Farida’s Art and Design blog

Digital Photo Montage

In this session we were asked to create a digital photo montage on the style of Marcelo Montreal. It is supposed to represent our word from the identify theme. I chose symbols who represent rebirth and new beginnings which I believe strengthen us. The lotus flower represents new beginnings because it’s able to grow in murky water so it’s like a new beginning of beauty in a murky place. The pharaoh goddess Isis symbolises rebirth because she managed to but back her husbands limbs after he was cut into pieces and bring him back to life. The snake sheds its skin and grows another one which also symbolises new beginnings. I also chose to put an arabic quote that translates into every problem has a solution which shows that you have to experiment and start over to figure out how to do it right. I believe that new beginnings strengthen us as we learn from our mistakes and start writing a new chapter.

This Montage represents comfort and support. I chose to put together things and people who make me feel comfortable. I believe that having “comfort things and or people” strengthens me. It makes me feel safe and supported which makes me feel stronger. The person next to me is my boyfriend he is the person that comforts and supports me the most he helps strengthen myself in the times I feel the weakest and most insecure. The corals and shells represent the beach, the place I feel most comfortable in. Being in the sea feels like all my worries and insecurities disappear I love it there. Saturn represents my mom and the Volkswagen represents my stepdad they both push me to always be better and support me in all my decisions, they are my backbone they make me feel safe and strong. The flowers I chose are flowers that grow everywhere in Egypt they feel and look like home. My favourite TV show is friends its like white noise it helps me fall asleep, concentrate on whatever I want and be less anxious. The ice tea peach is mine and my best friends favourite drink when we’re having a bad day we go out and get a peach iced tea to make us feel better. I believe that comfort and support and having things you enjoy and love strengthens you as a person. And the things I chose are all things that help me feel stronger.

The process

Marcelo Monreal

Marcelo Monreal is a digital photographic artist who actually never went to university. He takes head shot pictures of people and makes digital collages by deconstructing the face and adding colourful flowers. Marcelo’s inspiration for using flowers came from a memory he holds of his late mother. She used to always tell him that people were made out of flowers. The collages he makes are a reminder that beauty is found in a lot of places and that beauty also comes from within. I really like this piece of work I like the aesthetic and the colours and its actually a piece that I recognised because it is Shawn Mendes’s album cover.

Photo Montage

This photo montage represents wisdom. My theme is the word strengthen and I believe that wisdom and knowledge strengthens us. We gain wisdom by experiencing new things and learning from our mistakes which makes us stronger. The elder lady represents wisdom because of all the experiences she’s lived through. The greek goddess Athena is the goddess of wisdom and she carries around an owl. Every picture in the montage represents wisdom. And wisdom strengthens us.

This montage represents confidence. Being confident strengthens us as a person too. It makes you follow your dreams and do whatever you want not caring about what people say. It makes you stand tall knowing your worth. This montage shows a woman who is smiling even though there are insulting words around her. She’s happy and living life, she knows her worth and words are never going to change that.

This montage portrays a mothers love and protection. Knowing how much my mother cares and loves me makes me feel stronger. A mother cares so much about her child, she always wants the best for her kids. She helps them become the strongest version of themselves, constantly teaching them things, and helping them through life.

This montage symbolises new beginnings. I believe new beginnings always make us stronger. The process of leaving things behind and transforming your life is a process that strengthens us. The lotus flower symbolises new beginnings because it grows in murky water. So it gives the murky water new beauty, new beginnings. The pharaoh goddess isis put back her husband after he was cut into pieces which is why she symbolises rebirth. Butterflies start out as caterpillars. The Phoenix burns himself and rebuilds himself from his ashes.

I believe that there is an outside energy that always keeps an eye on us. It makes me feel safe and protected which strengthens me.

Support always makes a person feel stronger. It makes us feel safe, lets us worry less about our decisions knowing that we will always have support.

