Organic Versus Industrial
INSPIRATION
As I was looking for ideas, I had come across multiple student websites for this kind of project, and one of the seniors' projects caught my eye, and gave me an idea, and I started thinking of how to put it together. I then ended up looking into some Found Object artists, and looked at how they did it. I have been against many aspects of today's society, but the one I decided to use in this project ended up best expressed with books as a material (I still have some of the books from my English class that I changed from, and have some ACT books from the library lying around that can be used, without damage being done). I know there has to be Found Object artists who have used books, so I started looking into them, and came across one by the name Keiren (name online, perhaps an alias, but it was the name stated). I liked so many of her works, and favored quite a few. But there were only a few of her works that I could use, even though so many more were absolutely beautiful.
I love books too much to manipulate them like she did, but her works are beautiful. I liked her ideas, her representations, and decided to use that as an inspiration for my own idea.
I love books too much to manipulate them like she did, but her works are beautiful. I liked her ideas, her representations, and decided to use that as an inspiration for my own idea.
RESEARCH
This was where I was doing some research with Found Object artworks that use books.
I was not disappointed.
I was not disappointed.
I like the manipulation of books here. Keiren uses books to make these pieces. I am uses books that I do not own, so even though I really like these pieces the most, I can't make something like Marina or Book Gun, so I started looking at Mystery and Bin Chen. I like how Bin Chen has the person's head filled with books. As a book-loving introvert, I have my own perspective on it, because so many books, especially with manga (a form of comic book from Japan), are filled with better world than the one I live in. The danger in most books and manga is merely the Equivalent Exchange (the balance of the chemical equation, if you will). The society is the one I look at the most, where natural enemies are soon allies. In one of my favorite manga series, the bastard child of Satan was soon relied on as an exorcist (long story), in another series, an outcast, half human and half ghoul, thought he was neither human nor ghoul, and a store owner said "No, you're both. You're the bridge between human and ghoul."
I am constantly buried in books, and the more emotional they are on a personal level (Fruits Basket, a girls' manga, is an example), and the better the society (an understanding society, an accepting one, where even a monster has a place as an ally, even a pyromaniac was accepted into a guild and one of the main fighters, a titan was called Humanity's Last Hope in another series, a demon understood and relied on), the more I imagine myself in it.
I ADORE that, and that is my perspective on Bin Chen. Many others will have other perspectives. In a perspective for my project, I saw it as books that are crammed into someone's brain, like how schools do that, leaving out creativity by shoving boring books and textbooks into the person's head.
Mystery is another one I like, and can do. I like how there is a scenario on top of the book. The book is important to the scene. The record player and skeleton combined with the book seems to imply the lost days of previous generations. People in today's generation have forgotten what books are, record players are not antiques of distant days, and it's a lost idea, dying off with the older generations. I know I l hate today's society and lost ideas. I want the older days back, where it was normal to kick the child outside until the street lights turn on, where books are the main source of research and entertainment, being a lady and gentleman (in the polite way, that is), the clothing styles, everything, especially Home Economics, which should be brought back. So many negative things happen in this generation because of the lost ideas and events from previous generations. Because I believe the aspects and ideas of older generations should be brought back, that is the perspective I got from Mystery.
I like the manipulation of books in those pieces. I wanted to manipulate books to make a piece with an important message, in my opinion.
I am constantly buried in books, and the more emotional they are on a personal level (Fruits Basket, a girls' manga, is an example), and the better the society (an understanding society, an accepting one, where even a monster has a place as an ally, even a pyromaniac was accepted into a guild and one of the main fighters, a titan was called Humanity's Last Hope in another series, a demon understood and relied on), the more I imagine myself in it.
I ADORE that, and that is my perspective on Bin Chen. Many others will have other perspectives. In a perspective for my project, I saw it as books that are crammed into someone's brain, like how schools do that, leaving out creativity by shoving boring books and textbooks into the person's head.
Mystery is another one I like, and can do. I like how there is a scenario on top of the book. The book is important to the scene. The record player and skeleton combined with the book seems to imply the lost days of previous generations. People in today's generation have forgotten what books are, record players are not antiques of distant days, and it's a lost idea, dying off with the older generations. I know I l hate today's society and lost ideas. I want the older days back, where it was normal to kick the child outside until the street lights turn on, where books are the main source of research and entertainment, being a lady and gentleman (in the polite way, that is), the clothing styles, everything, especially Home Economics, which should be brought back. So many negative things happen in this generation because of the lost ideas and events from previous generations. Because I believe the aspects and ideas of older generations should be brought back, that is the perspective I got from Mystery.
I like the manipulation of books in those pieces. I wanted to manipulate books to make a piece with an important message, in my opinion.
PLANNING
In planning for this, I had no idea how I was going to do this, so I was looking through the websites of other art students, more specifically, the seniors. I came across one student's piece that clicked an idea in my head. While they focused on how we are all controlled by technology, I ended up looking at another way our individuality and creativity was taken from us.
