Test-bed exhibition

I had presenting on the test-bed exhibition today. Attended presenters are less then I expected as I thought I got chance to learn more about organising exhibition space from other. Still, I learnt a lot from today's exhibition, from tutors' and peer feedbacks to me and to other presenter, learn a lot about utilising the space to showcase artwork, that with different material and form. Moreover, the variation of presented artwork also give me ideas on how audience deal with the artwork as a whole, not only the content but also the selection of presenting medium and organisation of the available space, that make it coherent to the artwork and draw audiences into the environment.

The action of roaming around the room and looking at the works, including mine, I actually found myself standing in two position, as an visitor and also the presenter. This experience has given me a new perspective in judging my own artwork. As a visitor, how I see the works on wall, the quality of presentation, what is the impression, etc. and also when comparing to other exhibited artwork, are mine reach the standard to be exhibited along other artwork?

Also in the process of preparing the exhibition, I found the media that presenting my images (since my original intention is to present images) is very very much influence the quality of exhibition. Even though this exhibition faced a small group of audience and is not that formal and my printed artwork just for temporary presentation, I have learnt how quality of medium left impression for audience, and how they read about the artwork.

By showing work to the 'public' I received many feedback with different perspective, realising the potential to develop further, understand what audiences are expecting, in the idea of artwork exhibition. At start of the comment session,  feedback from peers seemed to more familiar on the role of 'conceptual artist' and 'character designer', allow them to understand my work that similar to my perspective. Tutors (Alison and Jo) in the other hand, gives comment quite similar to what I heard from Gill in tutorial, concerning about the narrative of the characters and I should have tell a background story for them to understand the characters. After that, they fell into a little interesting debate on to what extend my work goes under the role of conceptual artist or character designer. The outcome balanced opinions from two sides: the narrative that they are looking for are still important because of the environment of university study that meant to gives space for student to explore, establish and experiment, and more like to see a complete work. Because different from industrial role, what I am doing now do not have external support from ready-made story and media, which lead to the problem that audience will have no connection to a specific narrative like they looking at published video games. I am surprise by why I never thought of this when look at other artist work. I think I am heavily relied and influenced from how the online artist practice their role. On the other side, students come to a point to agree with the importance of narrative in presenting the characters and suggested a lot of example of work to reference to.

Lastly, I have to say that I am not pleased with my presentation. My excuses are: I am really not familiar with the culture of exhibition and due to my pursue of career, I never thought of any opportunity in exhibiting my work; I just started my making process and I have no much completed work to show. Honestly, I do not prepared well enough for this exhibition, missed a lot of elements and consideration of details and bad speech in introduction. I think I have a lot more space to improve  in the aspect of presentation and I think I may request another session of test-bed exhibition that show a clear idea of space set up that I feel more desirable and also error testing any variable, missing part and space to improve towards a more appropriate presentation.    

Keywords of the week (after coming back to uni)

Thursday morning had fed us a lots of programmes we will be gone through for the next half of the final year.

• Guest Lectures from AOI, Chris Dobrowolski, Phill Shaw. 
• London overnight trip
• Formative assessment on 7 March
• Timetabled assessment on 23 May
• Degree show set up on 2-- 16 May
• Every Friday we will have lectures with Lee, last 6 weeks. Graham will also give lecture about 'presentation'
• Mini Exhibition, to show our work within a assigned group and also to comment on the exhibition. This is an opportunity to practice the presentation skill for the final exhibition. 

Then in the afternoon, I had a tutorial with Gill. 

• what do I want to do with the character instead of showing concept?
• a fuller body of work.
• the story of the characters

So, for all the characters I have been developed, I really need to consider how to 'make sense of their existence'. I need to create a 'selling point', that able to make my characters meaningful and also when present, it need to have enough evidence for people to understand my characters, instead of just provide a aesthetic visual experience.

I am one of the person in the first group of mini exhibition and I planned to show image of two of my characters. Not until today, I thought about the appropriation on selecting image to present, I think I should also showcase the details of the characters and a short description.

