AP 3D Portfolio: Concentration

1. What is the central idea of your concentration? (500 characters maximum)

My media involves discarded objects with consideration to their former functions as well as their formal qualities of shape, color, line, and texture. At the start of the portfolio I sought to create a new purpose or status for the objects by changing or integrating how the object looks visually. As the idea evolved I put more focus on the function of the objects in relation to humans.

2. How does the work in your concentration demonstrate the exploration of your idea? You may refer to specific images as examples. When referencing specific images, please indicate the image numbers. (1350 characters maximum)

Each piece of my concentration was made using discarded objects which I usually looked for in recycle piles or collected from available sources. For the first three works I took the objects I found out of their original context and applied them to another purpose. The product packages were painted and their forms assembled to resemble a female figure. The old shoe which belonged to my mother almost 20 years ago was displayed on a podium like the latest design. The purpose of the helmet was now not to protect but to act as a decorative accessory. During the course of the project I began to consider the objects' original functions and how they serve the needs of humans. I was inspired by my parents' experience working in hospitals and the way medical technology sometimes replaces the natural function of organs. I was able to obtain expired medical instruments, particularly respiratory tubes, which I used to build the structure of bronchi. The importance of technology was again commented on by the satirical altar of computers. All of these works are tied together by a focus on retrieving objects from being unwanted waste and giving them new life.

AP 3D Portfolio: Breadth

3D Concentration Statement Version 3

1. What is the central idea of your concentration?

My media involves discarded objects with consideration to their former functions as well as their formal qualities of shape, color, line, and texture. At the start of the portfolio I sought to create a new purpose or status for the objects by changing or integrating how the object looks visually. As the idea evolved I put more focus on the function of the objects in relation to humans.

2. How does the work in your concentration demonstrate the exploration of your idea? You may refer to specific images as examples.

Each piece of my concentration was made using discarded objects which I usually looked for in recycle piles or collected from available sources. For the first three works I took the objects I found out of their original context and applied them to another purpose. The product packages were painted and their forms assembled to resemble a female figure. The old shoe which belonged to my mother almost 20 years ago was displayed on a podium like the latest design. The purpose of the helmet was now not to protect but to act as a decorative hat. During the course of the project I began to consider the objects' original functions and how they serve the needs of humans. My parents' experience working in hospitals gave me the material and inspiration to explore the way medical technology sometimes replaces the natural function of organs. The importance of technology was again commented on by the satirical altar of computers. All of these works are tied together by a focus on retrieving objects from being unwanted waste and giving them new life.

3D Concentration Statement 2nd Draft

1. What is the central idea of your concentration?

The idea behind my concentration centres around the use of recycle materials and their functions. At the start of the portfolio I sought primarily to assign a new purpose or status for the objects I chose to use in my works. The latter half of the concentration began to focus more on the function of the object in relation to humans. 

2. How does the work in your concentration demonstrate the exploration of your idea? You may refer to specific images as examples.

Each piece of my concentration was made using discarded objects which I usually looked for in recycle piles or collected from available sources. For the first three works I took the objects I found out of their original context and applied them to another purpose. The product packages were painted and their forms assembled to resemble a female figure. The old shoe which belonged to my mother almost 20 years ago was displayed on a podium like the latest design. The purpose of the helmet was now not to protect but to act as a decorative hat. During the course of the project I began to consider the objects' original functions and how they serve the needs of humans. My parents' experience working in hospitals gave me the material and inspiration to explore the way medical technology sometimes replaces the natural function of organs. The importance of technology was again commented on by the satirical altar of computers. All of these works are tied together by a focus on retrieving objects from being unwanted waste and giving them new life. 

Costumes

My latest project for AP 3D has been a costume. It was very much inspired by Dada performance art and fashion (if you can call it that) by the nonsensical and do-it-yourself look many Dada art has, and by the playful, completely not serious at all attitude. Um, I might have started my piece to be sort of a joke, a mockery of Dada performance and poetry even, if you can get any more ironic than that. 

Just look at Hugo Ball reading sound poetry in those outfits - If I have a time machine I would definitely take a trip back to the Cabaret Voltaire and experience a few of their performances. 

And here we have Sophie Taeuber wearing some cardboard paper. 

If you're talking about Dada fashion, Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven is definitely working it. Can't get more fabulous than a dress made of rubbish. 

Another major inspiration for me were these costumes by Picasso from around the same time period. I took a lot from the tall, linear forms that make the wearers look less human. Unfortunately I wasn't able to produce something nearly as elaborate because I couldn't figure out how to make the cardboards stay on a person. 

Costume de Manager Français, 1917

Costume de Manager Américain, 1917

3D Concentration Statement 1st Question 1st Draft

1. What is the central idea of your concentration?

The idea behind my concentration is to take discarded everyday objects out of their original context and to “reappropriate” their function. I use the word reappropriate to describe how the objects reclaim their purpose or function through a different angle. The newly appropriated purpose/function might have been in the object from the beginning, but was not valued or noticed or has since lost its meaning. 

Note: I took this mostly from my commentary for Parsons Challenge, though I did tweak it to better suit the AP portfolio.

Altars

Mrs. Jones left me an old, broken laptop before she resigned. She suggested me to use that piece of junk (may you rest in peace, 10-year-old computer) for my concentration. After seeing its potential to arrange in a composition with several useless picture frames, I almost immediately thought, "I could make a altar/altarpiece!"
I must have gotten a little into the idea of altars after seeing so many in AP Art History. I'm not religious, my family is not that religious, and I don't even see altars that often in real life, not staring at one everyday, at least. Still, I do find altars interesting. It's an universal thing. Everywhere you see altars of different shapes and sizes and religions, yet they all share a similar purpose.
Is it too much a criticism, or a praise, to say technology is our new religion? Maybe people like me don't necessarily worship our computers, but I think in many ways technology dictates our actions like how religion did in earlier times. We ask the computer questions, and it gives us answers. However I feel like the idea is rather satirical and shouldn't be taken too seriously.

The most common altar you see in homes in Taiwan is probably something like this.

A small statue, some candles, and fruits.
And in temples you get much more elaborate ones.

Or something in between, to be put in a room but not for mass worship.

I guess this is a Taoist one, but sometimes it's really hard to tell since Buddhism, Taoism, and folklore are all mixed together.

Wiki used this one as an example of Taoist altars.

Here is a Tibetan Buddhist one.

These pictures of Asian altars are all in such shitty quality. Fortunately there are far more pictures of Christian altars and altarpieces.

St. James's Church, Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Altarpiece of Veit Stoss

Michael Pacher St Wolfgang Altarpiece

Some Christian DIY altars.

I searched for Hindu altars, but can't seem to find many pictures. This is a home altar.

I'm dedicating a whole section just for Mexican Day of the Dead altars because they are seriously amazing.

Altar by Laurie Beth Zuckerman. You can see the process here.

An old one.

For a lot of home altars people will use whatever object they could get and it's great.
Lastly, have a Catrina.