CROSSROADS II

I'm still thinking...

After 8 weeks, working on all 4 rotations for 2 week each, I still couldn’t decide which area to go into. Fine Art and Fashion & Textile would not be my choice. I’m standing in the middle of split road, one is Visual Communication and the other is 3 Dimensional Spatial.

Before I start foundation course, the area I thought I would go into was definitely Visual Communication because that is what I wanted to study even I already finished economics diploma in a university in Japan. Actually, art was my favourite subject to do since I was little and I once wanted to specialize it in my high school or university, but I didn’t because I thought going straight into art was too risky for me to get job in the future, so I decided to study common subject in my school. When I was studying economics in my previous university, I majored influence of ways of advertising and promoting by corporations to economics. Then unique ideas of advertisements and fascination of posters reminded me  my interest in art and made me inclined to create them myself. So I began to think about restart my life and specialize what I really like to do.

Fine art, it was my worst time ever. I couldn’t get how I have to work and what for, but I think it would be a little bit different if it was not my very first rotation. Fashion & textile, I kind of enjoyed it but still unclear how to work on it. I felt both rotations are too free for me because there is only me to decide how to work on each area. Though I think it is the good point of each area that I can work in my own way and speed, it doesn’t suit me because I like to work under somebody's direction, it helps me to clear my thought and how I have to work.

To be honest, I haven’t think about going into 3D spatial but I think it was the most successful rotation and also I really enjoyed it. For me, each works I’ve done in this rotation seemed clearly connected through the beginning to the end. I think I understand the meaning of working with PROCESS, which my teachers always say to us throughout doing the project. Though I really enjoyed this area, because I haven’t think about this area, not at all, it is a completely new area for me and I don’t know many 3D artists or how can I get job or what kinds of job are there in this area. And I’m scared that it would be a first and the last time that I did well in 3D rotation. Also I’m worried about if I can continue working in the area even if I'm not very interested in it. I can’t imagine my future here.

However I enjoyed the rotation of Visual Communication, I also found it difficult. Tutors told that this area is all about how many interesting ideas you can get and make a best choice to represent the idea in interesting ways. I thought I was not such a creative person who comes up with hundreds of various ideas. I'm not feeling good with my narrative project which was a first one of 2 projects, but I think it was because Vis Com was still early rotation just after I came out of darkness of Fine art rotation. I like my work of audience project which was the second of 2, because I could think about several ideas and I think I did my best to present my message. I got the idea of my final work from Dominic Wilcox and I realized that my favourite artists who always inspire me and make me excite are from Vis Com area. I like the art of Vis Com and I strongly think that I don’t want to leave from this, but I can’t say that would suit me. The things I like and things I’m good at are not always equal.

I hope this assessment helps me to make my final decision and take me out of my entire worrying days of thinking about future.

Autumn de Forest

She is really talented 8-year-old artist whose works sold as much as $25,000 in auction.

Autumn Flower

Autumn Horse

Barbie Marilyn

Dripping Heart

Red Road Home

Moonburst

The Messenger

just AMAZING.

Design Museum

Last Sunday, I went to Design Museum for the first time to see some exhibitions.

Design Museum

Near Tower Bridge, riverfront

Design of the Year 2010

It was really good to see many brilliant designs to know how the design came, what for, how the materials used.

This design won the Design Award 2010.

How simple but clever.

John Pawson ==Plain Space==

I like his simple but warm-feel designs. 

Nice lighting.

Can you believe this is a library for a church?

End of third rotation

3D Spatial

3D map

   My third rotaion ended this week. I found this are as 'not bad.'
The first week was weird because I couldn't understand the point of the project. I made a structure, drew it several times, took photos of objects which presented some words, then turn the photos into drawings. I felt I was blind at the moment. But after I started making my new structures based on the drawings, it changed. I was enjoying building up my structure and gradually understood why I had to done the previous works for the project. This is the PROCESS, that teachers always repeat.
An object made without considering the process, it is a merely object even if it looks nice, it is meaningless. On the other hand, an object that has some history to end up with the shape itself, it has lots  of different and interesting perspectives to see it even if it is really simple. When I end up with the idea, I felt great and clear and my odd structures seem more attractive than before.

