2.25 Reflection
Today we've done a group session about research. We explain our project to each other and then get some feedback from partners. My project is Chinese Myths, myths aren't scientific knowledge, they are the imagination of acient people. Also, in Chinese myths record many different stories, about plants, environment, creatures. After the introduction, I've got some feedback. Not only < The classic of Mountains and Seas>, another acient Chinese books also record some strange creatures or stories. Partner 2 asked I can find one or two specific creatures, which mean special to myself or my nation.
We stuck for a while because the narrow way of research. Tutor came to help us. She let us think about some films or magazines, such as VOGUE. Then we keep looking at different ways to research. Like Dover street Market is a wonderful place to research. There has plenty of well-designed jewelry, and lots of materials to explore. Because researchcan not only on website, we need to walk around and discover about our project. About my project, I need to research other cultures, some of the legends and myths are similar. Tutor adviced me a place to visit, is Royal Pavilion. This is an architecture include Asian culture. Inside the building, the emperor combine plenty of Chinese myths or elements together, is the western thoughts. But really interesting because it combine different cultures.
I plan to visit Brighton during weekends and I want to have a trip to Dover Street Market, and some other gallery like V&A, and the nature history museum. I've been there week ago, and I still want to visit because of wide range of minerals, animals and ancient plants. All useful and link to my project.
2.28 Reflection
Today we kept researching and start the material workshop. First we’ve been ask to write down three words link to our project. About my project is Chinese Myths, so I wrote nature, freak and belief. After write down these words, try to sketch something expression that related to three words ( separate ). Nature is quite easy so I paint my thought of nature, is forest and a deer, may eat the grass. It’s realistically and visually show out the word. The second word freak, means strange man or strange things. So I just sketch a monster mouth, with an eye inside.
The third word is the most difficult one, because it is abstract and is kind of thoughts in human mind. Tutor help me to figure out this. What the mean of the word “Belief”? I think the belief I thought is not personal, is the belief/ thoughts of group of people, of a nation. Tutor started asking the other students, what they believe? Freedom, love, self, money…… This way of research gave me lots of space to discover and plenty of starting points. Same as widen the starting points, through these words, try to think about some linked materials. Maybe I won’t use it in my final outcome, but this is also a progress of research, find more and more materials, the choices can bring better ideas.
3.5 Reflection
Today is model making day, and our topic is Measure it, Make it, Wear it. Through this day I found plenty of ways to explore. Tutor gave us different ways to measure body parts.
Because yesterday I sketched some ideas, maybe they're just primary one, and I really need more research, but I can start to try some materials or structures today. Maybe through this way I can discover more design or make my ideas better. The base parts of body is like head, neck, hands, feet. We can look around these parts and ankle, arms, shoulder can also be good parts for design.
I brought some colored wires to make model, because I still in the process of research, so I can make some small model of my primary ideas or the primary thoughts about my final outcome. I believe I can find somewhere to improve and explore more angles to make/research.
I first start from feet. I use iron wire to shape my yesterday primary idea. Is around my ankle and reach to toes. The shape is quite like deer horns. Which is a character of ancient Chinese creature: God of Mountains.
Then I kept trying different parts of body, the second one is head. Through making those simple model, I can think about scale and materials, this way of model making really help me wide the range of ideas and my next step.
3.15 Reflection
After the progress tutorial I found there are still many place that I need to improve.
First is about the research. I focus on the strange creatures more than the myths. The most important part is not the creatures, is the meaning or the story back of the myths or the creatures.
These two are the primary idea of my final outcome, after receive the feedback I found that was too simple. Because I just try to combine different character of strange creatures together, and that isn't show out the Chinese Myths. Is more like a totem jewelry. The story is the important part.
So I moved my focus point to the nine-colored deer. This story is about a kind and strong spirit. I've done the research of this story. Also about the fresco, the fresco has strong contrast between the white fur of deer and the black horse of King. Actually this story has two sides, one side is the deer, the other side is the drowning man, which is negative. The King and Queen are selfish and greedy. So I can separate my outcome into two parts. Saintly and vicious.
I started thinking about two circle. The centre one is the nine-colored deer, and the outside one is about the drowning man and King. How to transform the deer and men into a piece of jewelry? I use the part of deer horn, and the outside part I first want to use eyeballs to present evil. Then I considered about materials. The part of deer horn and the frame to hang eyeballs can't be heavy, so I will think about clay, or maybe resin. But resin is fragile, I need some experiments to prove it. The centre I add a ball, which means the pure spirit, I think about to use fur or crystal to show it. ( Resin and crystal can reflect light ).
I have two ideas about the outside frame. I prefer the first one, it looks like a huge eye and the outside frame seems like plenty of hands, try to reach the centre but they can't. And the materials may use tree branch or shape like cirrus/thistles and thorns. And my tutor advice me, this part should be separate, so I design a frame to wear on ears, can take off easily.
The outside is black and the centre is white, I need to show the strong contrast between these two parts. Maybe I can add some silver or crystal on the deer horn, to make it shinny. I need to add more details and try to decide the final structure of the frame.
Making process ( Branches )
These branches form the style and atmosphere I want, but the bad points are, combine with the antlers, this part is difficult to wear. And the connection parts may slip then malposition.
Preparation of final ( Richmond Park )
Because the myth I've chosen is about deer, and I found the Richmond Park has many wild deer.
