naznaznazzzz

[naznaznazzzz]

CTS B Week 12: Summative Assessment Prep — Session 2

Compulsory Question 2

What is the purpose of having one’s own artistic statement? In my opinion, I think that an artistic statement helps me express my creative strengths and weaknesses. Not only just that, it helps me express my creative purpose and values as a designer.

Going back to Week 10, we were supposed to create our own artistic vision statement. We were first asked to write out a draft for our artistic vision statement by answering 4 questions that correlate with how we would like to shape our artistic vision statement. So, I got to thinking about how I would like to write the answer to these 4 questions. I decided to write about my desire to become a creative director, grow through lifelong learning, and stay resilient in overcoming challenges.

The feedback I got from my classmate encourages me to stay motivated, keep on learning and aiming high, with a suggestion for a personal motto to stay focused on future goals.

Taking that feedback into consideration, we were then tasked to shorten what we wrote (and to adjust our statements according to feedback received) and arrange them into an artistic vision statement .

I made it by following what I have written in exact order as written in my question segment. My opinion on my vision statement is that I feel like even though there is some good, there could be something better such as using a better representative of my hunger to survive by explaining why I have the hunger or my passion to survive in what? For example, like in the design industry or this fast-paced or evolving world where technology is becoming more & more the norm.

One design that I came across when researching that applies to tradition/lineage but aligns with my vision statement is the packaging and overall branding aesthetic of the brand Kulfi Beauty that came to vision because of  Super Spicy Studio (which is also an Indian-owned creative studio). 

The brand's name, "Kulfi," is inspired by the traditional South Asian frozen dessert, that comes in many different delicious flavours, which represents the warmth, joy, and diversity of South Asian culture. They are an Indian-owned beauty product company that celebrates South Asian culture, creates products that help promote inclusivity,expresses importance in joyful self-expression and redefining beauty for people of color, encouraging consumers to embrace their heritage, individuality, and creativity. 

Kulfi Beauty’s packaging is vibrant, culturally inspired, and modern. With warm, rich colors and sleek, practical designs, it celebrates South Asian heritage and self-expression. As someone that comes from a South Asian background, this makeup collection holds a close place to my heart as I come to know that my culture is finally represented in a culturally correct and colourful way.

Word count: 452 words

References:

Thomas, Roshita. “Bitter Aftertaste: The Fraught World of Branding Cultural Food Products.” It’s Nice That, 10 Sept. 2024, www.itsnicethat.com/features/bitter-aftertaste-the-fraught-world-of-branding-cultural-food-products-graphic-design-100924.

[naznaznazzzz]

CTS B Week 11: Summative Assessment Prep — Session 1

Compulsory Question 1

I always had a burning question in my head whenever I had the word; manifesto. What is a manifesto? The answer was uncovered in today’s class. More specifically, an art manifesto.

An art manifesto is a public statement that expresses the goals, motives, or perspectives of an artist or artistic movement. Commonly associated with modernist avant-garde movements, manifestos serve to define and challenge artistic norms. While rooted in early 20th-century innovation, artists alike continue to craft manifestos today, shaping and reimagining the art world.

One example of an art manifesto that I came across is the The Guerrilla Girls' Manifesto which was published in 1985. Their manifesto is a critique of sexism and racism in the art world. This anonymous group of feminist artists, known for their gorilla masks, called out galleries and museums for prioritizing white, male artists while excluding women and artists of color.

For the class today, we were tasked to create our own manifesto in a group of people. As our task, we were to use image & text to create our rendition of an art manifesto reflecting the topics that we have learned from across the semester. In the beginning of the exercise, we planned out how we were going to draw out our manifesto. We decided to create a manifesto that looks like a corkboard full of pinned notes that have a red string stretching to the big word that is “MANIFESTO” on the top of the paper. 

At first, we searched up some statements said by some influential and famous people in society such as “Creativity comes from a conflict of ideas.” by Donatella Versace, the infamous fashion designer. However, we wanted to add some of our own creativity not by just incorporating some of our own words into the quotes but by creating our own quotes. We used our experiences of our journey in DCEN so far such as what we have learned, what we did, how we overcame some of our obstacles etc. 

From what we created as a group, I would say it is pretty solid (yet not that good) of the making of a manifesto for our first time. There are some areas where we could improve in such as, the phrasing of the answers or our communication of our message of the manifesto. I also think that we got very immersed into the making of the manifesto that we didn't think of what kind of message we wanted to portray and we mostly just focused on the aesthetic. In the bright side, I enjoyed the exercise a lot as it involved creating your own rules of your work (even though it was mostly a group project). Doing this brought a whole new perspective on creativity and the notches of some popular personalities.

Word count: 464 words

References:

“A Creative Manifesto by the Guerrilla Girls.” WePresent, 25 Mar. 2024, wepresent.wetransfer.com/stories/manifesto-guerrilla-girls.

