Assignment 1: Create 3 book stacks

To select my books, I used my dad’s library where I found many books about history and music, my sister’s book collection where I found numerous books about social issues and fantasy, as well as other books from around my house which gave me a wide selection to choose from. To begin, I focused on books which distinctly showed the titles as the authors’ names were much smaller. The colour of the spines and the letters as well as the font really attracted me to many of the books as well. I also leaned more towards books that had phrases as titles instead of one word titles; making it easier to mix and match according to several different themes/scenarios. I spent a lot of time creating the different stacks; changing the order around within themselves, and adding or taking books away as the themes became more apparent. Lastly, I chose to photograph my book stacks in front of a plain white background so that the main focus of the pictures are the books themselves… I didn’t want the background to take away from that and be distracting.

Book Stack #1 – “Acceptance”

While looking through my sister’s collection of books, “two boys kissing” really stood out to me. I like how each word is in lowercase letters; kind of like it’s suggesting that boys kissing each other is something so simple and casual/normal and not bold or should really stand out to people. The first book in the stack, “An Acceptable Time” seemed like a really fitting beginning. I chose “DON’T CRY FOR ME” because people should not feel sad or sorry for two people of the same gender who really love each other. Then to add some humour, I included the next three books: “WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU,” “THE WAY IT WORKS,” and “WATCH US RISE,” as if the two boys were really speaking up for themselves and giving it to people how it is. Lastly, I decided to add the third book, “STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART” directly after “two boys kissing” because I wanted to show that they had a true relationship or genuine love for each other; not just a fleeting moment. All of the books after the first two are written in capital letters which emphasize the importance of accepting everyone, no matter who they love and realizing that you can’t change how or who people love, so you should just let them be.

Book Stack #2 – “Emotions”

As I was going through the different books I had selected for their titles, I noticed the variety of colours around the perimeters of the books which gave me the idea to do a stack of books representing emotions. Having watched the popular movie, “Inside Out 2” this summer, as well as loving the original “Inside Out” movie when I was a kid… I wanted to create a stack with those specific colours and emotions (Yellow – joy, White – nostalgia, Light Purple – fear, Blue – sadness, Orange – anxiety, Turquoise – envy, Green – disgust, Pink – embarrassment, Dark Purple – boredom, and Red – anger). The books within this stack have been placed on different angles, as well as in a random order, excluding Yellow (joy) at the top, as your emotions are not a constant, intensity wise, and they can continually change throughout a single day, multiple days, weeks, months, or years depending on events happening in your life, relationships with others, and your reactions towards expected and unexpected circumstances. Yellow (joy) has been placed upright at the top of the book stack, being the most prominent and noticeable book, as this is the emotion everyone would ideally like to feel on a daily basis and strives for throughout their lives. The sizes of the books are different to show how the intensity of an emotion can sometimes be stronger or weaker than others at times. Lastly, some of the books reveal white pages while others have coloured pages which was done to add visual interest to the stack.

Book Stack #3 – “Secrets”

For my third stack, I wanted to focus on a theme and chose SECRETS because I find it very interesting how there can be numerous different types of secrets and the titles of the different books were very interesting and give a sense of secrecy (e.g. people keeping secrets, secrets taken to the grave, secrets within a garden). I also liked the different styles of font and the colours of the titles, maybe suggesting the various kinds of secrets that are kept; good or bad. As I was looking through the piles of books I had chosen from the shelves, I really liked two of the titles, “LISTENING IN” and “THE TRUTH SHOWS UP” which I tried to use in a variety of stacks I was experimenting with. After creating my stack of “secret books”, I had finally found a suitable place to put, “LISTENING IN” on the top as if you are listening in on the secrets and “THE TRUTH SHOWS UP” at the bottom to represent the truth eventually coming to light sometimes. 

