Interesting chair designs

Here are some really interesting designs I found when I googled for 'chairs'.

i'm making chairs for coursework and i really wanted to explore different ways of making commonly used things interesting. It would impossible for me to do stuff like these over here as i don't have much budget , but these designs are just so inspiring!

Not only are these designs really out-of-the-ordinary, they are also usable!

Images taken from: http://design-milk.com/sifel-chair-by-caroline-corbeau/

http://design-milk.com/cabbagge-chair/

http://dornob.com/modern-vintage-baroque-bookcase-carved-into-a-blank-box/

http://dornob.com/poetry-in-motion-folding-chair-floor-lamp-design-fusion/

http://www.ai-joe.com/blog/?tag=design#header

http://www.digsdigs.com/15-the-most-unusual-lounge-chairs-in-the-world/

When there are no answers, we question

With globalization,

it is futile for Singapore to persist in establishing a national identity in art.

It is hardly wrong to say that globalization does not render identities vulnerable, lest say one's national identity. With the blurred lines between boundaries brought about by technology, sending of information is made easy. As such, who can say that any individual living in a life of modernity were never influenced by any external factors? Be it lifestyle, or even simple thoughts.

To establish national identity in art, there are some factors which are necessary to ensure the gradual development.

Firstly, national identity in art requires national identity among people. Art is a way of self-expression or a tool to express the artist's belief or message. And in order to cultivate the want in the people to show national identity in their artworks, there must first be strong heritage, common identity or sense of belonging towards the country in the people.

Singapore, unlike other countries, is unique. Being a small nation of only 710.2 kilometers square large, despite having heritage dated way back to the 2nd Century AD, currently among approx. 5 million of the residents in Singapore, only a little more than half (2.91 million) of the population were born locally. To add on, the country is also always encouraging for more well-skilled foreigners to settle into Singapore to resolve problems such as the aging population as well as to boost Singapore's economy. Art Renaissance City such as France on the other hand, has heritage which dates way back to 1,800,000 years ago, and among approx. 65 million of the residents in France, 64 million of them are French people (people born in France and are legal citizens of France). To have 98% of the citizens having a long ancestry and heritage, it creates a sense of belonging and national pride among the people. Therefore, it would then allow for them to relate to their country and choose to adopt a style or input specific symbols or images related to their nation.

With Singapore being a cosmopolitan society, encompassing people who have various languages, cultures, traditions and are from countries, people are prone to portray themselves in accordance to these various aspects, which are varied. As such, it would be difficult to establish a common national identity in art when everyone is so drastically different.

Secondly, art has to fully integrate into one's life. In the case of Singapore, art has not been a heavy emphasis for the nation in the past, as such it is unable to undergo a constant long built-up of national identity in art. Just like how national identity requires time for it shape itself, national identity put into any different context needs as well. An example would be national identity in language (Singlish), which Singaporeans change, alter and eventually adopt. Language, being a part and parcel of everyone's life, which aids in communication and plays a significant role in daily activities, incorporates into the culture which then fosters the identity. Since art has not been present when national identity is being cultivated, it is difficult to establish a common national identity in art when it is not something familiar which everyone is able to strike a chord with.

However, due to such reasons, Singapore is forced to cultivate national identity in art at a later date, when society would then be more modern than the past. Yet, globalization which comes along with this time period brings about several obstacles to establishing a national identity in art.

There is an easy access of media such as prints (newspaper, magazines), world wide web and television programmes. Due to the widespread of these commonly accessible media, there are often different portrayals of events, issues or even how various countries are being perceived. An example would be the coming General Elections in Singapore where many internet forums are set up for discussion of the various party candidates and their election speeches. As there are many different free voices and perspectives being heard in such forums, one might easily be swayed or persuaded by them, affecting them with their perceptions or views, causing them to develop a positive or negative inclination towards the issue.

Examples would be controversial art pieces such as Edouard Manet's Luncheon on the Grass (1863) which was deemed as indecency for having two fully-dressed man sitting in company of a naked female, where she on the other hand stared right into the eyes of the viewer. Also, another piece would be Manet's Olympia (1863) which too was controversial due to her confrontational stare and suggested that she was a courtesan- an occupation barely spoken publicly about during those times.In this two art pieces, both portrayed a negative light on Manet and dismayed him.

With the influx of information about different countries, ideologies, criticisms, opinions and etc., one is no longer restricted within his own four walls, and are continuously able to virtually step into different parts of the world through platforms such as social networking sites like facebook or twitter, or through mass media sites like youtube. Thus, it is a challenge to keep one's citizens to remain rooted their own culture and country when they might possibly be more fascinated by others. An example would the current massive K-pop craze which helped put Korea in a positive light and promoted the country greatly.

Examples would be that of Yin Lum's series, Travelling Palette (2007) which was done when she travelled to Bintan Island, Indonesia to depict the rich flora and fauna there. Another would be watercolour works done by Ong Kim Seng, which depicted several countries he had been to such as India, Nepal, Europe, Tibet and many more. Without globalization, it would be impossible for one to explore beyond their country, lest say understand more about other countries and be influenced to learn or adopt their ways in their works.

In my opinion, national identity in art is still seen in some Singaporean artists, but not all for it is indeed tough for Singapore to establish a commonly-held national identity in art among everyone, especially with the added-on obstacle brought about by globalization. However, to say that such efforts would be eventually "futile" is too hastily determined and absolute. In order to establish national identity among people or in art, it requires time. No one can predict what might happen in the future, where people might one day come to bond as a whole when a crisis strikes- such as the commonly debated about end of the world in 2012- and result in people turning to art as a mean to express themselves as beings in Singapore, a place they might have taken for granted of all along. Who knows? Only time can tell. At the same time, I see importance for Singapore to establish national identity in art. Not only does it bring about cohesiveness among Singaporeans, it would also bring art in Singapore to greater levels and deeper depth in meaning. As such, despite numerous problems the country faces, it is still something that she ought to strive to achieve.

