Reflective Review 18/07/2018

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This is a meaningful experience of collaboration, and I feel pleased with working with Rika. We get well along with each other from the first day to the end of the project. We kind of knew what we were going to and want to do on the first day of this project, after we exchanged our ten items with each other.  As Rika was doing spatial design and I was doing creative direction for fashion, we discussed for a while and then decided to build up a space for fashion showroom or runway. We then look for some artists' works and got more novel ideas about the combination of space and fashion.

Then we were given an amazing object, a beautiful lino print block for the pattern "Margate", by Joyce Clissold, in the 1930s. Because the print block was a two-dimensional square, it could only print one color on the fabric, which was limited and regrettable. So we considered of bringing the items into three dimensions and then gathered into space for more flexible functions. Then we decided to make a cube and place the items of Margate into the cube, in order to fulfill our original plan.

By researching Margate, we found that Margate had been closed for a period due to the natural disaster. What happened next is that few people went there and it became bleak and unpopular. But a few years later, they decided to rebuild it and then it became popular again several years ago. The reconstruction of Margate shows its charm especially by the most popular sightseeing district --  Dream Land. In our views, the Dream Land is the representative symbol of new modern Margate. Then this romantic name became our projects' title.

We started to do research about the typical items of new Margate (mostly in Dream Land). For example, ice-cream cone, cloud, seagull, helicopter, palm, amusement tower, life buoy, balloon, Ferris wheel, fence, lamppost, dolphin, beach chairs, etc. Actually, we chose these items not only because of their relationship with new Margate but also because that they have obvious and typical shapes, which could remain their identifiability whilst being shown in B&W with rough lines.

To approach the effect of organic movement and the feeling of cozy(like seaside), we chose yarn as the major material. we also considered the thickness, color, and shape of yarn, from the black thin one to the white thick one. And also, in order to show the whole scene and each item in details, we decided to group the items as to their importance and distance from people's eyes, then put these groups into five front and back layers.

In the beginning, we tried to show it by stitching yarns on the paper and then tear the paper off of them, leaving the yarn shaped alone. But we failed technically right away. Then I wanted to make items with wire and Rika wanted to use PVA glue to stick them into different shapes, so we worked separately. Both of our work went well and then we decided to use both of our skills to present different items as to their shapes and sizes. For example, we used wires to make circles and the frames of some big items (like the tower, Ferris wheel, cloud, life buoy), and we used the yarn to present the rest little items (like palm, ice-cream cone, seagull, balloon).

The outcome was successful and we were so pleased when we finished, especially for the organic movement of the items. The choice of materials had been improved in our project.

Feedback 18/07/2018

Reflection 12/07/2018

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My partner Rika and I started to sort out our research and generate an idea together. Considering our disciplines, Spatial and Creative Direction for Fashion, we both agreed that we would like to design a specific space for a catwalk. From the inspiration of Margate print block, we generated the idea that transforming the print from 2D to 3D.  That means we need more than 2 layers of objects to build up a 3D "print block". To reproduce the vivid scenes of Margate, we discussed the selection of materials. Metal and wood are too hard to simulate the elastic feature of the scenes. Then we decided to use yarns as our major material. Then we went to the stitch workshop immediately. Sadly, we failed in shaping the yarn by stitching it on the paper due to the restriction of the sewing machine.  But we were still positive enough to try another way again. Then I came up with using the wires as the frame of the shapes whilst Rika thought of using PVA glue to form the shapes. We went to the metal workshop and got some single wire, which is about 1mm thick. We found it too hard to bend into the shapes we want. Rika decided to try out PVA glue while I wanted to try the thinner wire. I found some 0.6mm-thick copper wire at the workshop, which is much easier to shape and cut with hands and scissors.

  

Reflection 06/07/2018

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 We continued to develop actions today. After the experiments we did yesterday, we did some research on the relationship between exercise and fashion. Then we got some wires from Gary and we started to make a belt with them. Because we wanted to make a fashion accessory that can help people to do exercise when wearing. We started to search for something to replace the hook which can attach the objects because we want to be adjustable on weight, which can be changed by different people.

Feedback 06/07/2018

Reflection 05/07/2018

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We had the drawing workshop the whole day. In the morning we were split into 3 groups and each group should play a whole story each time with different props. Meanwhile, the other 2 group would draw the story down in their sketchbooks. It was more like a game than a workshop, I followed step by step without thinking.

I used to be trained to draw when I was in high school before. That's why I usually think spontaneously when I was drawing. But this time, I couldn't think too much because of the limited time and unlimited demand given by the tutor. Though I wanted to draw better, I had no idea what is "better". When we finished this section, I figured out that it is exactly drawing that help me to comprehend and think about the story. Drawing itself is exactly the process of thinking even I do not think on purpose.

In the afternoon, we were required to describe and think deeply about the objects and answer the questions on the sheet. We thought around the object we got, again and again, guessing the original usage and place of the object is the biggest fun. It deeply evoked my curiosity and I turned to be excited about it. Then I thought that when we select a specific object and then evacuate it from the beginning place, unlimited possibility just comes up.

