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.

bum bum bi dum!

The lights slowly tilt up to reveal the dancer’s silhouette. You see a pirouette, then a crescendo of music. All of a sudden, the music slows down and you hear some drums. A few seconds later, and the audience is clapping to the rhythm. What is rhythm and why does it feel like everyone can identify it? Although most associated with music, rhythm can be used in art to give the piece some ebb and flow. In art, rhythm is defined as an element of design based on the repetition of recurrent motifs. One painting that I saw immediate rhythm in before I read the title was Robert Delauney’s “Rhythm - Joie de Vivre.” The title means “the joy of living” which captures the essence of this painting. I was first drawn to it by the vibrant orange colors, since orange is my favorite color. The painting has a modern abstract feeling to it. The unity in this painting happens by rhythm. We see recurrent elements like the geometric shapes, the colors, and the patterns which intricately tie the piece together. Your eye looks at the painting as a whole, then recognizes certain parts of the painting over and over, almost making the abstraction coherent. The use of colors and shapes create a design that allows you to clap to rhythm of this painting like it was a dancer’s performance.

Uneven Magnificance

When you walk in to the Nelson gallery, first you see an array of pattern. Perhaps next, you will notice a plethora of colors. It’s only about two minutes after you see the surface beauty of these quilts that you realize the emotion and hard work that lies in this quilt. A few weeks back, Avis Robinson, a designer of some of the quilts came in to speak with our textiles class. When she spoke of her process, I realized what a personal process quilt making is. Putting the scraps of fabric together meant so much to her, because she described it as us putting pieces of history together and representing the lives of the individuals who once wore these clothes. This is something that makes you wonder, where did every piece of this fabric actually come from? Thinking about this, I am drawn to a quilt in particular. Why? It’s the only one which is obviously off center. The quilt is called “Log Cabin” and is made by Sandra McPherson. In the middle arranged in four large squares, you see little scraps of color that seem bright, but when you look closely, they are just pieces of dull printed fabrics, that when put together, bring life to the quilt. Who wore that pink checkered fabric? Was it from an apron of a hardworking mother? I notice on piece of fabric that has writing on it that if you didn’t stare at the quilt long enough, you might have missed this subtle hint of text. The text says “made in eng” and is cut off. This seemed so interestingly ironic to me. The satire of putting a label like this on a handmade quilt just attracted me more to the quilt. Surrounding the four big squares were long slivers of black and white, and in one corner, there was extra fabric, shifting the squares up an over, making it seem off center. The black and white effectively draws you in almost an inward spiral to the color. This quilt was designed imaginatively, and with wit, and keeps the viewer pondering about the off center design, making it unique from other quilts.

Emphasize me!

BIG, small. Just with the variation of capital letters and small letters, we can feel the difference in meaning. Art can be extremely effective. It has these techniques and ways of making us feel something without even carefully looking at the piece of work or looking beyond the surface. On technique that artists often play with is scale and proportion. How big is this object? Should it be bigger than the one next to it? Do I want this figure to seem more important? Should I make everything smaller in the painting? An artist can be also described as an inquisitor. They are always curious and look for new ways to answer the same questions, and use their artwork as experimentation. One of the best techniques that has been used several times is proportion, which is the relative size, or a size measured against other elements. A few years back, I saw an installation that has stuck in my mind, but I cannot recall the name or the artist. There was a figure of a woman, placed a few feet away from a man almost double her size. The art allowed me to ponder the meaning and without any extra information, I was able to understand that this installation was trying to explain women’s oppression. The power that art can send when you don’t have to read the description is the best way for the viewer and artist to connect, and often ways such as scale and proportion can help send us a message.

Busy, busy, busy!

“Wow! That painting is crazy! Its so busy!” Color here, a dash of newspaper there, and a few random objects later, we have created a masterpiece. I personally love paintings and other artwork that are so busy. A good busy painting can force your eyes everywhere allowing you to look at the whole picture. Another contradicting quality of a good painting can be that in all the, and artist is able to create a central point that your eyes are drawn too, and then from there, move around to observe more. There are several techniques an artist can use to create something powerful in an artwork full of everything. One method is to play with the value of objects. Just like as if it were a performer on stage, the high contrast of surrounding darkness makes the person or object in the light stand out more, drawing your eye to it. Placement of objects can also speak to the viewer. In a piece of 3 dimensional art such as an installation, placement can be very important because, as viewers, we connect the object to things around it. We can analyze things like proximity, size variation, color variation, and how it is oriented. The same can be in a painting. Wherever there should be an emphasis, an artist can place clues that draw us there, for example, he can put all other objects facing his main subjects. Artists fuse together many methods of creating emphasis in paintings. Although playing with value and placement has proven successful in the past, creating new ways to draw viewers in shows the depth of an artist’s work. Creating emphasis is a technique that gives 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional art a starting point, all that is needed to get a intrigued in the work and is a very important element used in art and design.

