E VO LUT I ON
01
APRIL 2014
SWATCH BOOK
PATTERNS, ART & ARCHITECTURE
DV2011 PATTERNS, ART & ARCHITECTURE January - May 2014 School of Art, Design, & Media Nanyang Technological University
Works by Freda Lai Under the guidance of Ina Conradi
墨流し
Technique
Suminagashi is the ancient Japanese technique of decorating paper with inks. It is believed to be the oldest form of marbling, originating in China over 2,000 years ago and practiced in Japan by Shinto priests as early as the 12th century. Suminagashi, which means literally “ink-floating” involves doing just that. Japanese Sumi-e inks were originally used, dropped carefully to float on a still water surface and then blown across to form delicate swirls, after which the ink was picked up by laying a sheet of white rice paper atop the ink covered water.
The practice of Suminagashi remains much the same today, although now artists also use acrylic paints that flow and spread over a liquid water surface. Combining the knowledge of fluid mechanics with artistic talent, the artist controls the floating pigments through the viscosity and surface tension of the water to create images suggestive of mountain ranges, landscapes, clouds and animals before printing them on a sheet of paper. The Europeans had their own version of marbling also called Ebru or Turkish-style marbling.
Using water marbling ink and a paintbrush, the ink is dipped onto a surface of water to create a ripple effect.
S WAT C H E S
PEACE
FURY
JOY
HARMONY
VEX
BALANCE
CALM
UNITY
CELL
CELL
ORDER
STABILITY
PSYCHEDELIC
INTERLOCK
ENVY
ROYAL
GARDEN OF EDEN
CHROMOSOMES
SEDUCTION
TRANQUILLITY
FORTUNE
EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
E V O L UT I O N
Evolution Inspired by Darwinism, the tall and narrow digital painting depicts species of organisms arising and developing through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase the individual’s ability to compete, survive, and reproduce. Flowing from the top to the bottom of the composition exemplified is the cosmic energy between heaven and earth, the evolution of organisms as we transit from life to death, and how we flourish and perish in this realm.
Class banners in ADM space.
MITOSIS
MITOSIS 2014
Mitosis, 2014, is an exploration of the process of cell cycle, by which a cell duplicates into two genetically identical daughter cells. Using various patterns, the clip depicts organisms in its reproduction state by duplicating and multiplying.