Postgal: Mum is Born

Postgal Studio's Jason Chan created an animation called Mum is Born for Mother's Day.
This animation talks about a mother of two diagnosed with a sickness and looses her memories, thus the roles of children and mother are switched. In the animation, the daughter has to go to work in order to support the family. She cooks for the family, but the mother merely pushes the food aside and snacks on chocolate and other junk food instead. There are many scenes that showcases the hardships of mothers.
By switching the daughter and mother roles, we are able to experience the everyday life of our moms. It is difficult taking care of children and fulfilling their needs, and it is even harder to adapt to their rebellious ways. I like the concept behind this animation because it tackles the greatness of mothers by letting us, the viewers, see and experience the mother's perspective. Raising children is difficult and frustrating, but mothers will not quit no matter what because they love their children. This animation serves as a reminder for us to appreciate our mothers, because they are the greatest people on Earth.
Other than the concept, I really love the background of this animation. I have always been keeping an eye on the productions of Postgal because of their illustration styles. I like the loose lines and water colour effect in the background because it's attractive, yet simple enough so it won't steal any attention away from the animation characters.
I also like the fact that they did not incorporate audio for the characters and used speech bubbles instead. That way, the audio will not distract the viewers so they can focus on the animation. 

Xaver Xylophon: Joy of Destruction

http://vimeo.com/13867736

Above is a stop motion animation video by Xaver Xylophon.

As the title is pretty much self explanatory, this video was made purely on the concept of the joy of destruction. I have always been intrigued at stop motion videos, but this video had the perfect timing and perfect images.
I like the concept itself behind this animation, because I agree with it to certain extents. No matter how good-natured anyone is, we are only human. Sometimes, we feel good destroying things. Destruction doesn't have to be physical, it can be emotional as well.
Like at 0:30 to 0:33, the girl destroyed the boy's fantasy of Santa Claus and it made her feel good. It may sound evil or plain horrible, but people get enjoyment out of destruction in their own way. Also, people get satisfaction by destroying something they hate. For example, I felt relieved and happy when I ripped my chemistry notes into pieces.
It is the joy of destruction that makes us human. It is this enjoyment that created the world and the events that effects it, may it be in a bad or good way, although most of the time that enjoyment represents the worst in society. Even if someone denies it, there is certainly a part of him/her that enjoys destroying.
I think the stop motion technique was well equipped into this concept with excellent timing. The artist used different materials to create this animation: cutouts, video, photos. In a way, I think the cut outs worked best in the animation because they portrayed and reenact certain destructions that could not be done again.

Going West

Going West is a stop motion animation that focuses on book-paper craft done by the Anderson M Studio.

The idea behind this animation is 'When books come to life'. I think this concept was really well adapted into the animation. Every words of a book tells a story, and every story creates a mental image in one's head. This animation perfectly portrays that concept by slowly building up every detail of the book as the narrator's words continued. The details and structures of every second in this animation tells me how much effort and time were put into this video. The animation shows that words on a two dimensional piece of paper can create wonders through imagination.
Lately, I have been interested in paper crafts, so I was immediately drawn into this video when I stumbled across it today.
I think what worked the most for me in this animation, is the shadows. The shadows created depth and solidified the three dimensional objects. It made everything seem more real and tangible. Also, the way it was filmed made the animation effective. For example, between 1:36 - 1:46, the shadows casting under the structures moved according to the narrator's words, and the screen zoomed in according to the beat and tone of the voice as well. I think that was really well done because it pulls the watcher's attention and creates the mood in the story.

Ai Wei Wei: Sunflower Seeds

Ai Wei Wei is a Chinese artist who is known for his conceptual works. In this 'Sunflower Seeds' work, he filled the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall with one hundred million porcelain sunflower seeds. Each and every one of these sunflower seeds were hand crafted and painted by specialists in China.

I think Ai Wei Wei is really clever for gathering 1600 specialists to craft and paint these sunflower seeds, because it shows a greater impact with one hundred million crafted seeds as opposed to one seed. By filling the Hall with so many seeds, Ai Wei Wei captures people's attention since the number of seeds are so great. When one seed can't catch anyone's attention, one hundred million can make a strong statement. People who are highly skilled in hand crafting and painting are often neglected because there are so many of them, and I think Ai did a very good job on focusing on that issue and acknowledging these artists. A sunflower seed is very small, therefore being able to hand craft and paint a product with such details take years of practice and skills.