Mark making

in this lesson we were asked to do some mark making using different things. I wanted to also make it look colourful, messy and fun to match my personality. For the first one I used a palette knife to create this pattern. I felt like it’s geometrical and it kind of reminded me of a flower. I really like the second one because the combinations if the lines created a very fun pattern. I used a piece of wire for this one. I really enjoyed making the third one. I used a piece of wool and dabbed colour on the paper, I then decided to use wool again but try to drag it in lines to create another pattern. The fifth one was my favourite one to make because I got to be messy. I used my fingers to create this pattern. at first I was disappointed because it looked like a blotch of colour at first but then I kept playing around and I created a pattern that is aesthetically pleasing and that I enjoyed doing at the same time. For the sixth one I used a comb to create streaks of paint. The seventh one is my favourite pattern, I used the cap of my UHU and created the pattern. I really like the shapes the cap created. I was a bit disappointed by the eighth one because I used a stamp hoping the carving on it would show on the paper but it didn’t show as much as I wanted it to show but it still created a quite fun pattern. I used the back of scissors for the ninth one and the shape it created kind of reminds me of the genie in the Aladdin movie which is my favourite Disney movie. I decided to use the dabbing technique again for the tenth one but with tissue paper to see the difference it makes from the whole. Here I realised there are less spaces between the shapes. Everything looks closer together. For the eleventh one I wanted to experiment a bit with texture and materials so I decided to put Glue

Paper Models

We were asked to make paper models that show our Identity. I decided to make a cloud because I was always told that my head is in the clouds. I’m always dreaming and imagining sometimes I find it hard to concentrate because of that so I felt like this cloud shows part of my personality. For this cloud I cut up paper into the shape of a cloud and folded it to give it a bit of a 3D effect. Then I scrunched up tissue paper and glued it to the paper to give it a more cloudy and fluffy feeling. While doing the cloud I faced a challenge, I bought the tissue paper from the campus shop and I thought I bought more than enough to finish the cloud. But it turns out I didn’t, so I used up all the tissue paper before I could finish the back of the cloud. To solve this problem I went to the shop to buy some more paper but the shop was already closed so I had to think of another solution to the problem. I decided I’d just take a picture of the cloud from an angle where you can’t see the missing paper. Looking back I know I should’ve made sure I had enough supplies to finish my work and plan ahead but I’m proud of myself for solving the problem in another way.

Shell Origami

The beach has always been a huge part of my identity and that’s why ii chose to make an origami shell. Back home we have two seas the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Every summer me and my family and all of my friends and their families go to our beach house at the Mediterranean Sea, we spend two months by the beach having fun with our friends and family. This has become my favourite place on earth, it’s where I feel the safest and where I feel at home. I start counting the days until I’m back there as soon as summer ends. In October and in December we spend our holidays at the Red Sea. We go scuba diving and look at the breathtaking corals. The marine life and the corals have always been a huge inspiration for me and I see the sea as a huge part of my identity.

Arabic writing

I chose to make an F in arabic letters with origami. I am Egyptian and my name is Farida so I think an arabic F tells a lot about me. It shows my heritage and my home which is a big part of my identity, it shaped how I think and act, created ethics and morals that are connected to my culture.

Jewellery with wire

My stepdad has been an incredible source of emotional guidance and support in my life. He has taught me invaluable lessons about handling my emotions and the importance of open communication. Through his patience and understanding, he helped me build a level of trust I never thought possible with anyone else. I’ve learned to confide in him about my deepest thoughts and feelings, knowing he will always be there to listen and offer advice without judgment. A few years ago I covered a leaf with gold leaf paper and gave it to my stepdad. He now carries it around with him everywhere he goes. It’s his lucky charm. So I decided to get inspired by him and create a leaf earring with wire.

Initial Ideas (design development)

I chose the word strengthen for my identify theme. I like creating narrative designs that always tell a story and hold meaning behind them through symbolism. My initial Idea was creating jewellery that tells stories about my journey and the things I have experienced. I figured that my journey and my experiences have made me gain skills and learn lessons that strengthened me as a person hence why I felt the word strengthen would be most appropriate for my idea. The word strengthens me means to make something stronger or to increase their durability. It comes with lots of learning, experimenting, trials and failures, understanding mistakes and improving them. A journey of understanding and learning.

