I will be exploring more on the lines of these:
22.9.10
Some of the old toy concept sketches i had done earlier. These concepts were for toys that require interaction which is harmful play but looks violent to an onlooker. After this i wanted to completely break out of the conventional idea of 'cute' so my output ideas completely changed. I will be uploading my newer sketches very soon.
I will be exploring more on the lines of these:
I will be exploring more on the lines of these:
17.9.10
Creepy kewpies
For the video, i will be shooting objects from a child's world. The object,ots angle,interaction/movement,context,cropping,tempo/speed etc will try to show the object in a different perspective.I want the video to evoke thoughts in the mind of the viewer. These objects will be toys,the way the food/plate is left after a meal,shoes, frayed toothbrush etc. Today, i was trying to photograph the kewpie dolls as an experiment for the video. I clearly got carried away in the process.
She used to look prettier back in the day:
She used to look prettier back in the day:
16.9.10
final output?
So i have decided on 2 things as my final output:
1. Toys for children(age:5-7 yrs)that have had an overdose of cute and are sick of it. The toys will not be made with the intention of selling but more like an experimental art project at this point. These will be made out of fabric. I am currently exploring material/textures/fillings.
2. If things work out as planned i also want to create a short video. This will have me interact with existing toys in an unconventional manner. This video is about breaking out of stereotype interactivity and about perspective. Toys can be viewed differently(not just cute or associated with children).The way one interacts with an object changes its meaning.
1. Toys for children(age:5-7 yrs)that have had an overdose of cute and are sick of it. The toys will not be made with the intention of selling but more like an experimental art project at this point. These will be made out of fabric. I am currently exploring material/textures/fillings.
2. If things work out as planned i also want to create a short video. This will have me interact with existing toys in an unconventional manner. This video is about breaking out of stereotype interactivity and about perspective. Toys can be viewed differently(not just cute or associated with children).The way one interacts with an object changes its meaning.
12.9.10
Workshop with MAIS kids
I conducted a workshop along with Nandini http://ludicrouscombinations.tumblr.com/ with 8 prep class kids at Mallya Aditi school. I gave them hand sewn creatures and other dolls along with craft material. They were asked to pick a doll/creature and give it super powers or make it special. They were given 45 minutes. It was wonderful. Although most of what they talked about or made had to do with death and poison and monsters.
One of the girls made a poisonous cake and told me 'if u eat it you be dead, if you touch it your hands will become invisible'. She made this with the material provided of which clay seemed to be the most important ingredient. She said 'if u eat clay you be dead. my grandfather ate clay and he died.' Then the other kids heard this and elaborated on the topic. One said, 'my grandfather is also dead', another said, 'mines in heaven' and another said 'my grandfather died because of heart atta-tack. heart atta-tack is when something happens and your heart doesnt work and you cant even talk and breathe.'
What was really interesting is that when i showed some adults the 'kewpie doll'(the naked baby),they said it was quite creepy and that they doubt the kids would play with it. some said the face was fine but the body and the face put together made it look repulsive and didn't evoke 'love' feelings. whereas, during the workshop, about 5 kids(4 girls + 1 boy)picked them up and used it in their activity. This made me think about perception a lot more. Adults and children have different perceptions of cute and ugly. I also noticed that when a child spoke about his toy, it would most often influence the others. This was evident in the way they described their toy.
A girl was painting a baby doll red. and instantly one of them said, 'the baby has blood everywhere' and everyone joined in to talk about the bleeding baby. and after a few minutes she looked up and said 'its Spiderman'.
Although there were some who made rangoli, a puppy named biscuit, a watch and other not so gorey things.
Here's what they created:
The little ones at work:
Here's some drawings done by the prep class. These were pinned on the soft board. They all had a little writeup which started with 'I wish i was....'
These are lovely
One of the girls made a poisonous cake and told me 'if u eat it you be dead, if you touch it your hands will become invisible'. She made this with the material provided of which clay seemed to be the most important ingredient. She said 'if u eat clay you be dead. my grandfather ate clay and he died.' Then the other kids heard this and elaborated on the topic. One said, 'my grandfather is also dead', another said, 'mines in heaven' and another said 'my grandfather died because of heart atta-tack. heart atta-tack is when something happens and your heart doesnt work and you cant even talk and breathe.'
What was really interesting is that when i showed some adults the 'kewpie doll'(the naked baby),they said it was quite creepy and that they doubt the kids would play with it. some said the face was fine but the body and the face put together made it look repulsive and didn't evoke 'love' feelings. whereas, during the workshop, about 5 kids(4 girls + 1 boy)picked them up and used it in their activity. This made me think about perception a lot more. Adults and children have different perceptions of cute and ugly. I also noticed that when a child spoke about his toy, it would most often influence the others. This was evident in the way they described their toy.