After all the spontaneous preparation for the mini exhibition, I realise that I should started to tidy up all the idea on sketchbook and 'finalised' the idea of all the characters into a 'file'. So, the development of the characters will pause here. What I will do next is create characters portfolio and make 3 to 5 images that tell the story of the characters.

Lastly, I shall not forget the assignment given on Friday, to create a online web based portfolio of my own. Since I have an account on Behance, so I though I will make one on it.  

The Mountain Child-- Yamawaro

Yamawaro by Toriyama Sekien

Description:

Cyclops living on the mountain. Have supernatural power of strength, so is often offered by villages to transport timber. Very helpful if reward with food but they are cunning if reward is received before hand, they run away with the reward and left all the job behind. Some described it to have size of a one year child and have fine hair all over the body. 

study of Sekien's yamawaro [sketchbook]

So I thought of them as monkey with one eye, little creature that appear in tribe, naughty and jaunty. 

design idea for yamawaro [sketchbook]

design idea for yamawaro 2 [sketchbook]

In the idea of yakuza, the image of yamawaro is fierce and wild. The character fight with fist, so is a bodybuilder, and take the bodyguard kind of role. 

idea of yamawaro character [sketchbook]

Yakuza-- The Japanese Mafia

I came to this idea when I try to figure out a new concept for the mythical characters, something modern that able to contain the historical context in the same time. I picked the idea of modern and historical from my impression towards Japan. Japan as I see, is a land filled with both urban and traditional culture, this contrast can be seen in Tokyo and Kyoto. Japan is well known of its advanced technology and in the same time hierarchy from the past like kimono, samurai, etc. 

At first, I thought using the figure of the monster as tattoo would be very cool (yes, just cool), and it some how match with my intention. After watched an episode of Japanese drama, reminded me of the culture of tattoo in Japan has more negative impression than consider it as decorative body art. In Japan, tattoo used to be a mark for yakuza, the Japanese mafia. The gang members used tattoo to show their power and rank within the group or to other gangs. They earn respect with tattoo, because it was tattooed in way called 'irezumi', which the process of tattooing is done by hand, not machine, so the artist implant the ink with needle and tool made of bamboo. In order to gain the tattoo, one need to experience pain, and that is how the yakuza members prove their bravery. 

So my focus moved from tattoo to the characterisation of gang members, thinking how the meaning of the demons could used on shaping a human character. 

idea of Tengu tattoo [sketchbook]

idea of Tengu tattoo 2 [sketchbook]

I have several sketches of the view of back to show the tattoo. I want the tattoo to work as symbolic of the dark side of society and the characteristic of the characters.

ideo of Tengu character [sketchbook]

idea of Yamauba (Mountain Hag) [sketchbook]

idea of Yuki Onna (Snow woman) [sketchbook]

Further reading:
Kusters, A. (2015, October 21). Guns, girls... and amputated fingers: Extraordinarily intimate photos from inside the world of Japan's Yakuza crime gangs. Dailymail. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3282704/Prostitutes-guns-tattoos-amputated-pinkies-Extraordinary-intimate-photos-inside-Japan-s-fearsome-yakuza-crime-underworld.html

[The Documentary Channel]. (2013 Aug 13). Yakuza Tattoo Artist explains the significance of body art to the Japanese Mafia. [Video File]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXBpd0KT7y4

Review: Angelarium by Peter Mohrbacher

Angelarium (Mohrbacher, P., n.d.)

Angelarium is a self initiated project work by Peter Mohbacher, independent illustrator and concept artist based in Chicago. The project was inspired by the name of the angels and his designs are presented in surrealism.

I found the surreal style in character design very interesting because it match and express very well the context of the angels. Surrealism has became part of the identity in the angels, defined its mysterious and divinity that very different from the way deities and demons introduced traditionally or in realism. Using style as a method to translate the nature of the divine creatures has gave a fresh idea for me in expressing my characters.