I looked into how the "education" system (because there's no learning involved, only tests, which only help a small number of students learn) takes away individuality and imagination. It's only because I didn't submit to the system's closed mindset and methods of creating a generic person out of me that I can see this more clearly. Especially in some of my classes, even the teacher noticed how creativity is lost. They are worried about a project being due that they don't know how to be a kid anymore, where their bodies can still play, their minds are still growing. Instead, most students allow the system to crush their creativity and individuality, and before they know it, they're stressed to the point of no return.
What was scary is that in one of my classes, the teacher said to raise your hand if you believe you chose your own identity. I was the only one who raised my hand. That's a terrifying idea to know. Nobody else believed they chose their own identity. It confirms one of my worst fears: the loss of individuality in society, the rejection of especially a CHILD being able to chose their identity for themselves.
Kids have no rights or voice, and they're just supposed to be extensions of an adult's will. Especially parents use a form of brainwashing on their kids: educational brainwashing. This kind of brainwashing is one where if the child does what their parents say and is being what their parents want them to be, they are praised and rewarded, while punishment is assured if they do not submit.
All of this combined has added to this piece. The "education" system uses something similar with grades, not only the threats of suspensions, expulsion, and calling home for "misbehavior", or even bad grades, but the system is set up for failure by not focusing on actual learning, working around the basic learning styles. And since most children have fallen for educational brainwashing and have submitted to the system, they lost their creativity to stress and parental ideas of how the child should be.
In this piece, I am only focusing on the "education" system.
I looked into how the "education" system (because there's no learning involved, only tests, which only help a small number of students learn) takes away individuality and imagination. It's only because I didn't submit to the system's closed mindset and methods of creating a generic person out of me that I can see this more clearly. Especially in some of my classes, even the teacher noticed how creativity is lost. They are worried about a project being due that they don't know how to be a kid anymore, where their bodies can still play, their minds are still growing. Instead, most students allow the system to crush their creativity and individuality, and before they know it, they're stressed to the point of no return.
What was scary is that in one of my classes, the teacher said to raise your hand if you believe you chose your own identity. I was the only one who raised my hand. That's a terrifying idea to know. Nobody else believed they chose their own identity. It confirms one of my worst fears: the loss of individuality in society, the rejection of especially a CHILD being able to chose their identity for themselves.
Kids have no rights or voice, and they're just supposed to be extensions of an adult's will. Especially parents use a form of brainwashing on their kids: educational brainwashing. This kind of brainwashing is one where if the child does what their parents say and is being what their parents want them to be, they are praised and rewarded, while punishment is assured if they do not submit.
All of this combined has added to this piece. The "education" system uses something similar with grades, not only the threats of suspensions, expulsion, and calling home for "misbehavior", or even bad grades, but the system is set up for failure by not focusing on actual learning, working around the basic learning styles. And since most children have fallen for educational brainwashing and have submitted to the system, they lost their creativity to stress and parental ideas of how the child should be.
In this piece, I am only focusing on the "education" system.
The origami wishing stars are something I have been doing for 7 years, almost 8 (summer makes 8, roughly), and I have them in jars and small boxes all around the house, and they are from the days where I had time on my hands (over 5 years ago, the age of 12 is when all my appointments and meetings suddenly hit all at once, been having a packed schedule since), and that much larger of a collection of them to use in this project. Those stars are going to represent the creativity.
In the middle of the glass, a piece of cardboard is meant to cut off the wishing stars (another idea I had was to string a net of the stars together and put that in the middle, cutting it off very neatly, almost looks like it's floating to a careless eye, one not paying attention to more than the big picture).
The pencils (cut into 2 pieces, not only to go smoothly, but also not breaking the glass, while it shows WHAT cut off the stars.
Encasing the cup are textbooks, which are crushing the creativity, with the stressed person on the outside of the cup.
I have also been thinking of adding a small child playing on the cup, looking like they are reaching for the wishing stars on the inside, the creativity they should keep. I was then thinking of a chain effect of the child reaching, a child at the desk at a young age, then a student at a desk in a high school age, AND the stressed one.
That idea came from a poster I saw in my school's library, which showed a small child playing with blocks, then a slightly older child at a desk, then a high school child at a desk, then a figure holding a diploma and wearing the gown and cap.
This was a high inspiration. It shows the limitation of the "education" system, because the creativity and energy a child has STOPPED at the desk. Nothing but a desk, desk, desk, between the small child and the graduation. WHAT ELSE IS THERE?!! WHAT, NO FUN TO SPEND A CHILD'S ENERGY AS THEY GROW COUNTLESS HORMONES AND ANGER AND STRESS?!! NO TIME TO CALM STRESS, ANGER, AND ANXIETY?!! NOTHING BUT A ******** DESK?!! WHAT THE ******* ****?!!
This is WRONG!! The "education" system only focuses on this ONE thing for over a DECADE!! And kids just SUBMIT to this INJUSTICE?!!
ANYWAY, all these reasons are focused on in this piece.
