Text: “Art: It Makes You Think”  

A piece of artwork that I admire (top of my white board):

This design was made by an older friend and art tutor of mine that was gifted to me. I always admired her style.

Iconic element (3 keyboard-inspired images at the left):

Inscriptions say, “Enter” with an image of the lightbulb. It is an idea to enter into your own thought process, and start thinking!

A piece of my own artwork (In the bottom center of my white board):

This is an inspirational design of a jellyfish. I chose to include this particular piece as my artwork, because I wanted people to stare at it and wonder, “What is that?” As a result, it makes one think!

Diagram (On my laptop keyboard):

Because of limited space, I taped my diagram on my laptop keyboard. I think it worked well, since a lot of people looked more closely at my diagram since it was right under the video.

My Non-Didactic Panel: White Board

I chose the white board because this is what I used the most to brainstorm and help think through my ideas. Also, it was the perfect size which fitted the requirements.

My box:

-My manifesto: A sprial, slinky-inspired 3D object.

-A frame I had and still cherish since I was young. To go with my chalk theme, I replaced my photo inside with chalk paper.

-Interactive Element: Chalk paper. I wanted for people to recognize the playful aspect of chalkboards, and even left out an array of chalks in the colors respective to my manifesto.

-Sketching 2B Pencils, Pens, and Color Pencils: To promote the idea of creating art. These are items that I use almost everyday, so they are quite sentimental to me.

-A real lightbulb: I included the lightbulb to attract the audience, and I also thought it will go well with my theme of “Art: It Makes You Think” This may also serve as my time-based element.

Digital Element (YouTube video):

A video of me drawing and painting my parents and my brother, including a slideshow of christmas cards I made for my close friends. My family and friends are my inspiration and make a huge part of who I am and what art I make today. This can also serve as my time-based element. (My laptop even died before my presentation.)

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An Artist’s Museum in a Box: Gallery Pictures

My handmade stuffed plush:

A textual manifestation of my manifesto:

My concept arts:

Container + Collection Explanation: For this art presentation/gallery, I wanted to show my childhood memories by displaying items (my collections) in my bento box such as a paper mache onigiri, gyoza, a recording of my family cooking dinner, and 3D clay bento box charm, in each quadrant. The paper mache onigiri was explained in class however, gyoza and the recording demonstrated time-based elements and collaboration with my family. Luckily, my mother flew into the US last week therefore, I had the opportunity to make a recording of us cooking. The recording is an example of my childhood memories of  making my bento when I was in elementary. The 3D clay charm shows that I have more room to add more arts into my life (stacking bento boxes).

The non-didactic panel: The panel is a made with black fabric (24 inch by 36 inch) with four squares: two blue (11 inch x 10 inch) and two sea-green colored squares (11 inch x 19 inch). It is a 2D  image of a bento box. It is important to note that my iconic image of an empty bento box is filled by my childhood memories and my recent works (my concept arts). My concept arts are specifically  for gaming and it was a homework assignment for another class. My future goal is to work in one of the top gaming industry thus placing my concept arts in my bento box has a great meaning to me. Additionally, I added my stuffed animals into it because I like seeing 2D come to life. I also really enjoy the concept of 2D coming together with 3D thus my panel and my container was not separate, but working together to create my identity. My textual manifestation of my manifesto only shows glimpse of my thoughts.

My thoughts about this class: I think this class was really fun because I got the opportunity to see my classmates’ art and their views on ‘art’. Also, I was given a chance to show  my background and my identity of being an artist. I would like to express my gratitude to those that shared their interesting art gallery and to the instructors for helping us achieve this. Have a great winter break everyone and I hope you all enjoy the new year!

 Non Didactic Panel:

an iconic image of a hand and utensil (created in the Adobe suite)//a self portrait (brush and ink)//a photo of someone I admire–Annie Leibovitz//container diagram (illustrator)//original artist manifesto hanging in line with the panel (another interactive element)

Panel measurements:

each poster 3(8″ x 18″) + each card 3(4″ x 6″)= 36″x 24″

I decided to execute this project in landscape orientation because I thought it would be a more engaging composition for the entire piece.

Collection:

iconic piece made in a 3D printer (“ymajen”)//original glass piece painted by hand (in color key–matching the color key of the container and the background of the poster)//apple as a time-based element//a handmade headband meant to be worn//large format film (shot in a photography class with David Wyatt)//digital painting created in Adobe Photoshop

Gallery View of My Box (Course Project)

• Box is standing up-right surrounded by paper fortune tellers containing my manifesto.

Close-up of Panel: Beneath the mages of previous projects are prototypes of the paper fortune tellers, written manifestos, and box diagrams. Behind most of the written manifestos and box diagrams are notes or drawings of my thought process.

Close-up of Box

1. Reflect (Question, Inspire): Have been drawing flowers since I was a child.

2. Imagination (Illusions, Dreams): Have an interest in colors and swirl-like movement. Hence Van Gogh’s Starry Night.

3. Remake (Theme, Creation): Elephant used in previous project for this class.

Collaborate object: Colorful, origami cube with Chris Kilby.

