2025｜AP 3-D Art & Design｜AP3D Critique Reflection
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Artist Statement
Being a great opportunity for constructive criticism on our pieces, the AP3D review helped me a lot in determining my next steps for my sustained investigation and topics. My critic and classmate, Justin, provided feedback in 5 different categories: the connection of each of my artworks to my artist statement, specific ways that the statement is visibly expressed, suggestions to increase artwork relevance to the statement, specific design principles that strengthened communication of the artist statement, and specific evidence of experimentation and revision. First came criticism on the connection of the artworks to my artist statement, which is about the contemporary representation of history. Justin mentioned that most of my artworks showcase historical thinking and layering, particularly evident in the “Spacefaring Manta Ray” project that links a contemporary animal to the US-Soviet Union Space Race. However, not only did the final product render a good representation of the chosen historical occurrence, but he also stated that the sketches and diagrams helped visualize the process by which the project gradually embodied the historical theme. Each of the experiment stages reflected a different degree of historical relevance, and over time, by mixing different ideas into the same model, I was able to design the most ideal and expressive structure. That said, since some of my posters did not include my idea development process, one of the critiques he emphasized was to show most, if not all, brainstorming mindmaps and sketches. The second category was about specific ways the statement is visibly expressed in the artworks. Specifically, Justin mentioned that since the manta ray is designed as a spaceship with historical connotations, it is a clear reference to the notable US-Soviet Union Space Race. Visual features include the aerodynamic design, exposed industrial cogs to power the ship, and the space background. This shows that each of my artworks, albeit not geographically centered, has a subtle, implicit link to history being represented by contemporary objects and organisms. Thirdly, another critique Justin highlighted for my artwork's connection to the statement was to make the relevance in “Blue Cacophony” much more explicit. Just observing the project at a visual level, there is almost no way to infer that the structure has anything to do with the layered history of Ronghua Park, which weakens the link between my designs to historical occurrences. The fourth review category was about a specific design element that strengthens the communication of the Sustained Investigation concept. Justin underlined that my artwork composition most effectively presented the historical connection, as the projects and posters felt organized, developed, and easy to follow. Although visually, the artworks did not have enough of an explicit link, the written section of the poster somewhat made up for it. Finally, the most compelling evidence of my experimentation and revision, as per Justin’s feedback, was the included sketches in the posters. He mentioned that it helped flesh out my idea development and would help the audience identify exactly where the design elements of the final project originated from. This was also combined with his feedback that most, if not all, of my projects needed sketches and an explicit idea development process. He also suggested that I should experiment with different, more physical mediums, not just depend on digital modeling, as these mediums could revolutionize my design thinking and help my artworks invoke different effects and emotions. Ultimately, this AP3D Review and Critique was greatly beneficial for my trajectory in this class.
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