a metaphor of the barrier between the Indonesians and the Dutch. As Indonesia was colonized by the Dutch for 300 years, I would like to make the viewers understand/feel the post-colonial society Indonesians has to live in.
PROCEDURE
The piece will have 3 main components to it, first being the interior where everything is very much Dutch architecture and objects. The second is the window with the faces of Indonesians painted in white. Lastly the background layer will be a digital painting of the paddy fields.
IMAGERY
- Interior very nice and clean juxtaposed to the exterior = the gap between Indonesian and dutch
- Symbols of the Netherlands = tulip flowers
- Framing it white = literally and metaphorically how Indonesia was colonized by westerners
- Outlines of people in white = whitewashed
- Transparency = fragile people
- Background view of paddy fields in Indonesia (a symbol of Indonesia) = Indonesia as in we are starting to lose our identity culture and tradition.
MATERIALS/METHODS OF ANALOG AND DIGITAL INTEGRATION
Materials:
- Wood
- Plexiglas sheets
- Paper foam sheet for background
- 3d wood
- L hooks for the wall
- Tulips and a vase
Laser cutter frame and elements of the window
Painted window
Digital background on illustrator and photoshop
COLOR APPLICATION
The colors of the Dutch flag (red, blue, white) and a lot of white to represent the western colonization.
Choices, Inspiration and Process Reflection:
Out of the three mockups I decided to combine my 2nd and third mockups, instead of showing just the Dutch/Indonesian perspective, I decided to merge it into one piece. A big inspiration for this piece has been based on me reflecting on home, Indonesia. Coming here I realized how much I took elements of my own country for granted. Growing up in an international school my teachers and friends all shaped me, which impacted me to look at things from the western perspective. Not that it’s a negative thing, however, this just shows how much I’ve been ‘whitewashed’. I’m Indonesian, yet I don’t feel so Indonesian sometimes. The choices I made was based on the message I want the audience to understand and feel when looking at the piece.
BACKGROUND MAKING OF THE PIECE:
LASER CUT :
Laser Cut File
Failed Laser cutting Window
Failed Laser Cutting Window
Process of laser cutting a new file and board
INTERIOR of the WINDOW:
Bought fake tulips and an acrylic cylinder tube for the props of the 3D piece.
Illustrator file for the laser cutting acrylic of Wayang puppet
Because my first laser cutting failed I found a piece of white chip board and cut and used it instead of the brown chip board.
experimentation with the composition
experimentation with the composition
experimentation with the composition. I decided to cut out the box with a little indentation so that there is a purposeful placement for the tulips.
Background construction, I cut wood in the wood lab and used dowels to make sure it will stand on its own.
Using a special pen for plastic and bought plexisheets to represent the glass on windows
FINAL PROJECT
Final Reflection:
This project reminded me that sometimes the best artistic choices are accidents that happen along the way. My plan was very different to how the final turned out, although it is the same concept it is executed very differently. I changed the background color because I didn’t really like how it turned out, and the window too.
I tried to incorporate the skills that I learned in class into this piece, the analog and the figure drawing. I’m really happy with how it turned out, and I’m sure the skills I learnt in this class with definitely be useful for my future studies.
Installed in the collaborative exhibition:
W ho are u, sir?
H ouse. that’s my house, sir.
I surrender, sir!
T ake my house, don’t take my daughter, please sir.
E nough sir! Please don’t take my things away
O ur country fell apart,
U wouldn’t understand
T ill today we still suffer a post-colonial era.
