13/2 Final project

My final project is designed by using founded material, body parts, and scanography.
I created 5 series :

I used red pepper as a heart, m&m as the blood drop, and rose petals as the blood to show a lonely broken heart.

Sometimes we don't really know what we eat and drink. 

I used rose as petal as frame. Who is lighting the love?

I want to show the contrast of live and die,  empty space and fullness. Pay respect to life.

We have the right to know and the right of free speech.

I used a scanner to scan the objects and play with light exposure in the photoshop to get the best effect. Here are some screen shots of the material and making process.

13/1 Reflection on new form and new media

Looking back at the whole semester, I think over all it is a fun exploration.

Show my process: I really like the idea of documenting the process of art making. I think it servers as a great reminder for myself and others about how great ideas came up. The documentation shows people creative ideas are all approachable and they all come from life. I also think the making process may inspire others when they are dealing with similar subjects.

Explained the outcome: More than often the projects did come out in the way we designed, especially when we doing art with technologies. Sometimes the unexpected difficulties may force me to change directions, sometimes we get surprised that the technical issues actually server us as an advantage. I think it is important to keep the original design in mind and explain it to your audience. But be open to the new avenues that tech problems may lead you to, and let the audience know how you get here.

Linked to vocabulary: Now I know a little bit about the fancy terms in art and technology. I know what to expect if you tell me it is a 2D, 3D design or scanography, I think there are overlaps and combination between different categories. For example, many layers of a 2D design can create a 3 D effect. So don't let the definition limit your imagination.

Found multiple possibilities:  I like the varieties of homework projects came out as a class. People took the same topic to all kinds of directions by using technology. I always got inspired by others work and I also try to explore new ways to conduct an idea.

I persevered through the work: There are moments I feel I don't know how to do it. But I preserved and got the work done with the help from google and classmates. Pushing myself out of the comfort zone and exploring new areas is a great learning experience. Looking back, I realized I did learn a lot and I am glad I made this far.

Eliminated carelessness: Of course things are not done meticulously. I need to pay more attentions to details when I get familiar with the technology. Especially when dealing with design softwares, a tiny mistake could ruin the whole design or hinder the project from coming out.

Through the semester, I see a lot of technology can be used in the art classroom. Such as sound, stop motion, paper circuit, scratch and many more. Technology has made electronic material more affordable and easy to use. With the help from instructor, students can open new windows for self-expression and story telling.  More creativity can be emerged beyond paper and pen and more solutions would come from young students (designers).

For myself, I think I met my goals, and stretched myself in a way that I thought I could never be creative! I look forward to seeing and creating more art with technology in the future.

12/1 Circuit

For this week circuit, Yechen and I made a moving boat.

We first fold two paper together into a boat

we add conductive tapes to wire up the boat

Add power and motor

Add lights to the boat

Now we have a boat which can across rivers and oceans....

12/2 Reading Reflection

I really resonated with the following points, and here are some of my takeaways in term of classroom connection.

1. “Making is the most powerful way that we solve problems,  express ideas and shape our world.”

A good design like making, could also lead to solution to problems. In the art classroom, instructors should encourage students to have the mindset of problem solving and try to articulate their ideas by making something concrete. In this way, student would have a deeper understanding about what the key issue of the problem, and help others to understand their problem. On the other hand, students may get inspiration during the process of making, which could lead them closer to the solution.

2. The idea of tinkering – “Making things and then making those things better is at the core of humanity.”

In the art classroom, teachers should encourage students to keep trying and editing,  in order to find a better way to solve the problem. Teachers should give students freedom to trial and error, and help students get comfortable of failing and make them realize the best way to learn is though failure.  During the second half the semester, teacher should give students a chance to re-visit the projects they did before and see if they can use what they learned during the semester to improve the design.

3. Invent artistically  

Tools like Lilypad Arduino, is a great toolbox for students who want to create some artistic projects but lack of technical knowledge. The free online code libraries demonstrate a lot of common problems, which help students sweep away some of the their technical troubles.  Student can also self learn about what others did and modify them to fit their own specification and design.