Corny photography

it's a pretty corny day.

i never really wondered how pretty corns were,

their shape, their colour, their structure.

how beautiful.

see how many grains (if this is the correct term) of corn may be of a different colour,

yellow, pale yellow, white.

and their leaves too,

how pretty.

there are really many intriguing angles one can shoot from,

an endless supply of patterns that can be observed from corns.

a nature's natural.

i like this picture- it looks clean :D

don't you just think that the background is the perfect complement for the yellow corn?

one day,

i'd embark on a photography mission to shoot pretty vegetables.

oh, this suddenly reminded me of a fruit, mangosteen.

go check them out,

there's this really cute flower-shaped thing on the bottom of it.

it's something i spotted while examining them :)

fruits and vegetables are just interesting,

:D

Food photography

photography on food :D

my favourite!

hope they look delicious!

cheese

milk

seasoning powder

Manga drawing

My first few attempts on manga drawing, 2010

a pretty change from portrait drawings;
drawing in manga-style really is quite a challenge for me.
But how fascinating is that, pretty faces and dream-like stories.
I wanna draw in an awesome manga-style!
:)

Pencils, A5 sized

'

Pencils, A4 sized

Pencils, A5 sized

Biennale writings

These are poems I've written on some of the Biennale's works:

Double Up by Michael Beutler at Old Kallang Airport
http://blogs.todayonline.com/forartssake/2011/04/04/sb2011-young-art-writers-steamed-buns/#more-2676

The Dragon, The Purple Forbidden Enclosure by Dane Mitchell at Old Kallang Airport
http://blogs.todayonline.com/forartssake/2011/04/04/sb2011-young-art-writers-the-dragon-the-purple-forbidden-enclosure/#more-2679

Our works were uploaded to a common platform- Mr.Mayo Martin (TODAY's art section writer)'s blog which is just dedicated to writing about art.

TODAY publication

Writing on The Dragon, The Purple Forbidden Enclosure by Dane Mitchell at Old Kallang Airport

It's heartening to be acknowledged, especially when seldom are there chances for public recognition like these. My first, and perhaps would be my last, published art review.

I find my reviews still quite immature and lacking deeper understanding towards certain social norms and issues. There is a much much more room for improvement, and i'm glad, because life's a learning journey. Opinions and ideas come with experience and are constantly changing.

The publication came as a surprise and was totally unexpected. I'm particularly glad, that my article was edited to become succinct, resulting in better expressions of my ideas and thoughts :) Also, it was delightful to be one of the first articles published.



The link for my article would be as follow:
http://www.todayonline.com/Arts/EDC110329-0000016/Did-you-feel-that?

This was my article before the edit:
(Pardon me for my language errors and faulty expressions)

One stumbles upon the loud neon-orange label next to the wall text shouting “THE WORK YOU ARE ABOUT TO VIEW IS OF A SPIRITUAL NATURE AND MAY BE UNCOMFORTABLE FOR SOME VIEWERS”, giving the viewers a quick idea of the concept behind the piece. Looking forward, a signboard too screams at the viewers, “ENERGY HAS BEEN CHANNELLED. FOR BETTER RESULTS SPRAY FOREHEAD”. While, beneath it are two transparent spray bottles filled with water and a gold or silver patterned paper in each of it. The Dragon, The Purple Forbidden Enclosure by Dane Mitchell certainly captures the attention of passers-by.

This particularly intriguing work by Mitchell, deals with the sensitive topic of the invisibles- spirits and energies. In the exhibition room, one first sees an angular structure constructed with metal tubes, resembling constellations. An interestingly shaped blown glass sculpture is also placed on top of two thin wooden planks. Looking further, the red thread tied to these metallic tubes, a black rough stone and 108 neatly arranged three-quarters filled translucent plastic bottles is hardly unnoticeable.

Mitchell makes use of a cleverly arranged set-up comprising large empty spaces and a conjoining linear system of metal tubing. Not only are the few main objects given emphasis, it also connects the exhibit from one side to another, giving the viewers a guided walkthrough around it. The metal tubing also fragments larger spaces, forcing viewers to only be able to walk through certain spaces and thus giving one the illusion that the room is full, despite the minimal objects and things present.

Red threads are often commonly associated with birth and death- things different yet seemingly alike. Mitchell’s work allows one to reconsider things from a different perspective, and in this case, with its dominant use of red thread, it seeks to engage the exploration of relationships. An example would be Mitchell’s play on the concept of energies. The visible exhibition set-up being compared against the invisible energies channeled. Despite the two being completely separate things, it is of no denial that they both help in addressing the same concept. Likewise, there is also an interlinked relationship between the movement of energies- arrival and departure. Two completely different extreme points, yet both speak of the same way of continuity in a cycle. In other aspects, relationships are also explored via the actions of viewers (approaching and withdrawal); the form of objects (fluidity versus rigidity); the materials of the objects (organic versus inorganic); and even in the use of spaces (emptiness versus fullness).

A room specially set up, with collaboration from different fields- Mitchell, glass blowers, spiritual mediums- undoubtedly helps create a sensual experience for the onlooker. Be it unsettling, uneasiness or simply being neutral. However so, it still leads one to wonder if such feelings felt within the exhibition room was due to having prior knowledge that there is a spiritual concept behind the work, one’s own imagination, having a true experience of moving energies which Mitchell speaks of, or purely coincidental.