In the middle of the glass, a piece of cardboard is meant to cut off the wishing stars (another idea I had was to string a net of the stars together and put that in the middle, cutting it off very neatly, almost looks like it's floating to a careless eye, one not paying attention to more than the big picture).
The pencils (cut into 2 pieces, not only to go smoothly, but also not breaking the glass, while it shows WHAT cut off the stars.
Encasing the cup are textbooks, which are crushing the creativity, with the stressed person on the outside of the cup.
I have also been thinking of adding a small child playing on the cup, looking like they are reaching for the wishing stars on the inside, the creativity they should keep. I was then thinking of a chain effect of the child reaching, a child at the desk at a young age, then a student at a desk in a high school age, AND the stressed one.
That idea came from a poster I saw in my school's library, which showed a small child playing with blocks, then a slightly older child at a desk, then a high school child at a desk, then a figure holding a diploma and wearing the gown and cap.
This was a high inspiration. It shows the limitation of the "education" system, because the creativity and energy a child has STOPPED at the desk. Nothing but a desk, desk, desk, between the small child and the graduation. WHAT ELSE IS THERE?!! WHAT, NO FUN TO SPEND A CHILD'S ENERGY AS THEY GROW COUNTLESS HORMONES AND ANGER AND STRESS?!! NO TIME TO CALM STRESS, ANGER, AND ANXIETY?!! NOTHING BUT A ******** DESK?!! WHAT THE ******* ****?!!
This is WRONG!! The "education" system only focuses on this ONE thing for over a DECADE!! And kids just SUBMIT to this INJUSTICE?!!
ANYWAY, all these reasons are focused on in this piece.
EXPERIMENTATION
As I was making everything, there were a few errors.
When I was shaving and cutting the pencil, they ended up at different lengths entirely, and it took a few tries to get it right. Cutting the disk inside had so many failures. The cup did not have the same circumference at every part, so making the right size circle was difficult, had to keep shoving it in, trimming the sides to make it more circular, or smaller, until it finally fit right at the tip of the pencils inside.
When making the stars (I apparently lost my collection in jars somewhere), I kept messing up the size of the paper. The paper for the stars can be made with regular sized paper (I have made it using notebook paper plenty of times), with about 1" strips of paper being folded a certain way. I kept messing up on the shape of the strip, with one end being fatter than the other.
When I was shaving and cutting the pencil, they ended up at different lengths entirely, and it took a few tries to get it right. Cutting the disk inside had so many failures. The cup did not have the same circumference at every part, so making the right size circle was difficult, had to keep shoving it in, trimming the sides to make it more circular, or smaller, until it finally fit right at the tip of the pencils inside.
When making the stars (I apparently lost my collection in jars somewhere), I kept messing up the size of the paper. The paper for the stars can be made with regular sized paper (I have made it using notebook paper plenty of times), with about 1" strips of paper being folded a certain way. I kept messing up on the shape of the strip, with one end being fatter than the other.
PROCESS
As I was messing up so many times, I also managed to have some success.
First I gathered my basic materials, planned out how to use them.
I cut the pencils to the preferred length (roughly halfway up the glass), and then made an angle at the edges, to balance the pencils in place. Then I took some nearby cardboard and traced a circle into it, cut out the circle, and cut it to length to fit the circumference of the spot in the glass I wanted it to be. From there, I cut 2 circled from white construction paper and glued it to the cardboard, fit the circle of cardboard into the glass, and filled the top half of the glass with the origami wishing stars.
Then I took all the pieces out of the glass to put the crumpled and torn stars at the bottom, placed all the materials back in place.
Then I drew the different figures on black paper, cut them out, and glued them to the glass.
And then I got my school books (that I never opened, even with the ACT book, it was hard to keep open for more than 5 minutes) and layered them with the glass, the biggest one(s) below the glass, lighter one(s) on top of it, crushing the figure's creativity and imagination, and encasing the figure in its own ideas, taking away the figure's own ideas and rights, brainwashing the figure into the "education" system's ideals.
First I gathered my basic materials, planned out how to use them.
I cut the pencils to the preferred length (roughly halfway up the glass), and then made an angle at the edges, to balance the pencils in place. Then I took some nearby cardboard and traced a circle into it, cut out the circle, and cut it to length to fit the circumference of the spot in the glass I wanted it to be. From there, I cut 2 circled from white construction paper and glued it to the cardboard, fit the circle of cardboard into the glass, and filled the top half of the glass with the origami wishing stars.
Then I took all the pieces out of the glass to put the crumpled and torn stars at the bottom, placed all the materials back in place.
Then I drew the different figures on black paper, cut them out, and glued them to the glass.
And then I got my school books (that I never opened, even with the ACT book, it was hard to keep open for more than 5 minutes) and layered them with the glass, the biggest one(s) below the glass, lighter one(s) on top of it, crushing the figure's creativity and imagination, and encasing the figure in its own ideas, taking away the figure's own ideas and rights, brainwashing the figure into the "education" system's ideals.