This is a collaborative work by Elaine Liu and Sue-Min (Iris) Jung. It was selected to be in the 2023 Stamps Undergraduate Juried Exhibition.

Through this project, we intend to discuss the social phenomena in Western culture where East Asian culture is selectively consumed. With our similar backgrounds and experiences, we have noticed that there has been a rise in Asian trends within social media and society. What was once rejected and demonized by Western culture has now been called aesthetic and cutesy. We chose to showcase our feelings with this drastic change in acceptance through a vending machine installation. We hope to convey the essence of a vending machine, where consumers can selectively choose accessible items with ease. The outside of the vending machine displays the hate and vicious words we have received by starting as far back as adolescence. In contrast, the inside is kept in pristine condition to represent the idolized features and cuisine Western society now considers fun and interesting. The juxtaposition between the inside and the outside represents how some of our culture is commercialized rather than being fully accepted. Regarding the products inside, though they may seemingly look authentic, they are altered and customized to satisfy the Western taste and preferences.

I was given a stuffed teddy bear that I disassembled along all seams to reduce it to a set of flat shapes. These fabric components were then pieced together in new, sculptural ways in individual explorations of volume, surface, and attachment methods.

The goal was to utilize existing materials to understand and generate form, activate space, and transform old objects to communicate new ideas, while practicing three-dimensional problem-solving, technical skills, and new processes.

Video of installation on https://www.instagram.com/reel/ClH_fliDggg/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

With this installation, I wanted to use the looped video to show the process of me making something. I enjoy the idea of watching something being built from nothing. I like to watch timelapse and tutorial videos so I took some inspiration from that general concept. My first attempt of deconstructing and reconstructing a stuffed animal was what stuck with me originally, but I decided to ditch it because it proved to have many challenges. With my new, simplistic idea of making a fake cake, I chose to bring in some super close-up shots to create a more dynamic video. I favor this new attempt because it shows me creating this realistic dessert item out of literal foam cylinders which I think is more fascinating to watch than taking apart something and fiddling with it. I usually struggle with audio choices, but decided on making my version of the universal song Happy Birthday. It helps set the sad and dull atmosphere I want to convey. Though this assignment was ultimately to make a video, I still wanted to show my capabilities as a crafter and an artist. The final product of my work is integrated in a way that it is basically the installation itself. Other than that, I would like to let my installation speak for itself. I like saying that things are up for interpretation, and in this case, they are!

My adaptation of plankton as a 3D sculpture made out of a flexible reed material.

I was to conduct open-ended, thorough, and exhaustive inquiry into the nature of a common material - paper - to discover unexpected, intriguing, and transformative characteristics of the material. Based on my discoveries and insights, I had to determine a focus and develop a project that celebrates, makes use of, or leverages paper's material characteristics.

An arrangement of wooden blocks that I designed on the computer, cut with a wood saw, and sanded myself.