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Arts TRYathlon #1: Furin Crafts
Arts TRYathlon #1: Furin Crafts
2/18/2025 - Craft&Chat w/ Jessica Ononye (7:45-9:00PM in Bel Air Lounge)
#japanesewindchimes #acrylic #beads
When I first entered, I didn't really know what to expect. I knew of Japanese windchimes, but I never knew how they were created. In addition, this was the first time I had ever worked with acrylics so I was nervous to mess up, but I found myself experimenting a lot with the mediums and what to create. This was a really new experience that really shows how art can be a bridge for people to try new things and embrace unfamiliarity. I made do with what was given to me, being flexible and open to new ideas. I had some trouble with the acrylic paint not drying (it's still currently not dry), but I researched a bit and am still figuring things out as I go.
Arts TRYathlon #2:Photography Project
Arts TRYathlon #2:Photography Project
3/27/2025 - Numerous photos captured in Eastern Market & the Tidal Basin in D.C.
#visualart #photography #cherryblossoms #candids
In this tryathlon, I wanted to challenge myself to indulge in a medium that I always was fascinated by yet never fully dove into. Photography is so important in history as a document of the past and evidence of events. In countless classes is photography mentioned or used. I remember in one CPSA class trip we took, we discussed censorship in Japan when it came to WWII, and although most of the mediums did not include photography, it made me ponder as to how even in such a medium where you could simply just take it as face value, so much meaning can be put into one image. As my friends and I were walking around the Tidal Basin, I observed people as they scouted and prepared to take photos - there were several professional photoshoots going on as well, since the time for cherry blossom blooms was just right. It made me truly appreciate just how meticulously crafted photographs can be, while at the same time they can just be spur of the moment collections of your experience.
In LARC160, they discussed how in order to truly feel and understand an area, you have to take it in and not just experience it through photos. After that, I started to reflect on how photos play a role in my life. I take quite a few every day as memory of what happened, and yet as I look back I realize they do only hold a fraction of the experiences I went through. Yet still I cherish these day to day photos a lot because my memory isn't great and to have even just a fraction of it preserved is very special. I took a lot more than the 3 photos listed below, but these were some of my favorites.
In this photo, I tried to play around with filters and adjusting the contrast, brightness, blurring the background, etc. I think it turned out really nice, although I did get some help from a friend who frequently edits photos.
With this photo from Eastern Market, I wanted to experiment with having a subject that isnt' centered. I thought about how the lines in the photos would direct the attention to the subject (my friend Nick in the front), although I think his shadow ended up being the focal point instead.
In this photo, I really wanted to execute the idea of a subject with a "halo" of light surrounding them. This was at a perfect time when the sun was setting, and the background light blurred just enough for her to be seen as "glowing".
This is a photo my friend took of me (the person in the middle of the 2 others) as I was editing the photos I took that day. I really like how the tree frames us and the shadows balance out the sky in the background as sort of "empty space" while also setting a very clear scene.
Arts TRYathlon #3: Furin Crafts
Arts TRYathlon #3: Furin Crafts
3/14/2025 - Craft&Chat w/ Chiana (3:00-4:00PM in Bel Air Lounge)
#shrinkydinks #pins #pikmin #visualarts
In this Craft&Chat, we were taught how to make pins with shrinky dinks. This was a process that reminded me a lot of chemistry because it was only when you added heat into the equation (putting the plastic into the oven) that they would change their shape. It made me wonder why, and after researching, I found it was due to the material it was made in. Shrinky dinks are made of polystyride, which naturally have polymers that have a very disorderly makeup. Yet when making the sheets for shrinky dinks, this plastic is heated, rolled, and cooled, forcing the polymers into an orderly configuration. In order to return the material back to its more disorderly configuration, which means the polymers jumble around and cause the material to shrink. Although it is not exactly what I'm learning in organic chemistry, it is definitely a chemical reaction occurring and it made me think about how shrinky dinks are like a mini-lab.
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