By filling the hall with these sculpted seeds and having people walk all over them is also a clever concept. I think Ai Wei Wei is telling people that these amazing crafters/artists in China are often neglected and their works are being stepped on ruthlessly. Even if there are hundreds of people who are skilled and talented, it doesn't mean that they are normal amongst each other. I think every artist should be acknowledged for their skills, no matter how vast the industry is. 

Ōoku

Ōoku the movie, is the live action adaptation of the popular manga, Ōoku, by Fumi Yoshinaga. The setting of this story is in the early Tokugawa period. At that time, Japan was struck with an incurable disease that only affects men. Eventually, the ratio of men to women decreased drastically, where there was only one man among four women. In this movie, the roles of men and women are reversed.
The main character, Mizuno, enters Ōoku in order to bring in money for his family. Ōoku is the harem of Edo Castle, where the reigning commander lives.
I just finished watching this movie, and I was quite intrigued by the concept. In the daily life of Japan, women does all the work that men are suppose to do. For example, the women in this movie are construction workers, controls and reign the government of Japan and does what men would typically do. Men on the other hand, take on easier jobs. They take on roles similar to prostitutes as well, being showcased in a box for women to drool over. Some of them even 'lend out their bodies' to women to fulfil their wishes of getting pregnant since there are so few men left, getting married is almost impossible for common women.
In Ōoku, there are more than 3000 men servants serving the woman commander that reigns Japan. When Mizuno enters Ōoku, he thought life would be easier. What he did not expect was the world within this forbidden place to be full of dark secrets and deception.
I find this movie really interesting because even if the gender roles are switched, the common problems and ugliness still exists in the roles they adapt into.
For men, who are the minor and weaker gender, taking on jobs similar to prostitution is no different than women in real life doing the same thing. By switching their genders and the whole world around them, it made me think that the real society might be biased towards women. In the real world, people frown upon prostitution (which is mostly directed towards women), but it is normal in the movie where men are displayed for women to drool over and even lend out bodies just so they can have a chance of getting pregnant. In fact, such actions are deemed normal in this movie, unlike in the real world where prostitution is illegal and considered a sin.
I have seen a lot of olden time dramas that focuses on the lies and tricks women use to get higher status, or just to please the king. People often think that women are all evil inside, capable of such schemes. In the movie, men are exactly like that too. They used their beauty and intelligence to achieve higher ranks, to scheme against people who might threaten their place in Ōoku.
On the other hand, women in this movie work in construction sites, moving heavy materials by themselves and does everyday labor men usually do in the real world. All these scenes made me realize that women can do whatever men can. When the society pushes you and you have no other choice, anyone is capable of anything. Gender isn`t an issue at all, it does not hinder one`s will or power.
Here is a trailor:

Peter Dahmen: Pop-Up Paper Sculpture

In this video, Peter Dahmen showcased six different pop-up paper sculptures.
I have always been fond and interested in origami and paper art, therefore I was instantly astonished when I found this video. I was amazed by how a simple piece of paper can be made into something so detailed. The distortion of paper made by cutting and folding, turns smooth, textureless papers into  something three dimensional. As seen in the video, textures can be made depending on the fold of paper, creating different effects and depth. The shadows in between each fold also creates negative spaces that help define the structure. I actually followed a tutorial and made a pop-up paper sculpture, like the second last structure shown in the video. It was a simple one, therefore it wasn`t hard to follow.
What amazed me was that I was able to create a structure that seems very complicated out of a simple, flat sheet of paper. This made me realize that some of the greatest inventions are made or originate from the simplest things that people often neglect. It encouraged me to create.
Furthermore, the finished creation of this pop-up paper sculpture looks nothing out of the ordinary when I closed it in half. It just looks like a normal folded piece of paper, and you would probably think nothing of it. If you do pass it by, you would miss something amazing inside the folded piece of paper. Beauty is often left undiscovered because people don`t bother looking underneath an uninteresting surface.

Freeter, Ie o Kau

This drama, Freeter, Ie o Kau, was broadcast from October of 2010 to Decemeber of 2010. This is the live action adaptation of the book, Freeter, Ie o Kau, by Arikawa Hiro.