Toronto Biennial of Art and MOCA Field Trip

I found our field trip to the Toronto Biennial of Art and the Museum Of Contemporary Art (MOCA) to be very interesting and I really enjoyed looking at the different exhibitions and artworks that were on display. Some of my favourite exhibitions and artworks I saw were the hanging shoes made to look like birds, the video art displayed on the massive blocks in a dark, red lit room and the mixed media installation representing a Cantonese opera.

When we walked out and saw this installation, I was immediately captivated by it as I had never seen something like it before! I knew right away that the shoes were representing birds, but I didn’t know just how intricate each shoe was and how they were all altered with so much detail and thought. The artist used the soul of the shoe as the birds main body and stomach and then cut the top fabric part in 2 pieces and bent them outwards to make it look like the wings of the bird. I just loved how unique and creative this artwork was and not only that, I also loved the symbolism behind the artwork. The artist works with topics of immigration and migration and in this specific piece, they were showing the symbolism of the migration of humanity as the artist themselves is an immigrant and they were able to make that connection through shoes made to look like birds since birds also migrate.

I also really liked the exhibition displaying multiple different videos on large blocks. I thought all the videos were very quirky and unusual in their own ways, but somehow it worked. I think the eerie feeling created by the dark, red light helped with this and once again, it was an art style and type of exhibition I had never seen before so I found it very interesting and fascinating. Especially, the video below of the green witch singing into a standing fan with Oscar the Grouch beside her swaying and bobbing his head along to her singing.

The mixed media installation by Karen Tam, representing a Cantonese opera also really caught my attention as I loved how immersive it was and also how bright and colourful everything was. The bamboo hanging from the ceiling was one of my favourite parts of the exhibition as it was visually interesting, but also interesting in the sense that we were allowed to touch it and walk through it, which I feel like most artists do not allow with their artworks.

Arboretum Video Project – Catherine, Simi and Yiyue

Video Idea #1

Our original idea kind of had two different routes before we ultimately all agreed on the 3rd option later on. The 1st idea we had was to dress up ourselves as birds and camouflage or place ourselves in nature to see how people react. We would also mimic the sounds of bird calls and their typical actions, like pecking at a tree or attempting to fly as our gesture in nature and really immersing ourselves into nature and with the birds in the Arboretum. We also briefly talked about how two of us could have roleplayed as the birds… with one of us being the mommy bird and the other one being the baby bird while the 3rd member of our group would be the bird watcher from afar with binoculars.

Video Idea #2: The Quiet Perch

For our 2nd idea, we thought about dressing up ourselves as birds again and this time our gesture would be perching on the benches in the arboretum and yawning to show moments of calmness and simple beauty. This lines up with the symbolism behind the arboretum benches as the benches represent rest and reflection; they are memorial benches and honor loved ones.

Video Idea #3: Fine Dining in the Arboretum

“The Wild Table”

This is the 3rd and final idea we could all agree upon and ended up filming for the project. We wanted to explore the difference between human and wildlife interactions when it comes to eating as we know humans are more civilized and sit down for a meal, use a proper knife and fork and focus on our table manners; having the food displayed nicely on the plate so that it looks more appealing. Compared to the wildlife who do not focus on any of these and simply forage for food and eat it right away or store it for later. So we wanted to do an experiment and see what wildlife creatures, such as birds, squirrels, chipmunks and different types of insects maybe would do if we, as humans, set up a fine dining table and experience for them. We wanted to see how the animals would react if they were served their food instead of them having to hunt for it.

The significant difference between this and our previous ideas is that we don’t want to actually be in the video ourselves- whether that’s physically dressing up ourselves as birds or bird watchers or even recording voice-overs… we want the video to be entirely made up of the wildlife as the main actors while we observe their natural response and behaviour to what human designed table set-up and food we provide them with.

In Progress/Specific Details

The final video as you see it now, wasn’t just filmed in one day or in one shot. We knew from the beginning that it might take a while to film all our video clips or get any form of interaction from the animals, which was one of the most difficult and challenging parts when doing this project, as there was no way we could predict when or if the animals would actually come and interact with our table and food set-up.