My specialist area is jewellery and I wanted to create something that has a strong link with me. In the beginning of this semester we talked about our artefacts and one of mine were my hair products. I have had a long journey with my very curly hair trying to understand how to take care of it and experimenting with different products. I wanted to create a link between my hair and the experiences I’m going through right now. right now I’m going through a very transformative phase in my life with new beginnings. Moving abroad, making new friends not knowing anyone and adapting to this change has been a huge change and transformation. I decided to use the lotus flower as a symbol for new beginnings and transformation. A lotus flower starts as a seed and grows in murky water which shows that you can create beauty out of every situation once you adapt and allow yourself to grow. I decided to make a hair clip to have a connection with who I am. My favourite thing about me now is my hair but it has been a long journey trying to achieve this kind of relationship. This hair clip should be a constant reminder that change isn’t easy and that it takes a lot of experimenting to start to adapt to a new life and love it.

I really enjoyed using photoshop this semester and I feel like I want to document the process on photoshop or create the way I want to present my piece on photoshop. But I want to create a jewellery piece. I really enjoyed working with wire as I feel like you could integrate lots of different materials with the wire and make a piece. For the lotus flower I want to try and experiment with clay, plastic and origami and see which one I like the most. Then I want to put it all together using wire and adding beads to it to make it more aesthetically pleasing.

Mood board

I enjoy reading about ancient Egyptian symbolism so for my final project I got inspired by the ancient Egyptian symbolism for a lotus flower. Ancient Egyptians believed the lotus flower symbolises new beginnings because it closes its petals every night and opens them in the morning. They also believed in the symbolism because the lotus flower manages to grow in murky water. It starts off as a small seed and grows into this beautiful magical flower in murky water. It starts a new beginning in the water creating beauty in places that don’t feel beautiful. I got inspired and decided I wanted to use the lotus flower for my final project but wanted to research the symbolism in different cultures and figure out the different things that the lotus flower symbolises.

http://www.swanbazaar.com. (n.d.). Swan Bazaar Blogs – Swan Bazaar Blogs. [online] Available at: https://www.swanbazaar.com/Blog/post/the-egyptian-lotus-flower.

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Even though I got inspired by ancient Egyptian symbolism I chose to work with how a lotus flower looks in nature. I want to document my journey through symbolism in my designs. Right now I feel like I’m in a very transformative phase in my life. Moving abroad, living alone, meeting new people, even changing the language I previously studied in. They’re huge changes and I’m trying to figure out how to transform and adapt to them. I chose to add pearls to my designs because in many asian cultures pearls symbolise the long journey to perfection. They symbolise knowledge that is gained through experiences and they look magical and beautiful which represents the beauty of growth and experiences.

The transformative phase of my life is all part of my journey to becoming the best version of myself. A journey is the experiences people go through and the lessons they learn that makes them stronger. I chose to symbolise this part of my journey with a lotus flower and I decided to create a hair clip as my final project because it has been a long journey trying to love my hair. Now my hair is my favourite part of me but it has been a rocky journey trying to build this relationship. Trying to experiment with different products for my hair, trying different hairstyles etc. The hair clip is a constant reminder that it takes time to adapt to things, just like it took time to adapt to my hair and start loving it. When I first moved abroad I really struggled and it took time and a lot of experimentation to start adapting and figuring out this new life.

My inspiration came when I visited the Victoria and Albert museum. I got to see history told by jewellery. Every piece holds meaning and every piece had a different purpose and that’s what I wanted to translate into my designs. I was fascinated by the floral work and wanted to integrate flowers into my designs hence the choice of the lotus flower. I was also very taken by the wire work and how they used to create such beautiful things using wire. When I saw this white floral head piece I decided I want to get inspired by this piece and create my own design. The whit colour gave it this magical angelic type of aesthetic which I really liked. I decided to work with wire for my base because I loved how you can shape it around and transform it to your liking, I also loved that you can always add things like beads or other materials like plastics, clay, paper etc. and I felt that’s what I wanted to try experimenting with.