This drama talks about the life of Take Seiji, who quits his job after three months because of his manager`s biased-attitude. After quitting his job, he cannot find himself another job because his job reputation was ruined. His father is cold towards him, calling him useless and pathetic because he cannot endure the reality of life. With no job, no money and no dream, Seiji becomes an unenthusiastic freeter. A freeter is a term in Japan that means `part-timer`. Just when Seiji was about to give up on life, his mother falls into depression due to the neighbour`s constant bullying. He then was reminded of his mother`s kindness and love even when he was giving up on everything, thus motivated him to buy a house so his mother will no longer suffer the harsh behaviors committed by their neighbours. Even if he is just a freeter, he wants to be able to buy a house with his own abilities for the sake of his family. Not only does this drama focusses on Seiji`s life, it also outlines the problems of everyday housewives and the dreams of teenagers.

I quite like this drama, because it is real. It touches on the reality of life, and the cruel parts of society. This drama does not sugar coat anything, which is something I prefer because I can learn from it. I can relate back to the main character, Seiji, because I too, am a person who gives up easily and is often unmotivated. Seiji found the motivation through the most important person to him in the world, his mother. I find this precious because it is very hard to discover someone, or something that keeps you going no matter how bad the circumstances are. Like Seiji in the beginning of the drama, I am lost as well. I do wish to find something or someone to motivate me soon.

There isn`t a striking climax to this drama, but the plot and emotions will keep you watching. I guess it is the reality factor in it that everyone can relate to that makes this drama interesting. It is the ordinariness that attracts people, and it is very touching. This drama is one of my favourite, and one of the best dramas I`ve watched.

Tara Donovan: CupArt

Tara Donovan created an amazing piece of artwork with something ordinary. She used paper cups and made it into something different by multiplying and manipulating the shape of cups. By gathering a lot of Styrofoam cups, she placed them in a way that forms a totally different shape. I like how Donovan was able to utilize the simple textures of cups and turned it into a different, more complicated texture. The texture and pattern of this sculpture looks absolutely stunning under the light because of the layers of the cups. Since the cups are made of Styrofoam, the amount of light that travels through can be controlled. In my opinion, this cupart sculpture looks like a pool of cloud in the sky, with sunlight illuminating in the background. Thousands of styrofoam cups substituted the fluffiness of nature clouds, so it can be displayed indoors. I like how this sculpture has depth, which creates shadow, making the 'cloud' seem more real. Also, the massive size of this artwork brings in a certain striking factor that attracts viewers. I think this piece of artwork can expression several emotions, depending on the colour of the light illuminating in the back.

Mini: Two of Us

In this music video, the artist Mini took videos and pictures of real couples. I really like the way how the videos and pictures were edited to fit into the music video, kind of like a stop motion. Instead of hiring actors to act out romantic relationships that everyone dreams of having, they filmed and took pictures of real couples. I think this is really a good idea because it illustrates something from reality, a relationship that can is tangible. The couples in this music video are not exactly good looking, which adds to the whole reality factor. Not everyone can find a girlfriend that is as beautiful as the actresses you see on television, nor can you live out the ideal relationship portrayed on dramas. I really like how real this music video is, and yet I can feel the love radiating from each gestures. Even without the handsome faces of the guy and the flawless skins of the girl, you can still find happiness in reality. This video widens the eyes of girls whose standards are too high, giving them comfort that happiness can be found outside of dramas and fairytales.

Kyle Bean: Cell Phone Paper Craft

When I came across this photograph, I was quite fascinated by the idea. Although they are not the actual cell phones from different time periods, the paper craft versions of them still work quite well. As you can see in the photograph above, Bean constructed cell phones from different time periods and lined them up according to the order they were invented. By doing so, he showcased the dramatic size difference of the product between different time periods.
Bean actually made a video about his final products, which better portrays the size different betwen each cell phones by fitting one into another.
I like the concept of this because it makes me think about the evolution of technology throughout time. Even though the photograph only show the size difference, you can imagine the functions of each cell phone getting better and better. While the size decreases, the abilities inceases. Looking at the photraph made me really think how great humans are. The advancement of technology had been improving expotentially, but what will happen when you can't improve anymore?
At the end of the line of cell phone is an iPhone. Will someone come up with a cell phone that is smaller than that? Will there be a day when a cell phone is the size of your thumb? What will humans do when they can't improve anymore? In my opinion, humans are too focussed on improving at they already have. Because of that, they will be at lost when the time comes where everything will be so advanced and perfect that there are no flaws to fix. People will start losing jobs and the need of improving will leave them hanging. I'm not opposing the advancement of technology, but I think it will be better for humans not to be too dependent on the improvement of technology.