APT6 Activity B

Circle 2009, by Charwei Tsai, Taiwan, b.1980

Digital video projection, single channel, Quicktime, continuous loop, 4:3, colour, sound 40 seconds, open edition.

This video projection documents a circle Tsai has drawn in lack ink on a block of melting ice. Central to the work are ideas of emptiness and transience, articulated through the action and its inevitable disappearance. After completing the work, Tsai discovered that the calligraphic drawing of a circle, or ensō, is a meditative practice that Zen monks engage in to let the body-spirit create. It is believed that the way in which the ensō is drawn fully exposes the character of the drawer. Inviting gallery visitors to hold a projected image of her ensō as the block of ice melts, Tsai places herself in our hands.

Question 1:

This was a different view of an approach to art, through experimentation. The artist, Tsai has used natural and synthetic means to complete a creation. It was original in the terms of methods that she had used. How Tsai had added meaning to this piece of work is by allowing us, as the viewers, to see a part of her ensō/ body-spirit. How she did that was by using black ink, to create a calligraphic drawing of a circle on melting ice. According to the Zen monks, a calligraphic drawing for circle which is also known as ensō is meditative practice to expose the character of the drawer. This then show, that Tsai was allowing us to see a part of her character.

Question 2:

a) The art work that I had chosen was a small media clip, so here are so snap shots.






b) The materials that the artist had used were, black calligraphic ink and a block of melting ice. How the work was created was by first using the block of melting ice as the background. Tsai then used black calligraphic ink and drew a circle on the melting ice. She then allowed the ink on the melting ice, the dimension of water, to represent the evolution of her art work. The circle represents a change, from beginning to end and rejuvenation. Using the method to help show personal individually, in the way that she chooses to draw/ create art. The importance of personal aesthetic (artist) is significant.

c) The visual language shown through Tsai’s art work are: Texture, Symmetrical Balance, movement and colour contrast. The texture in this art work is shown by the developing conjunction of the ink with the ice crystals. As the ice melts over a period of time, the ink displays the constant developing texture of the art, which then helps to display visual interest and give an organic feel to the art work. Symmetrical Balance is shown by the circle that was drawn with ink on the melting ice. It helps to give a comfortable experience for the viewer/eye. It also helps to show fullness, wholeness and it emphasises on the originality. This then makes the viewer of the art work feel content and satisfied. How movement was shown through this art work was by the developing/evolution of the drawn inked circle on the melting ice. As when the ice melted over time the water and the ink slow fused, moved, spread over parts of the ice. This then give a sense of unpredictability and a calming aura through the slow trickling and emphasises. This is because there is no sense of rapid movements or intensity, therefore making this piece of art work naturalistic. -contrast was shown between the black and white of the ink and the ice. It gives a sense of unity to harmonise the image of this artwork. Nature vs. man

d) What the artist Tsai, was trying to convey through this art work is change. By change, it is how at the start or from the beginning of a journey, we would learn thing that would make us different at the end of the journey from who we were at the beginning. However, it is also similar to our body-spirit or ensō as, when we change our ensō will also change over time as well. Our body-spirit or ensō, over time still as the same structure however, parts of it may change as we grow, change and learn new things. This is what makes us as who we are, our character.

e) From what we know about the artist, Tsai, is that she was born in Taiwan, which is a Chinese background country. In Chinese background countries, beliefs in spirits and spiritual things are quite common as well. This may have an impact on Tsai’s art work as different Chinese people may also believe in different types of spiritual beliefs. (e.g. Gods.)

Chinese people also may have different beliefs with what these spiritual things may come to mean to themselves, such as a person’s character and personality. Some Chinese people also have different views about their body-spirit when they leave their bodies. Like, what would happen to their body- spirits, when the die. Some people may come to think that our spirits may move on to the spirit world with the Gods, and some may come to think that we may transform into a spirit in their after-life.

How this cultural may affect the artist’s work, may be the way that she thinks when, she is creating her works. Through her art works she had displayed some of her spiritual interpretations from her cultural. Example that the Tsai had shown that is the emphasis on the body-spirit’s connection to a person’s character/personality.

