Course Director: Joe Hambleton
TA: Ilze Briede
Provides a foundation in 3D modelling using state of the art render time 3D modelling software such as Maya, Blender, and 3DS Max. The course will provide a survey of various modelling techniques and approaches with an emphasis on modelling used in 3D art, 3D animation and games. Topics include photorealistic rendering, scene building, character modelling, and the use of 3D graphics in simulation and visualization.
A Piece of Serenity
Alexis Estropia
The concept of this artwork focuses on the symbolism representing how people cope up during the pandemic. Most of us are absorbed with our busy lives. The ukulele constitutes the return of our old hobbies that have almost gone. However, as the pandemic changed our typical daily lives, many people stayed at home and have more available time. Some may find serenity when they have revisited their old hobbies, such as playing a musical instrument. The music sheets on the scene entitled “Stuck with U” by Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber. The song talks about being stuck with your loved ones during quarantine, considering the ups and down with them. Generally, music can provide peace of mind despite the present turmoils brought about by this virus. The melody and rhythm are invisible, but these song elements are a universal language. No matter how diverse the world is, one can feel similar emotions and intentions from the song. The colourful lights on the scene represent how people adjust to this current situation. Some people are not affected by Covid-19, whether financially, emotionally, physically, or mentally. Similar to the bright yellow light on the scene that shines among the rest. On the other hand, some people have an average life, and they are getting through the pandemic. It is comparable to the green light that does not shine, but it glows within and casts a green shadow. Some things shine, but only when there are reflections around them. Some people survive, but depending on the available resources around them. It is akin to the metallic red lights. While some people may not shine at all, they are not entirely broken and still have their defined colour. It is comparable to blue light. There are instances that some people are experiencing worse during this unfortunate time. Some have lost their sense of taste, lost their business, lost some opportunities or lost their loved ones. Similar to the last light on the scene where it got burned out. It does not shine at all nor cast any light. The heart-shaped carpet on the scene symbolizes love. Hugs and kisses are forms of expressing love to someone. During this “new normal,” not hugging or kissing your loved ones can still be considered a form of love and care since the virus is transmissible through physical contact, and we want to protect each other. However, we can still express our love in different ways. Indeed, it is complex to define how everyone is dealing with everything. We all have different levels of resistance and coping mechanisms. It takes no amount of money to be kind to other individuals. We do not know how and what everyone is really going through. So, as much as you can, share some love and spread some light to give others hope, and the world will eventually regain its harmony and serenity.
Undivided
Yousuf Zakhe
“Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation.” – Rumi. Love is a quality of being, not just an emotion. The isolation felt between the two had brought their desires at a boiling point to unite. The quest to unification is burdensome as one began to drown, but because love was the fuel of the others soul, he had grasped onto the drowning man and brought him to the island he came from – forsaking his own home at the prospect of building a new future with a new friend. Regardless of our talents or limitations, we should always seek to help and love one another. Themes: Invisibility: The two souls try to connect and meet each other by crossing a river that separates them into isolation. One person didn’t have the ability to go beyond the stress and began to drown and shrink, whilst the other held the capacity to grow despite stress and helped the other out of their misery. Our capability to handle stress is often invisible and it requires attention from one to realize that another is suffering. Near the end the two united – at the end of the day regardless of our differences, we are all one and the same. Complexity: The river always flows, and these individuals have always been on their own islands secluded whilst seeing each other. They have never connected but the need to connect has consumed them, causing them to break out of this mundane system of isolation by meeting each other. The river consumed one, but the other decided to help and break the person and themselves out of this chain of isolation by uniting and forming a bond – disrupting the very way they were always used to living. Resistance: The characters resisted the boundaries of their comfort by plunging themselves into the unknown body of water to cross over and see each other. The person that was drowning did not succumb to the rivers hunger. He desperately tried his best to continuously bring himself to the shore, but the stress imposed upon him became too much. The other grew within his act of resistance by feeling empowered and able to help. He helped the drowned individual and brought him over to the other side. The two exhibited their behaviors to unite by becoming anti-isolation – the human need to connect is what drove the two together. Intentionality: In isolation our characters had reached a point where they could no longer be separated. The human need to unite overpowered their senses of fear and comfort. They begin to ask themselves “why be alone?” “why should this be our normal?”. Their nature becomes that of an explorer, and they traversed past the body of water and past their fears into an island of unity. Leaving behind the other island in isolation as they build a new life together, and a new future in harmony.
“Safe” Spaces
Christian Pomponio
This work comments on the invisibility and isolation experienced by society because of the coronavirus lockdowns. The piece is meant to depict the mind and consciousness of people as it is clouded and unsure about what the future will hold. The dark room is what the government considers as the “safe space” for us as we shelter from the virus. However this space can sometimes feel anything but safe. The room is filled with purple clouds representing the uncertainty, anxiety, depression and loneliness that our isolated “safe” spaces have created within us. The Nintendo switch and Shikamaru (a character from the TV show Naruto) models further clutter the room, serving as the influx of media we are all consuming to distract us from these negative thoughts. A window in the background shines bright oranges into the dark room. This window serves as the gateway to the outdoors which currently seems so far out of reach for us. It is meant to be the light at the end of the tunnel which we are all hoping will come sooner than later during these tense times. Our “safe” spaces are clouded with so many distractions and negative thoughts that we are rendered invisible to others as in-person communication becomes less frequent. These thoughts may also become something we make invisible to others because of the fear of being looked at differently. In reality these thoughts are what needs to be shared with our peers and we must realize we are never alone in this fight.