These were my first structures based on drawings.

I tried to put them together as many ways as I can to get the final idea.

I simplified the structure to make the final 3 structures for

 'walk through', 'to support', and 'to contain' by repeating them.

This is for 'walk through.'

I got the idea from one form of my structures and a gazebo from my research.

This is for ' to support.'

I got the idea from a photo of the first structure when I lined them up together
 and secondary when I saw piled chairs in a cafe.

This is for ' to contain.'

I accidentally got the idea when I was playing with my simplified structure 

and I thought it was good shape to keep my lunch sandwich safe.

But this one became my favourite and other students liked it as well.

However, I'm not sure if I did well in this rotation, getting the idea of how important the concept and process are will definitely be a big change for me. Making something by hand is interesting, but I can't say this would be my area to study for the rest of my course, so I will see what happens in the next rotation, Fashion and Textile.

EXPOSED ----The past exhibition at TATE Modern

    It was long time ago since I went to this exhibition to Tate Modern....it's not even this month...whatever....
   To be honest, I couldn't enjoy this exhibition for some reasons. First, I didn't have enough time to see everything. I entred an hour before closing, but it wasn't enough. Second, I don't really like paparazzi stuff because for me, as a person, I don't want my private life to be revealed to public, so I think that's terrible thing to expose someone's privacy to the others even if it's famous people. And third, there were some photos which I was really shocked....the death of people. I have not used to see people's death in my life since I was born in Japan. As general, I think Japan is the remotest country from war or other fighting stuff that leads to lose of life. So I haven't seen people dead following a violent experience. It was really hard for me to look at the photos in the exhibition especially in the room of the death.
   However I didn't really like the exhibition, there were some things attractive for me such as the hidden camera in heel of man's shoes or walking stick. And also the photos took by the hidden cameras were really good. They caught the scene of people's REAL life without noticed by them that they were taken by camera, so they are so natural and interesting(even if it's not the real purpose for the hidden cameras...they might for scandalous paparazzi stuff...).
   Taking photos of people by camera is so interesting and it is one thing that I like to do, but I thing it's depends on the purpose. Photos make people look in many different ways. If you take photos of people because you want to know them more and find their new good aspect, they are good photos. But if you take photos of people because you  want to know and reveal their lives curiously, they are not good photos.

Weekend

I went to Kensington Garden to see Serpentine Gallery cafe and Anish Kapoor's structures last weekend.

Serpentine Gallery cafe

C-curve mirror. 

When you stand inf front of it, you can see the world upside-down.

This one was my favourite.

Red coloured round mirror stands in the pond and it reflects the sky in it.

I like the sky in different colour in water. It's strange, quiet, and beautiful.

Everyone's lookng it with curious.

Huge round mirror

I like his way of placing manmade object in natural environment. Like the colours of serpentine gallery, red and green, the contrast always make strong impact and attraction.

First month

A month have already passed.... how fast and busy. And this is the start of my blog since I came here in Chelsea Collage of Art & Design.

Fine Art
I felt a bit scared and confused in first two weeks of Fine Art project. Everything was new and unclear for me, but after a week through watching what everyone's doing and talking to teachers, I tried to make it clear a little by little. I made an effort with the CRIT at the end of the project and I had fun through it.

My final work. 

I made pattern from the photos of people I took in British Museum

to represent organized caos in random people.

Vis Com
I think I had fun in this area:) Even if I can't say I've done good works in this class, I enjoyed making collages and taking photos for the projects. And I also excited when I saw the works of artists such as Paula Scher, Chris Dent, Miles Donovan, and Dominic Wilcox while I was researching them. In 'Sending message project' which is a project to send an unspoken message that have never said to someone, I could do what I wanted at the last.

I made a lamp shade to tell "Switch Off" to my housemate.

Each cutouts represents letters saying the message. 

I got the idea from morse code which is a way of communication of ships in the sea using flash light. You can see the message while the light is on, but it disappears when you turn it off.

Summer Project Photos

wonder-wall(in UK)

This is the best part of my new room:)

cross-road(in UK)

King's x stn. My journey in London started from here.

cross-road(in Japan)

The street near my house being decorated for summer festival.