Su Yeon Kim creative blog

12 thoughts on “Su Yeon Kim creative blog

  1. SuYeon Kim

    1.cave painting assignment

    – When we were watching the documentary during the class time, it was really interesting that the whole painting was not created in just one certain period. The paintings have been retouched and draw over on the older painting, and the each painting was created many thousand years apart. From this idea, I started to thinking about what it would be look like if the ‘act’ of the cave painting was keep going until current times.

    – I wanted to make fictional story based on existing object/remains, so I created my cave painting based on the images from the petroglyphs (Bangudae Petroglyphs) that is at Korea. This is the link of the petroglyphs in wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangudae_Petroglyphs

    – The story behind the cave painting:
    One Korean archeologist found thin glass fragments that been carved with images referencing the Bangudae Petroglyphs and also the carved images were overlap with current transportations and scene that representing harvesting crops and producing goods. It is not sure when the current objects and scenes were created on the fragments, but the archeologist assume that these fragments were originally from one sheet of glass panel, and the first paintings (carving) are referencing the Bangudae Petroglyphs. Considering the glass history of Korea, this glass panel itself was imported from outside of the country, and the carvings were added afterwards. By analyzing the age of the glass fragment, the archeologist assume that the the first carving was happened around 680 BC, which was the period glass objects start to be imported from other countries. To create the replica of the glass panel based on the fragments, the archeologist contacted multiple artists mainly work with glass and Su-yeon Kim, glass artist who currently living in the united states created this replica piece. The faded carved lines and dark lines are the older carvings/paintings and the newer paintings are created with whiter, brighter lines.

  2. SuYeon Kim

    2.Heiroglyphs

    -Tree language:
    I believe that a tree would one of the things that people can easily draw, and also it has a certain, generic way to draw the trees and branches. However, once you see the real trees, you can find out the branches are not look like as you draw on a paper. The branches are much more in an irregular order, and there are so many various directions it can be spread out toward the sun. Because it seems like shape of the tree (or the branches) are complicated and all the trees are all different, for me it looks like the each tree is talking different words, and stories.

    With this idea, I wanted to make an order of shape of branches even though the real branches look like it’s in a complicated, random order.

    How to use tree language:
    One trunk can have 3-4 limbs.
    Each limb contains one word.
    Branch is read from top to bottom.
    Number of the trees can be more than two depends on the length of the sentence.

    Keys: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2uBbscTiM7QQjVEbGVWbXotZkU/view?usp=sharing

    Brief example photo: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2uBbscTiM7QU1l4NVc3eUlYXzA/view?usp=sharing

    1. Kenneth Christensen

      Interesting topic. Trees are an amazing thing when you look at them closely. I would recommend studying types of trees and getting informed on how they grow. For one, American Elms tend to branch out and grow outward and up when in a field or away from other trees, creating the large mushroom-shaped tree style often depicted in artwork. However, when in a not too dense forest, they tend to shoot straight up and then branch out. In a dense forest, elms branch out everywhere as they reach for the sun, which can create a crooked type of tree depicted in some Halloween stories. This same pattern is almost identical with gulf oaks, which grow in the southern states. Other types of trees tend to bully their way to the top and seemingly force themselves upon the other trees, these include but are not limited to sycamore, red oak, white oak, tulip, and basswood. Definitely look into the environment in which the trees grow and study it if you want to create a realistic or hypothetical tree/forest scene.

  3. SuYeon Kim

    (Cabinets of Curiosity)

    While I was thinking about the idea of cabinets of curiosity, I started to think that it is the object (or space, atmosphere) showing the obsession of collecting things, and the collection represents the person’s (the owner of the cabinet of curiosity) taste of curiosity. Because the objects/collection is based on personal preference, it can be really personal, secretive to the owner, and it can be mysterious to the viewer. But at the same time, I felt the categories of objects are generic that viewer can easily assume where the object might come from.

