A Foreign Heart - A series of 2 publications which are themed and conceptualised on culture.
Book 1: A Foreign Heart
Concept & Objective:
Distance is only the matter of the heart. The heart determines what you long for, what you miss, what is your memories that you treasure. Reality can affect the heart, can confuse the heart. But what the heart long for it will never fade. Vietnam is what my heart long for, the real home, the only home.
I started to realise that home is not far away from me when I’m physically far from home. Home is in my heart. It can never be closer. As if it had never ever been far.
A Foreign Heart is to reach out and explain to those that are facing a foreign land, a foreign reality everyday but their hearts long for another place, another person, another smell and taste everyday. This book is to tell them that distance doesn’t determine and decide for the heart, what you love, what you miss is not going to fade even when you are going through difficulties that might confuse your heart. This project is also to be an experience of Vietnam, of what is within me in contrary to the reality that I’m in, the experience of a foreigner at a foreign land. I aim to make a distinct comparison between the best that reality can provide and the very ordinary and familiar memories that one can never forget.
Art Direction:
Using mixed media art, typography and photography as the main driven art direction, I aim to create a contrast in visual between the culture that I longed for (Vietnam) and the culture of the I have to face everyday (Singapore). The forefront of each artworks represent one part of Vietnamese culture that can't fade away in my heart when at the back is the photography of what Singapore can give me as I try to find a replacement but it will never be good enough.
Outcome:
A hand-crafted book, hand bound with coptic sew styles.
Size: 270x270mm
Using lino print with intention of mimicking "Dong Ho paintings", a Vietnam's traditional kind of woodcut painting.
Used patterned ribbon to form letters which reflects the tribal culture of Vietnam.
Used Straws to form letters, same material which Vietnamese uses to handmade their strawhats.
Chili Padi page had it's calligraphy written by a chili padi with ink injected.
Cilantro page was written with smashed cilantro mixed in glue, given a rough texture with scent of cilantro.
The word "Fish Sauce" was written using fish sauce mixed with watercolor, gives the page a unique smell.
And with similar techniques, the word "Vietnamese Coffee" were written in authentic Trung Nguyen coffee from Viet Nam.
Epilogue page explaining my passion for calligraphy which originated from a culture in Vietnam.
Please contact me at ph.ha235@gmail.com if you'd like to view the physical book.
Look out for the sequence of this book on the next listing.
Thank you and hope you enjoy it!
