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rnortal: similar posts here

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:44:20 -0400

rnortal:

similar posts here

Photo

Thu, 02 May 2013 07:02:21 -0400

Flickr photos of this year’s Coming of Age day under the...

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 07:25:00 -0500

Flickr photos of this year’s Coming of Age day under the snow in Tokyo .

I like this photo because knowing that it was taken in Tokyo it looks very surreal to see a girl nowadays in her full expensive precious kimono, walking in the dirty city snow. There is a nostalgic feel to it i think. She is going to attend the Coming of Age Ceremony that recently occurred as it does every year in Japan.

“Seijin no Hi, 成人の日, ’adult ceremony’ in Japanese is the day where 20 year old people in Japan come of age and celebrate it through a ceremony that started as far back as 714 AD. It congratulates and encourages the new adults that have reached the age of 20 and reached the age of majority.”

Furthermore it shows how this traditional ceremony remains the same but the young adults have different requests and manage to alter it to still remain traditional but also contemporary with the times we live in.

This photo is actually what triggered my inspiration behind the research and consequently the concept of my Swarovski project piece because it made me wonder what it would be like if a Geisha from say the Meiji Era (1868-1912), where the profession really flourished, were to find herself in modern day Tokyo. She would have such a cultural shock to see how much change has taken place in the last 100 years.

To remain in context with my collection’s theme of globalization of the West in regards to the East and maintain a relevance with it, I will look at how the Geisha would have to adapt to this new society. Mainly in terms of traditonal versus contemporary. So in this photo the girl is wearing a full kimono but it is not a daily occurence, unlike for the Geisha who always wore one or some slightly less complex version of the latter. Consequently if the Geisha were to end up in Tokyo in 2013 she would wear more westernized clothes or as they were very young when they began their training maybe she would be just a teenager and have to wear the sailor school uniform, an iconic emblem of contemporary Japan. These are the kind of things that I am interested in.

The Geisha will no longer play her musical instruments instead she would go to karaoke with her friends or listen to music on her iPhone which she will carry everywhere with her. The girl in the photo is wearing the traditional wooden sandals which do not seem like the most appropriate choice in the city, anymore at least. Hence the Geisha would have to change that too and wear maybe the popular Ugg boots or high heeled boots. I want to imagine what the current 21st century counterparts of the objects and elements associated with a Geisha would be.

To make the final piece even more relevant to modern times I will use very advanced technology and 3D scan my Japanese (hopefully if she lets me!) friend’s face and then use that in rhino to build the figurine like interpretation of the time warped geisha. I will have to make it all on rhino and then print it but cast the parts separately so that I can add the crystals to the metal. The photo shows all the details and layers that a kimono has and i have to be careful to not lose details in the scale of the piece. It is also very colourful which is something that cannot be effectively reproduced on the 3D printed nylon but could be on metal if i were to cold enamel it after. ALSO the swarovski crystals will add colour and possibly be set in a way to create some sort of patterns.

GIRL FALLS INTO OPEN MAN HOLE WHILE MESSAGING by ALEX GROSS Alex...

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 07:19:00 -0500

GIRL FALLS INTO OPEN MAN HOLE WHILE MESSAGING by ALEX GROSS

Alex Gross is one of my favourite painters of all time, as is the genre that he belongs to which is Pop Surrealism, to which Mark Ryden, another one of my favourites, also is part of.

In this series he looks at Capitalism and Consumerism in our society, especially within his own, America, hence why it is very relevant to my collection. Furthermore he is relevant because he uses a lotof Asian influence in his work, he adds Japanese text in a lot of his pieces as well as mixing the traditional oriental aesthetic with the contemporary one.

There is a frequent reference to branding as he often has logos of brands like Fendi, Prada as well as Coca Cola and cigarette brands in his work. This is what makes his work very relevant to my own and our times, he addresses these kinds of social issues.

A recurring theme in this series is his characters’ usage of technology, namely cell phones which we are so enslaved and consumed by.

This piece in particular, even in the title, refers to people always being on their phone when they are walking on the street. A hundred percent engulfed by it, to the point where the girl in this painting is about to fall into a man hole.

The realistic factor makes the fantasy elements in this piece, the coral snake heads (also a common motif in his art) and sheep, seem even more peculiar and surreal.

The mix that he creates of reality and surrealness is what initially attracted me to his work because no matter how crazy his pieces may seem there is also a socioeconomical message behind it. In his own words:

1. Globalization and technology are responsible for wonderfully positive changes in the world as well as terrible tragedy and homogeneity. This dichotomy fascinates me, and naturally influences much of my work.

This elaborate painting by Gross is a good example of the...

