The Beauty of the Traditional Bride

Intricate outfits, heavy jewelry, immense make up, and intricate henna could be used to describe a typical Indian bride, before she is sent off to live at her husband’s abode. Traditions are highly valued by the Indian culture and have been passed down for centuries before us. One such tradition is henna. Henna is a small shrub that grows in tropical and sub-tropical settings whose leaves secret a burgundy dye used in many things, such as dying skin, hair, silk, and wool. Henna has been used as dye for body art since the Bronze Age, but as cultivation of the plant has flourished we see more and more popularity. Queen Mumtaz of India was the first to use henna as a body art and have it done for her wedding. The red color of the dye is meant to match the traditional red garment as a bride and marks the passage of a young girl in woman hood. It is often considered a mark of good luck, and there are variations on what the intensity of the color may mean, for example, on common belief is that when a bride’s henna becomes a very dark burgundy, her new mother-in-law will love her very much. Ornamenting the bride's hands and feet with henna is believed to bring love, health, prosperity, safety in childbirth, protection from harmful spirits and assure happiness in death as well. To use the henna, it is first dried and crushed into a powder and is then it is added to tea water to soak overnight. It is places in a plastic cone (something similar to that of an ice cream cone) and sealed at the opening. Then, a small slit is cut at the bottom, releasing the henna paste in small thin lines, which is then applied to the hands and feet in intricate patterns. Designs include geometric and figurative motifs such as flowers and leaf and vine patterns, and traditional Hindu religious symbols. Henna, also referred to as Mehndi symbolizes satisfaction and happiness in marriage. The amazing patterns that can be made with henna are very reflective of India’s patterns used on architecture and on fabrics, and has become a tradition that becomes stronger with time.

Sustainable Innovation

Saving planet earth has become one of the most important goals of the last few years, and with this has come many innovative ways to help make a difference. Nathan Shedroff, a designer and businessman, has decided to make a change in the world through his experiences. He goes through his own design process where he asks questions such about what a more sustainable and meaningful world could look like. With these questions, his critical thinking as a designer allows him to come up with certain solutions. Shedroff shares some interesting statistics which allow people to think more about how we aren’t doing enough to help. Cuba is the most sustainable nation in the world right now, and India has the least consumerist population. These nations are much poorer than a place like America yet have the lifestyle and time to help change the future of our planet. He also explains how in places like Sau Paulo, Brazil, has taken little steps like making an above ground subway which has added convenience to the city and allowed the people a better transportation system and better air. Because of Shedroff’s background as a businessman, he is able to think on a more practical level about how to approach problems with looking at the social, ecological, and financial aspects of a project. Shedroff has many frameworks and strategy’s on how to help the world and approach problems, but his design process is what starts the thinking. If more people could take a realistic approach to designing to help the environment, rather than hurt the environment, more nations could be like Cuba, India, and Brazil, allowing earth to become a better place.

Objectified

Some of us are all told when we are young to not be judgmental. We should be polite and nice, and open to all things. Many of us assume we have grown up like this and will not judge. Despite our efforts to fight this, being judgmental is innate. This is a fact pointed out in the documentary Objectified by Gary Hustwit. He describes how every object the human eye sees, we are already judging it by its appearance, its type, its texture. When we go shopping, we are guided to what appeals to us most and this is determined by several judgment calls. As designers, when we see objects, our job is to find a way to improve things. We are to look at the problems and understand why or why not something works. As quoted from the documentary, “ Every Object tells a story,” and is designed to live out that story. A good design should be aesthetically pleasing, long-lived, consistent in detail, be useful, use as little design as possible, and the list goes on. There are no standards to what making a good design entails. There are different ways to approach design and different ways to explore ideas. In the film, Hustwit uses the example of how car designers start out from carving out from clay, not much different than a process Michelangelo would do. This shows how design comes from the mind, not from what you have. It is about what you can make and how. Objectified helps explain how design plays a role in our everyday life, and how things can be improved with a little creativity and thinking.

