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.

Bio-Mimicry: Crown-Mask

                                               

The final assignment of our bio-mimicry project was to create a piece inspired by our natural object that would interact with the human body. I took many inspiration from the artichoke both metaphorically and physically. I originally wanted to do a crown that would mimic the circular patterns of the artichoke leaves. However, after studying the artichoke more, I was inspired to make a crown that would hide the face. The purpose of a crown is to indicate the high status of an individual while at the same time drawing attention to them. I wanted to take the opposite approach by removing the person's face from the piece. An artichoke is actually just a developing flower. It creates a thick layer of petals that protects the flower inside and give it time to develop. I wanted to take this concept of hiding the beauty until it's ready. I accomplished this by creating a crown with a mask that covers the person's face. The mask portion of the crown is made of silver wires wrapped with a plastic cover. To connect the wires together I used a weaving technique using smaller and more flexible wires to wrap the larger ones together and stacking them on top of one another. The back portion of the crown is meant to represent the hidden flower. The back portion is made up of thin gold wires looped around and tied together at a single point. The thin wires were chosen specifically to make the patterns hard to see, hiding it from plain sight like the flower of the artichoke.  I also wanted to take this concept of a "hidden gem" further by elaborating the back portion more. I added more loops going downward to hide it behind the person's back while the viewers are focused on the mask. I wanted to create a peacock like effect with varying sizes of the loops. I wanted to add a little weight and delicacy to the crown to imitate the delicacy and weight of the flower. The rings added to the loop and elongate is suppose to make the wearer aware of the swaying movement out of their control going on behind them. The circles were inspired by the the various pattern from the top view of the artichoke when cut in half. The exposed neck felt empty, therefore I created a necklace to fill that space. The necklace used the same material and techniques to create the mask, however instead of weaving the middle portion of the necklace I wrapped it in gold to draw attention to the necklace. the gold helps the necklace stands out more when competing for attention with the mask.

Printmaking : What I Value

Growing up as an immigrant, I value my cultural identity as an Asian American the most. Leaving my home country at such a young age and being thrown into a foreign land has had a major impact on me. I was expected to assimilate into the new land and leave the old one behind, but I couldn't. I was bullied when I was younger for being an immigrant. therefore as a defense mechanism to protect myself, I tried to erase the parts that connected me to Vietnam . I use to hate my parents for being so ''traditional''  with all the Vietnamese customs and traditions. I would try to avoid or rebel against these traditions, hating how it was forced upon me. I tried so hard to get rid of my Vietnamese side to fit into society. As I grew up however, I begin to crave the parts that I wanted to forget. I started to notice and appreciate the complex history of the customs and the intricate details in the artworks. I fell in love with my culture again. I started reading books about the history, art, customs, cuisine, geographic, anything I could get my hand on about my home. I couldn't get enough. My artworks started to become a fusion between western and eastern ideals. Growing up as an Asian American has presented me many struggles. I don't feel completely part of one community or the other, but I view this as an advantage. I am able to take inspiration from both culture and combine the two. Even though I am still struggling to find balance between the two, I wouldn't change anything about it.