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 07:17:00 -0500

This elaborate painting by Gross is a good example of the elements that he uses in his work. It has a farm animal, brands, Asian element, a social message against capitalism and consumerism and Japanese text. It is the embodiment of the kind of work that he does and hence the reasons why I admire his work.

It relates to my collection because like his other work it incorporates elements of globalisation, especially of East Asia.

Furthermore he is capable of using the traditional Asian aesthetic/heritage along with the new American Consumer culture.

The colours that he uses, especially in this painting, are so vibrant and complex yet they do not overwhelm the viewer who I guess is used to seeing these big kind of billboard ads and has become immune to them.

It is ironic that under all these big buildings is a cow and an unkept meadow of pink flowers, it is a purposely chosen effect to contrast the urban city life element.

There is a lot of reference to pop culture, like the advertisement for the movie Die Hard on one of the billboards, the infamous Apple iPod ad. Even in my work I want to incorporate elements that we see in our everyday like but put them in a different context. Like the Chinese Coca Cola bottle in my Cherry Coke piece, it is a normal coke bottle but the logo is in Chinese and it has cherry blossom branches and flowers growing from within it. It was a kind of play on the expression, the root of all evil.

Furthermore Gross uses flower imagery in an unconventional setting and it is sort of how I was thinking of using them too. The flowers in my work would be a kawaii element because they are not essential to the piece (with the exception of the cherry blossom coke series) but I am using them to create an aesthetic or to tone down the message that the piece is conveying to make it less obvious. Flowers make anything look more innocent and one layered, even a gun for example would have a different meaning if flowers were applied to it. That is why they are important to my work, they help balance pieces and kind of side track the real meaning to not make it so blatant, in your face. I think that Asian society is also quite indirect and quaint compared to the European or American who are much more blunt and direct. So it would be coherent if the pieces told a story/message subtly and required the viewer or wearer to kind of peel away the layers to get to the true meaning.

I was attracted to this image because of my final Cool Diamonds...

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 07:09:00 -0500

I was attracted to this image because of my final Cool Diamonds piece which has the Chinese character for Beauty represented within it. Moreover I wanted to add the other aspect of my concept to the latter so the fact that this neon sign says both beauty and BUY is appealing to me because it makes me ponder as to how I could add the Western element in my ring.

I had thought to perhaps add small red stones to pavee the whole ring and then add enameled or stones in the shape of yellow stars (like the Chinese flag) to the piece but it do not think that it has enough space on it really.

I do not neeeed to add another layer to that piece as it works fine on its own, it is just that it bothers me that it does not represent my entire concept. In fact it only counts for half of the idea of my project!

I need to redesign it a bit and see what I can do to make it fit in better with the rest of my pieces and be an integrated part of the collection, even on an aesthetic level.

This photo made me also think that maybe the ring could say different things depending on how you wear it or else on the back there could be another character. Since the beauty character is Chinese maybe on the other side of the ring it could say something in English or in Latin like Buy or Consume. Or it could be like Beauty/Sells, Beauty/Consumes, etc.

CONSPICUOS CONSUMPTION GONE MAD. Obviously this is not a real...

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 07:08:00 -0500

CONSPICUOS CONSUMPTION GONE MAD.

Obviously this is not a real thing made by the brands but more of a making fun of people that would consider even buying pills with the essence of the latter.

I like these pieces but I do find them a bit overrated and cliche. It actually helps me in my collection because it reminds me to not do anything so blatantly ANTI-BRAND and ANTI-CONSUMERIST. It is not deep in its meaning it is very one layered.

My collection needs to be able to convey its message but still allow the wearer the choice of ignoring it and liking the piece because it is so kawaii and aesthetically pleasing that they just want it. Since my collection is also aiming to give the wearer a means of escapism, thinking about the connotations behind the work will only do the opposite. Thus that is why the messages are subtle and do not engulf the appearance and look of the pieces. I do not like the idea of preaching my personal beliefs to other people because i think that even though it is important to have a concept in design, fundamentally the majority of people do not care about it. You do it for yourself as an artist/designer because it is something important and relevant to you.

The traditional Japanese female school girl uniform, something...

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 06:57:00 -0500

The traditional Japanese female school girl uniform, something that I first came across when I was young and used to watch the Sailor Moon anime, where all of the girls wore it.

I had always thought of incorporating this motif in my work because it is something immediately associated with Japan as well as Kawaii. It also works wells because as it has become a kind of cult item to represent adult fetish fantasies as well so it has two layers. In the West especially, it would be seen as being a Lolita type of clothing to those who do not know much about it. They are actually so popular that second-hand sailor outfits and other items of school wear are brokered through underground establishments known as burusera, although changes to Japanese law have made such practices difficult.

