COFA - Haemin Mun's tumblr

Human & non human

Title: “Man maketh man”

Humans are an intriguing creature that constantly seeks and sees new potential from nature. Through cultural evolution starting from the Stone Age to the present time, our desire for a need expanded autonomously as we broke free from the basic need to survive. In which the advance of technology leading to industrial revolution, mass production, media, and consumption made everything easier; we no longer hunt with spears and arrows to fill our stomach, instead we go shopping or people who don’t even bother cooking uses delivery service.

At first, I didn’t have a clue how to deliver the concept I had which is the human influence upon nature and its transformative process, in other words, creativity exclusive to human species. Just like genetic code; animals know how to swim, fly, hunt for food, build their nest from birth. What about us? Humans are indeed a unique creature among all the living beings that reside on this earth with a natural urge to ‘create' I’d call it, our secondary desire. Which differentiates human race to animals. Primary desire/instinct or in other words bodily desires we all know — eat, shit, sleep, and reproduce. Could it be that we’ve inherited the genetic code of ‘god'? The greatest artist of all. It’s interesting.

I’ve narrowed down the concept a little and focused my scope of humans altering natural resources. Oil to plastic is a famous example but I’ve chosen wood for my project which is a light box. The reason for the material choice is that wood is an integral resource that closely coexisted (maybe not) with humans for over thousands of years, and still is dominantly used for a variety of purposes today; building, cooking, art, sculpture, accessories, shredded for kids’ playground, music, etc.

The question I kept in mind throughout this assessment is; Why do creative practitioners, humans have the natural urge to ‘make’ things?

The making of this final project was quickly done however it is no doubt that all the experiments and playing around were the most enjoyable component of this assessment. Once I stopped over thinking it I found a breakthrough. Thanks to my most recent experiment with laser cutting (although it was expensive) which helped me come up with some playful idea for assessment 2. The main idea for my final project here explores how humans take from nature and transform it into something completely different. (plastic, a classic example). I had hoped that the work would look like a block of wood from outer, but the exposure of the burnt strips and slots made it quite evident that it’s a plywood joining. The initial idea sketch of the work looked like a chunk of tree trunk with a geometric - manmade patterns engraved deep inside to convey the idea of alteration of natural resources upon human hand,   when you look carefully there’s a whole new potential for this piece of wood realised through little scenery created via technology (laser cutting).

I chose to portray a scene where human technology and natural environment coexist without harming each other. The reason why I depicted technology in the extreme as a robot is because I personally think that AI’s and digitisation of the material body will become the epicentre of all human creations. When that happens robots would’ve looked so much like humans but I figured the work is already quite ambiguous in a way.

The title ‘man maketh man’ covers the whole concept of the topic of human & non-human where human instinct to create/make gives birth to something that of similarities to human, but isn’t human. Like how the creator of this world may have created humans. How human’s ability to change, alter, transform and evolve shaped the world.

the great transformation of - block of wood OR? lightbox

i really enjoyed my most recent experiment with laser cutting (although it was expensive) which helped me come up with some playful idea for my assessment 2. The main idea for my final project here explores how humans take from nature and transform it into something completely different. (plastic, for example). The work should hopefully look like an ordinary block of wood from outer, however when you look carefully there’s a whole new potential for this piece of wood realized through little scenery created via technology (laser cutting). 

I felt like i was over thinking it and wasted a lot of time just trying to figure out how i should convey this concept of human & non-human. I had to compromise on details, but i’m excited to find out how well this turns out. Hopefully i got the math right so the little panels would slide fit into the slots without problem.. :D

Assessment2 - artist research 

I’ve looked into contemporary artists who create interactive & participatory artwork that requires audience engagement to complete the meaning of the work, or in the process create whole new unexpected meaning/outcome. 

For my second assessment i want to investigate transformation that takes place while humans interact with nature either in negative & positive way. Why do creative practicioners, humans have the natural urge to ‘make’ things? 

1st work: 

Light installation 'CLOUD' in Marina Bay, Singapore. Canadian artists Wayne Garrett and Caitlind Brown. 

2nd work:

Experiment - laser cutting result / candle box (holder)

+ problem encountered with the result of laser cutting; IT DIDNT FULLY CUT. 

As a result one side with patterns of human hand has been destroyed in the process of pushing out the pieces with a knife (thanks my friend T, humanity had self destructed) 

Experimentation - filming & editing

Making pancake 

Experiement Assessment 2 - Game play; landrush

Experiment - Assessment 2

Tried out Adobe Illustrator for laser cutting. 

iPad drawing  

Photography (e.g. take photograph using no lens) 

Pin hole camera 

Gif Animation 

Video 

3D scan 

Edits 

Voice recording 

Performance 

game recording (minecraft - showing manipulative power of human over nature and its influence on the non-human environment; animals, landscape) ride a horse to explore new land

Draw blind-folded 

Cook - cooking is another form of art which involves manipuation of natural resources into a variety of combinations via steaming, boiling, fermenting, baking, stirring, and cutting. I will record my self making pan cakes b‘_’ b 

spray coating dry flowers - preservation / alteration / concealation of its principles

Human vs Non-human

For my next assessmet i’ve decided to continue with my initial idea of privatisation/ownership of the land and expand on it using different methods; laser cutting. I raised interest towards real estate agents and gave a thought about its worth for their roles of being the middleman for selling and promoting properties or square pieces of lands. 

So for my major work i’m making two maquettes (model) of the famous ‘FOR SALE’ ‘SOLD’ with acrylic mirrors on three sides to create infinite mirror effect. (i will also utilize pieces of synthetic turf i used for assessment 1) and as a second element of the body of work i will design and laser cut&engrave realestate agent business card to add to the idea of capitalistic demand for profit over the land which existed long before humans even appeared on this earth. Linking back to the question; who owns the land from first place?