    For my cabinets of curiosity, rather than making a back-story in my collections I tried to create a collection based on currently ‘less’ valuable items from the space I have been spending most of the times for past 3 years: my studio space. I realize that my family did lot of moving during my childhood and also I moved here from Korea, so I used to not collect stuffs/items and keep it for a long time. However, I can say I have lot of things relate with making art as an artist, and an art student. Because I used to ‘stock’ art supplies to make sure I have it when I need it.. and it ends up there are lot of used, and also stored supplies and materials in my studio. And of course during the semester the space became a mess, looks like the mixture of on-going art pieces and the supplies/materials I didn’t used it yet. For this assignment, I dig through my space and select the items that I used to use it, but I don’t used it any more such as short and soft pencil, pen cap from I really liked (I remember I bought that pen at Japan, and surprised I used that pen for 2 years.), worn-out diamond burrs, maybe-expired pain killer, the fur fabric I used it for my art work and other than that it is useless because every time I touch it I get handful of fur…and so on.. most of the items are what I had been use, but now it is not functional than before, and the items which would go to the dumpster. It can be collection of my memories showing ‘I was in this studio working with these supplies’. I am always interested in making valuable things/ideas from useless things.. or trying to find any kind of meaning from the objects that easily consumed or thrown away.

    1. Kenneth Christensen

      I definitely see what you are saying and it is very interesting. While it is clear that what an artist stores in his or her cabinet or personal preference changes over time, it is important to keep at least some references from their humble beginnings as this may inspire things that the artist may forget when they get rid of it. Art is a great way for one to release their innermost pain, secrets, desires, etc, in a way that would confuse others or cause them to misinterpret what is being said. Even if others don’t understand it, the artists has expressed themselves in a way that matters to them and really, that is all that matters. Moving from place to place can inspire ones artistic interests and even cause them to abandon older practices. However, I would recommend as an artist to hold onto some of the older things that were valuable to you as they will inspire you later on. In other words, the artist should never get rid of every piece of art from a particular period, (unless associated with traumatic events), as those pieces will certainly spark something later on in life.

  4. SuYeon Kim

    (Camera obscura)

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2uBbscTiM7QVWhlczZWQmhQX2M/view?usp=sharing

    – I was really excited about doing camera obscura assignment. At the beginning I was struggling with figuring about what would be good enough focal length and the placement and choosing the right lens(or the size of the hole). By looking at historical camera obscuras, especially the portable ones for drawing purposes, I started to think/making about camera obscura which have mirrors in it. …And it end up being playing with mirrors and design of the camera obscura and I made a ‘selfie camera obscura’. There are two mirrors in the camera placed in 45 degrees and you can see your self in the view finder. because using the mirror the image just flipped only right-left directions. I did a measurements little tight, so it’s hard to change/play with the focal length, but it has just right focus if you want to see most of your face in the viewfinder. It was interesting that to see your whole face you have to reach out your arm pretty far— like you are taking selfies with your phone. And also the camera lens is higher than the view finder and to see your face in the view finder you can’t directly see your face by looking at the lens, which it fascinates me because it is similar with cell phone cameras that the lens are little bit higher, and to see yourself on the phone, mostly you are not looking directly to the lens.

    One thing difficulty (I think) was it was hard to hold the camera far enough to see yourself if you are not a tall person, or have long arms. This selfie camera obscura idea is definitely one of the pieces to develop for my final project.

  5. SuYeon Kim

    (Magic Lantern)

    I missed the class when the magic lantern critique was happening but I would like to show some images of my sketch and how my magic lantern works:

    (sketch) https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2uBbscTiM7Qbll0SEN5a2tXcm8/view?usp=sharing
    (how it worked) https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2uBbscTiM7QOTVKeEVGRTRZSUE/view?usp=sharing
    (video I was trying to capture how it works..)https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2uBbscTiM7QQ183UlMxVnZLTTQ/view?usp=sharing

    To make the magic lantern, I used an old tin box I found in antique store, and put the lens on the lid and make it slidable to manage focus the slide image. I used LED battery-power light that have strong enough light and also don’t have to worry about wiring and deal with extension cords. I can put the slides on the top part of the magic lantern, and I have two slots you can put two slides at the same time. I use glass as my slides and I was expecting the image will overlap, or only the one get focus as I move the lens. For the future, if I have a chance to make an other one I will make the slide can be slidable, because it need little bit work to change the slides…

    I was having hard time to make a narrative, or an image for magic lantern, and I end up making two scene have short narrative.

