Critical Reflective Journal by Wei Zhang https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r en-us 2023-01-06 11:02:05 UTC 2023-01-22 19:51:23 UTC hello@padlet.com During Project 1 Workshops, I tried a lot of new materials and painting techniques, and explored the possibility of textures with daily materials. When I look back at all my sketches, I concluded that my most master drawing tools are ink, pencil and soft pastel. wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2435552495 2023-01-06 11:18:16 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2435552495 Visiting museums, galleries and exhibitions are the three after-school activities that help me the most with my study. I use to take my sketchbook and portable camera with me to collect all the elements that interest me in these activities. Using the internet when I back home to get a further and deeper understanding of each part I collected-based on the images and written information I recorded-is also a useful method to broaden my knowledge. I think the works presented in the exhibitions or museums by series and themes are more useful for me to learn a certain period of history or think about a topic in depth. They can teach me how to observe and analyze social phenomena insightfully. wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2435560182 2023-01-06 11:32:20 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2435560182 After tutorial, I realized that illustration should not only be pretty patterns, but also focus on the communication of information. My daily sketchbook was too small and lacked narrative. So in the next stage, I consciously chose to use larger size paper and add richer plot and figures in my drawing practice. wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2435562075 2023-01-06 11:36:26 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2435562075 In the same period, I began to think about the direction of my major project in depth. ‘Why amI interested in coffee cups?’ I had been keeping asking myself this question. By organizing my family photos, I realized that I related the good memories of coffee time domestic with the coffee cups. I was interested in the cozy atmosphere of domestic coffee time, not the coffee itself. So I chose to paint a series of coffee times at home, by using soft pastels, trying to convey the warmth and sense of belonging that I personally felt at home to the audience through my illustrations. However, I found that the content of the images was too personal and limited after peer review. Not everybody have or enjoy coffee-drinking activities at home. I need to think about how to put my personal experiences into the larger social context. I should forget about myself, as well as my own coffee time.The next step I planed was interviewing friends around me about their domestic leisure activities. wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2435837683 2023-01-06 16:39:44 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2435837683 For the next few weeks, I was stuck on how to connect my personal experiences and feelings to the outside world. During this time, I happened to visit the museum of home, which inspired me to explore various concepts of home, how people's lifestyles have changed over time, and how each houseware reflect changing social attitudes. For example, the dining table is both an area of the kitchen and a centralized place for family members to exchange ideas within the home. The changes in cleaning technology represented by the vacuum cleaner is also accompanied by a history of gender resistance. I realized that it is worthwhile for me to learn how to think from a specific object. Perhaps coffee cups can be a microcosm of social behavior and phenomenon. My next step is to use mind maps to organize the ideas of my major project more clear. wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2435850384 2023-01-06 16:52:44 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2435850384 After taking some time off during this Christmas holiday to empty my brain, I looked again at all the works I had done before. I kept asking myself, ‘what exactly do I want to find out?’ Luckily, I found the answer this time. Coffee time is a part of my personal solitary life, and the theme I am interested in is actually about the different states of young people's solitary life. wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2435856497 2023-01-06 16:58:51 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2435856497 After preliminary interviews and online research, I found the meaning of my inquiry and project. More and more young people are coming to new environments to study or work, and they inevitably face the situation of living alone. Whether they can learn to live with themselves or not has a great impact on their mental health. The psychological state of being alone can be both positive and negative. However, the solitude that has been researched is mostly reported as the negative psychological aspects and how to solve these problems. Only few people have promoted the positive aspects of solitude, which is what I hope to add to the psychological research by my visual works. wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2435866764 2023-01-06 17:09:00 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2435866764 wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436037510 2023-01-06 20:28:37 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436037510 wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436038908 2023-01-06 20:30:52 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436038908 wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436042360 colour pencils and collage.]]> 2023-01-06 20:37:22 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436042360 wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436043078 2023-01-06 20:38:39 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436043078 wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436043348 2023-01-06 20:39:08 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436043348 Project 1 wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436045332 2023-01-06 20:42:54 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436045332 wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436046811 2023-01-06 20:45:39 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436046811 The Museum of London wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436048773 2023-01-06 20:49:22 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436048773 The British of Museum wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436049653 2023-01-06 20:51:10 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436049653 V&A Museum wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436050160 2023-01-06 20:52:17 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436050160 Cleaning Technique wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436053636 2023-01-06 20:58:35 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436053636 The National History Museum wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436056780 2023-01-06 21:03:51 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436056780 Exhibition: William Kentridge wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436057651 2023-01-06 21:05:28 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436057651 Exhibition: MK Čiurlionis wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436058297 2023-01-06 21:06:59 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436058297 Exhibition: Strange Clay wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436058974 2023-01-06 21:08:30 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436058974 Exhibition: Object of Desire wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436059349 2023-01-06 21:09:24 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436059349 Project 1 wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436060256 Mono-print.]]> 2023-01-06 21:11:13 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436060256 Project 2 wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436061344 Coffee time during breakfast. Soft pastels.]]> 2023-01-06 21:13:34 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436061344 Project 2 wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436061899 Afternoon coffee time. Reading. Soft Pastels.]]> 2023-01-06 21:14:36 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436061899 Project 2 wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436062290 Coffee time with dessert.]]> 2023-01-06 21:15:11 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436062290 Cosy Corner wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436065616 2023-01-06 21:20:02 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436065616 wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436066976 Mind map of my interests and themes.]]> 2023-01-06 21:23:24 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2436066976 wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2446025723 2023-01-16 20:18:47 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2446025723 wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2446025893 2023-01-16 20:19:04 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2446025893 wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2446026015 2023-01-16 20:19:16 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2446026015 Project 1 wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2452229117 2023-01-22 10:10:31 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2452229117 Project 2 wzhang0320227_2 https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2452530815 2023-01-22 19:51:23 UTC https://padlet.com/wzhang0320227_2/50gwg18i2vuljm3r/wish/2452530815