Time-Based: Three watches I own that need new batteries. I set the time on each clock at 1:41 because that’s the time I was born or “brought out to the world”.
4. Study (Craft, Skill): Miniature, Flip-book Art in Theory book from Studio Art 11A. Duchamp’s Fountain just likes to pop up in every art lecture class. Like how a wild Pokemon would appear in a Pokemon game.

Middle Box: Manifesto

5. Narration (Allusions, Records): Two miniature comics with scrolls of manga covers I enjoy. Pretty much my childhood. I would like to work in the comic book, manga, or animation industry.

6. Propaganda (Interrogate, Irony): This is a

miniature poster

for DIY Craft and Art club I have made.

7. Gesture (Communicate, Impulse): The Artist: Murder by Gesture is a joke made during Freshmen year with fellow Art Majors (Lauren, Alana, Chris, and me). We were waiting for Studio Art 1A to start while talking about Basic Drawing 1. One of us commented how The Artist would make a good title for a crime/murder/mystery novel. Then, another created a the tag-line: Murder by Gesture

8. Color (Movement, Shape): These bracelets and this necklace were actually given as gifts from my high school friends. I was surprised on how it matched my three colors for this class.

Museum in a Box
12.5″x9.5″x7″

This quarter was one giant struggle for me. Not only in academia, familial life, or housing adjustment, but particularly in regard to art. In my discussions with Kim and Jesse, I realized — quite gradually — that I always distant myself from the art pieces I create. It is easier, less painful that way. And as the quarter reached its end, I decided that I was looking at this course project all wrong. I should not have been approaching it as a separate entity from myself, kept at arm’s distance, but rather it should be about my self.

The container was a gift for my eighteenth birthday, given by an old friend. It was filled with photos and other paraphernalia that summed up our seven year friendship. Already the box was defined as “me.” In the course of this project, however, I took ownership of that definition and altered it. I replaced my friend’s photographs with my own photographs, nostalgic times that elicit distant memories. They littered the bottom of my container, not meant to be recognized as one particular photograph. I wanted them to be unrecognizable, and yet still understandable. The miscellaneous objects were all things given to me by others, people who make me incandescently happy, with one message, sealed in a bottle, that brought about an awful, painful time in my life.

A timer was set with a brief two minutes, meant to make whoever was peering into my box, or my personified self, feel an interactive pressure. Understanding that you have little time is one issue, but seeing it manifested, and counting down, is another. At the end of the two minutes, I locked the box with a lock and key, both of which are in my possession. No one else can ever hold the lock and no one else can ever hold the key.

This container is manifest of not only my approach to art, but my approach to self. Despite my earlier attempts, the two can never truly be separated. They exist in a symbiotic relationship, and one affects the other. To treat them as independent halves of a whole is to do as I did: misunderstand.

This course project is one giant culmination and one giant realization representative of my struggle. It feels like a great relief — a wonderful catharsis — to have realized something about myself. While challenging, it offers a sense of release.

Perhaps one day there won’t need to be a timer, a lock, or a key.

Thank you.

(note: My non-didactic panel was designed to be in color. Due to long, arduous arguments and misunderstandings at my local Fedex Office, I was forced to opt for a low-grade black and white copy. I have also attached the color PDF file, in case anyone is interested in seeing how the panel was intended to better interact with my manifesto.)

(secondPANEL)

My Life…..in a Box

For some, texts are what defines a piece. For others, the art explains it all. The box itself is a physical manifesto of my life up to this current point, with different stages/objects representing certain parts of my life.

I will not talk further. I will allow your eyes to feast upon what is presented in front of them. And from there, you can decide what my story is all about….

****UPDATE****

This course project ties together much of who I choose to identify myself as.  While my true passion lies in sketching and watercolor, I have discovered that in college I use photoshop and graphic design mediums much more.  It was challenging to find a middle ground that reflects my affinity for my default ‘fleeting‘ style, yet simultaneously expresses the more corporate side that I have recently adopted during my time at UCI.  Generally speaking, I’m crafty and love change; so creating a removable didactic panel with a ribbon framing device resembles my childhood room when we’d move around from time to time, and I’d have to take down my posters and other memorabilia.  I filled the box with mementos found in my desk drawer, and put it in a cookie tin my childhood best friend gave me before she left to permanently live in Japan.  I’ve always had a love for paper, whether it be for making origami or drawing on, it’s something that’s been near and dear to me before I learned how to write my name.  I’m awful at explaining artwork, so hopefully this fills in bits that I unintentionally forgot to say during the exhibit.

Thank you to Jesse and Kim for a wonderful quarter, I surely wouldn’t have explored as much about digital art or programs if it weren’t for this course.  I look forward to applying those skills to future art classes and improving my approach to art and design, because after recently switching from a Pharmaceutical Science major at the beginning of the quarter, I’m constantly learning and being challenged by classes like yours.  Thanks again, and keep in touch.

Should you need clarifications on how I fulfilled the project requirements before grading, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.