Monday Sept 13

Reflection

We began class working from three words each randomly selected from a material, a method and a context. Rubber was the first word my group received. Rubber is a malleable, expandable, strong yet soft substance that could either be made from rubber trees or synthetically. It is commonly used in shoes, as an insulator, or stretch bands. My first concept for rubber was that although it is a soft material made to sustain weight and tension, it’s strength and endurance is no less than solid hard materials such as plastic or glass. No matter what you press or throw onto rubber, the rubber will regroup and regain its form. This reminds me of the virtue of having strength through vulnerability. In the sketch book, I illustrated a man being hit in the face but since the man is made of rubber, the attack does not injure him as he is soft and absorbs the blow. Rubber also makes me think of forgiveness and acceptance. The idea that forgetting memories is a way to purge oneself of negative emotions and memories reminds me of how rubber leaves no traces of previous injuries as it does not become misshapen or brittle. Rubber also reminded me of childhood. The items in a child’s bedroom are often made of rubber to prevent the child from making injuries as well becomes of the playful nature inherently in the bounce of rubber. Such items include: rubber pacifier, rubber ball, corner stickers, balloons bath non-slip mats. The way rubber accommodates and improves one’s life through it’s soft and flexible quality is reminiscent of a mother’s love. The versatility of the material suggests infinity.

The second word is cut. In relation with rubber, my team and I examined ways to cut the rubber into appealing results. I played around with the idea that when rubber is stretched, the holes we cut into it previously would also stretch and distort itself. The the rubber is expanded the slits have the same behaviour as pleats or darts in garments that allows extra movement.

The third work is connection. My group mates and I came up with several concept ideas to involve the previous two words. The first concept is the “pain of growth”. The rubber is cut prior to stretching and when it is stretched, the cuts will rip open and reveal themselves. We reimagined an birth from an egg but where the cut is rubber and grows with your body. The cuts suggest the hardships one often have to get through to mature just like breaking out of the comforts of an egg to fully develop into an adult. The connection word refers to how the rubber clings onto the body after the cuts emerge and the “eggshell” become a garment for the person to wear.

Our second concept is toxicity of romance. We were inspired by balloons as they were made of rubber and had maybe cultural connotations with childhood and an symbol of the briefness of happiness, “to pop a bubble” means to snap the dreamer back to the cruel reality. We wanted to express the briefness of a romance sustained on infatuation and the thrill of mystery. We envisioned two balloons linked in the middle, letting the air fill inside each of the balloon equally, creating a new space just for them. However, with time the interest fades and there will be a fire in the middle, slowly melting and eventually popping each of the two balloons.

Our final and favourite concept is based on overconsumption and capitalism. I saw rubber as a substance that seemed like it was alive as it moves animatedly and retracts and expands like skin. My first thought about rubber having the ability to expand was that it was similar to a stomach. Cut and connection were two opposite words yet suggest a repetition and a cycle, or like the healing abilities of the human body. The actions of wounding and healing in combination with the stomach reminded me of when someone over eats and hurts their stomach. This in turn inspired the thought of the never ending greed that fuels the capitalist society we live in and how the system hurts the ones sustaining our greed the most, the underpaid and overworked sweatshop workers. The motifs we are using references the myth of the titan Cronos and Zeus. Cronos swallows each of his children due to the belief that they will overthrow him one day. Zeus’s mother tricks Cronos by giving him a rock to eat inside of Zeus and thus saving Zeus, leaving to avenge his siblings in the future.

Group Work

How was working in a group like? What were the advantages to group thinking

I worked in the group with Shan Shan and Joy. Joy brought up a lot of cultural references from Thai culture we could use. Shan Shan had ideas on ways to better our exhibition/visual experience.

Idea Factory Reflections

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