Videos

This is just a video of a moon's reflection on a puddle. And this is the link. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJtmPtA65wk&feature=related

Reflection On Questions

Focus: In this Unit you are invited to explore your own connection to Place - Your own Skin - the intagible liminal/plane between the physical you and nature. To get you started, reflect on the following questions -

1. Where do you feel most in touch with nature or surrounded by nature and its feeling? Describe this place.

The place where I will the most in touch with nature would be; when I am standing on my house's balcony and looking out towards the broadwaters and the ocean. My house is an arptmenn. Or I could just walk right into the living room and sit on the living room couch, if it gets a bit to cold outside at on the 28th floor of the Marina's Brighton Broadwaters aprtments. My house is facing the sea-side area; where you can see boats and ferries cruising down the broadwaters or either the waves comming towards the beach, if you looked futher ahead. Just from standing on the balcony I feel so at ease and at peace, as beezes fly by continuiously as I stand there and look out towards the busy road that leads to the Surfer's Paradise bridge. During the night of a full moon, as I look out through the windows of the living room. What I can see is the moon shining brightly onto the ocean's waters, where the waters show the moon's beautiful reflection. From there, I could just stand on the balconly where I could see this beautiful scenery before me and just stand there as the wind brushes against my skin, sending a sense of coolness through out my body and allowing me too cool or calm dowfter a while, and look towards that beautiful moon in the sky. This is the place where I feel like I feel like I am part of the nature and as one with it.

2.What can you smell?

The things that I could sometimes smell would be the neighbours dinner as the wind come pass my house. But most of the times I chould just smell the cleaness and freshness of the wind.

3. What can you hear?

Sometimes what I would hear the cars as the drive through the busy bridge between Southport and Surfers. But from time to time I would hear some speeding cars or motocycles. However, sometimes there would be a chopper that stops by near the arptments, where it is a pit stop for those who are seriously ill to a hosiptal or from one.

4. What colour does it feel like?

The colour feels like a calm blue or blue grey where it is all calm for most of the time. However sometimes there would be some bits of red or yellow as speedy vechiles pass by the house.

5.What does you body feel like?

My body feels like it is a peace, relaxed and it feel like it is a part of the scenery.

6.What emotions come to your heart?

Some emotions that would come to my heart are happiness and glee as I just stand there to calm down or just came to take a break from work and admire the scernery.

7. How does you skin feel? Does the environment penetrate beyond the surface? Does your mood change?

My skin feel tinglely, and fresh, like I have just came out of a nice cold show

er. Sometimes when I am in a bad mood and just want to calm down I would just go outside to the balcony and soon enough my mood would start to be more at peace and calm again. Sometimes the environmnet makes my body feel warmer inside as I stand on the balconly and the cold wind brushes. As the cold wind makes me cooler on the outside but on the inside I feel a tad warmer because the wind makes me want to feel warmer.

8.Where does your body act as a boundary for you surroundings?

Sometimes if I stay to long outside I would start to feel cold so I would walk back inside and go back to what I was taking a break from.

9. Can your idea of 'skin' take in you surroundings?

Yes, as my idea of 'skin' would makde me feel like I am a part of my surroundings.

10. Think about the idea of TRANSPRING into another PLACE i.e broadening your perspective of self to take in your environment - How does this happen?

By just letting myself enjoy what is surrounding me and trying to feel connnected to my surroundings.

Year 10 ART for 2010

Hey guys,

this is my first post for my 2010 art blog!! yay! hahas But today is my third lesson so far in my art classes. Well thats all that I am going to say today... so tune in later to see what I would be doing this year!! :)


Cya Around

Ange

Examples of My collages

Practice Surrealism Collage












Final Surrealism Collage

Environmental Issue Collage:

OuT oF TiMe AnD sPaCe.........

Meaning??

- By being at a place but your mind is at the same time wandering away.

- Day Dreaming.

- You are here but not really here.

- I can be out of time and space because I would always be in my own little world, where I would be sitting in a car seat or a chair or even everywhere and I would be thinking about things such as gossip that I may have found on the internet or even thinking abour celebrities or anime characters and puting them in made up stories in my mind. I also tend to have some good and bad dreams from time to time when I sleep or take a short nap. ^^



Some Day Dreaming Pics:

Reflection date: 29/1/09

Today in class Mrs Vincent went through the visual language which included the elements and the principles. We also had to find the definition of 'Juxapose' as the class homework. Today's lesson was mostly just reviewing on some things that were done last year in visual art and and introduction of 2009's work/course was also done during this lesson. In today's lesson I also recieved a new art kit as well as a new visual diary book too. ^^