weekly plan

Lotus flower clay hair clip

I started experimenting with different materials to create my final piece. I decided to first start experimenting with clay because I find that clay is a very fitting material for my project because of the symbolism behind it. Clay can symbolise renewal and transformation as it can infinitely be reused, reshaped and transformed in its raw state by needing and adding water to it. I also looked at this material from a religious aspect. According to the Quran god created humans from clay, from mud moulded into shape. And as we go through life we find out that the clay is now in our own hands. Our experiences are like tools that let us reshape who we are. We become artistic with our lives, changing and defining ourselves. Just as clay can be moulded again and again, we have the power to keep transforming and becoming who we want to be. This symbolises that we’re not stuck with one shape, we can keep remaking ourselves just like working with clay. I also wanted to attach the lotus flowers to each other with wire because I really liked how you can bend and transform it as much as you like. I also learned a technique where you wrap a piece of wire around the other one to strengthen and stabilise it. Pearls are beautiful and are in many asian cultures also a symbol of the spirit along the path to perfection. The oyster secretes layers of materials that also make up their shell and starts creating layers until the pearl is formed. This symbolises the long journey to becoming what you want to be.

137o (2021) The symbolism of clay, 137o Ceramic Art Studio Barcelona. Available at: https://137degrees.com/en/the-symbolism-of-clay/#:~:text=The%20symbolism%20of%20clay%20can,over%20again%2C%20to%20be%20reborn. (Accessed: 27 November 2023). 

(No date) Islam creation story. Available at: https://www2.nau.edu/~gaud/bio301/content/iscrst.htm#:~:text=The%20Qur%27an%20describes%20how,fundamental%20attachment%20to%20the%20earth. (Accessed: 27 November 2023). 

Surah Al-A’raf – 12 (no date) Quran.com. Available at: https://quran.com/en/al-araf/12 (Accessed: 27 November 2023). 

Origami Lotus flower hair clip

I really enjoyed working with paper for the ART102 module. I especially enjoyed working with origami and seeing how a single sheet of paper can be transformed into something beautiful just by folding it in certain ways. Lotus flowers represent new beginnings and transformation because of their journey from the muddy bottom of the pond to the surface. The lotus flower’s stem has to navigate obstacles such as rocks and algae to reach the surface and become this beautiful magical flower. This represents personal growth by learning how to deal with obstacles adapt and grow. Every experience you learn to deal with transforms and strengthens you.

Salazar, S. (2023a) What do you need to know about origami designs and their symbols, Our Family Lifestyle. Available at: https://ourfamilylifestyle.com/what-need-to-know-about-origami-designs-and-symbols/ (Accessed: 27 November 2023). 

Gel sheet paper

I was on my way out of the Parkside building after my ART102 class and I saw this fabric laying around. I loved the material she created the flowers with and wanted to try and make a hair clip with it.

Wire lotus flowers

I wanted to try to make flowers out of wire because I really enjoyed working with wire. I love how wire bends easily and how you can add any materials to it. So I decided to make flowers out of wire. But I faced a difficulty with this material. The flowers I created were too big and bulky compared to the other ones I made with different materials and I didn’t know how to attach them together to create a hair clip.

First lotus flower (wire)

After I finished this flower I felt like you couldn’t really see the different layers because they were made using the same technique. It was pretty and I liked the idea of using wire but I didn’t like how messy the layers looked so I decided to create another one.

second lotus flower (wire)

I really liked the outcome. I liked how you can now see the different layers better. It still looked a bit messy but I liked that because there was a balance. The first layer was very visible and the second one was rather messy. I also made this flower a bit smaller than the first one so it doesn’t appear too bulky

Third lotus flower (wire)

I really loved how fine and simple this one looked and I wanted to start experimenting with how and if I want to attach the flowers to each other.

Design sheet

In the beginning of the semester each one of us chose one term for our identify theme 

My word is the word strengthen 

Everyone goes through a journey with experiences and obstacles we have to overcome these journeys make us grow more resilient and strengthen us. 

My title is die Reise which means journey in German. 

I chose to have a German word for my title because Germany has a lot to do with how I see myself and plays a big role in my life journey. I grew up in a German school watching German cartoons, learned about the culture and traveled there every year. 

Here are some pictures of the experience I’m experiencing right now which is moving abroad and studying at uni. 

Evaluation

I decided to create narrative jewellery that represents my own strengthening journey. 

The idea was to make it represent the journey of moving abroad to study and adapting to the new life while facing obstacles, learning from them and growing stronger. 