[naznaznazzzz]

CTS B Week 4 & 5: Visit to NGS & Critically Analyzing Artistic Tradition and Lineages

For Week 4, we were brought to the National Gallery to look through a exhibition of artworks relating to our nation’s history before and after the birth of our independence. We were also tasked to look around for a key artwork which was Chua Mia Tee’s painting National Language Class (1959). The artwork, which it's medium was Oil on Canvas, portrays a group of students learning Malay in a classroom. It represents an important time in Singapore's history when people were preparing for independence. The teacher is writing on the blackboard, and the words "Siapa nama kamu?" (What is your name?) are written in Malay. The painting highlights how learning the national language was part of building a shared identity for Singapore’s different communities.

One artwork that really caught my eye was Lim Sze Peng's painting Singapore River (1965). We got to shared more about it in Week 5 in our presentation where I described more about the painting aforementioned before. The painting captures the busy and lively scene of Singapore's river in the 1960s. The artwork shows boats and workers along the river, reflecting the bustling trade and activity that was central to Singapore’s economy at the time. The painting portrays the river as a vital part of daily life, showcasing Singapore’s heritage and the hardworking spirit of its people during it's prime. Lim Sze Peng uses expressive brushstrokes and vibrant colors to bring this dynamic scene to life. What I really liked about the painting it that the brushstrokes actually come together when the painting is looked at further away.

Words: 262 words

References:

“National Language Class • Artwork • Chua Mia Tee.” Chua Mia Tee, https://www.roots.gov.sg/stories-landing/stories/the-singapore-story-through-60-objects/art-historical/national-language-class/story, 1959. “Singapore River • Artwork • Lim Sze Peng.” Lim Sze Peng, https://www.roots.gov.sg/Collection-Landing/listing/1030959, 1965.

[naznaznazzzz]

CTS B Week 3: This Is How You Connect Practice with Society

In this week’s lesson, the lecture was about Connecting Practice with Society (basically using design to help societal issues). The lesson discussed the connection between design practice and society and the importance of socially-engaged design and the impact it can have on our local communities.

We were then asked to become a group of 4 or 5 and create a 1 minute long short film based on a societal issue we want to focus on. We chose to do a video about hogging the elderly seat on the MRT while there is elderly person nearby. We at first had some difficulties on deciding the area to shoot as we were in a dilemma on whether to go onto the MRT to shoot our video or shoot it at class. We soon decided to just shoot at class as it is much easier and wouldn’t be a noise constraint to nearby commuters (if we were on the train). Below is the video we shot.

I believe we can be able to use art and design to communicate the message of a social problem and how to be aware of it. One example of it is Olafur Eliasson. He is best known for his large-scale installations and sculptures that explore themes of nature, perception, and the environment. Eliasson often uses light, water, air, and natural elements to create immersive experiences.

His artwork is also deeply engaged in social and environmental issues such as His Ice Watch (2014) installation, where large blocks of ice from Greenland were placed in public spaces, was created to raise awareness about climate change and the melting of polar ice caps.

Words: 273 words

References:

“The Weather Project • Artwork • Studio Olafur Eliasson.” Studio Olafur Eliasson, olafureliasson.net/artwork/the-weather-project-2003/. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024. “Ice Watch • Artwork • Studio Olafur Eliasson.” Studio Olafur Eliasson, olafureliasson.net/artwork/ice-watch-2014/. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.

[naznaznazzzz]

CTS B Week 1: Creative Practice and Critical Thinking

For our first lesson of CTS back from summer break, we were taught about the creative practice and critical thinking and how work as different components and also work together at the same time. We were then tasked to write short stories about the social issues in Singapore.

When we were asked to write our short stories, I was stuck between two topics; a critical story about cyber-racism in Singapore or a creative story about religion vs same-sex relationships. I decided to go with the later and wrote about a small story with it. I wrote about the experience with being a religious Muslim and having feelings for someone of the same gender, how I handled the situation and how it turned out.

When it was time to share our stories with our classmates, I decided to group up with two other people. One shared a critical story about the concern for the elderly and the rapid growing information age in South Korea and another shared a critical story about overpopulation in Seoul and what the South Korean is doing to solve the issue of it In Tancred Thomas’ article, he starts off with what Creative Thinking and Critical Thinking is and the characteristics of both of them (Thomas). One point is how Creative Thinking “encourages individuals to use a variety of approaches to solve issues” and how it can result in a flexible and original ideation process. He then listed the similarities and differences of both Creative Thinking and Critical Thinking in this Mindmap.

Word count: 255 words

References: Thomas, Tancred. “Similarities & Differences - Creative & Critical Thinking.” LinkedIn, 5 May 2023, www.linkedin.com/pulse/similarities-differences-creative-critical-thinking-tancred-thomas.