Umbrian Corciano, Italian Beauty

You walk through a meadow, and some lush yellow fields. You spot miles and miles of vibrant yellow sunflowers. You gaze at the little red bar, and then peer to the small hill town above it. It sounds like a fairytale, right? Well, it doesn’t feel much different from one when you’ve landed in this cobblestone wonder of a town. Corciano, pronounced “cor-chi-ano” is the name of one of the most stunning hidden treasures to ever cascade over moss colored Italian hills. Until you see a place like this, you may never believe it exists. This small hill town is located in Umbria, Italy, and is so small, its rarely seen on a map. Corciano is located on the top of a hill, with long rows of crops streaming below the towns windows. When you walk up the steep hill you enter a town of all sorts of earth toned cobblestone. Every stone is placed with such precision making the uniformity the power of its beauty. It’s built on all different levels with small streets taking you to all new neighborhoods. This town possesses so many qualities that make you fall in love with it the first time you see it. The simplicity of the design of the city is disillusioning but also shows how inspiration is everywhere and anywhere, and especially in a place like Coricano. (The pictures attached are taken when I went to study in Italy Summer 2009 with UC Davis EAP.)

Learning Colors

What is your favorite color? What colors make that color? Color theory is a complex subject that intrigues many. Color is present in our lives just as much as design. Every day we make decisions on why we choose one color over the other, and why one attracts us more than the other. But where do all these colors come from? Color is a property of light, and when we flash a light into a prism, we get a rainbow of colors. Because of this, objects possess no color of their own, but can reflect certain rays of white light, which contain all the colors. The basic color wheel consists of three primary colors, red, yellow, and blue, and three secondary colors, orange, green, and purple. Some color wheels also include the six tertiary colors blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange. This color wheel is one of the best for artists to refer to when trying to mix colors. Light can be a factor that affects what color may be produced. When see things go from light to dark, they may be orange in the light and completely grey in the dark. This array of how colors can change from one to the next, or even sit next to each other creates a visual appeal, something helpful in adding aesthetics to a design. The hue of a design can also be something to consider when placing color. Although the term hue is used interchangeably with color, hue actually represents the underlying tone of colors, such as red is the hue of pink, scarlet, and maroon. Using similar hues can help emphasize and create tones on the image. Color theory is a study that allows us to visually perceive how colors work against each other, together, how they change with light, and how they can be used to emphasize. Color theory is something still studied my many artists today and allows them to find many colors out of just a few, making more vibrant colors to use in art and even everyday life

ArtAidsArt!

Stunning bead work sculptures and dolls would attract any eye. Over the past few months, I have been looking to find a job that combines two passions, art and community service. ArtAidsArt is a website that I came across and began to be extremely interested in. You click the website and right away, design is present. The colorful playful graphics of the website alone express the emotions of the organizations. The top of the page has bead dolls and pictures of beautiful children from Africa. You can go into any store and pick up a beautifully manufactured doll, but no matter how intricate this doll may be, the essence of these African handmade dolls is not present. The fact is that every artwork is hand-crafted, and made with deep dedication and love. ArtAidsArt is an extremely unique non-profit organization because it uses originally designed artwork to be sold in other countries and the profits go back to Africa. This versatile project allows two places to exchange culture and help one another. When you look at a doll, not only do you see elaborate pattern work, various beads, and complex stitching, you see the artist behind it. This artist is someone who works very hard creating these one of a kind pieces and tries to make a difference and change in their life and others around them. Attached is the URL for the website, and I encourage anyone interested to follow the link and see all the projects ArtAidsArt is working on! Also, you can follow their project blog on the second posted link.

Reflections of Intricacy

I find it funny that a sari, the traditional Indian clothing for women, went from being 6 plain yards of fabric to being the most intricate designs I have ever seen on clothes. Being slightly partial because of my Indian heritage, I find Indian clothing using the most vibrant colors, intricate embroidery, and unique designs that I have ever seen. How do they accomplish this? Of course their baffling handwork and skills contribute. And their ideas? They combine patterns and materials in various ways to create something new. One of the most known types of embroidery is called “shisha” or “mirror-work,” a material so unique, it can be considered exclusive of Indian clothing. Mirror work is said to have been used in the Mughal Empire and was popularized by the wife of Shah Jahan, the king. Mirror work is considered such an elegant art and only few can accomplish it. Because mirrors are not a material a needle can penetrate through, a technique has been developed to attach the mirrors to the fabric. An almost star like grid is created around the mirror with the needle and thread, and the mirror is literally pocketed into the fabric. This is very difficult and can be tedious when having to do this several hundred times for an outfit like a sari, but the end result is magnificent. Mirrors are such a simple material that reflects subtly in the light, attracting the right amount of attention. It is also a material used in a great deal of architecture and therefore gives clothing an organic and connectable feel.