A girl was painting a baby doll red. and instantly one of them said, 'the baby has blood everywhere' and everyone joined in to talk about the bleeding baby. and after a few minutes she looked up and said 'its Spiderman'.
Although there were some who made rangoli, a puppy named biscuit, a watch and other not so gorey things.
Here's what they created:
The little ones at work:
Here's some drawings done by the prep class. These were pinned on the soft board. They all had a little writeup which started with 'I wish i was....'
These are lovely
6.9.10
The best toy ever would be...
During the 8 month interactive toy lab last year, we conducted a drawing workshop with Mallya Aditi's prep class. Here we asked the kids to draw a toy they would like to have(the best toy!). We returned the drawings to the children but here's some of the toys they drew and explained to us:
1. Toy that gives me 3 wishes(Candy world, Characters come to life,Go to space
anytime).
2. My toy can make me whatever I want.
3. A cool car that shrink so small it can fit in my pocket.
4. A jersey that will make me win all the time.
5. When I play a game on my PS, it should come out and give me a prize.
6. A sword that can turn into a rocket and cut people.
7. Can slide into the TV and meet Mickey and Minnie.
8. TV can give me whatever I want.
9. I have a tree house which has a spell-whenever parents come there they have to listen to whatever I say.
10. A volcano that creates lava that I can touch.
11. A flying carpet-I like to fly.
12. A magic kite that goes wherever I ask it to go.
13. Magical dressing table- when I press a button the fairy/wand comes and dresses me up and takes me wherever I go.
14. A toy that makes wands-the wand turns all people who use bad words into a frog.
1. Toy that gives me 3 wishes(Candy world, Characters come to life,Go to space
anytime).
2. My toy can make me whatever I want.
3. A cool car that shrink so small it can fit in my pocket.
4. A jersey that will make me win all the time.
5. When I play a game on my PS, it should come out and give me a prize.
6. A sword that can turn into a rocket and cut people.
7. Can slide into the TV and meet Mickey and Minnie.
8. TV can give me whatever I want.
9. I have a tree house which has a spell-whenever parents come there they have to listen to whatever I say.
10. A volcano that creates lava that I can touch.
11. A flying carpet-I like to fly.
12. A magic kite that goes wherever I ask it to go.
13. Magical dressing table- when I press a button the fairy/wand comes and dresses me up and takes me wherever I go.
14. A toy that makes wands-the wand turns all people who use bad words into a frog.
the story game
During a workshop with the prep kids at Mallya Aditi School, we played a little game with them. It was a game where we made chits with a sentence or a word on it, and the children would continue the story from there. And as they shouted different things, i put them all down as options. Some answers were really unexpected. It was an interesting experiment:)
1.There was once a boy and a girl. The boy’s name was Tom. He was 13 yrs old. He lived in the woods because__________
-he had a tree house
2.House was made of__________
-metal and bricks
-made a house out of wood and tied it on the tree
-can draw water from the well without coming down
3.What’s in his house?
-kitchen
-dog
-cat
-wood
4.He could make 3 wishes__________
-he wants a PSP
-He wanted a watch
-He wanted a new pillow
5.And then suddenly!__________
-he was chased by a fox,elephant
6.How did he escape?
-ran to a stranger
-took a ladder and climbed up the house
7.There came a monster. The name of the monster was__________
-Max
8.The moster was sad because__________
-he had big feet
-nobody was his friend
-lost his PSP
9.Then came a Magical animal__________
-dragon
10.What magical powers did the dragon have?
-it could fly
-throw smoke
-fire
-hop on one leg
11.The boy took out a weapon__________
-sword
-Whats a weapon
12.The little girl was really happy. When she drank the magic potion__________
-she had special powers to fight
-to run fast
-to cook fast
-after few days wont it get over?
-she could break a spoon
-change her body colors
-a dress that can change colors
-She could change into different monsters
13.They also had a pet. The name of the pet was__________
-Jack
-Ben 10
-Spike
14.Spike could__________
-fly
-make ribbons
-dig very fast
-if he digs fast, he can find a golden bone
-could disguise himself as a creature
-go on a magic escalator(like tom going to heaven on magic escalator in Tom & Jerry)
15.They wanted to save__________
-their lives
-mother and father
-animals that were in the woods
16.And then suddenly__________
-tiger and rhino came
-a spikey Leapord came
-wild animals came around the treehouse and tried to bite it
17.Even the witch came and planned to__________
-Destroy them
-put them in jail
-eat them decided to be their mother
-pretended she was good
18.And in the end__________
-witch ate them up
-witch became an eagle
-boy and girl sat in the car and went to the zoo
-boy and girl pushed the witch down and and the animals ate her
-parrot carried the witch and flew away
-and then full stop
1.There was once a boy and a girl. The boy’s name was Tom. He was 13 yrs old. He lived in the woods because__________
-he had a tree house
2.House was made of__________
-metal and bricks
-made a house out of wood and tied it on the tree
-can draw water from the well without coming down
3.What’s in his house?
