Category: 2023

Sophie and Bruna

The collage was born out of the idea of depicting our experiences in Berlin specifically through the lenses of the body. Of course the body is an essential part of sensing the world, but more than that, we want to show how bodies that look a certain way (e.g. female, racialized) are also impacted differently by the city and its people. This becomes clear in the piece through the multiple mentions of racism and reflections on gender. On top of that, we included excerpts from academic texts that discuss the psychological impacts of racism/misogyny (e.g. DuBois’ double consciousness), journal entries, and references to the city itself (e.g part of the U+S Band, green landscapes). 

(I forgot to take pictures but I will add them tonight, sorry)

Hello, so for my project, I decided to create a video diary of very important snippets of Berlin and of things that have had an impact on me in the past few weeks; I wanted to share the fact that I didn’t feel like a stranger in Berlin despite it being my first time here.

I walk around, stop, take a 5-second shot, make sure it’s stable, and keep walking; and “Khalas” stop asking myself why this shot, why this angle, just felt right and resonated with me in the moment. This is how I usually stop multiple times throughout the day to shoot this movie. Sometimes the place/scene would make sense, and sometimes I would have to use lateral thinking to make sense of it and tie it to the rest of the movie.

To me, the shots I was taking initially weren’t supposed to be for a movie or a film, they were supposed to be for my gallery because I felt like the photos weren’t doing justice to a lot of things, next thing you know, I have over 15 minutes of footage available for me to play with. So, I thought to myself, why not make a movie and try editing and filmmaking?

This movie is for all J-term students who end up getting so connected and can’t stop talking about their J-term for a while (which is going to be me, which is fine) because of all the growth and self-care they have felt on this trip.

As always, in my eyes, Berlin is a Hub for Creativity, and the city itself looks like someone kept asking why? And adding up to what the city looks like. You can tell that everyone leaves a little bit of them in Berlin, and people build on it and create this bigger picture.

My challenge here was the medium, as I have never worked with film before but wanted to challenge myself out of my comfort zone, which is what happened, and to be honest, I am proud of my work and this experimentation that Berlin and many other factors have given me to pursue it.

I hope you enjoy this movie, as I worked hard on it and could barely sleep 🙂

Haya & Nia: For our final project we decided to create a magazine that encompasses almost all aspects of Berlin and what we all as NYUAD students have experienced throughout the week. Happy reading and hope you enjoy it as much as we did! (P.S. You can find what work we have done under the pdf).

• Incorporate class making projects
  • Haya Horoscope (complete horoscope for all zodiacs) DONE
  • Recipe page and include Bruna’s recipe DONE
    • Add our chicken stroganoff & pesto recipe & Bruna’s recipe DONE
  • Ice cream and man (kid’s section coloring)- Ahsen DONE
  • Use sara’s sentence monster- crossword DONE
  • Nia’s map as a map of Berlin DONE
  • Menu for dreams (ad page) DONE
  • Ahsen Ice cream eating kids corner DONE
  • Late pass DONE
• Tell people what a J-term is and what it entails to DONE
• Guest features- Interview professor and 3 students from class
• The Craft Circle- how to crochet DONE
• Happening in Berlin- add Kollage Kollectiv DONE
• Artist profile page for Ming Poon DONE
• Graffiti page- add doner DONE
• Add an about the authors page DONE

All of the work done was done together collaboratively.

For our final project, we created a comprehensive website that serves as an all-inclusive platform for showcasing our past creative making assignments. This website acts as a digital gallery, allowing visitors to explore and appreciate our diverse range of artistic endeavors in a convenient and accessible manner. By organizing and presenting our assignments in a user-friendly layout, we aimed to provide an engaging and immersive experience for anyone who visits the site. Our website encapsulates our artistic growth and serves as a testament to our dedication and passion for the creative process.
Since we were told there might not be any reception in the presentation space, we also created a PowerPoint presentation version of our project.

Contributions:

Ahsen: Added some edits to the website and created the presentation.

Enock: Made a “trailer” for our work and added music to the presentation.

Majid: Polished the website and presentation. Also wrote the description texts on the website.

Natty: Structured the website and made a few edits to the presentation.

Website: Home | Lateralthinking (natnaelmetekie.wixsite.com)

PowerPoint: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1EJ1a7GfrjnvXKLuL2s4RucjF4HScujcf/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113852760085078082726&rtpof=true&sd=true

Shahram , Oscar, Sid

Spent time from 11 40 – 1 30 in the exhibition place , figured out the locations for our pieces and showed them to Pierre and his colleagues.