  6. SuYeon Kim

    ( Pinhole Camera)

    I made a pinhole camera out of paper tube, and cut small square on the top and attached brass sheet for the pin hole and these are the photos of the camera:

    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2uBbscTiM7QakRNMnprY0syTmM
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2uBbscTiM7QSElYenNYUEI0Zm8
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2uBbscTiM7Qa0x2TWVDMDZWNk0

    the inner tube and be slide in and out, but I didn’t have a chance to play with it a lot..

    and this is the photo I took with this camera:
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2uBbscTiM7QVERPRFktLS1sT2c

    It would be need more tries to found out the exact time to expose the camera.
    the photo I get is really bright, you can see some image of branches of the tree.

  7. SuYeon Kim

    (Flip books)

    I created the flip books using the video I have been taken, and I used two different kind of apps in my phone to create filpbooks.

    1. iMotion (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/imotion/id421365625?mt=8)
    : you can take HD quality stop motion video or time lapse photos. I have been using this app for my glass stop motion animation work.

    and the flip book I made using this app was a image I walking around:
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2uBbscTiM7QUlI5eXhHb3F0R00

    2. Boomerang (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/boomerang-from-instagram/id1041596399?mt=8)
    Snap motion (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/snapmotion-easily-extract/id548959270?mt=12)
    : I used Boomerang app to take videos, and this app creates video that loops back and forward, and I think it is really interesting that it creates unexpected images by taking ordinary moments. Snap motion app is for extracting image files from a video, and it is really useful if you want to make time lapse images from a video.

    I made 10 flip books using my boomerang videos:
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2uBbscTiM7QMFFSS0VYWXowems

    and this is one of the example how boomerang video looks like:
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2uBbscTiM7QWUI4WWxFQ2tad2s

    Creating flip books using digital images or high technology(using a phone, or apps on the phone) was really interesting because at the end making into flip book was really requires labor of the hands.

  8. SuYeon Kim

    (Stereoscopic slides)

    I used my iPhone to take photos for stereoscopic slides. I used the app called 3DHolic Camera, and it was a good app to take high quality photos and save a photos as a stereoscopic slides.

    This is the link of the app: http://www.3dholic.com

    and with this app, I used kit’s jig that you can move your phone and take photos with proper distance.

    These are the results:
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2uBbscTiM7QcC11QkI4bnN1N2s
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2uBbscTiM7Qc19SMFZEeTFzcUk
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2uBbscTiM7QbmdVc0paRmJ4enM
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2uBbscTiM7QZzFVZEE4Sldtenc
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2uBbscTiM7QZHRISy1ZSXdPT3M

    and I took photos of our glass grad students’ studio space. I think it worked well because somehow all of the spaces have a chair in a foreground. And for me it was interesting even the spaces are look similar to each other I can tell the each person’s characteristic from the space.

    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2uBbscTiM7QTDFLMGFYcmVRT00

    and I took this photo originally but didn’t print it out because I felt the angle of the space is quite different from the others. This is my studio space, which was middle of chaos of thesis..

  9. SuYeon Kim

    (Chronophotograpy)

    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2uBbscTiM7QQkt5b2FOUi1Qb0U

    this is my chronophotograpy, took a photo with my phone using the burst.
    Because this semester(or maybe just every semester) I spend lot of time in the studio building, I took a photo in a hallway of the studio building with my fellow grad students. I realized the burst are taking a photo in a pretty fast pace, I have to delete some of the burst photos between if I want to show dramatic motion in the chronophotographic photo.

    I used photoshop to create this photo, mainly using the mapping and adjusting the opacity of the each layers.

    I surprised that kit barely moved in this photo so it make some steady shot in the middle.

  10. SuYeon Kim

    (zoetrope)

    (photos of the zoetrope structure)
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2uBbscTiM7QVlhDc2swYTNBdkk
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2uBbscTiM7QUndHdzFFdDlMVG8

    I made a zoetrope you have to spin it with your hands. Size of the zoetrope is quite big, so I found it is easier to spin using your both hands, one at a time.

    I refer to this website to do some calculation for the zoetrope:
    http://www.reframingphotography.com/content/animating-photographs

    and I used photos for my zoetrope images, but I found out it is little difficult to check out the motions because photo is dark, and also there a many things going on in the back ground.

    One is from the capture shot from one of my favorite music video:
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2uBbscTiM7QNXg4QXhtMmRUU0U

    and the other is one of my videos I took using the boomerang app(I mentioned this app in the flip book post above. I really like this app!!):
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2uBbscTiM7QM0tLanhPYmpUMDg

    and also by making this zoetrope I felt that the speed of the zoetrope is also important.

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