-kitchen
-dog
-cat
-wood
4.He could make 3 wishes__________
-he wants a PSP
-He wanted a watch
-He wanted a new pillow
5.And then suddenly!__________
-he was chased by a fox,elephant
6.How did he escape?
-ran to a stranger
-took a ladder and climbed up the house
7.There came a monster. The name of the monster was__________
-Max
8.The moster was sad because__________
-he had big feet
-nobody was his friend
-lost his PSP
9.Then came a Magical animal__________
-dragon
10.What magical powers did the dragon have?
-it could fly
-throw smoke
-fire
-hop on one leg
11.The boy took out a weapon__________
-sword
-Whats a weapon
12.The little girl was really happy. When she drank the magic potion__________
-she had special powers to fight
-to run fast
-to cook fast
-after few days wont it get over?
-she could break a spoon
-change her body colors
-a dress that can change colors
-She could change into different monsters
13.They also had a pet. The name of the pet was__________
-Jack
-Ben 10
-Spike
14.Spike could__________
-fly
-make ribbons
-dig very fast
-if he digs fast, he can find a golden bone
-could disguise himself as a creature
-go on a magic escalator(like tom going to heaven on magic escalator in Tom & Jerry)
15.They wanted to save__________
-their lives
-mother and father
-animals that were in the woods
16.And then suddenly__________
-tiger and rhino came
-a spikey Leapord came
-wild animals came around the treehouse and tried to bite it
17.Even the witch came and planned to__________
-Destroy them
-put them in jail
-eat them decided to be their mother
-pretended she was good
18.And in the end__________
-witch ate them up
-witch became an eagle
-boy and girl sat in the car and went to the zoo
-boy and girl pushed the witch down and and the animals ate her
-parrot carried the witch and flew away
-and then full stop
Super creature-man
I want to conduct a workshop with about 8 kids(5-7 yrs). I will be giving them each a creature sewn by me along with other material and ask them to create a creature with a superpower. They will then explain it. During this they can use other creatures or dolls provided to explain better. With this activity, i'm allowing a different kind of interaction with the doll by giving the children a choice of the tools/material they can use to play with the doll unlike a Barbie doll that comes with clothes and shoes or GIjoes that come with guns and planes. This will help me understand their choices,interaction and give me an insight into their imagination.
First i made some creatures. I made 8 creatures with fabric i bought from RC Puram. I drew shapes on cardboard, traced and cutout the patterns from fabric, stitched them and filled them with sand:
I bought some materials for children to use during the workshop:
First i made some creatures. I made 8 creatures with fabric i bought from RC Puram. I drew shapes on cardboard, traced and cutout the patterns from fabric, stitched them and filled them with sand:
I bought some materials for children to use during the workshop:
Hullo sewing machine
I bought a new sewing machine:)
I usually hand sew everything but im hoping this will save me a a lot of time!I spent a couple of days just getting used to the machine.Its a Singer 8280. Its great.
I usually hand sew everything but im hoping this will save me a a lot of time!I spent a couple of days just getting used to the machine.Its a Singer 8280. Its great.
Candy for Andy
Lately, I have been getting mad for no reason. And this mood is carried onto the dining table. A few days later, something amazing happened. My mom said, "when you are at the table i want you to pretend like u have a spoonful of sugar in your mouth!and take enough for it to last you as long as you're at the table!"I was so surprised when she said that and then i reminded her about my comic book 'Candy for Andy':)
During a pictorial storytelling course, 2 years back, i created a comic book named 'Andy for Candy'. Its a three spread comic book. The story revolves around Andy the
protagonist, a mean 7 yr old girl who has a fetish for candy and turns sweet when she gets a taste of candy, but only until it lasts in her mouth.
My favourite frame from the comic:)
During a pictorial storytelling course, 2 years back, i created a comic book named 'Andy for Candy'. Its a three spread comic book. The story revolves around Andy the
protagonist, a mean 7 yr old girl who has a fetish for candy and turns sweet when she gets a taste of candy, but only until it lasts in her mouth.