And the trees, branches, the atmosphere is same as the myth. I've found some dead trees and they dehisce from trunk.
2.26 Reflection
Today is the research workshop. Each of us bring minimum 10 pictures and mix them up. The first task is to analysis them into different themes, as much as possible. I found some of the pictures are difficult to analysis. We look around other tables and I realize there are quite more themes to show out. Also I found some interesting artists might be useful in my project. After that just mix those pictures up again, this time is sliding scales. This scale is not only big & small, old & young, it could be many different things.
Some of the pictures are completely traditional, like my project is about Chinese Myths, so all of the strange pictures can belong to traditional side. The third task is more complicated, we need to add another scale horizontal. In order to move pictures into four parts, and I found some of them can jut sit in the centre of the scale.
So this time we do this workshop as group, also I can do this by myself. Try to analysis my research into different themes or sort them to scales. This workshop can really help me to find where I need to improve. After I separated them, one side may empty. So I need to add more research. Also I can discover different themes (starting points) to start. It gave me a completely new way to start my research. Like my project is about Chinese Myths, and my focus point is strange creatures. So I can analysis my research as materials, characteristics, colors, traditional, contemporary.
3.4 Reflection
I kept researching during weekend, and I've been to Dover Street Market to find some interesting jewelry and materials. So today we started sketching, about our primary ideas. Tutor sent us some body parts sketches, to help us develop different form or scale. We started from leg and feet. I never thought about footwear before, but through this project I found that different body parts can add different ideas, like ankle could be a nice parts to explore.
I tried to add some elements and inspired by the research, then I could realize where is the weak point need to improve. To add more research about some specific parts.
Also we need to think how to connect these design with body, because they are jewelry.
Then I try to combine these images together, like a collage. I could found more ideas through this kind of combination.
To consider about scale, some ideas could be large, but also small. They will form different visual perception.
Tomorrow is our model making workshop. I can try many materials, the texture and the form may change during the experiments. I'm quite expect about model making, because now I still confused about ideas and I really need more research.
3.18 Reflection
After the further development of the final outcome, I've got an primary idea of outcome. And today I have the tutorial about my idea. My idea is quite like a crown, my tutor said is bit fairy tale. The structure of the deer horn is simple and that is not like a modern jewelry. So I need some development about the shape of deer horns. Maybe one side larger, or backward, or shade my eyes. I got some inspiration from two hat artists, Philip Treacy and Dinu Bodiciu. They break my imagination of hat, they reshape the hat and add different elements inside. Seems those hat can talk, they show out a story. It is the thing I want to show in my outcome, to tell the story about the nine-colored deer.
I will do some sketches about different structures and consider how to connect the outside part with my body. And slow down, try not to put everything once time, from the structure to materials, add the meaning/ story inside step by step.
3.19 Reflection
I've finished the sketch of my final out come. I kept the element antlers ( Karla help me correct the word deer horns ), but I made some change on the size of them. Different position and size make them more modern, even more interesting. The story and the meaning back this jewelry became stronger.
These are two primary ideas of the antlers. I finally chose the first one as my final structure. One side of the antlers fit on my face, and that show kind of protection. Because no one can hurt the nine-colored deer, so I want to choose metal, strong and shinny.
The next thing is to consider how to connect the antlers to my body, the visual part. So I researched about Dinu Bodiciu. He is a famous designer in Singapore, and most of his work, connect with the body perfectly, also let me feel neat and tidy, viewers will directly look at the antlers ! So my idea is headwear, just nicely fit in my head shape, maybe shade one eye is better.
In the afternoon I asked the advice of Karla, about how to shape the metal parts and how to hold the tree branches. About the metal parts, I should make a paper model at first, and then decide the final shape and size, record the data. Copper is soft and easy to shape, so I can use hammer to shape the antlers and the headwear parts. That will take a long time to finely the final shape, like nicely fit on my head.
About the tree branches, I need a strong frames to hold them. One circle is too weak, so Karla advice me to use 3 circle and connect between them, this shape will be stronger and also hold the branches won't shake around.
3.21 Reflection
This is a new reflection method. This " hat " workshop help me a lot. Bad points? Changes? Gaps? Respond of viewers? Fear? Good points? Creative places?
I will ask myself some questions to reflect and make some change. Like, first I want to shade my eye, but the head piece can fit in perfectly or the outlook is great? I actually did some changes after that.
Making process ( Antlers )
The material I've chosen is aluminum, but I thought about resin before. Resin can transform light but it is too weak and difficult to shape. Maybe I can try different material, to form better outlook.
( Sorry about upload my sketch book because I can't upload these pictures separate. )
Preparation of final ( Cloth & Dress up )
Because the fur of nine-colored deer is white. ( In the myth, the deer has nine color of light, is special power. So it called the nine-colored deer. Not the fur has nine kind of color. ) So at first, I want to use white dress and surcoat.
But the antlers are made by aluminum, and I add some white fur on it. If my cloth is white, the contrast is quite weak. So I start considering about black dress and surcoat. ( My branches part is black, combine with black dress, show strong contrast and I can highlight the headwear.)
About dress up.
I want to show the feel of deer. ( Pure, quietness, peaceful. )
This is kind of eyebrow called " Ma Lv ". From Tang Dynasty, this kind of eyebrow is a method to know from nobility and civilian. But as the time flow, more and more people use this style to paint. ( Their imagine of myths and gods. )