finalyearprojectthree: Week 1, Day 5, 09 September 2011

Today's agenda

After setting today's agenda, the team continued from where we had stopped.

CONCEPT 3 (SOUND EFFECTS + touch)
As we are unable to further develop and define the intent of this concept,
the team start to relate to experience we had, the one that leaves a big impact to us
is a exhibition, dialogue in the dark.

This exhibition made us experience the vulnerability of self in a world of total darkness.
However due to this, it bring people, be it friends or stranger together as individual tends
to feel insecure and hope to "look" for some comfort in the dark.

Thus inspired from this experience, We hope that this CONCEPT 3 will
allow the audience to understand, what you see might not be what it is. Also addressing the current societies' living pace, we hope that our installation will able to deliver the message of the necessity of one to slow down their pace of living, thus we can take notice to our surrounding and appreciate what that's always there.

We feel that this quote best represents the message we hope to deliver.

"You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one,

each day brings a miracle of its own. It's just a matter of paying attention to this miracle.”

-Paulo Coelho

After this we are kind of brain jammed.

Problems faced.

• How to enhance CONCEPT 2 (PAINTING & SHADOWS - GZ VISUAL ARTS)

What is the message that we want to send?

What kind of art is of the singapore flavor and well represent the team?

What can the interaction be as the current idea seems similar to some existing interactive installation.

• As for the concept 3, we need to look for the best sound and material that allow the audience to experience

the beauty of darkness and the perhaps their "ray of miracle" that they had been always been hoping for.

Rather than cooping in the lab, the other members went to Ode To Art and National Library to look for relevant materials and inspiration.

First stop: Ode To Art
Location: Raffles City (Near City Hall Station)

This art gallery was introduced by my friend few months back.

What I've recall during my last visit was, the gallery consist art and sculpture works done by local and overseas artists. Even though their main purpose was to sell the art piece, it was a great opportunity for me to introduce it to my team mates for a visit, hoping it will help us to build more understanding on chinese art work.

Observation that I've made:

1. The use of color - Most of their work uses Red and Blue. Followed by the hue color of it.

2. Work based on personal history, world war period or famous celebrity like Bruce Lee.

3. Mild abstract; Most of the work are pretty straight forward and tells a story.

4. They are usually done in large scale; Loud.

Next stop: National Library

Location: Bugis

We went up to Level 4 the Art section to search for relevant books that may be useful for our project. Its a pity that they wouldn't allow us to loan these books back to school. Hence we had to spend the afternoon in the library to browse through and taking pictures of it.

Happen to came across this paragraph in a book about China contemporary art.

" As Chinese society has become more affluent and more open, incidents of government censorship occur far less often. Experimental contemporary art can be seen in museums around the country, including the National Art Museum in Beijing, the Shanghai Art Museum in Shanghai, and the Guangdong Museum of Art in Guangzhou. But artists still know, in the back of their minds, that their work is subject to official scrutiny, and that they can easily run afoul of the police if they breach the three Nos: no politics, no violence, no nudity. "

- Karen Wong

We search for books that are china art related and some interesting books that we think is relevant and helpful for us. It was not for loan so we secretly took pictures of some of the interesting art installation that we found.

Things that I want to share after reading all those books:

1) What I like about this book-puzzle concept is that it is very direct and creative. Basically, the book is cut into a puzzle like shape and there are lots of it lying on the floor that can be stack into many different ways. The intent is just that they want creative people to get together to create something creative out of it. People are able to stack into a building or whatever shape they want and they can just come together and do it together even if they are strangers or have no art background. They can still be creative by creating something "unique" on their own.

2) This next installation is by the same artist from China, Liang Shaoji. He was doing about silkworms.

So for this Sound Installation the artist connected headphones to the silkworm's resting area, located in another room unseen by the users.

The resulting atmosphere was one of the contemplation, as viewers were impelled to concentrate and connect with the animal in an unusual way.

For this Light installation, created by the same artist, he created neon pieces that duplicate the rhythmic swirls of the silkworm's movement. Used of sound and visual (lights).

3) There are a few quotes/statement that I found from the book

"Designing to inform is not about being didactic, it's about making spaces in which people can make up their own minds.” -Frernando Pessoa
A strong question: "Be what I think I am? But I think of so many thing!"
"Communication through entertainment relies on making an emotional connection with the audience, through its reaction to the drama and atmosphere of the experience."
"To create an unforgettable experience, the designer must understand the hopes and expectations of an audience, and then exceed them."

4) I also read about this two friends who came together and create an installation, "Universal Figure" (but unfortunately there are no pictures). They did on the interconnection between people. They decided to choose a universal figure to show that there are no differences between races and cultures displayed. They belief in the power of the human spirit, trying to reshape those human beings who have been twisted by modern civilization.

5) Overall, after going to the Ode To Art and research on the China art, I can conclude that..

China people they like to do about...