Rough Guide theory task 3

Chinese Firecracker

In the Chinese history, the firecracker is a traditional item for avoiding evil in the past. It was used widely in temples. Nowadays people use the firecracker to celebrate the important festival s and holidays, such as Chinese New Year in China, Halloween in Europe, Diwali in India.

The firecracker is originated in China. It enjoyed a more than 2000 years history. It’s a small explosive device to make a large amount of noise. The key component of firecracker is gunpowder, which is wrapped in a heavy paper.

Firecrackers have different sizes. The traditional crackers in the past were made of amount of tiny pieces with dark red color. In the present day, we can buy the different sizes crackers wrapping in a beautiful decorating paper from shops.

Every Chinese New Year in China Town in London, firecracker is the essential thing to celebrate the most important festival in China. It’s also very popular to celebrate the holidays around the world.

Rough Guide theory task 2

Lantern

The picture below was from a museum in Beijing with an exhibition about traditional Chinese culture. It represents one of most Chinese elements: Lantern.

Lantern is a traditional Asian artwork. In the ancient times, it was used for lighting. But in the modern times, lanterns are mostly used for decorative purposes. In the most important festivals in the year, such as Lantern Festival, which is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the Chinese New Year, Lanterns are widely used in many shops and famous spots in the City such as temples.

Lanterns are typically red as you can see from the picture. But they can be colourful as well. On the Lanterns they are typically some Chinese symbols and drawings with meaning and wish for a better and prosperous new year.

Rough Guide theory task 1

Peking Duck

In many shops in the London China town are you will find one of the most famous Chinese cuisine: Peking Duck. Typically it is a cooked full duck with ingredient inside. In the picture I took in London China town below you will see several delicious Peking Ducks hanging on.

The oldest Peking Duck are coming from Ming dynasty for about 600 years ago.  The first restaurant which started to prepare Peking duck is called Bianyifang. It was a very famous restaurant in the ancient Beijing city. Current in the city of Beijing, the best two restaurants with Peking Duck are Quanjude and Bianyifang.

The preparation of Peking Duck takes about is complex. The raw material for Peking Duck is the Pekin duck from Beijing area of China. It is prepared either in a closed oven or hung oven. It could several hours to prepare this famous dish!

In many shops in the London China town are you will find one of the most famous Chinese cuisine: Peking Duck. Typically it is a cooked full duck with ingredient inside. In the picture I took in London China town below you will see several delicious Peking Ducks hanging on.

The oldest Peking Duck are coming from Ming dynasty for about 600 years ago.  The first restaurant which started to prepare Peking duck is called Bianyifang. It was a very famous restaurant in the ancient Beijing city. Current in the city of Beijing, the best two restaurants with Peking Duck are Quanjude and Bianyifang.

The preparation of Peking Duck takes about is complex. The raw material for Peking Duck is the Pekin duck from Beijing area of China. It is prepared either in a closed oven or hung oven. It could several hours to prepare this famous dish!

If you happen to have chances visit Beijing, don’t forget to try the Peking Duck!

Photography Project

In Chealsea College of Art and Design, we have professional photography studio.
This photography project is related to our Popup 2 project.
I chose the under the sea world as my topic this time, and I made a 3-D object using paper, which was inspired by the sea grass.

My objects are the toy models, including the trees, whales and sharks. The photo I have taken above is the "wrapping trees". I wrapped the bright yarns on the trees so that to create a new look of the under the sea world.


The photography studio has professional lights and camera, it is useful for students.

Popup

The first project: Popup

We have four blocks during the autumn term, including stich, print, weave and knit. The skills we learn from the four blocks are as a part of assessment. Through the learning and experience of the blocks we will decide which specilism to choose when we access to the stage 2.

Stitch Block: List of processes, techniques and skills.

Print Block: To design directly onto fabric using a screen. To print with pigmets pastes, and acid dye pastes. To dye cellulose and protein fibres. To manipulate a sreen using a variety of methods: masking, moving, cut paper stencils, ombrey. To steam and finish printed fabrics.

Weave Block: Basic Weave drafts and techniques, Translation of drawing into colour, yarn and texture, Professional presentation of samples for weave.