Oscar got materials and print outs.

We wrote hints and organized the order for the hunt.

Then we also actually got to making the puzzle which involved a lot of patience and meticulousness because we had to cut out cardboard with sharp edges.

We’re attaching a time lapse of some of our work progress. Good Night/ Good Morning!

The course “Creating” has been an invaluable motivation for my personal and artistic growth. My perspective on arts and creativity has undergone a significant transformation throughout its duration, leading to a deeper understanding of the creative process and a newfound appreciation for diverse approaches. In this essay, I aim to reflect upon the various aspects of the course, including class visits, reflections, contemplative practices, readings, and the engaging “making” assignments, which have collectively contributed to my growth and evolution as an artist in the past three weeks.

The class visits and studio sessions offered unique insights and perspectives on creativity. While opinions varied on preferences, the visit to Kollage Kolektiv and the enlightening session with Harshini encouraged me to use alternative artistic creation methods and explore techniques that resonated with many abilities. Each visit preference to me was determined by how much the speakers emphasized the creative process and their unique expression, which Harshini and Kollage Kolectiv explained and showed me very well.

The daily reflections, a crucial syllabus component, provided an invaluable opportunity to track my progress and build upon previous ideas. Writing these reflections was a profound introspection into my growth and artistic journey. Witnessing my classmates’ diverse works and perspectives fostered a deep appreciation for the manifold manifestations of creativity. Reflecting allowed me to gauge my personal development and offer insights into my artistic evolution.

Undoubtedly, the “making” assignments were the highlight of the course, as they evoked various emotions and led to immersive creative experiences. These assignments were gateways to unexplored realms of imagination, helping me navigate creative obstacles and blocks. The course readings and insights gained from class visits and studio sessions provided a rich tapestry of inspiration and guidance. Engaging in the “making” assignments enabled me to express myself and deepen my understanding of the materials we studied. Such challenges were so stimulating that I asked for additional prompts from peers, inviting them to present themes or ideas to unlock my inner creativity. Exploring parks, filming surroundings, painting in public spaces, and engaging in spontaneous artistic performances expanded my creative horizons. It pushed my comfort zone’s boundaries and made me use what we learned in class. 

One particular challenge that resonated with me involved my friend selecting a color and creating a drawing with it until my friend deemed it sufficient, at which point a new color was introduced by him for me to continue and build on my project. This made me use lateral thinking and ask myself why and where to make it work, which we learned in class through various ways, such as Bono’s “Lateral Thinking.” This exercise proved to be an intriguing endeavor, as our color choices often diverged. It compelled me to think deeply about how to maximize the potential of each color, resulting in the creation of an abstract drawing that stretched my artistic abilities beyond familiar environments. This experimentation instilled a sense of joy and liberation, reaffirming the value of stepping outside one’s comfort zone to pursue artistic and creative growth.

Furthermore, the course’s location in the vibrant city of Berlin contributed immensely to the overall experience. The city’s artistic energy, manifested through graffiti, art exhibitions, and distinctive fashion, provided a captivating backdrop for creative exploration. Navigating Berlin’s streets and public spaces exposed me to abundant inspiration. I forged a profound connection with my creativity and curiosity.

In conclusion, the course has been a transformative journey of self-discovery and artistic growth. Through class visits, reflections, contemplative practices, readings, and the immersive “making” assignments, I have assimilated newfound knowledge, refined my creative process, and expanded my artistic horizons. The diverse perspectives and experiences encountered throughout the course have instilled in me a deep appreciation for the power of creativity as a tool for personal and intellectual development. The course has given the confidence to embrace risks and experiment with new techniques, ultimately fostering a more authentic and expressive artistic and creative practice.

Spontaneous Creation

Innovative

Very FIELD like

Amazing Visuals

Similar to Ephemeral Tomorrow, their work focuses on the use and interpretation of data, most of them being real-time. Their core value is the intersection of art, design, and technology, which connects to exactly what this core class is about. They promotes the use of AI to promote human development instead of being afraid of replaced by it. One of their work is called a “sound sculpture”, which involves 1) dancers’ interpretation of the sound and 2) “sculpting” the dancers’ movements using algorithms. Another one involves a piece produced by non-coordinating cello players reacting to different VR scenes.

• reminded me of Field’s work
• huge lens with projector
• AI sculpting
• deletes pixels to make the same shape