Memories of a Fallen Emperor

Emperor Robe : Progress

 For this project I decided to recreate an emperor's robe. I took many influences from countries such as Japan, China, and Vietnam for my designs. The robe is made of raw silk which is often associated with Asia. I chose to print the robe in red and gold, a common color found in almost every Asian country. The color red represents luck while the gold represents wealth. I wanted to challenge myself by hand sewing everything from scratch. Although it was very time consuming and hard, I have no regret. The process was very tedious, but looking at the product and being able to say I hand sewed everything myself is the biggest reward. I've learned so much through hand sewing that I wouldn't have been able to if I would've relied on a machine.

Printmaking : Pattern Experimentations

Our assignment was to carve out our linoleum blocks and experiment with the patterns. I chose to play with the orientation of the hands and how they reach for each other.  However I wanted to create a block that would fill up the white space between the hands so I carved a very eastern pattern mimicking waves. The wave acts as a separation between the two cultures but also adds more depth for the pattern as a whole. 

Printmaking : Pattern Making

Today's assignment was to simplify our drawing with sharpie into something that could be used to create a pattern. I chose the hand illustration because it allows me to show the image reaching out to something. I want to orient the hands to that they are reaching for each other. This visualize the clashing of two culture in a more positive term. The two hands are reaching out to each other, wanting to touch, but not. I also want to incorporate patterns into the background and the hand to differentiate the two. I chose to contrast the patterns making one more rounded while the other more straight to further emphasize the clashing of the two cultures. 

The three concepts I decided to create revolves around cultures clashing. Often when two cultures clashes with each other the individual is forced to choose one over the other. I wanted to incorporate this into the first piece through symbols and colors. Red in most situations stood for an eastern ideal, specifically Vietnam. The blue represents western ideals, such as America. The first concept depicts a red hand surrounded by a blue smoke. The red hand represents the Vietnamese culture I was raised in and the blue smoke represented the American influences. The hand is covered with a very Eastern pattern showing the main influence, however blue repetition of the same pattern starts showing up showing the slow effects of the Western influences. The second concept is a red portrait. The red portrait is then covered with western influences such as gauges and tattoo which is not normal or has a bad connotation if eastern cultures. The phrase " Who Am I Now?" portrays the confusion the individual feels as the two cultures fight to dominate the other. The last concept is of a broken fortune cookie. Fortune cookies are often associated with Asian restaurants, however they were invented in the United States. The fortune cookie is a good example of a product when two cultures clashes. The fortune cookie is surrounded with lotus flowers and roses, the national flowers of Vietnam and America respectively. The fortune says " Choose a Side Already" showing the pressure of many Asian American to assimilate and leave one culture behind, usually their eastern side.

Printmaking : Personal Symbols

Today's assignment was to narrow down my symbols into something more personal. Something that I can personally connect with. The first symbol I chose to draw was a set of suitcases. This represents leaving home or moving away. Because of my journey as an immigrant, airports has always been a very nostalgic, but also painful memory for me. When we first came over I not only missed my family, but also what connected me to home, the food. I missed waking up to a fresh bowl of Pho every morning before school. Since I was very homesick my mom packed a lot of Vietnamese food for me to have during lunch. This was a very loving gesture, however it also brought me many unwanted attention. The food are symbolized in a bowl of pho and a boxed lunch. Another thing I missed about my home country is the freedom of running on the open road. I drew a bare feet running to symbolize this freedom I felt when I was at home. The final symbol I chose was a necklace. Before my first day of school in America, my grandmother gave a silver necklace with an emblem of the Virgin Mary on it. This necklace was suppose to protect me, however it was a target of strangers. I was beaten up on my way back from school and the necklace was stolen from me.

Printmaking : Symbols of Values

 Today's assignment was to create symbols based off of our value that we previously chose. I chose cultural identity. I wanted to represent my Asian American into these symbols, therefore I created a split, 12 symbols for America and 12 Symbols for Vietnam. The symbols varies from national flowers to beauty standards. I chose to place the South Vietnamese flag in the middle because that is the part of my cultural identity that I define myself with the most at the moment. The identity will often shift depending on varying factors.