From Nothing to Something

You walk into a contemporary art museum and are simply drawn to a page of dots. Of all the colorful, crazy, unusual works why would the eye catch something as simple as a page of dots? Although it seems boring, it actually can be a bold piece of work. If you stare at these dots, do you notice a change, perhaps an image emerging? It’s not you going crazy. It’s you proving the Gestalt psychology theory. People survive off bonds and interactions with other people, animals, ideas, hobbies, and talents. Just like the reality that we try to connect with other things in the world, our mind has a way of connecting us to everything around. We are born observers and natural problem solvers, and therefore will try to put different pieces together like a puzzle. The gestalt theory explains our innate habit of trying to connect and organize things together, just like we put the dots together to form an image. The artist may have intended to put dots at random on a page but for the human eye, it is more difficult to see them as separate entities rather than one piece together. So why is this Gestalt theory so difficult to understand? There is no correct fact that tell us why we perceive things as united, but the simple fact that most humans mind work to unite rather than disperse helps us to complete the picture, not only in art but in everything we do.

Inside a Designer’s Mind

When a designer closes his or her eyes, they see exactly what they to create. They can see every detail, every color, and every feature. Every time a designer starts a process, he or she knows exactly what he is going to do. Most times, all these statements are false. The mind of a designer is like a game of chutes and ladders. Ultimately the designer wants to get to the finish line, but there are times they have to back up and rethink their design. This is because design is a process which involves thinking, and trial and error. First an artist sees something that inspires her and then ponders the idea. She may ask herself questions like does this work with this, or will this be too much? The designer than can creatively look at her space and map out what she plans to do. Then she blueprints a plan, a way to execute her masterpiece. This process allows the designer to discover and fix flaws that she may not have seen before. Finally the masterpiece is created, and then next step, feedback. One of the most important things as a designer is to get feedback. Designers work for the people creating aesthetically pleasing things for all and therefore, with input from peers a designer can work on improving her skills. The last step is listening to her feedback and making the changes. The last two steps may take several takes. Just like a game of chutes and ladders, you are bound to get to the top, but without a chute to slide down, there would be no game, no learning process, and no fun.

Obama Clears Fashion Police

If you were to see the host of a party show up in sweat pants, an oversized t-shirt with her bra straps hanging out, and holes in her shoes, what would you think? Even if this person spoke with the eloquence of writer and had swagger of an idol celebrity, she would lose respect instantly for not looking presentable. In a world like ours, looks matter. It is not necessarily a superficial quality, rather one that designers thrive upon. Appearance can stimulate the other senses, which is why the way we look is so important. Style is diverse, everyone is individualistic in style, but looking presentable can be a feat for some. This intrigued me because lately I have seen that for the first time Michelle Obama, a political figure, is being photographed for her style. Her role as the first lady undoubtedly gives her big shoes or, shall I say, heels to fill. With grace, she has managed to do her job fashionably. Every photograph, Obama is always dressed for the weather, with somber colors and a tasteful amount of jewelry. This attracts young and aspiring fashionistas who hope to uses their clothing designs to empower women. A dress with a simple A-line can represent so much power just by the confidence good clothing can express, and how respectful looking good can be. Clothes for Michelle Obama have translated into smart yet still lady-like, the most recognized quality in a first lady.

