Title: A Clothing of Peace
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Inspiration:
Hmong Artifacts:
Hmong artifacts and embroidery typically hold in a variety of monfits that symbolize the Hmong writing that was done but is now forgotten. With the embroidery typically symbolizing love and longevity, and is used in their culture to reflect how no matter what they are born Hmong and will continue to be Hmong for their lifetime. With the necklace symbolizing the oppression put on the Hmong of how the Chinese empire used to chain the Hmong people up and are now used as a symbol of the oppression they went through. With many of the newier embroidery using shiny fabric or decorations to give texture and symbolize more wealth due to the Hmong people facing poverty. |
Furthermore, Many of the colors meaning different things. With the colors yellow meaning unity, blue symbolizing sky and how the Hmong always hoped for a better life, white for freedom, and red for fighting for a better life. I also was inspired by the Miao silver hats that symbolizes their strength of an ox/asian water buffalo that meant wealth in the culture and the array of texture and lines that are put in to create a story. Also I gotten inspired by the Miao clothing, of how their shirts were crossed and applied with silver to showcase their wealth and strength, also the stories that the shirt showcases of images of their history and stories that were passed down.
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Planning Sketches:
I planned out the different patterns I was inspired by, with majority of it was the noob ncoos design which is used to symbolize their homes and farmland which I wanted to use in my piece to symbolize my home and how I wished to go back to my own homeland, and also the hmong qwj (snail) designs which symbolizes longevity and stairs/house design to show the meaning in my piece of departure to becoming free. Also, tying in freedom by the necklace symbolising hope for me and for the culture it originated from was as a type of release from oppression, with many of the locks that meant of keeping one's spirit and for what I wanted to use was . The colors I also used were taken from the Hmong culture, by blue showing how I wanted to dream of trying to connect with my culture and show it when I had to hide it, red to show my rage of how I wanted to show my culture, and yellow of wanting to have peace with myself. These colors are from the Hmong having meaning of the colors of red being rage and fighting for their culture, yellow of the unity of Hmong people, blue of how they looked to the sky and wanted prosperity, and white of freedom. Overall, connecting what each thing meant in the Hmong culture and to showcase my own culture, and create my own symbol that I wanted for my piece of being free.
Process:
Throughout my process I used the corded part of the cardboard to use as a base and took apart of the cardboard, instead of soaking it ripping it to give more texture and variance to contrast to the geometric shapes and organic shapes Hmong people had used throughout their embroidery. I also researched and tried to use the forms how Hmong people had made their traditional embroidery by some older sashes and items having reverse applique, which I implemented in my piece by removing the top layer of cardboard to reveal the underside of the color. Furthermore, with these colors I tried to add the Hmong traditional colors that are used in their embroidery to represent my passion for my culture and show my emotions of fire and wanting peace between myself and be free. Additionally, I added the spirit locks and created the necklace by curving cardboard and adding chain like connections to the piece on both the hat and the necklace. Lastly, I would cover the colors in white to contrast and show how I felt of wanting to be free and white as purity to show how I wanted to feel free spirited.
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Expirmentation:
One thing I had to repeatedly try was trying to get the arms due to the piece I used was a original paper shirt outline that I created by measurements of my own body, to make it easier to cut out the cardboard into what I wanted. Then I cut out the cardboard and glue it on but since the cardboard was too rough I decided to redo the arms and use the corrugated cardboard part of the cardboard and glue it on to have a more flexible shape yet still poofed out. This was done how the Hmong were resilient and show how the Miao showing their riches and show how their oppression and reflect it that they are strong like an ox. I also had to redo the orientation of each geometric shape and redo a design for a noob ncoos piece I wanted to incorporate to show my homeland and the passion and rage that was connected to the color red. Finding the best way was to cut at the corners and glue it with hot glue due to regular glue not keeping it's form.
