In this project we were asked to recreate a designer chair with an interesting material and then recreated a second chair from our home with the same system.

Trying to recreate the designer chair was the biggest challenge, finding a material that would allow me to recreate those curves and at the same time would be strong enough to stand was not easy. But by doing that it helped me to recreate the second chair a little easier.

I feel I could have find more interesting materials and make it a little bit more fun. but overall I was satisfied with the project because I learn something new by making each chair.

For this project we learned about Dominant, Subdominant, and Subordinate forms.

These were my initial models, which were a failure since I was using more than three objects.

This was my first "final" piece, which had four objects instead of three. But it helped me understand about dominant, subdominant, and subordinat forms. Since I did not have a clear understanding at the beginning.

This was my actual final piece, where I manage to use the three required forms. I came up with a more interesting design and learned from my previous mistake.

In this project we challenged ourselves with curvilinear forms and creating and interesting piece by using these forms.

There were two main challenges while working on this project. The first one was to create the curvilinear forms and to make them look good and clean. The second one was to find and interesting way to placec them together and form a final piece that would create an interesting visual flow.

Went through many ideas before coming up with a final piece.

I finally arrived to this final product. I had to play with the weight of each figure and balance them right so it would not fall to the side. It was a little challenging but fun at the same time.

There were two parts to this project, the first one was a abstract work and the second one was a representational piece.

While working on the first abstract piece I learn how to create certain bend in the wire that helped me create the secong wire piece.

I was a little frustrated with this project at first, specially with the abstract piece, getting to bend a sigle wire into different lines was a bit of a challenge. But it was a lot more fun to work on the second part, specially since I learned already how to create certain bends in the wire from the first part of this project.

Probably one of the most challenging projects at that point of the semester. I struggled to find interesting forms and cuts that will transform my piece of paper into and actual structure. I came up with this piece, but I was not completely satisfied with it. But, I liked the corner cuts. So, I wanted to use that idea and make a better piece.

I arrived to this final piece that I was more satisfied with. I like the way wave form interacts with eachother, creating a flow and pattern.

We had to create a structure using foam core that will hold our phones, but that it will also be adjustable in high.

The creation of the desing took a lot of thinking and work.

The initial desing had to go through a bunch of changes to solve different problems.

Once all the problems with the desing were resolved and the phone stand worked properly. The next step was to fix the aesthetics of the design. This class excercise helped with that part. By making this, we learned how to created curves and cleaner edges.

The design of the arm came from the cuts of the base. It was made this way so the arm can seat into place with the base when it is taking apart.

Playing with positive and negative space by freezing water.

This had to be one of my favorite projects. Mostly because each piece was a surprise.

These were my favorite three pieces, I experimented with paint and color lights.

To create a small monument that will represent and actual place.

I chose to made Mount Fuji, since I was born in Japan and my mom always talks about how much she misses living there. I failed to get this project right, just because I made it too representational insted of abstract.

I feel my second attempt was a bit more succesful but not completly. I feel that I failed to represent the essence of the place and that it still does not feel abstract.

This project was about creating an abstract monument  based on a theme that we had to research about.

Artist Statement

While searching for inspiration for my monument, I came across a very interesting story from a friend from work. She crossed the border with her younger sister and spent three months in a foster house. And even though she said it was not so bad to live there, her worst memory about it was not being able to touch her sister for the three months they spent there. She had to wait three months to be able to give her sister a hug. She told me that sometimes she would try to hold her sister’s hand in secret just to give her strange and to let her know that one day everything will be fine. They were punished if they were caught holding hands by taking away their weekly phone call with their parents. They would even stop the call if they started crying in the middle of the phone conversation with their parents. I have known her for a while now, but we never talked about these things, I was surprised by everything she told me, I had no idea what she went through. It inspired me to make another monument. Well, it gave me ideas for several different monuments. But I decided to make this one in honor to that story.

Both characters are made of clay and similar, they are seating on each side of a wall to represent the division that was put between them even though they were in the same room. Both figures are seated in a fetal position because it represents the sadness of being separated from each other.

This monument was created based on my reasearch and personal experience on immigration. 

I was almost succesfull in this project. Even though the monument is abstract it still has representational elements. Another problem with the monument was that it did not completly expressed the message that I was trying to give.

Artist Statement

This monument represents how immigrants feel when migrating to a new place. I started by researching about immigration and found the monument Tania Bruguera made about new immigrants, her monument is about the struggle and the cycle of an immigrant. I wanted to focus more on a phase of the cycle or process that the immigrant goes when starting a new life in a different country. To find that, I started asking people I know what they felt when they first moved here. I found that even though everyone goes through different emotions, we all had a feeling in common, the feeling of feeling small or insecure.

The monument is made of clay and all the pieces are made similar because it represents that we are all equal. The only difference is the center piece, which is made smaller than the other ones, not to express a physical difference, but to represent that feeling of insecurity, nervousness, or fear that we go through when starting a new life in a new place with a different culture and even a different language. The figures do not represent an age because that feeling is present in anyone that migrates to a new country no matter how old that person is.

I made this final monument, that goes more into the abstract side but still communicates the message and the intention of the monument.