Knit block: To use a domestic knitting machine and learn its various functions such as lace, tuck, weave, punch-card.  To manipulate fabric on the machine including ladders, short rows, cables.  To manipulate fabric off the machine including Swiss darning, embroidery, felting, tie dyeing.

Stitch Block

I have just finished the two week experience in the stittch block. In this stitch workshop I have learned various methods and techniques to create beautiful fabric samples and known many differnt materials related to stitching.

In the first week, we have the instroction of the sewing machine and embelisher from our tutor. We also tried to use the machines and experimented with various techniques. In the first day we were required to bing our drawings and self defined colour palette, and the tutor would look around our works one by one. Afterwards she showedt us the particular techniques accoding to diffrent drawings.

In this block we should focus on surface and texture.

Techniques

Technique 1: Over-lay the fabrics and a piece of foam, sewing them togther, cutting down  the foam parts, trying different cutting.

Technique 2: Cutting off the foam as a stripe, tie around the foam with a thread, wrap it very tightly. Also can dye it with inks.

Technique 3: Making a over-lay circles with fabric and plastic paper. Put coloured fabrics(like chifon) inside the bubbles from the back so that could see the coloured bubbles inthe front side.

Technique 4: Setting the stitch of sewing machine as zipper stitch, sewing several  thic strings together to create a new thread. Then sew it twisty on a fabric, finally take out the fabric.

Technique 5: Using felts (a sort of fabric), over-lay several felts, sewing them together with straght stitch, then cut some layers out from the middle.

Technique 6: Bondaweb. wrap bondawep on a card, then wrap threads on it or tear a stripe fabric to wrap. Iron it with another bondaweb covered it. PVC, can not iron PVC directly, should cover a paper.

Technique 7: Bird one. A sense of rough, sythetic. plastic melt, using embroidery machine. First put various materials on a fabric, use machine to mix them together. hand stitching with plastis, iron them so that the plastc can melt onto the fabric.

Technique 8: Make pom pom, put the pom pom in the middle of two bonaweb to iron(with  a piece of polyester), then cut down the middle of pom pom, take out the card.

technique 9: Using British Silk, fix the silk on a embroidery hook, heating the darning needel to make it hot enough, then use  the needle to draw on the silk.

Technique 10: How to embroider on stretch fabrics. Tighten the fabric on the hook, put a piece of polyester on the top when sew.

Technique 11: Make holes.

Technique 12: Cutting circles with felts in different sizes. Sewing together.

Technique 13: Fishing target thread. Sewing several, then use a fork to wrap the shape.

Technique 14: Dissolvable. Embroider with the dissolvable on the top, then put it into the water.

Technique 15: Burning technique.

Technique 16: Cutting many fabrics to fragiles, put things on the top of bondaweb, iron.

Two main fabric shops in the Shaphers Bush Market: A1 fabrics and classic fabrics

In the first week, after the tutorial with tutor, I have learned the appropriate technique related to my own drawings and colour palette. I should use the stretch fabrics and should find the right coloured fabrics. Looking my drawings and making the stretching curves.

The British Museum

                                     The British Museum

                              Africa, The Sainsbury African Galleries

We visited an exciting exhibition called Africa, The Sainsbury African Galleries which is at British Museum. These galleries display the artefacts from the whole African continent and from many historical periods. The galleries also provide some important works by the foremost artists from Africa today.

According to our theory lecture which is related to this exhibition, we know that early contacts between Europe, Africa and Asia were based on trade in 1600. At that period they started the cultural exchanges. Collections in museums are about historic artefacts, natural history and CURIOTIES from exotic cultures.

After 1850, England and other European countries began to colonize the other coutries, even other continents like Africa. For instance, a quarrel cause of unfair trade between Britain and Benin led to a Briain invasion. The Royal palace was destroyed and treasures were taken back to Europe and bought by museums.

From 1870, the Europe museus began to display African artefacts to emphasize their PRIMITIVE. Many European artists use African art and elements as their inspiration. In this exhibition we saw many exotic art works. Among them, a piece of work called Mans Cloak impressed me. That is a mans cloth made of recycled metal foil bottle-neck wrappers and copper wire. The artist made this cloak using traditional handcraft skills(narrow-strip woven silk) and very modern ways.