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I also put my cardboard in water to give the layers to come apart and this also helped with the flexibility of the cardboard being able to be formed as if it was fabric. Which I tried experimenting whether I should or not, however, after the outcome of the wet cardboard helped the form better. With it adding the cardboard and submerging it into my tub full of water, then, hanging it up to let it dry over night. This and drawing out the designs then cutting it out helped better than just free handing everything. I later removed the holes which changed it from the real intent of it.
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Reflection:
Overall, I enjoyed this project, able to express myself and build from what I knew about my own culture and use similar techniques I was taught how to, and learn more about my own culture through this. One thing that I would change is making some strands extending longer and adding more strands to connect everything together. Something that I would want to implement more of is the colors due to majority of it not shown completely and only in some areas that could use more, also, more parts hanging could tie this project into looking more as larger piece.
Compare & Contrast:
Contrast:
- Hmong clothes artifacts original use was for cultural uses and to show one's identity, while, in A clothing of piece the colors and form were use to show freedom of trying to express one's identity. - The colors differed from white showing purity and symbolized power, while in A clothing of piece mainly used white to show freedom and to give the aspect of trying to release one's self for peace. - The textures of different from A Clothing texture mainly comes from the rough cuts and folded cardboard to show the transition of the body outwards to show freedom of trying to show myself. This differs from the Hmong clothing which uses embroidery to give depth and texture. |
Compare:
- Both Hmong clothing and A Clothing of Peace uses Hmong embroidery shapes to showcase the culture as an identity of the Hmong. - Both uses whites, reds, and blues/purples to showcase the symbolism of freedom, the passion to keep the culture and, to show the wanting to be free. - Both uses texture to contrast and to identify the want of showing the culture and to separate it from others. |
ACT Questions:
1) Clearly explain and describe how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
The cause effect relationship between my inspiration and it's effect on my sculpture taking pieces of the embroidered and putting them together rather than the traditional way and exaggerating those shapes larger to form more emphasis of it.
2) What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
My overall approach regarding the author and topic of my inspiration is how the meaning of the colors reflect how the Hmong are and I wanted to showcase that meaning and turn it to my own.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Generalizations I've made was the use of art of what some colors meant due to Hmong people having their own narrative from what family they came from, and conclusions made about the different pieces due to construction of the hat due to not given any videos of how to make it, using context of where stuff were positioned.
4) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea of my inspirational research was use of colors to showcase the culture and it's meaning as well as the form by showing how the Hmong people used their clothing for cultural practices.
5) What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
Conclusions made while reading my research was that the Hmong people used these colors throughout the piece due to at least some containing them and inference how the shirt and other garments were made due to photos of how it was set up.
The cause effect relationship between my inspiration and it's effect on my sculpture taking pieces of the embroidered and putting them together rather than the traditional way and exaggerating those shapes larger to form more emphasis of it.
2) What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
My overall approach regarding the author and topic of my inspiration is how the meaning of the colors reflect how the Hmong are and I wanted to showcase that meaning and turn it to my own.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Generalizations I've made was the use of art of what some colors meant due to Hmong people having their own narrative from what family they came from, and conclusions made about the different pieces due to construction of the hat due to not given any videos of how to make it, using context of where stuff were positioned.
4) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea of my inspirational research was use of colors to showcase the culture and it's meaning as well as the form by showing how the Hmong people used their clothing for cultural practices.
5) What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
Conclusions made while reading my research was that the Hmong people used these colors throughout the piece due to at least some containing them and inference how the shirt and other garments were made due to photos of how it was set up.
Bibliography:
Paj ntaub or story cloth. (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2021, from https://www.hmongembroidery.org/
https://yourstory.tenement.org/stories/xauv-the-hmong-necklace
Xauv (the Hmong necklace). (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2021, from https://yourstory.tenement.org/stories/xauv-the-hmong-necklace
https://yourstory.tenement.org/stories/xauv-the-hmong-necklace
Xauv (the Hmong necklace). (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2021, from https://yourstory.tenement.org/stories/xauv-the-hmong-necklace