It also relates to my concept because the uniform’s design is modelled on sailor outfits used by the British Royal Navy at the time and it was introduced as a school uniform in the 1920s.

The connotations behind the uniforms can also be nostalgic ones for former students as they are associated with their relatively care free youth. Making this the perfect motif for escapism, because it reminds one of their happy teenage years and brings back old memories, momentarily forgetting about the present.

There is also another aspect that makes these uniforms interesting and it is how sometimes they are modified by students as a means of exhibiting individualism, including lengthening or shortening the skirt, removing the ribbon, hiding patches or badges under the collar, etc. This may be how I will be looking at it, adding kind of what the contemporary uniform would look like now that Eastern Asian countries have been influenced by the West.

My biggest concern is that I do not quite know what to make as a piece because it I were a fashion student then it would be easier as this is an item of clothing but in jewellery it is a bit more tricky. I do not want to fall into making some doll like stereotype so I really need to develop this idea and find a smart way of portraying this,

China has become renowned as the workshop of the world - and in...

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 18:40:00 -0500

China has become renowned as the workshop of the world - and in 20 years has transformed the top image into the bottom one.

This is a photo of the skyline of Shanghai and how it was developed after such a relatively short amount of time.

This picture is a taste of what will happen to the rest of the country as well as the one neighboring it.

It links in tightly with my project because it physically shows the effects of globalisation and how much the times have changed in such a relatively short period of time.

IT LITERALLY ILLUSTRATES GLOBALISATION AT ITS FINEST.

Socially speaking McDonalds has such a range of people from...

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 18:33:00 -0500

Socially speaking McDonalds has such a range of people from different socio-economical demographic groups visiting and loving it everyday, as their logo so carefully reminds us, that it is no surprise that it has become such a massive company. This photo caught my attention because even if in the East, McDonalds may be seen as this wow-y ‘aweful’ American dream company, in America it is also associated with the lowest of the social groups and can even be a dangerous place if you are going to the McDonalds of the wrong neighbourhood.

The picture links in to my project because it is showing the less glamorous side of the consumerist culture of the occident. It reminds me of the reality behind McDonalds and it is funny because there are countries that see it as some sort of elitist brand that they are lucky to be able to have in their country, which is the impression I got seeing it in China and South Korea for example. When actually their country is doing them a favour, while actually slowly making people from other countries choose unhealthy fast food over their own.

I definitely want to use some sort of reference to the food culture of the West in the form of fast food and consequently McDonalds as well. I need to also do this is a very quaint manner and not make it look like an anti junk food campaign piece because that is not my goal. My aim is more to show the adoration and image of McDonalds that Eastern Asian countries have as well as the impact that it has had there. So it will have to be done very carefully and I also have to make sure to not use the logo in its original form (copyright issues!).

MCDONALDS = 1 HEALTH = 0

This photo is very related to the concept of my collection...

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 18:30:00 -0500

This photo is very related to the concept of my collection because it portrays a young girl from East Asia who has fashioned herself to fulfil the western beauty standards. When I was first researching about my concept I was very interested in how, especially in South Korea where I experienced this first hand, a lot of girls undergo plastic surgery in order to fit in with the so called ‘parameters’ that determine whether or not one is regarded as an ideal beauty. What I found noteworthy is that instead of praising someone for her glossy black hair, perfect smile, etc. They seemed very fixated on particular characteristics that as a Westerner I never even thought of: having a V line slender face, having big double eye lid eyes and white skin are amongst the most important. These are all influenced from the West and that is why it is so pertinent to my project, this is pure mimicry of our appearance. Societies have their own beauty ideals, which greatly differ from one another, and this diversity is what makes one unique.

I read an article on the Independent about why Asian women aspire to these Western ideals of beauty. Apparently globalisation caused this emulation, which is eventually going to result in the homogenization of the standards of beauty, or maybe it already has. As according to the article: “The globalisation of mega-, celebrity- and luxury brands provides compelling evidence of the ‘flattening’ of the world. These brands are the carriers of the latest trends, which companies now seem to be able to spread around the world, regardless of cultural traditions, ethnicity or income levels.”

The big brands and companies that are coming into Eastern Asia are also part of instilling the ‘white’ beauty norms abroad. In the article they talked about how it is similar to the way in which tobacco companies are heavily marketing themselves in LEDC and new markets, “Creating a dependent consumer class, gullible enough to believe the slick campaigns and polished lies.” In fact when I was in Seoul sometimes it was hard to tell if the girl in an advertisement campaign was Asian or Caucasian because she was so heavily photoshopped and/or underwent a lot of plastic surgery, NOT good role models for the younger generations.