Reflection 29/06/2018

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Finally, today is Friday. I've been so tired after doing handmade these days. But I still needed to move on today. So I went to the metal workshop this morning, which is short but still meaningful. I planned to make the 3D signs of "warm & cold fronts" with metal. At first, I tried to make the basic curves, little triangles, and semicircles with steel sheets.  But before long I found that curve is difficult to make with steel sheet because steels are too hard to transform. I can barely make a perfect shape without leaving flaws onto its surface. Moreover, I need some holes to connect the little sheets and the sheet strips, but drilling holes on the sheet strips are difficult. Then I changed the materials of curves to wires. So that I can only tie the sheets and wires with the thinner wires ( as shown above).

The final sample is not bad but still has some problems.

  • the coarse surfaces and edges;
  • the sites of holes are not accurate;
  • the connections between sheets and wires are not tight enough to keep the same distances of the sheets from each other.

I think I'll have some ideas of the usage of this item during the next step.

Reflection 27/06/2018

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Sadly, we didn't have the workshop today, all of them were closed and we had other things to do, like having tutorials. So we had to stop making outcomes today. However, Alaistair tutored me about my "Handmade" project and I've learned a lot from him.

For example, He told me a story about posh lives of ancient Egypt nobilities, which can be regarded as a kind of wasting of labor at present. There are always some people may make great efforts to reach delicate and short-lived things. It reminds me of another story in ancient China, called "Liu Shang Qu Shui". It's about people dug rivers in front of their houses, floating wine cup along the winding water just for having fun. What a beautiful idea! Though it is short, it inspires us of the beauty of delicate.

Alaistair also told me not to be too careful. Being brave is even more important than being perfect and successful. Frankly, I've been being nervous and upset since I took part in this course because of the strange environment and strange content and rule of study. Then after this tutorial, I realized that maybe I can just regard this course as a game and play it in a happy way.

 

Feedback 22/06/2018

Reflection 21/06/2018

gvjhvjh.jpg.1Today I continued to work on my " Archway celebrating" project.

I'm stuck in the middle of the project so I just keep doing things like collecting related contents and then print them out and cut them off. I enjoy doing handmade things, which might help me figure out the next useful ideas. Before long, I've collected a lot of papercuts of street people and fashion runway. They are colorful when they are gathered together in one scene, which reminded me of "the Tower of Babel" by Barnaby Barford. Then I did some research about the artist and I found that beautiful and meaningful to bring elements together to build a " Tower of Babel", which could embody equality and diversity at the same time. Finally, I found the way to celebrate Archway.

Reflection 18/06/2018

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This morning we were split into several groups according to our pathway. It was the first I met my future classmates in foundation plus, which was exciting. In the beginning, we introduced ourselves one after the other, and some of them come from different countries. We then shared our ideas about the project, the most impressive idea came from Parker, which was about holding a club in a church to celebrate Archway. What he shared have inspired me a lot, which also proved that sharing is important during the study.

In the afternoon, we had a workshop in groups. The tutor asked us to develop our objects of our project with different materials and methods. It was pretty tired but somehow I've learned how to develop and promote my project when I am stuck. To be honest, I had no idea why he asked us to do such things at first, but at the end, I can feel that my skills of developing project have improved a lot. I believe there are loads of other ways to develop my projects in the future and I am so excited about it. 

Reflection 12/06/2018

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Reflection 17/07/2018

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It's Tuesday we had a crit for the co-create project today. Many had done great works. They use varies of materials and innovative ideas to build up their amazing outcomes. One of the most impressive group is Kelly's group. They were good at presentation very much and they knew exactly what they've done, which made them feel confident about their outcome and process. Their work is a good example of the combination of architecture and fashion design. I think the most interesting part is the development of their research. They changed the meaning and shape and even function of the research object and then more strongly show the concept to people.

 

Then turn to our group. Jo invited us to spend our weekend in Margate sincerely. Then I was so nervous but finally finished presenting our works and developing process completely. I was so sorry for the incorrect pronunciation of the author's name. People gave us feedback effectively and evoked us to consider more about the consideration of materials. And I am hopefully want to fulfill the diorama into life-sized installation. 

Reflection 13/07/2018

[photoshop process]

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[Final visualization]

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We continue on the experimentation today. The experimental group of PVA glue got dry this morning, which surprised us a bit. My group of wire started in the morning. But before that happened, we worked on the draft visualization first. We sorted out the typical objects of Margate, like the tower of Dreamland, seagull, beach chair and umbrella, railing and lamppost, shell, ice-cream, dolphin, ballon, palm, life buoy and Ferris wheel. 

We discussed a lot of issues like:

  • How many layers do we want it to be?
  • Which objects belong to which layers?
  • How far should the layers be apart?
  • How can we offset the effect of distance on items' sizes of different layers?

And we figured out the answers for each problem:

  • 5-6 layers;
  • The big ones are in the background, and the small ones on land are in the foreground;
  • The whole outcome would be a 40x40cm cube, and every 2 layers separated by 7-8cm;
  • The first layer's items' are half of the last.

We would like to find out and solve more problems after our experiment next Monday.

