This week I spent my time researching and finding work that related to my themes. The images below are all work from artist and designers that relate to displacement, cultural clashes. The first work that I found moving was the blue editorial on the top left, this work was about words and cars. The editorial design works with how different lorries from countries are going in and out of countries. I found this so interesting because its a different perspective focusing on lorry as they are huge travellers around the world. People always seem to focus on human migration but lorries and the drivers are also migrating too. The work on the top right focuses on cultural displacement from Joy Miessi’s self-documentation artworks communicate the feeling of displacement, a black artist she uses mixed media to communicate her experience. I think the mixture of words, illustrations and colours created a beautiful work. The black manipulated work is editorial by RAN PARK, a editorial focusing on Konglish called “Lost in Konglish” RAN PARK IS a graphic designer from Ulsan, a coastal city in South Korea. Not long ago, she visited her home country after five years of studying in London and Los Angeles, and noticed something strange: the local language had changed. “People had started using English words as if they were Korean,” she says. Local fruit vendors sold “바나나,” pronounced “banana.” Electronics stores had posted advertisements for “컴퓨터,” pronounced “keomp-yut-eo,” or “computer.” The words looked Korean, but they sounded distinctly English. Park’s observations inspired her latest art project, a zine filled with artfully smudged definitions of English words that have burrowed their way into the Korean language. She calls it “Lost in Konglish,” after the macaronic form of English sweeping through South Korea. Konglish follows few strict rules. It includes loanwords like camera (written as “카메라,” pronounced like “camera”), and ice cream (once again, written as “아이스크림,” but said like, “ice cream”). Not all terms copy English exactly; nail polish (매니큐어), for example, is pronounced like “manicure.” Konglish also encompasses mistranslations, as well as fabricated phrases that incorporate English words but aren’t easily understood by English-speakers. The Korean translation for “cell phone,” for instance, is “hand phone.” To that end, she designed “Lost in Konglish” to become less and less legible as you flip through it. She also created graphics of new letterforms that fuse the shape of Korean Hangul letters with English ones. The artful distortions and smudges grow more intense, until the text becomes indecipherable. “It becomes more chaotic, because the phenomenon is more serious,” she says. “There is communication missing.”
The work at the bottom right is by Tanya Houghton, her project is called “A migrants Tale” this project focuses on food and migrants, the relationship they have with it and how memory plays a large role. The visuals consist of migrants ingredients they have memories with and a portrait of them. Reading all the memories and importance of these ingredients o objects to these migrants are really heart warming and touching. I think the project is beautiful and it gave me the idea to focus on food, it’s a area that is very important in my culture and maybe I can find links between my themes. The work right in the middle is by Francis Alys, belgian artist I have studied his work before and loved it for pyhchogeography focuses on flaneurs and displacement but this project really touched me because Turkey was part of it. The project is called watercolour, the minute video consists of him taking a bucket of water in Trabzon, Turkey then pouring it into Aqaba, Jordan, from black sea to red sea. I believe his aim is like hes painting watercolour by mixing the two parts of seas around the world. I think its inspiring and so intriguing like a such a small thing that people always forget or wouldnt think about. Using two waters from different seas and mixing them I think is beautiful. He’s an inspirational artist that works around war, politics, displacement these are themes I am also interested about so im glad I get to study his work again this project.
In addition, another inspiring artist Ai Wei Wei also created work about he organises a trip for 1001 Chinese people to go to Germany and explore the city. He documents the whole journey and pays for everything. The project is called |”Fairytale”, I watched some parts of the documentary these people have never left China so their experience is like a fairytale because it’s a new world, something they have never seen before a completely new culture and surroundings. I think it is a great project and fits very well with cultural displacement because those people will feel out of place, the culture and way of life is opposite. The feeling and their experience can be seen in the documentary. The last project is by Gloria Wong which is a photography project, in an interview she gets asked “You say on your website that your work explores the nuances and complexities of East Asian diasporic identities. Tell us a bit more about this.” she responds this way “I once had someone describe my work as sitting on “cultural fault lines”, a space where home and displacement meet, and where multiple cultures intersect and diverge. A lot of my practice has been informed by the experience of growing up in an Asian-Canadian household. Much of my family history has been marked by migration, with my grandmother originally coming from Macau and my parents immigrating from Hong Kong. I hesitate to only identify as Chinese-Canadian, because both Macau and Hong Kong are in the process of negotiating the consequences of their colonial histories, caught in a liminal space that isn’t fully Chinese but also not fully Portugeuse or British respectively either. There’s a really beautiful quote by Justine Kurland in an interview I read where she refers to domestic labour as “the work it takes to stay related”. I feel like that sums up a lot of my practice too. I’m looking at family and the work it takes to maintain these familial relationships but at the same time, I’m also trying to hold on to a relationship with both of the cultures I’ve grown up in, negotiating all of this within the context of the domestic space” Her work focuses on dispora, identity and family which is exactly the theme I wanted to focus on and bring into my project. Her photographs and so delicate and homely, Gloria photographed her parents house and she can find both cultures which is so interesting just like my home, the experiences migrants have are sometimes very similar.