Reflecting Isolataion
Yue Chen Wu
Reflecting Isolation explores the concepts: Invisibility and Intentionality in the context of the pandemic. Invisibility: During these unprecedented times, many people are experiencing loneliness. The three blurred photos were meant to capture what isolation means to me. They are all photos I have taken with my friends who I haven’t seen in a while due to the pandemic. The photos are in the background because they feel like distant memories. Intentionality: Prolonged isolation has given many people the opportunity for reflection: both contemplation of the state of the word and self-reflection. This concept is represented through the photo in the foreground. It is a picture of the rendered scene in which it resides; this pattern is continued within the photo inside itself, and so on. Both the state of the world and how the object fits in it are being referenced by the photo itself; this recursive concept parallels many of the questions that we may ask ourselves when we get stuck in our own heads. Furthermore, the photos evident in this piece represent fragments of social interactions and are much like the snapshots of ourselves we curate for other people to see. Many of us use social media and similar mediums to stay in touch with our friends and family. Although it seems like everyone’s lives are more connected than ever, we realize especially during the pandemic that the technological landscape cannot replace physical interaction.
A Simulated World
Chi Nguyen
The phone booth serves as imagery for an invisible prison that most people find themselves in this time, existing in both physical and mental realms. People are trapped in their home due to the mandatory lockdown and the most popular source of communication and information is via technology. We access news through online sources such as e-newspaper, Youtube and social media, and we communicate with our peers with social media and online long-distance communicating software. As we spend the majority of our time in the virtual world, everyday life feels “virtual” and disconnected from reality, as if we are not actively living and become the characters in “The Sims”. This reliance on technology leads to the urge to explore more aspects of technology and new innovative ways to integrate technology into our lives, yet it also makes us aware more of the increasingly simulated state of our world. The limitation in accessing the physical world also affects the mentality. As we are exposed to the outside with lots of personally tailored and biased media, our knowledge and experience are limited. The disinformation during the pandemic fuels selfish and individualist freedom which leads to dangerous consequences. However, despite the seeming downsides of the lockdown, staying inside and restraining physical contacts are some of the best ways to combat the pandemic. Abiding the lockdown law and enduring the discomfort in the change of living conditions represent the spirit of resistance against the pandemic. Our home, though can be a “prison”, provides the ultimate safety.
The New Normal
Jasleen Chagger
The current COVID pandemic has radically changed the way individuals live, act, and work. For the first-time ever in history, the world has now seen extensive changes in it is way of living. One’s daily living practices are being redefined. Our new normal is to follow social-distancing directives and sanitization protocols at every step. This has forced everyone to add sanitizers, biocidal sprays, face masks etc. to their must-have household items. For this project, I chose to make a laundry room setting where objects like masks and sanitizer bottles are laying around for instance, on the iron board and cloth basket, depicting the new normal for us. This room’s setting also showcases that our social interaction with the world has diminished as a result of following all the necessary rules and staying home as much as possible. This project has tried to communicate how this fight against Corona virus has reshaped our everyday etiquettes with a potential of not going back to the way it was before 2020. This pandemic has appeared to have a long-lasting impact on our day-to-day routine pushing us to re-think our “normal”, thus, resetting it to “the new normal”.
A Lover’s Secluded Heart
Isabella Missios
Reading the curation themes provided for this year’s show, I was inspired by the discussion of invisibility, isolation, and inequality. Some of the ideas that stuck out to me were the loss of human connection and the adaptability both of our culture and the themes provided. Thus, I decided to focus on the feeling of invisibility that comes with being LGBT+, with bisexuality particularly in mind. A lot of times it can feel like your heart is under lockdown as it can be scary to come out to people, never really knowing their reaction for sure. There is a great cultural significance on the concept of coming out, but it isn’t always safe or the best option which can feel like you’re hiding away an important piece of yourself and your heart. The other aspect I wanted to focus on was how you can begin to feel like that part of you is invisible or being isolated from the world and the community itself, as people will assume you’re straight or gay depending on the relationship you’re in or reduce you down to stereotypes. The global pandemic has only amplified a feeling of disconnect with the community as many in-person events that would normally happen have been cancelled or indefinitely postponed. I also relate heavily to the line, “To even ask ourselves ‘why be normal?’” as being LGBT+ has long been seen as abnormal and something to conceal away when, in reality, being “normal” is a construct that we shouldn’t feel the need to abide by. I hoped to capture these feelings in the artwork I created.
Return to the Digital Media END OF YEAR EXHIBITION 2020 • 2021