Portfolio_Luqi Cao_University Username (s2732744)

I researched Inca mythology that describes humans being punished for disrespecting nature, and made collages according to the storyline.

Based on the story from Plato's Dialogues, Mahler's Fifth Symphony was chosen to express the emotions expressed in the story. I also researched Kandinsky to learn how he expressed music through painting.

I started with an impression of my hometown trail using different elements to recreate my impressions of the trail's sights and smells. In addition, I investigated the brain nerves based on the Proust effect to show how smells can cause memories.

I used my dreams as inspiration and recreated the image of the sinner in my dreams through collage, to express the criticism of the dark side of human nature. I also designed prints based on animals that symbolise various crimes.

I photographed various kinds of physical contact between people in life, and specifically photographed my family shaking hands with each other. I wanted to explore the embodiment of emotional relationships between people through their physical contact.

I took the environmental pollution problem we are currently facing as my starting point, mainly researched water and soil pollution and made fabrics that mimic the state of polluted water and soil.

According to the sequence of story development, I used collages to show the different stages of people being forced apart, searching for their other half and finally finding it.

Based on the shape of plants and brain nerves, I made woven fabrics to simulate the structure of plants and brain nerves. I fixed the fabric on a table and made draping experiment with yarn that symbolises the ethereal and intangible nature of odour.

I associated sinners with the behaviour of people in real life to express a critique of these behaviours. I mainly chose to deconstruct the American suit, which corresponds to what many politicians wear, symbolising the dismantling of the false façade.

In order to visualise the emotions, I first researched Frieda and ShawnaX to learn the composition and colours of their images. In addition, I drew pictures of several emotions and prepare to combine these patterns with research on human physical contact.

I have researched the construction and printing of traditional Inca dresses, and combined Inca dress fabrics with the fabrics featuring environmentally pollution elements I made for draping experiments.

From the previous sketches developed from the draping experiment, I picked some important parts to try and realise.

I experimented more with the fabrics, and tried different sizes of dress forms and panniers.

Based on the previous sketches, I tried draping experiments to test if the design in the sketch can be realised.

I made plaster casts to express different emotions in different poses of hands, and painted the pattern I designed to express the emotion to make the pattern more three-dimensional and make the expression of emotion more prominent and touchable.