Do Ho Suh is “bridging home” in a new, large-scale outdoor installation in the heart of London
Suhs works related to home communicates the displacement and living between two cultures just like the work above, he placed a traditional building in Korea in middle of London , the work reflects the artist’s own experience of moving across continents and between cultures, and continues his career-long investigation of memory, migration, the multiplicity of the immigrant experience, and home as both a physical structure and a lived experience. Suh comments, ‘It is hugely rewarding to create a public work in London, my adopted home. For me, a building is more than just space. It is not only physical but also metaphorical and psychological. In my work I want to draw out these intangible qualities of energy, history, life and memory. While Bridging Home, London comes from personal experience, I hope it is something a lot of people can relate to
In Home Within Home, Do Ho Suh will present a series of works that reflect the artist’s ongoing exploration of themes surrounding cultural displacement and the co-existence of cultural identities, as well as the perception of our surroundings and how one constructs a memory of a space. Suh’s own feeling of displacement when he arrived in the U.S. in 1991 to study at RISD led him to measure spaces in order to establish relationships with his new surroundings. Years later, the artist developed the idea of taking these measurements and using them to replicate and transport spaces. Suh constructs these architectural spaces and the elements within them in various mediums including fabrics, resin, and Styrofoam. Among the works exhibited in this show will be Fallen Star 1/5, Home Within Home, and a series of fabric objects, all personally revealing works which invite viewers into his homes.
I created a very brief mind map of all the themes and projects that inspired me, the main themes at the moment is belonging, community, culture and home. The Do Suhs project really inspired me as one of the articles I read before said it is now the “age of migration” , bridging homes and findings connections between them is really interesting to me. In addition, Francis work of water colour was also really interesting, it made me think about differences we have like the cultural differences, maybe i can merge Turkish and British culture as they are both part of me. This can be ade using objects? food? maybe typography I thought i can find two objects one from Turkey and other one from Uk to create aa project on it. I need to research what those would be. Im still at the ideation and searching process but it is already so interesting to me. I have a group tutorial with David and I want to have couple of ideas for the next step. I want to do some visual research as well as he wants ro see the research and ideas process.
the below are some of the visuals I like, or i found interesting. They are mainly typography based this could change in time when I know what I want to do.
Group meeting.
I created a presentation to show David the progress I have been making since we last spoke, I have been doing loads of artist research which includes designers and also other mediums because I think it will help me expand my creativity. The presentation went really well i spoke about all of the inspiring work I found and I created 2 ideas. The two ideas was the first one is I want to interview with Designers and Immigrants to hear their experiences and insights on displacement and living away from home. I want to discuss the cultural clashes, any memories they have which stands out to when they realised this is not my home. I want to speak to designers in ME studio and Turkish actor Memet Ali Alabora. The second idea is focuses on food and traditional dishes which people connect together. One thing we carry over with us is the foods we eat with our family and friends and the memories always so clear. Especially when I was younger massive dinner tables were my favourite times. This concept focuses on Turkish peoples connections with food and whether they have any memories. A zine to create a document to share with other people. I spoke to David and his feedback was very positive he suggested I should check our Rick Steins Istanbul documentary as he visits and tries traditional dishes. In addition, he said stay away from holiday related themes as they are cliche. He also added don’t get lost in research which I will keep his advice. From the meeting I felt really positive and confident with the idea. I had couple of ideas such as a publication editorial design is something I loved in first year and i did really well in. I could bring that back and also food wise as my family is from Adiyaman which is a is a city in southeastern Turkey, the food culture their is really insane and it so many dishes that are historical and i would love to shine a light on these dishes to tell these recipes. The most special and interesting foods can be really interesting to read an i would learn along the way as well. In addition, UK people most know Turkeys food culture as kebab but showing the diversity from vegan options to very meaty and interesting dishes can be really cool. I think I will just keep researching and mindmaping to find a route I want to take.
My final idea was I wanted to merge the two concepts together I want to create a publication that I can include interviews and recipes about food. I want to carry on researching and create the content I want in my publication.
Next step
I want to do primary and secondary research as I want to develop my research skills and develop my project evidence based. If I will interview people I need to figure out my audience and prepare interview questions.
Reference
https://art21.org/read/do-ho-suh-seoul-home-la-home-korea-and-displacement/
https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/gloria-wong-the-graduates-2020-photography-170820
https://www.wired.com/2016/09/beauty-perils-konglish-korean-english-hybrid/
https://www.dw.com/en/chinese-artist-makes-fairytale-come-true-for-1001-visitors/a-2607967
https://www.victoria-miro.com/news/1067
https://www.itsnicethat.com/news/do-ho-suh-bridging-homes-art-260918
Busra Yildiz 