APRIL 3 UPDATE
Post from Sierra, Y10, FD2
The sculpture contains 4 parts, but the 4 parts are not logically connected together. As a matter of fact, they are even creating inconsistencies. We used tubes to connect 4 very different life scenes together — the wire of the computer is connected to the tube of chemical facilities, the tube of chemical facilities is connected to the bath tube, and the bath tube is connected to the natural gas tube. The tube on the extractor hood is connected to the power supply of the external hard drive connects to the computer. The 4 scenes seems isolated, but in fact they are somehow connected. By doing this, we illustrated chaos of life — life is usually complicated, and when dealing with a lot of complicated things, we always feel confused. They even drive us crazy. This sculpture just described the scene of being drives crazy and mixing together different components in different consequences at the same time — different pictures, different characters, alongside different sounds.
Post from Anita, Y10, FD3
One of our team member has introduced our sound sculpture plan before. In this blog I will share the inspiration of our sound sculpture in detail. We got this idea from a experiment in our junior high physics class. This is a glass that is filled with some water. It will make some sounds if you rub the edge of the glass with your wet finger. This is because when you rub your finger against the rim of the cup, it vibrates and then make sounds. We decide to use glass tube to take place of the glass.
We also decide to change the amount of water injected into the tubeto change the cup vibration frequency and therefore the tone changes. Thus we can make different sounds and even make a song!
Post from Cara, Y10, FD1
These days, FD1 students continue to work on their sound structure. Everygroup’s materials are already prepared.Our group members stuck the tubes onto the painted broad. The power supply and the machine are already to be put onto thebroad. The classroom is lled by various kinds of sounds made from the wood, bells, and so on.
Post from Andy, Y10, FD1
During the past few weeks, a lot of challenge appear in the project. Our project naming beer fish requires an accurate incision, but many of us couldn’t do that accurate, and cut the pieces of wood in a super ugly way. For a better view of it, we had to redraw and recut the trouble pieces. Thanks a lot to vincent, without him, we may give up a month ago. After cutting, we dug small holes on the pieces of wood and tried to let strings go through. There were also trouble. As the tool for us wasn’t that sharp, we couldn’t easily make a hole that is large enough for the strings to go through. We used knives or pencils to dug the hole, and finally we succeeded in doing that. The string smmoothly went through the holes, we were so proud of that. We than hung the pieces of wood on to the holder in order of the numbers written on the pieces of fish.Sadly, some of them rotates all the way, and that will certainly degrade the sound and the looking of the sculpture. I thought hard and finally decided to use the physics method to calculate the best way to hang it. It was not as easy as that in the physics questions, as the length and size of each wood isn’t an integer. It took me a lot of time to calculte, and I successfully found the best way to hang the first trouble piece of wood during the class. We will than figure out the ways to hang for other trouble ones. Anyway, I’m really proud of our hard work for all group members, and I do believe that the final success for us won’t be far .
Post from Veritas, Y10, FD3
In Feb. 27th, Thursday, we have an art class again, so we continued to do the Project of Sound Sculpture, which we have mentioned before.
Here brings the idea of our group. Our group had an image of a 50-cetimeter long pinwheel, which consists of six smaller pinwheels. To enable it sing, we decide to use the pinwheels as the switch. After our team’s hard-working time, we gradually got some reward. I called it ‘the sun lollipop’, which is the 1/9 of the total work approximately.
However, the hardest part of the whole process hasn’t come yet. We know exactly that how to place the electric system will be troubling for us.
Here is the picture:
Anyway, the program is still going on well. Hopefully, we may finish it fair soon.
FEBRUARY 4 UPDATE
Post from Tom, Y10, FD1
With unbelievable imagination and creative designs, we were trying to use different method included painting and cutting to make our work more interesting and fantastic.
At first, to make Bamboo tubes which maintain original colour, the colour of log skin, on their inner walls more colourful, our group members painted these tubes with more than seven kinds of colours. As the outer walls of bamboo tubes are green, the colours on them are more abundant than before.
When our group finished colouring tubes, we decided to paint our board that is used to install other sound and visual devices. We apply to the drawing method of abstract and obtained a completely different visual sense at this time. Analogous colours flowed on the board freely and showed the art of individuality.
This kind of amazing creation can always liberate our mind and show us a whole new world of visual art.
In addition, other groups in FD-1 are also working on their project. Some of them were building up the materials and others are talking about their further plan.
Tom Chen
Our work in progress is shown below:
Some photos from other FD groups:
JANUARY 3 UPDATE
Post from Jenna Y10, FD2
Wanna know more about our Sound Sculpture project? All the students from FD-2 are busy working on it.
I think effective cooperation with classmates during this process is quite significant. First of all, we have different roles in the group work. For instance, someone who is good at physics mainly focuses on the engineering part. And the one who has talent in drawing takes charge of sketching the sculpture’s appearance. As a result, everyone has a clear goal of what they should do and it is really time-saving every time.
