The document contains summaries of several art projects focused on themes of death, destruction, and the human condition. The first project uses layered drawings and photographs to juxtapose the calmness of Buddhism with the chaos of modern Hong Kong. Another project uses time restrictions and handicaps to draw skulls in a disconcerting way. Further projects explore death through ink drawings of animal skulls and dead leaves. Additional pieces examine the human psyche through self-portraits and reactions to music stimuli. A final series titled "weapons of mass creation" contrasts symbols of destruction with creation through pieces like a gun labeled with babies or a brain-shaped bomb.

1. DYSTOPIC DISSONANCE
digital
For this piece, I wanted to emphasise the
contrasting nature between the chaos of modern
day Hong Kong and the tranquility of traditional
Buddhist values. To do this, I had the intention of
juxtaposing the calmness the Buddha symbolises
with the busy, at times almost messy and
cacophonic atmosphere here in Hong Kong. I used
multiple layers of line drawing layered on top of a
photograph in varied, clashing colours to create a
chaotic, overwhelming, disorienting feel. The
differing transparencies make it difficult to discern a
specific image, paralleling the seemingly fading
Buddhist beliefs that are not reflected anymore in
today’s society.

2. STUDIES OF SKULL
graphite drawings of skull using various handicaps
The most predominant motif of death is a human
skull. I wanted to try to draw this such subject, but
in a way that would add a disconcerting
perception. As such, I imposed certain restrictions
or handicaps on myself when drawing it, such as
giving myself a time limit (1 minute; 30 seconds),
using my left hand, or drawing blindfolded. The
effect this created was that I was able to capture
the essence of the skull.

3. STUDIES OF DEATH
ink drawings of animal skull, shell, dead leaves
To further the theme of skeletal depictions
and the exploration of destruction and
creation, I wanted to look at the internal
structures that support life. Using a bottle
filled with ink, I tried to capture the most
basic line forms of dead organisms (skull,
shell, leaves). The resulting pieces effectively
depicted this, while adding an almost
haunting impression.

4. STUDIES OF THE PHYSICAL
AND PSYCHOLOGICAL
ink drawings of my face
To find a middle ground between the two
previous studies, I wanted to use the
technique of ink drawing with a living
subject: humans. Due to the somewhat
uncontrollable nature of the ink bottle, the
resulting images would be blunt yet bare.
To further explore the human conscious,
however, as this is what some consider to
be the differentiating factor between living
and non-living, I looked at Rorschach tests,
where patients’ perceptions of inkblots are
analysed. I felt that it would be an
interesting concept to create an image in a
similar style to an inkblot, but by using my
face as a subject to further the concept of
psychological analysis.

5. STUDY OF HUMANS
ink drawing of studio, brush as shadow
For this piece, I observed a studio
and tried to recreate it using ink
and a wet brush to try to capture
humans in action and encapsulate
the energy and movement of life.

6. EYE OF THE STORM
soft pastel; stimulus: Geinoh Yamashirogumi’s Kaneda
I wanted to further explore the human psyche, as
compared to a machine’s algorithm. To do this, I broke
down a reactionary process into simple steps:
encountering a stimulus, processing information, and
responding. To demonstrate and examine this, I tried to
apply it to a series, where I would be exposed to a
stimulus, in this case a song, and then have to create an
instinctual piece of art. To ensure that the reaction would
be purely instinctual, I intentionally chose songs that I
had never heard of before.
The first piece I made was a reaction to Geinoh
Yamashirogumi’s song, Kaneda. The song itself gave me
impressions of a war or a fight, slowly building up until a
climax or explosion. The incessant beat yet almost
patriotic melody alluded to a cult-like atmosphere. I tried
to represent this by using a circular structure, with the
main explosion happening in the middle of the page. It
also felt somewhat industrial, yet dark and dystopic,
inspiring my choices for the jagged, mysterious forms
and the use of a darker palette, specifically black, grey,
and rusty tones.

7. THE ALL-SEEING EYE
soft pastel; stimulus: Camille Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre in
G minor, Op.40
Camille Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre can be
described in one word: hellish. By starting off soft, by
suddenly descending into screeching strings and
ominous, creeping melodies, it made me envision
someone’s descent into the fiery pits of hell. I wanted
to capture this by depicting the eye of someone who
was going through this journey, the scenes of hell
reflected on their pupils. I tried to emulate the
chaotic energy of the song with soft pastel and water,
using my fingers to create the worming lines that I felt
matched the song.

8. SHEARS
graphite drawing, watercolour on tissue paper, pumice
gel, ink
When further examining the idea that humans
create certain things to fulfil certain purposes, I
wanted to explore tools. Specifically, I looked at
depicting a decaying, rusted pair of shears, in a
style inspired by Jim Dine. I wanted to emphasize
the forgotten nature of it by using different textures
to stress the rusted, deteriorating features of the
tool.

9. “BABY BOOM” [weapons of mass
creation]
foam core, papier-mâché
Weapons are another symbol of destruction, with the most
powerful and destructive of them being coined “weapons
of mass destruction.” However, along the lines of Picasso’s
quote, I wanted to see if I could instead draw parallels
between weapons and the idea of creation, thus creating
the series “weapons of mass creation.” The first piece in this
series was using the strong imagery of a gun, a symbol for
causing death, and directly contrasting it with the polar
opposite of death: birth and the creation of life. I found this
juxtaposition extremely powerful, and thus used images of
babies, plastered onto the gun like name tags or labels that
define an object.

10. “THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE
SWORD” [weapons of mass creation]
wood, PVC pipe, clay, various stationery
The next piece in this series was using the famous phrase “the
pen is mightier than the sword.” I felt that this phrase captured
the concept of creation through invention, and the direct
comparison of the two. Thus, while using the iconic silhouette of
a sword, I created the blade out of various stationery.

11. “MIND BLOWN” [weapons of mass
creation]
clay, electrical wire, switch, lightbulb
The first last piece of this series is “mind blown,” where I
juxtaposed the symbol of a bomb with the concept of
the creation of ideas. An exploding bomb is similar to
the ‘eureka’ moment when a lightbulb goes off in one’s
brain, and I wanted to combine these two together,
creating a bomb in the shape and form of a brain, with a
detonating switch that when flicked, turns the lightbulb
on.