I really would like to make this a part of my project but it is hard to think of how I could do this in terms of jewellery, in particular fine jewellery. In September I was very involved with the idea of using 3d scanning to create my collection and even if I have moved on from that I do believe that is the most effective way of using this concept. I could use the scanner to scan the faces and characteristics of both western and eastern girls (as that is more linked with this phenomenon) to create pieces on rhino, most likely then incorporate this with branding.

"Our enormously productive economy… demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert..."

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 18:16:03 -0500

“Our enormously productive economy… demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption… We need things consumed, burned up, worn out, replaced, and discarded at an ever increasing rate.”

- Victor Lebow (via gscottleonard)

This photo reminds me how i want to incorporate text in my...

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 18:16:00 -0500

This photo reminds me how i want to incorporate text in my collection. It may not be as blatantly portrayed as it is here because after all it is fine jewellery not costume-fashion statement bijouterie so i have to be aware of this.

These are the kinds of words that I am interested in using and I was also thinking that I could write some of them in other language, namely Eastern Asian ones: Mandarin, Korean or Japanese. This would fit in well with my project and would also allow for native speakers of these languages to identify more with my pieces. The fact that I am also learning Korean has probably influenced me in wanting to include these texts in my work as well as having already done that, partly, with the cool diamonds project.

The kinds of words that i am planning to use are not very different to those in this photo. Although i wanted to also, aside from things like BUY, CONSUME, SHOP, OBEY, etc, add words that are linked with escapism, so dream, reality, escape, etc. This way it was incorporate all the elements of my concept.

To consume means to destroy, to waste. Today’s...

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 18:15:50 -0500

To consume means to destroy, to waste. Today’s consumption-driven society is also to destroy and to waste

Photo

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 18:06:42 -0500

"As one nation after another enters the machine economy and adopts advanced industrial methods, it..."

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 18:05:51 -0500

“As one nation after another enters the machine economy and adopts advanced industrial methods, it becomes more difficult for its manufacturers, merchants, and financiers to dispose profitably of their economic resources, and they are temped more and more to use their Governments in order to secure for their particular use of some distant underdeveloped country by annexation and protection …Everywhere appear excessive powers of production, excessive capital in search of investment. It is admitted by all businessmen that the growth of the powers of production in their country exceeds the growth in consumption, that more goods can be produced than can be sold at a profit, and that more capital exists than can find remunerative investment It is this economic condition of affairs that forms the taproot of Imperialism.”

- Imperialism: A Study by J.A. Hobson, pp. 80-81 (via basedbrezhnev)

"In modern society, consumer objects represented social status; in postmodernity, they express one‘s..."

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 18:05:19 -0500

“In modern society, consumer objects represented social status; in postmodernity, they express one‘s identity.”

- Poster, Mark. 2004. Consumption and digital commodities in the everyday. Cultural Studies 18, no. 2: 409–423. (via elasticself)

Photo

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 14:41:58 -0500

The maneki-neko, 招き猫, which means the beckoning cat in...

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 14:40:00 -0500

The maneki-neko, 招き猫, which means the beckoning cat in Japanese is an iconic lucky talisman, typically made of ceramic and it used to bring good luck to the owner. As you can see in the photo it is a cat, traditionally a calico Japanese Bobtail. It beckons the costumers to come into shops with its moving paw. Commonly it is white, followed by black and gold, with red being occasionally used as well in its common colour palette.

I really want to use it in my work so I have a lot of images of it on my blog because it has always caught my attention as I coincidentally have this EXACT one in my room. Ever since I was young I can remember these lucky cats, maybe because i like cats as well.

The coin, usually a gold coin called a koban 小判 used during the Edo period in Japan, that is often is shown holding ties into the cat’s part in bringing good fortune and wealth.

I read on wikipedia that, in modern Japanese culture it can be frequently found in rooms on the third floors of buildings, due to the auspicious qualities associated with the number three. Modern Japanese folklore suggests that keeping a talisman of good fortune, such as the maneki-neko, in bedrooms and places of study will bring about favorable results and life successes. Due to its popular presence within Chinese communities the maneki-neko is frequently mistaken for being Chinese in origin rather than Japanese, and is incorrectly referred to as a “Chinese lucky cat” or jīnmāo (‘golden cat’).

kyarychan: [3:17 PM] Since I’m the Harajuku Kawaii Ambassador,...

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 11:33:50 -0500

kyarychan:

[3:17 PM] Since I’m the Harajuku Kawaii Ambassador, I’m going to have a guest live at Shibuya’s coming-of-age ceremony. I’ll be singing my new song “Furisodation” and celebrating everyone’s who’s become an adult! I, I’m twenty years old~ Furisodation♪