Art Here, Design There, Inspiration Everywhere

There are over 6 billion people in this world currently. Somehow, everyone is different. Sure, some believe their personality twin is somewhere out there, but for the most part, we are all individuals in a big melting pot. Every person means even more opinions, tastes, and interests. Everyone is an artist in their own sense, because everyone is inspired by something. Where is inspiration? It is not tangible. It cannot be read or taught. The biggest quality for an artist is that they see some intrigue in something and have the instant courage to use this quality to replicate it. Or, they may see something that reminds them of something else. The process of design begins at inspiration. When a connection to something or someone is inspired, it gives oneself the hope of creating another. Inspiration is like a typical teenage crush. Although this may be the most bizarre comparison, in also may be the simplest to understand because most people have been there and done that. When a young teenage girl crushes on a boy, intrigue develops. She wonders what made her double take at him rather than the next boy over. Curiosity causes the girl to contemplate options as to how she should approach her subject, the boy. Then, she executes a plan, and carries it out. No one knows the end results because life is full of uncertainties that we have to adapt to just like in design and art. But ultimately, the process of thinking begins with just a little inquisitiveness.

Design?

Benefitting from design is quite simple. Design is everywhere. It is easy and accessible. It can be aesthetically pleasing, and can encourage us to visually think. Design is a subject, it is a plan, and also a blueprint of a pattern. Design is the rough draft to the final project. Design is the art behind the work, the thought process. Everything is a process to make, but design allows a person to create an edge or an accent to something ordinary to make it extra-ordinary. Design can be used to refer to something as small as a salt shaker to something as large as an entire city. As an artist, I believe that design can be summed up in a word. It is an experience. The experience of envisioning something that wasn’t there, envisioning a way to change this to that, a way to believe that design is both practical and beautiful. Aesthetics is everything, because all human beings are very visually judgmental. Design can be the first process into helping make something practical. Design is a very versatile word. It can be a drawing, and idea, a painting, a pattern, a special way of doing something, or the outline of a plan. It is virtually impossible to find a definition. It is also equally impossible to find a place lacking design. It is the blueprint of our world, and the plans and ideas needed to make originality flourish in the future.

Thinking about Visually Thinking

Green. Yellow. Red. Thin. Long. Dark. Big. Small. Busy. Boring. Plain. There aren’t enough words to describe the emotions that strike a viewer when he or she looks at a painting for the first time. Some people are drawn to the aesthetically pleasing, and some the ugly and intriguing. When we visually think about something, as a human instinct the first thing we judge is appearance. Although we all say we want to read to the book rather than judge it by the cover, we judge what we see first, and then possibly change our opinions once exploring our subjects. Does visually thinking mean plastering an adjective to our subject? Does it mean judging solely by the eyes? It can be different for every individual, but the general gist can be summed up by a few qualities, it uses the right brain, and involves no verbal information. The typical Rorshach test is used by psychologists to analyze what various people see in inkblots and can epitomize the essence of visually thinking. It is the image that is produced in our own minds when we see the inkblot. Design is what drives someone in, it is the blue print of all the deeper elements. Visual thinking is something we do unconsciously and as a result makes sight a more individualistic. Visually thinking is an important element to thinking creatively about anything and is what drives us to question what we like and dislike aesthetically about our subject.

Hyunjun Lee Exhibition

Past the silo, and before shields library, coffee in hand, I end up UC Davis’ very own design Museum. Entering the room of stark white walls, a diffusion of colors, numbers, and letters overcome the tiny space. Patterns. Lots of patterns. In most of the paintings, design and art seem to coexist, yet in a distinct fashion. These images make text and art intertwine beautifully. Emotions are conveyed in every image, especially that of Hyunju Lee. Hyunju Lee uses one symbol to represent two feelings. Her paintings juxtaposed relay a sense of irony and curiosity to viewers of how two paintings with one element give off such different moods. The first painting is called “Ha Ha, Ho Ho,” which blatantly speaks of laughter through onomatopoeia. Bright vibrant colors are lined in a concave manner so as to suggest a smile. Pink, orange, peach, lime green, lavender, and magenta lines are covered by bouncing symbols of various sizes. The versatility of placement of symbols and use of color immediately evoke a positive and warm feeling to the audience. Beside the smiling work of art is its opposite. The symbol used in the parallel painting is called “Huk Huk,” the Korean word the sound of sobbing. The canvas is lined in the center with streaks of grey, navy, dull blue, and army green, all somber colors reflecting the mood of the piece. The placement of the symbols on the constricted lines suggests how much less room there is to move, just like the mind is when a person is sad. The simple placement of paint on a canvas can communicate so many feelings, and relate to the viewer by the use of color. These two artists capture this with aesthetic magnificence.