After setting over everyone’s roles, we come into brainstorming. What do we want to express to the audience? What is the sculpture going to look like? What sounds it will create? Everyone in our group really engaged in the discussion. All six of us have different ideas and everyone’s thoughts are considered carefully. Making the final decision is not an easy thing. Our main objects have changed from string to water to…, but luckily, we eventually reached an agreement.
Next, we focus on our personal objects and the main topic. Every time we have questions or some new ideas, we discuss them online. For example, I remembered last week we had a debate about the size of our sculpture. But everyone feels fulfilled to work in a group and to finish such a huge project together.
Ultimately, thankful to our art teacher Anton who showed us several videos/examples of some incredible sound sculptures in class and we really get inspired by them. Also, our Physics teacher Minmin Zhou offers us a lot of help on engineering part.
There are more stories during the process of making sound sculptures. My amazing classmates will tell you more about it in the next following weeks.
Jenna Cao
Post from Clare Y10, FD1
These days 4 groups in FD1 are busy doing their creative jobs – sound sculpture program. They have already finished original designing, material selecting and layouts-making.
Our works involve knowledge in art, mathematics, physics and even chemistry as we should design a beautiful appearance of the sculpture, do some calculations to select the most suitable materials, find ways to make pleasant sounds and pay attention to the chemical reactions required in the working process. It is also necessary for us to consider a reasonable amount of expenditure and be able to make fantastic works with practical skills.
This art program gives us a chance to develop the ability of cooperating, decision-making, manipulating and accommodating. Everyone can get a chance to find the jobs that he or she is good at and contribute to the work. We undertake the duty on our own initiative and discuss with each other actively while designing.
Below are some examples from our class of updated designs, mind maps and a simulation of the sound of the group 1 & 4 sound sculptures.
Clare Zhang
Claire and David Y10, FD3
What is art?
You won’t truly understand it without appreciating it, or doing it.
Just before depicting the draft, we need to have perceptual design and rational thought.
Mr. Anton sets up the work of the “sound sculpture”. We already had some original designs in our mind, and then we drew “mind map” in accordance to the designs in our minds.
The idea of “planning and execution” “audience” is as if the key to the idea is given to students, and the vague idea gradually takes shape.
Some of us, the FD3 students, opened our laptops, while others opened “sketch booklets”. Each group got together, carrying on actively discussing step by step to implement all parts. Most of us firstly start with planning and execution, and got further and more complete as well as time went by. We also discussed our artwork with Mr. Anton about the feasibility of the steps, and the necessities from time to time.
We did the presentation about “mind-map” last week. Group 1 used “3d modeling”, which was shown in electronic form. Group 3, had their mind-map hand-painted, which was very creative and organized too.
We are going to make the designs come true in the near future.
Claire Hua & David Ding
DECEMBER 23 UPDATE
Post from Allen Y10, FD3
Recently, students of NSFZ IB have started their sound sculpture project. The Visual Art teacher, Mr Anton gave them many instructions and examples to learn . After a few weeks, they have decided their creative works. Take FD3 as an example. Group 1 wants to make a special windmill. When it revolves, the bell on it will make ringing sounds. Group 2 wants to make a big machine. After being charged, it can attract iron balls. When the charge stops, the balls will hit the ground and make rhythmic sounds. Group 3 wants to make several tubes. They will use blowing machine to make sound with them. Group 4 is still working hard with their ideas. I hope they can finish it as soon as possible.
Allen Xu
Post from Kenneth Y10, FD1
These days students in our class are busy with exquisite art works which require them several lessons to finish. The work is a kind of sculpture which not only looks good visual effect but can make melodious sound as well. During the classroom, they are discussing the plan. What to make, and how to make are two main questions they debate most. Students are divided into four groups, and each of them have different skills in order to finish different tasks for the whole group, for instance, I’m good at computer and I’m requested to handle tasks on computer technology, such as making powerpoints and mind maps. Some of the group members purchase materials which are needed. There is a member who is capable to deal with physics problems. This is important because he ensure the quality and safety. The designer is a key guy who has a great sense of beauty and sound and is creative enough to layout the frame of the sculpture.
Kenneth Feng
Post from Jacqueline Y10, FD2
Hi, guys. All students in our (Year10) FD-2 are having fun devising Sound Designs. Specialization, discussing, asking help from teachers which include not only art teacher, Anton, but also physics teacher , Minmin Zhou , all the things above make up our first busy day. We have four groups and each group has students with “professional” knowledge to specific subjects. Therefore, we take advantages from each other and make the group a group.
After the first day, every group leader clarified our scattered sparkling ideas with a vivid MindMap.
On the second day, all four groups made wonderful presentations and our art teacher gave some sensible advice about aesthetics which we ignored. Some inspiration did impress me, but for now, I will keep them as secrets. Just like the first day, we coordinated with group members and most of us concentrated on our innovation, despite some overactive class mates who tried to get some secrets from other groups and were driven by the group members (hahahah~~).
If you want to know more about our process, you can pay attention to future blog posts, which will be written by my excellent class mates.
Jacqueline Zhong
