Sound Design

Instructor / Andrew Keiper

2019

Taking this class was one of the most correct choice I’ve made this year. I was the only international and grad student in the class (which made me nervous). Talented undergrad students surprised me all the time. And I enjoyed hearing their critiques.

We learned how to do the foley, recording, redesign, and create music. Even though these are just basic skills of the sound art, I felt I step my foot in the sound world.

I can still remember I took the recorder in the subway of New York City and got a baby’s crying. And when I showed Andrew my demo for the final project, he said “I’m proud of you”.

So I went to the sound club in the second semester. Although the club was interrupted by the pandemic, I will learn furthur in sound art in the future.

fig.91 My cute teacher Andrew Keiper

fig.92 Co-work with talented undergrad student Caity.

This is my elective class in 2019 fall. Without sound design class, I would not directed my stop-motion animation to a sound based project. So I line up these two projects and you can see how I explore moving image and sound art. fig.93 Our foley studio!

fig.94 QR code of my redesign project.

fig.96.1-3 I collaborated with Peobody New Media freshman Wenyun Liu for my final project. He composed for my video. It was the first time that I went into a musical school. Very impressive experience.

fig.95 QR code of my final project.

Independent Project

Self-directed Project

Rules

2020 Short Comic, GIF

fig.97.1-7 Mind-map and sketches of comics. fig.98.1-4 Research of “Mold Making” (P109)

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we have been required to self-isolate at home since spring break. Online zoom meeting changed the form of class drastically. To be honest, I became less productive and can hardly catch the time schedule in this project.

My initial idea was making a series of minicomics and GIF about “MOLD MAKING”. This project can be regarded as my alternative way to develop my mold project in “introduction to sculpture”class since I don’t have access to the shop during quarantine. I was excited about this term, and developed a bunch of ideas of the conceptual extended meaning of “mold making”, like “reproduction”, “manipulation”, “chain effect”... Then, I tried several GIF and comics in final version, I was really enjoying drawing in this loose and consistent style. However, my research presentation made Kim and my classmates confused -- it contains too much and what I want the audience to get is not clear. I started from scratch in the middle of the project.

Thanks to my partner Kiran, she said the term “rules” after she saw my “hunchback chair” comic. “The chair rules me,” she typed. I suddenly found that I love observing human behaviors and I’m good at finding humor from the absurdity of life. I changed the topic into “rules, discipline, restriction.”

fig.99 Hunchback Chair You can see my GIF on www.lobodluo.com

fig.100 Relaxing Book

fig.101 Museum Express

fig.102 Oasis

fig.103 Running Star

“Wacky, whimsical, humorous but also sad and heartbreaking.” My classmates typed these adjactives in Zoom chatting box after my final presentation. I was glad that their feelings were just what I want my audience to have. But I didn’t make enough time to let them reading through my comics, I still doubt that the audience can’t get my point without descriptions.

I used to work intuitively, which means if I have an idea, I will draw them immediately without plan and research. Looking back to my previous works, I can hardly find what’s in the middle, always the finals, except the picture books. I seldom do sketches, moodboard, and schedules. So my projects usually end in a short time. When to end the project usually depends on when my passion fades away. But in this independent project, also in the thesis for the second year, I have to change my habit: doing sketches, making mistakes, editing my works and following the scheduels.

fig.104 Museum Express previous version

I was obsessed with the endless artist research and can’t decide a specific topic of my project for almost one month. After I decided the topic, I realized the GIF might be not neccessary: I should focus on visual communication, narration skills. Kim suggested me not to think about 12 panels and format, and I might play with different panels and let the most natural arrangement comes out.

In the end, I made two GIF which I think they might be helpful to clarify the ideas. It was also the first time I tried to combine the GIF and comic.

I discussed the relationship between rules and human behaviors. Hunchback chair regulates “my” posture; Relaxing Book guides the movement of “my” head; Museum Express exchanges the position of “high art” and “low art(selfie)”; “Oasis” reflects “my” OCD in the action checking itself, and the “Running Star” is made out of a step cheating machine...

fig.105 Running Star previous version

fig.106.1-3 GIF

fig.107 The best selling shoes in quarantine.

This project never ends. It gives me a chance to contemplate our daily life and to find the paradox in it. These are my trying in this project, and you can check the GIF in my portfolio website: lobodluo.com.

I really want to make physical installation of some of the ideas. Especially the hunchback chair and best selling shoes. Illustration and sculptures interwind together and nurture my art.