All 3 of us went out to the arboretum a couple times and experimented with different locations, like in an open and sunny grass area, a more sectioned off area near a tree and placing the table set-up on a path to hopefully figure out where the animals are more likely to approach our set-up. This proved to be very difficult as whenever we would set up the camera on the tripod and the entire table, the animals would stay far away the entire time. Even when we left and watched from afar for around an hour or 2 hours at a time, we could hear and see the animals surrounding us like the birds chirping or the squirrels chattering in the trees, but they would usually never actually come. I think either because they could sense that we were watching them or they were hesitant as many people and other animals, like dogs kept interrupting by simply walking through the Arboretum on the path.

At this point, we had tried filming this on several different occasions and during different times of the day too, to experiment and see if the wildlife was more likely to come out during the early morning hours around 8am-10am or during the afternoon hours around 12pm-4pm. But we still weren’t getting any action except for the white caterpillar who inched up the table cloth and onto the plate of food, as well as a snake that slithered near the table, but didn’t actually make its way into frame or close enough to the food.

I experimented with different types of set-ups as well, for example laying the plates and cutlery directly on the ground to see if the animals were more likely to approach it since it was at their eye-level. I also tried laying a table cloth over a shorter table and some squirrels approached it, but wouldn’t actually climb up the table to get the food. We even put fake, toy birds in one of the set-ups to see if the animals would interact with them, thinking they were real wildlife. So it was actually pretty frustrating, but interesting to see what kind of trends were happening.

And after all of this trial and error for about a week, I finally figured out the best scenario and set-up for the animals to approach, which is what you see in the final video today. I discovered that if you hide the camera and tripod underneath a tree/multiple trees and blend it in with all the branches, the animals are less hesitant and scared as they can’t see it very well and with that, it’s a bit quieter and the trees are the animals home so if you put the food and table set-up directly under their home where they spend a lot of their time and are comfortable, they are significantly more likely to interact with it.

I also experimented heavily with what plates, serving bowls, cutlery and glasses to use. I ended up picking the ones you see today in the final video for aesthetic purposes, for instance as the wine glasses, the faux crystal bowl and the orange rose in a vase as the centrepiece, make the atmosphere seem more romantic and classy which perfectly aligns with our “fine dining” concept. However, I also specifically picked metal knives and forks and a metal serving bowl, for example, because I knew if the animals were to approach it and step or jump on it, it would clang and make a loud noise which further contributes to the experimental part of this project and seeing how the animals react to human objects we give them. Would the animals get scared by the loud noise and scurry away or would they not be bothered by it and keep eating the food in front of them? In addition, I purposefully chose a semi-clear crystal bowl to put food in as I thought it would be interesting to be able to see the animals from a different angle; actually through the bowl. Lastly, I decided to use tall wine glasses for a few reasons. The first being that the shape of it is kind of similar to that of a bird bath, so I was curious to see if any birds would treat it like a bird bath and try to bathe in it or drink from it… which ended up actually happening in the final video. The 2nd reason is because I know that smaller animals like squirrels and chipmunks are used to drinking water lower to the ground from bodies of water like: creeks, puddles, ponds and lakes for example. So it’s interesting to see how they react to water being served to them at a much higher level and if they avoid it completely or if they somehow try and knock it down.

Final Product

To sum it all up, “The Wild Table” is a 5 minute video that features scenes of different wildlife creatures interacting with the human “fine dining” table set-up we provided them with. Some highlights or most captivating parts of the video in my opinion, include the red squirrel scaring the blue jay away multiple times, the red squirrel looking directly at the camera and plunging himself deep into the bowl, the blue jay jumping onto the rim of the wine glass but knocking it over and spilling the water because of the red squirrel scaring him again and finally at the very end of the video the red squirrel hearing a predator and darting away quickly while making squealy noises.

