MESH MASHUP (Concept generation) assignment

 

Introduction

In the second week of object design class, we were introduced to the concept of remix culture. I believe that this theory is particularly prevalent in the 21st century due to the proliferation of images, ideas, media and culture which has been facilitated via the advancement of technology and social network/information sharing platforms. This allows the exchange of and exposure to content and ideas to audiences worldwide, which would have previously been constrained by time and location to a select few. Everything is slowly becoming a reference of a reference, as people cyclically build upon existing ideas, culture and media in order to produce 'new' things. In class we were shown the infamous work of French artist Marcel Duchamp, who exhibited a urinal in a gallery space and named it 'Fountain'. In doing this, he re-contextualized an already existing object in order to create a new meaning and understanding of it. This relates to the post-modern concept of simulacra and simulation, in which culture is continuously reproduced and intertextually referred to in 'new' cultural forms.

This mashup explores the concept of the beauty of the human mind and the ideas that can blossom from it. I chose flowers as a metaphor to represent ideas because they can only grow in favorable environments (if watered and exposed to adequate sunlight, for example). Similarly we can only become more intelligent and creative through challenging ourselves by learning/trying new things, exposing our minds to different ways of thinking as working on our pre-existing skillset and strengths.

This mashup is inspired by Surrealist art and the brief commentary on surrealist photography by our Instructor Bryan Cera. In this exercise I am experimenting with scale by reversing the sizes of an inanimate rubber ducky and a human astronaut, in order to question our established ideas of human dominance and authority over all living things. Here, the astronaut relies on the ducky for safety and as a means of transportation via a vast expanse of water, two things that can never occur in reality (riding a massive rubber duck and an astronaut travelling on water). I believe that 'unreal' art and the messages that it explores has the power to force us to think about our reality and perceptions in unprecedented ways.

Here I made an image of a horse descending the skies via a hot air balloon that is on fire. This piece is an exploration of the limitations of human intelligence through the shortcomings and failures of technology. Air planes do sometimes crash, Rockets can explode, Zeppelins burn, and Parachutes often fail to launch etc. This floating horse re-imagines the Greek mythological flying horse creature 'Pegasus' and places it in a 21st century context, replacing its feathered wings with a technological invention such as a hot air balloon.

In this mashup I use a reverse synecdoche where the 'whole' (baked cake) is referring to the 'part' (white flour). The cakes are intentionally lined up in a manner that is reminiscent of a factory assembly line. It illustrates the mass production of unhealthy foods in a strange way (floating cakes and measuring spoon) to emphasize the bizarreness and artificiality of it all, from production to the normalization of its frequent consumption (not just cakes in particular, but highly processed, sugary foods).

This image juxtaposes a symbol of life, a human fetus, with one of death and decay, a skull. I placed both objects in a boat and facing each other to express the cycle and flows of life, the constant process of creation and destruction of all living things. I was inspired to create this mashup following themes originating from the art historical trope of 'memento mori', which reminds us all of the inevitability/imminence of death.

I created a humanoid creature consisting of a mashup of a fairy, a pumpkin and a magician's hat that is inspired by friendly monsters in Disney movies and Pixar animations. By combining these esoterica elements with a pumpkin, I am alluding to the magical nature of the fall season, and its accompanying features such as halloween and costume parties. The mashup is strange, humorous, and playful, feelings that match the sensations experienced during this time of the year.

This mashup is a visual representation of the play on words "running shoes", because in this case the shoes literally have legs and can run/walk. I have been thinking a lot about inanimate objects and experimenting with the idea of them having consciousness/agency. This concept is very nonsensical to most people due to the self-centredness of human beings and how we tend to view our kind as the only form of known intelligent life in our universe. My mashup flips that accepted viewpoint on its head by shocking the viewer and suggesting more possibilities of reality. What if everyday objects could be sentient?

This mashup re-imagines a weapon of destruction and turns it into something harmless, a source of joy even (like a neighbourhood ice cream truck). This was inspired by pacifism, a belief system that I subscribe to because I genuinely do not think that fighting wars and armed conflicts are necessary or inevitable. If global leaders chose to spread happiness and reward their citizens (ice cream metaphor) instead of bombing 'enemy' countries, the world would be a much better place.

This mashup is inspired by surrealism and raises questions on the dominating presence of large scale man made technological feats (such as airplanes and fighter jets), through presenting them as miniature, almost toy-like objects. Seeing these objects in this manner changes how we perceive them and their capabilities (which are often presented as fool proof).

This mashup explores the idea of animal cruelty. By placing western culture's domestic animals in a cauldron being boiled for meat, I raise questions on why we have selective empathy for animals. Why do we think it is okay to slaughter and eat cows, pigs, and chickens, for example, but not dogs and cats? This mashup also confronts the viewer with the reality that these 'domesticated friendly animals' are in fact actually consumed as meat in other cultures and parts of the world.