Day 4: In the studio

Now that we have had some time to settle in, we are starting to think about developing our ideas for the exhibition. We started today by discussing the photos we took in the hutongs to give each other an idea of what we are interested in and what has inspired us so far.



Elaine and Paulina talking about their photos. Elaine is interested in the idea of the human hand on the urban environment - she was also one of the only people to use black and white photos so far.


One of our challenges is to find the materials we need - we had a brainstorm to think about what media we would be using, and where we could find it. While some of us will only need to visit wusidaije, where there are lots of art shops, others will need more exotic items. Helen, Louisa and Paulina went to find wholesale markets to search for their materials.


The view from our studio on the 9th floor - the temperature reached 37 degrees at its highest today.


Karyna discussing her ideas with Karen. At the moment she is thinking about layering and cutting away to reveal what is underneath, with a view to potentially designing a wallpaper installation.


Above, some of Karyna's initial ideas and experiments.


After seeing crickets and grasshoppers in tiny cages around central Beijing, I was inspired to create a character design based on the insects. Here is my initial prototype for a paper doll, experimenting with Chinese newspaper for the wings and to act as a balance to allow the doll to stand.


Elaine's first experiment with the idea of balance, using items from around the studio and nearby supermarkets.


And finally - a face from above!

By Josceline