HOMEWORK: Maira Kalman from the podcast On Being

The first thing that strikes me from Kalman speaking on the On Being podcast is when she talks about how museums are one of the deepest places of meditation there could be. Kalman says, “I absolutely think that a museum is one of the deepest places of meditation that there could be, maybe even more than a library, because you’re looking. In a museum, you’re not reading — I mean, you’re reading a little bit, but you’re basically just wandering and looking. And once again, the function of the brain, what happens to the brain is very different than, I don’t know, than being in a supermarket.” I fully agree with her as I think museums are known to be a fairly quiet place as people should be able to look at and enjoy artwork in peace. I think if museums were in a loud environment, people wouldn’t be able to concentrate as well on the art pieces and not appreciate them fully. For example, a personal experience of mine and how I can relate to this is that over my life I’ve been to many different museums, but in 2019 specifically, I had the privilege of travelling to Italy and France where my family and I went to several famous and historic museums. In Italy we went to the Vatican Museum and in France we went to the Louvre, the Musée D’Orsay and the Palace de Versailles. I can relate to what Kalman is saying as I felt like I really needed to be in a quiet and peaceful headspace as I was looking at all the amazing, classic and very famous artworks in order to reflect on them and their impact and meaning properly. I specifically remember just being in awe of the Mona Lisa and just staring at it for a really long time trying to wrap my head around the fact that it was the real, original painting hung right in front of my eyes and thinking about the effect it’s already had on the world and how much bigger it can still get in the future for centuries to come.

Another point Kalman made that stood out to me is her response to what it means to be human. Kalman says, “I joke about not knowing, but I think that as people get older, they tend to say, more clearly, “I really don’t know anything.” And of course, that isn’t completely true, but the only thing that I’m left with is, really, who do you love, and what do you love to do?” I completely agree and resonate with this as I believe it’s extremely important to be grateful and cherish the people you love in your life, including yourself. As well as, truly finding what you love to do and are passionate about. It can be very hard for some people to find what they truly love and are passionate about in their lifetime and unfortunately, sometimes people are never able to find that. However, I think if you can find whatever that may be in your life, it makes every aspect of your life so much more enjoyable and creates a purpose and even though this is cliché, I still believe it’s important to go by… if you love your job and you love what you do, it won’t feel like a job.

The image I chose from Kalman’s oeuvre is an image from her book, Still Life With Remorse. I really liked this image as I love this style of painting and all the bright and vibrant colours she chose to use in the painting, like the red, yellow, pink and orange flowers. I also really admire her commentary she wrote on the 2nd page and even though it’s very brief, I think it speaks volumes and has a deeper meaning behind it, while perfectly relating to what she painted on the 1st page. Her commentary reads, “Everyone continues to live. Everyone reconsiders despair. Everyone starts to have a good time. Everyone starts to enjoy life. And yet.” Her painting on the left resonates with this as some of the flowers are wilted and drooping while a few other ones are thriving and perked up. This perfectly relates to human life as we will all go through difficult times in our lives no matter what, it’s just the way it is and some people are currently thriving while others are just surviving, but it’s almost as if we take turns. Even if you’re thriving at one point, the next you could be suffering and if you’re feeling like you’re just surviving, you can also overcome that and take turns and start thriving.

A Book About A Book Project

Initial Ideas:

For my book about a book, I thought a lot about what I like and how I could combine things that interest me. My first thoughts were to use music lyrics from artists I enjoy and combine them with photographs of nature. I also thought about using lyrics to combine with well-known classic Disney movies. The animation from old Disney classics reminded me of my favourite childhood story books. After digging out my old story books from my closet and basement and going through the books, I noticed that many of them had to do with friends and families sharing and celebrating with food. This led me to think of combining the old children’s books with recipe books. 

