Pocket Rocket

Pocket Rocket

    My first idea for the selection and refinement was unknown starting out, as I was unsure of how I could further my objects to make them seamless. The feedback I received from my classmates was extremely helpful and guided me through my selection process. I decided on refining the rocket I created to demonstrate children's safety and their endless imaginations. 

 

Feedback is always incredibly helpful in creating a well rounded design, and especially with this project where many ideas were being outputted and exhausted. The first partner I was with enjoyed the Soup Kitchen creation and thought I could've gone through and refined it further by adding different kinds of bones. I thought that this was incredibly interesting and debated doing it, but I still wanted to see what the other groups had to say before I made any further decisions. My second group was split between my rocket and the story book, which was the two ideas I felt were developed the most and could be pushes further. Some people in this group said that the rocket would be refined further by adding small details such as the shine of metal to make it look more realistic. I found this incredibly helpful as I thought it would push the juxtaposition of the piece by making it look like a metal rocket instead of a toy rocket. Some members of this group also liked the story book and thought that it would be neat to make the buildings all individual and add windows, however I felt that would take too much time. My last group thought that it would be an interesting idea to combine both the ideas of the rocket and book, and make the legos into buildings, however I thought it would be hard to make a seamless object. I liked the ideas, and all of them influenced my decision in one way or another, especially during the decision process as almost everyone thought that the rocket was a well developed idea and I agreed. Overall, I took advice to add a few more legos to make the rocket look like its blasting off and to make the lego fire a bit more pleasing to the eye. I added a shiny shader to the rocket to create a metallic look, which makes it more realistic in contrast with the toy legos. 

My creation relates to remix culture through two means: juxtaposition and read/write culture. Coming from a family that is engrossed in art and constantly creating, consuming different kinds of media helps us create with an open mind. This allows for different subjects and influences to be taken into consideration during the creative process. Since I'm constantly surrounded by creativity, it is encouraged to gather ideas from multiple sources to create new ideas that still have influences but can adapt to your own style of art. This creation was influenced by my brother and his love for lego, as he was building a new project and I was inspired by his creativity. It brought me to think about childhood and the sensitivity of safety lessons with fire when teaching children how to be around it, and the interactions between safety and imagination. Safety with legos as a choking hazard was also a part of this creative process as in our childhoods we are taught that fire and small objects are not to be taken lightly as they can cause serious injuries as well as harmful effects to the body. The juxtaposition of this interaction of a rocket and imaginary fire represented by legos is that between teaching safety to children, while simultaneously allowing them to explore their imaginations through visual means. This creates a mental picture for the viewer that is playful yet serious as just about anyone is interested in rockets, and know the dangers of fire and the launching of rockets.