Reference:
Mohrbacher, P.(n.d.) Angelarium.Retrieved from: http://www.angelarium.net/

The Heavenly Dog-- Tengu

Tengu by Toriyama Sekien in The Illustrated Procession of Hundred Demons

Tengu featured in many animation series and is one of well know mythical creature in Japan (also among Japanese animation fans). It is usually recognised in bird-like form. Most Tengu presented in animation series adopted the feature of raven, called Karasu-Tengu. And again, like other demons, Tengu also have derived into many versions of story and roles. Some said Tengu is the protector of mountain but is dangerous because natural disasters happened on the mountain were believed to be the wrath of Tengu. Ukiyo-e that narrate the legend of Ushiwaka Maru, Tengu act as his mentor on martial arts. Interestingly, Tengu also posed in the image of red face and long nose, which believed to be the master of raven Tengu.    

Ushiwaka Maru (Yoshitsune) learns the martial arts from Sojobo, King of the Tengu
(Yoshitoshi, T., 1865)

(Mask of) Yamabushi Tengu

notes on characteristic of Tengu [sketchbook]

To summed up all the legendary story of Tengu, they are classified with the idea of human likeness and beast likeness. The red face Tengu has higher social rank than raven Tengu and act as leader in the group. So I took the idea of 'class' in my design and bounded the class within military function, like the royal court in historical period. I have visualised 5 characters at start: The king, prince, general (shogun), commander (daimyo) and soldier (ronin). 

notes on class [sketchbook]

reproduction of Sekien's Tengu [sketchbook]

The King (bottom) and the arrogant prince

Since raven Tengu is posed in the form of birds, I used the representation of cannibalism and size to illustrate the rank of general, commander and soldier Tengu. One version of the legend of Tengu had mentioned that it took kids who hiked in the mountain, and people call this mysterious disappearance kamikakushi (literally means hidden by god). This remind me of the news that happened in couple years ago in China or Tibet, that a vulture was tried to snatch away an infant lying in the pram. So I try to use the wings and body shapes, size, colour of vulture, eagle and raven to indicate the power of general, commander and soldier. 

Hooded Vulture (MarnixR, 2012)

design of Tengu with the idea of vulture [sketchbook]

Tengu design 2 and study of raven [sketchbook]

study of eagle [sketchbook]

design of Ronin-- soldier class Tengu [sketchbook]

design of Daimyo-- commander rank Tengu [sketchbook]

design of Shogun-- general rank Tengu: back, front and battlefield view [sketchbook]

sketches of the composition of image for Shogun [sketchbook]

sketches of the composition of image for Shogun 2 [sketchbook]

Then I found myself really weak in composing image, so I reference from a few pose that used to present the subject of warrior in ukiyo-e. 

佐藤四郎忠信 (Utagawa, K., 1838-1841)

和漢準源氏　匂ふ宮　妻鹿孫三郎　三井寺合戦 (Utagawa, K., 1855)

sketches of pose [sketchbook]

sketches of pose 2 [sketchbook]

sketches of pose 3 [sketchbook]

Image of Ronin [sketchbook]

Image of Daimyo [sketchbook]

Image of Shogun [sketchbook]

Reference:

Utagawa, K. (1838-1841) 佐藤四郎忠信 [woodblock print]. Retrieved from: http://morimiya.net/online/ukiyoe-syousai/U1053.html

Utagawa, K, (1855) 和漢準源氏　匂ふ宮　妻鹿孫三郎　三井寺合戦 [woodblock print]. Retrieved from: http://www.morimiya.net/online/ukiyoe-syousai/U854.html

Yoshitoshi, T. (1865) Ushiwaka Maru (Yoshitsune) learns the martial arts from Sojobo, King of the Tengu. [Woodblock print]. Retrieved from: http://ukiyo-e.org/image/artofjapan/06113256

(Mask of) Yamabushi Tengu. [Wikipedia image]. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tengu#/media/File:Tengu.jpg

[MarnixR] (2012). Hooded Vulture [Photograph]. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooded_vulture#/media/File:Hooded_Vulture.JPG