Creation of my book:

I was inspired by my childhood books which showed realistic or traditional cartoons as they use very vibrant colours and lifelike animation (opposed to computer generated cartoons) for both the characters and the settings. I used many different childhood books such as: Little Dragon and the Magic Wagon by Steve Smallman, The Christmas Hat by A.J. Wood and The Blackberry Mouse by Matthew Grimsdale. After selecting the specific pages from each storybook, I focused on what they were baking or sharing with their friends and families and then pulled out many of my cookbooks to find recipes which matched. For example, from the Company’s Coming series by Jean Paré, I used Carrot Spice Muffins, Blueberry Streusel and Cherry Sultana Cake.

For the design of my book, I wanted to focus on creating a cookbook which would be especially attractive to children. As a young girl, I enjoyed baking with my brother, but couldn’t find any really appealing children’s cookbooks. The book I have created is intended for children to find appetizing recipes and be visually attractive at the same time; to give them something to enjoy looking at while sharing a special time with friends or family, baking and then eating together.  

To create the book, I scanned each storybook page and each recipe as well as using border templates and old fashioned clipart from the Internet. I really wanted to focus on colour and the layout for each page so I used the colour match tool to have one side of the page exactly correspond to the other, colour-wise. I also made sure no two pages of my book were the same and I spent a significant amount of time coming up with different layout formats so they weren’t all just the same and repetitive… I think my favourite page being the “Carrot Spice Muffins” page you can find on page 4 near the beginning of the book. In addition, I often left the text from the children’s storybook with the image to show the relationship between the cartoon picture and the recipe (considering the content, text, meaning, and image). For example, with the “Blackberry Hazelnut Meringue” recipe the story book text is, “One Summer, Mouse’s blackberries were even bigger and juicier than usual. He began picking right away and he was already hot and bothered when Sparrow came by.”

I hope this colourful book of Sweet Treats will provide adults with some great memories from their childhood and today’s children with an exciting, interactive cookbook as they enjoy the adorable characters and the delicious recipes, also while experiencing the pleasure of baking with and for others.

Artist Multiples

Idea #1: Cyanotype Bookmarks

As I was looking at the list of artists and their multiples work, I was very attracted to Sandy Plotnikoff’s Hunter and Cook Magazine issue 06 special edition (2010) because of the texture from the foil stamping and the use of multiple colours. After reading about his enjoyment with printmaking and using materials beyond their intended purpose, I thought I would create many different cyanotypes and then turn them into bookmarks which would be my colourful multiples. Realizing that the bookmarks would each show some uniqueness, I decided to focus on one ordinary object and alter it to create my multiples. 

Idea #2: Using Jam Jars to Create “Positive Preserves”

I then focused on Roula Partheniou as inspiration for creating my multiples. I knew I wanted to use something that was three dimensional and I was very drawn to her acrylic on wood sculptures of everyday objects while using very vibrant colours.

Suckers, by Roula Partheniou (acrylic on wood sculpture)

Chalk to Cheese, by Roula Partheniou (acrylic on wood sculpture)

I selected traditional jam jars with checkered red or blue lids to turn into “Positive Preserves.” My creative, playful artist multiple is pleasing to look at while focusing on the issue of mental health. Each jar is filled with an inspirational stone, Hershey’s Hugs and Kisses, a Merci chocolate, two beautiful landscape stickers and a small colouring page with a mini pencil crayon. These little “pick me ups” can be given to others or for yourself; as the back of the tag indicates (100% spreadable, Share or Help Yourself). My “Positive Preserves” are going to be sold at a school Christmas market where all of the elementary children (ages 3-12) can go to shop for their friends and families for affordable Christmas gifts. All of the proceeds from the sales will go toward purchasing new outdoor equipment for the children to use at recess. I believe everyone should try their best to maintain a positive attitude and outlook on life if they can and to be resilient when faced with disappointment. Although my jars are small and have simple items of pleasure, I hope they will provide smiles and positive thoughts for many.