3D Art

Pandemic Kankara Sanshin: Music of the Moment

2021 - wood, chinese silk cording, acrylic paint, masks and gloves, syringes, fishing line, laser cut wooden bridge

A sanshin is a traditional Okinawan instrument similar to a banjo. During WWII in the Battle of Okinawa, people improvised kankara (from a can) sanshins using ration tins left from U.S. soldiers and wood from bed posts.

In a reflection upon that time, I created my own kankara sanshin that represents the materials of our time of struggle with the pandemic and to remember the significance of music in hard times. I used a scroll saw to cut the neck of the sanshin and used sand paper, power sander, and files. For the pegs, I used a dremel to drill the holes in the wood. I also learned how to tie the specific knot for holding the strings by studying photos.

After photographing the piece, I replaced the plastic tin with a metal one and the fishing line strings with strings for an ukulele and used chopsticks for tuning pegs. I've been learning a couple traditional okinawan songs (here is an example: www.instagram.com/p/CN4BuPnLcWC/)

Menpo for a Hopeful Future

2021, Media: wire, rice paper, Chinese silk cording, (sage, lavender, Japanese quince)

Reimagined traditional menpo samurai mask as surgical face mask in a Japanese lantern style: gold wire frame covered with rice paper. Placed sage, lavender, and Japanese quince in mask to hint at plague doctor symbols, when the beaks of their masks would hold herbs, but also a symbol of grief and growth.

Symbolizes a new type of battle which we get through by protecting ourselves, families, and communities and making sacrifices, big and small, for the health of safety of those we love and care about - through which we see new levels of efforts, struggles, and losses, and new hope and appreciation for the people we have.

Plugged into Time

2020, Media: Plywood, acrylic paint, pen, string, plastic lacing

Physical Size: 15” x 15” x 2”

Processes used: Sketching, digital illustration (Procreate, Illustrator), laser cutting, painting

Ideas visually evident: Connection to culture and history, flow of time and music, mixing traditional and new

Styrofoam Mealworm Pieces

2020, Media: styrofoam, mealworms

These designs were created from styrofoam packaging (ramen cup, drink cup). These pieces aim to exhibit mealworms' ability to digest styrofoam and plastic. Mealworms have a special gut bacterial that enables them to eat and digest plastics like styrofoam (which is really bad for the environment as it doesn't decompose). This highlights possibilities to utilize this ability to decrease the plastic pollution created especially from single-use plastics like packaging. Scientists and researchers are now looking at isolating and engineering the gut bacteria in the mealworms to create an efficient and effective system to break down plastics.

Sashimono Banner: "Protect"

2021 - old rice bag fabric, laser cut plastic stencils, spray paint, bamboo

With instances of violence against AAPI elders and citizens becoming disturbingly prevalent, I wanted to create a piece that embodied the anti Asian-hate movement. I created a sashimono banner, which were traditionally carried into battle with samurai, but patched it together by sewing pieces of old rice bags. I designed stencils in procreate then laser cut them out of plastic so I could spray paint it onto the banner. With inspiration from traditional Japanese shodo caligraphy, I wrote out "protect" in Japanese/Chinese kanji with spray paint. It is held up with bamboo pieces.

I wanted to blend the practice of "tagging" in graffiti with Japanese shodo calligraphy. The history of the sashimono banner carries the peaceful "fight" for protection of AAPI forward.

I also brought the banner to an anti Asian-hate rally, which was a powerful experience.

Clay Pieces

2020, Media: clay

Clay creations and explorations.

Biomaterial Figure

2019, Media: mycelium, kombucha leather, wire

This figure is created from and dressed in biomaterials. I made the original parts out of clay and baked them to harden them. I then vacuum formed all of those pieces in a home-made vacuum former. I then stuffed those molds with mycelium (the root-like structure of mushrooms that grows into molds by 'eating' a substrate) and let that grow. Once fully grown into the molds, I took the mycelium out of the molds and baked the pieces to stop the growing. I super glued wire jewelry linkages to the pieces and used pliers to attach them to create hanging joints. I also created the outfit out of kombucha leather.

Pool of Thoughts

2019, Media: construction paper, foam core, fishing line

My artwork explores the theme of identity through the layers and depth of one’s mind. I represented a general person with a pool of thought as their mind, in which different ideas, worries, and hopes of different importance float in. I displayed the different layers of thought through paper, representing surface worries, like school, as the first layer, then needs like food, then more adult, real world concerns and thoughts, like money, lower down. The last layer, with the shark lurking at the bottom, represents deep, internal parts of our identity, such as fears and insecurities, but also hopes and dreams.

Wire Sculpture

2019, Mixed Media: wire and foil.

The Tell-Tale Heart

2018, Mixed Media: cardboard, clay, dowel, beads, and acrylic.

I have a dream

January 2018, paper circuity art sample for a Tech Museum Girls' Day workshop led by the Alum Rock Educational Foundation.
Media: paper, LED light, copper tape, 3V coin cell battery, cotton batting and tape.