Looking at my artefacts I realised that my hair is the best example for a rocky journey with a successful ending.

I have very curly hair and have spent a countless amount of time trying to deal with my hair. Experimenting with different products, trying new hair styles and going through awkward hair phases. But now I didn’t only learn how to deal with it, it has also become my favourite thing about myself.

This transformative phase of my life is also a journey. Also one with a lot of obstacles I have to overcome to learn, grow and become stronger. So this lotus flower hair clip is a constant reminder that it’s a journey trying to adapt but it’s always worth it.

Once you overcome the obstacles and learn how to deal with the new things you become a newer, wiser and stronger version of yourself.

I chose a lotus flower for the symbolism, The lotus flower starts as a seed at the bottom of a muddy pond, the stem has to then navigate obstacles such as rocks and algae to be able to flourish at the surface. 

I went to the Victoria and albert museum to explore more jewellery designers and get inspired. I was fascinated by a brooch designed by a jewellery designer called Barbara paganing.  When I first looked at the Brooch I thought it was the shape of lots of lotus flowers next to each other, it looked so pretty and connected with me because of my choice of symbolism. After reading about it I figured out it’s actually the fractal patterns of broccoli cast in dental acrylic. I loved how I interpreted the work so differently just based of what’s going on in my life right now. 

I tried researching to find out more about this brooch but I found out that Barbara Paganin hardly ever tells you what her work is about. She wants everyone to interpret it in their own way. I loved that because I wanted to create a piece that tells my story but could be interpreted so differently to tells peoples individual stories.

Going to a museum and seeing such historical and old jewellery as well as modern jewellery showed me how jewellery is more than just an accessory but is actually a tool to portray history. You could really see how jewellery was used for different things, to show wealth and protect from the evil for example. Or to show which family you belong to. It was never just an addition to make an outfit prettier it was always a piece to tell a story, and this is what I want to translate into my designs. Designs that reflect my history.

This lotus flower hair clip is for everyone regardless of age.

It’s a classy and timeless accessory that can be worn on different occasions like weddings, a fancy ball or a prom maybe.

The idea behind it is that people can connect with the meaning behind the piece and choose the occasion that holds the most personal significance for them.

It’s a piece that adapts to different moments in life.

The creative freedom of choosing our own final project allowed me to mirror this experience in a piece of jewellery.

The choice of symbolism helped guide me in the choice of materials I wanted to experiment with. 

In our ART102 module we were exposed to a lot of different materials and techniques. I first chose to work with wire as I liked how you can bend and transform it however you like. But the lotus flowers I created with wire didn’t match the aesthetic I was initially planning to achieve. 

My exploration continued with acetate, offering vibrant colours. Although I found this experiment to be very visually appealing it also didn’t quite connect with the narrative behind my piece. 

Paper models are also something we were exposed to in our module and I tried experimenting with the material. I enjoyed how a piece of paper can be transformed into such beautiful things only by folding but it also didn’t match the elegant, timeless aesthetic I was going for. 

This module allowed me to step outside of my comfort zone and experiment with different materials and think about why I choose to experiment with them. 

The experimentation with different materials helped me explore my likes and dislikes and start learning a bit more about my style.

After experimentation I decided on working with clay for my final project as its symbolism connected to my narrative. 

I enjoyed how clay can be infinitely reshapes and transformed in it’s raw state which also resembles how humans can always adapt and transform to new phases in their lives and are not stuck in one shape.

I also looked at clay from a religious aspect. According to the Quran, god created us from clay, and as we go along our journey of life our experiences become like tools who shape us into the people we are. 

The process of creating a narrative piece of jewellery exposed me to a diverse range of materials and skills. From working with clay, origami and acetate to connecting the symbolism. All phases allowed me to grow individually as well as artistically. 

We weren’t only exposed to traditional materials but also digital ones like photoshop. 

I enjoyed learning how to work with photoshop and decided to even illustrate my final project using it.

While the journey was enriching, time management was a bit of a challenge.

I produced multiple experiments but didn’t get to create a final piece. I created a final design and decided which materials I’ll be using for it based on my experiments. But I didn’t have time to make it. 

Next semester I want to improve my time management skills and aim for creating a final piece.