My favourite frame from the comic:)
5.9.10
Books i have been reading
2 books i have been reading:
1. Homo Ludens by Johan Huizinga
Its a study of the play element in culture.
'A writer with a sharp and powerful intelligence, helped by a gift of expression and exposition which is very rare, Huizinga assembles and interprets one of the most fundamental elements of human culture: the instinct for play. Reading this volume, one suddenly discovers how profoundly the achievements in law, science, poverty, war, philosophy, and in the arts, are nourished by the instinct of play.' - Roger Caillois, editor of Diogenes
2. Lord of the flies by William Golding
Below is a little about the book Lord of the flies.
Genre · Allegory; adventure story; castaway fiction; loss-of-innocence fiction
Narrator · The story is told by an anonymous third-person narrator who conveys the events of the novel without commenting on the action or intruding into the story.
Tone · Dark, violent, pessimistic, tragic, unsparing
Setting (place) · A deserted tropical island
Major conflict · Free from the rules that adult society formerly imposed on them, the boys marooned on the island struggle with the conflicting human instincts that exist within each of them—the instinct to work toward civilization and order and the instinct to descend into savagery, violence, and chaos.
Rising action · The boys assemble on the beach. In the election for leader, Ralph defeats Jack, who is furious when he loses. As the boys explore the island, tension grows between Jack, who is interested only in hunting, and Ralph, who believes most of the boys’ efforts should go toward building shelters and maintaining a signal fire. When rumors surface that there is some sort of beast living on the island, the boys grow fearful, and the group begins to divide into two camps supporting Ralph and Jack, respectively. Ultimately, Jack forms a new tribe altogether, fully immersing himself in the savagery of the hunt.
Climax · Simon encounters the Lord of the Flies in the forest glade and realizes that the beast is not a physical entity but rather something that exists within each boy on the island. When Simon tries to approach the other boys and convey this message to them, they fall on him and kill him savagely.
Falling action · Virtually all the boys on the island abandon Ralph and Piggy and descend further into savagery and chaos. When the other boys kill Piggy and destroy the conch shell, Ralph flees from Jack’s tribe and encounters the naval officer on the beach.
Themes · Civilization vs. savagery; the loss of innocence; innate human evil
Motifs · Biblical parallels; natural beauty; the bullying of the weak by the strong; the outward trappings of savagery (face paint, spears, totems, chants)
1. Homo Ludens by Johan Huizinga
Its a study of the play element in culture.
'A writer with a sharp and powerful intelligence, helped by a gift of expression and exposition which is very rare, Huizinga assembles and interprets one of the most fundamental elements of human culture: the instinct for play. Reading this volume, one suddenly discovers how profoundly the achievements in law, science, poverty, war, philosophy, and in the arts, are nourished by the instinct of play.' - Roger Caillois, editor of Diogenes
2. Lord of the flies by William Golding
Below is a little about the book Lord of the flies.
Genre · Allegory; adventure story; castaway fiction; loss-of-innocence fiction
Narrator · The story is told by an anonymous third-person narrator who conveys the events of the novel without commenting on the action or intruding into the story.
Tone · Dark, violent, pessimistic, tragic, unsparing
Setting (place) · A deserted tropical island
Major conflict · Free from the rules that adult society formerly imposed on them, the boys marooned on the island struggle with the conflicting human instincts that exist within each of them—the instinct to work toward civilization and order and the instinct to descend into savagery, violence, and chaos.
Rising action · The boys assemble on the beach. In the election for leader, Ralph defeats Jack, who is furious when he loses. As the boys explore the island, tension grows between Jack, who is interested only in hunting, and Ralph, who believes most of the boys’ efforts should go toward building shelters and maintaining a signal fire. When rumors surface that there is some sort of beast living on the island, the boys grow fearful, and the group begins to divide into two camps supporting Ralph and Jack, respectively. Ultimately, Jack forms a new tribe altogether, fully immersing himself in the savagery of the hunt.
Climax · Simon encounters the Lord of the Flies in the forest glade and realizes that the beast is not a physical entity but rather something that exists within each boy on the island. When Simon tries to approach the other boys and convey this message to them, they fall on him and kill him savagely.
Falling action · Virtually all the boys on the island abandon Ralph and Piggy and descend further into savagery and chaos. When the other boys kill Piggy and destroy the conch shell, Ralph flees from Jack’s tribe and encounters the naval officer on the beach.
Themes · Civilization vs. savagery; the loss of innocence; innate human evil
Motifs · Biblical parallels; natural beauty; the bullying of the weak by the strong; the outward trappings of savagery (face paint, spears, totems, chants)
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