 

[Making process]

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Reflection 11/07/2018

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Today we went to KX and have experienced a lot. In the morning, we had a Library session with Alastair and Pauline. We were shown the bad and good examples of research analysis. Apparently, the good one should be detailed and reflective, which should be somehow related to our own discipline. Then came to my favorite part, seeking books that related to our objects. I was so excited and can't wait to read them, though my English is still so weak. It evoked my passion to read and learn.

At 3 p.m., we had a museum collection visit, being demanded to answer a lot of questions related to the objects we've been given. In the beginning, I was not interested in the object we've got, black, old, obscured and even looked like dirty. But when we looked at it more carefully, we found some interesting details. I was really surprised when I was told that it was designed by a textile designer in 1930s. And it was a print block with the simplified landscape of Margate. So impressive.

 

Feedback 04/07/2018

Reflection 04/07/2018

Contextual Practise

 

Why do you draw?

  • communicate ideas to client/ audiences;
  • help think further (activate imagination);
  • clear my thought.

When do you draw?

  • when I want to develop ideas;
  • when I want to present ideas.

How do you make drawings?

  • collaging;
  • with different kinds of materials (watercolor/acrylic/oil painting stick/marker, etc);
  • adobe photoshop and illustration.

What are the weaknesses of your drawings?

  • limited imagination;
  • bad skills of using paint;
  • fears (scared of making mistakes).

What do you think makes a "good drawing"

  • which can present the concept clearly and directly;
  • be genuine without artificial.

Feedback 29/06/2018

Reflection 28/06/2018

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Workshops are open today, yeah! I ran to the wood&plastic workshop with my fellows and we started working straight away. There were loads of things I needed to learn before making an outcome, like the cutting machines, drills, polishers and the like. I was excited and worried at the same time and I was really scared of the machines because they might cut off my fingers if I am not concentrated all the time. I am careful and focused on every step, from the sketch on the wood to the final outcome. First of all, I wanted to create an abstract 3D weather map with the symbols of "cold and warm fronts".

I had some troubles during the process.

  • The little wooden triangles and semicircles are too small to hold with hands to polish with the polisher. Then I turned to use a grinding bar with hands. It took a long time to polish them into the ideal shapes which fit with the curve wooden bars.
  • I wanted to make it not only look interesting but also be actually interesting. Then the idea of making toys with these wooden symbols emerged. Just like the movable joint, I drilled some holes in the bars and then connected different bars with each other with nails. But I can't find nut taps in the workshop so I can just use thin nails to join the hole, which remains the defect of easily falling off.
  • The surface of it is not perfect, the back of it is terrible. If I have more time and materials, I would like to paint it and cover the flaws.

 

Reflection 26/06/2018

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It's an exciting day. We had workshops through the day, which is my favorite part of this course. I had casting workshop today and I've learned loads of things that I didn't expect. Before casting, we made molds with plastic sheets by using the magical machine which seems like the combination of vacuum and oven. Then we got our molds and we started to mix plater, then pour it into the molds and add screens layer by layer.

At first, I didn't know what to do and I just randomly gathered some different materials to make my mold, but in an aesthetic way of course. And then I changed the colors of different layers of plaster, hoping that would make it more interesting. All steps are experiments for me at that time, so I didn't expect a perfect outcome anyway. But fortunately, I've got a beautiful outcome in the end. Although it had some unfilled corners on it, the broken corners revealed the inner layer with different colors, which made it look like a cake and more vivid. Then I realized that sometimes making before thinking could lead to a surprising ending, and this tour is amazing because making can lead me to think more.

Outcome 22/06/2018

Reflection 19/06/2018

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Today in the morning we had a tutorial for each one of us. Before it began, I kept cutting papers for my project, rather than thinking of how to improve my ideas. When the tutorial was up to me, I found that I couldn't explain my works so well, one of the reasons is that I didn't prepare well and the other is that my language skills are poor. However, the tutors did conduct me effectively, we both thought that the idea of bringing clothes arrangement and social inequality was interesting, so I can do more research about it. They tried to lead me to the correct pathway as well as broaden the possibility of my project, which made my work easier to go on.

Then we had study support class about research analysis and reflection, which did help me a lot on my study too. I realized that a strong research includes not only descriptions but also details, thinking process, and impacts for the future works and even uncertain ideas and questions. And a real reflection is supposed to be the process of thinking "How","What" and "Why" again and again.

Reflection 14/06/2018

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Today we had a critic for all of our final works about "Self Portrait". I was pretty scared at the very start as I am not satisfied with my works. But after listening to others' opinions about my photo, I calmed down and reflected myself as following.  It's kind of so obscured that I can't express my minds effectively, which means my audiences can't get the ideas immediately, but even remains confusion.

What's more, I guess I've learned more from my classmates through this amazing critic. They are creative and dynamic. Some of them used Photoshop to make photomontage, some used a mirror to enrich the content of the images, some have great skills of color matching.

In the afternoon, we started to develop our photos by setting them at different locations. Before this course, I haven't thought about how to display my works but all I thought about was the works itself. So it's kind of interesting and challenging to me. My tutor encouraged me to think more about my future specialty and do something related to this. It's hard but I will manage to do better in the next project.