The+Love+Bird's+Sweet+Time+-++Shy+Gong

Source: www.artinasia.com
 * The Love Birds' Sweet Time: A two-dimensional image by Shy Gong**

**Artwork Identification** > **Introduction** The artwork is an installation consisting of nine two-dimensional images. This series was created after a two year period of silence. [|Shy Gong], an undergraduate of University of Southern California of Architecture. Raised in the United States, Shy Gong returned to Taiwan in the 1990s. He was deeply shocked and attracted by the to see chaos and full vitality in society. The situation has attracted him deeply. So he began to create a series of art creations featured by national faith. Shy Gong is specialized in observation of tricky changes during different space and time. He is capable of converting these changes into installation of art and action, acutely presenting the ambiguous historical surroundings and social contradiction prevalent in the island state. Works from the studio are full of religious taste and the shape of the work is more often than not a temple attached with a series of religious ceremonials. The first work of the studio is named “Birth”. All finished works require audience to participate in the religious ceremony so as to complete the whole birth process. Shy Gong believes creation of culture needs the spirit of religion and implementation while the essence of religion is collective participation and love from society. ( Artinasia.com, 2010)
 * Title: The Love Birds' Sweet Time
 * Artist(s): Shy Gong (Shi Gong Zhang Hao 施工忠昊)
 * Date: 2009
 * Cultural/Ethnic Affiliation:Taiwan
 * Medium: Digital
 * Dimensions: Unknown
 * Museum/Collection: Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei
 * Accession Number: Unknown
 * Current Location and Manner of Display: Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei and Digital
 * Provenance: Unknown

**Descriptive Analysis** The digital painting style is combined with moving lights and mechanical sensor devices, which is an extension from the artist’s past large-scale street installations.The piece is in constant motion with the images evolving and chaining. The piece features two birds and could possibly be Mandarin Ducks. Mandarin Ducks mate for life and in Asia several expressions exist comparing lovers or loyal couples to the birds. Abstract patterns, geometric shapes and swirling patterns fill the screen with a consistent flux of color that varies in tonality and intensity.

**Formal and Contextual Analysis** "Shy Gong uses a comical and satirical approach to portray the bitter-sweetness in the Taiwanese society, and the presentation is bestowed with a sense of vibrancy and perhaps, a sense of life...[His]...digital images are constructed based on geometric structures, and they evolve, transform, and morph like amoebas, whereby vitality and colors are added into the otherwise sensible and logical mathematical shapes and forms. A world that is constructed based on pure knowledge is a form of logically existence, and it is a quest for the truth in the universe and also a way to become closer to God. The concept could be compared to Bach’s Fugata, where a perfect piece of music is created with harmony and balance; as life exists in a boisterous setting, desires and worries are also interwoven together in sensual ways.“In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light, and there was light.” (Genesis) Light, the symbol of the origin of the universe, is where time and space in the cosmos began. On the other hand, light, as it flickers and flutters, reflects the multiple emotions, desires, and vivacities in the mundane world. Light, let there be light; since the beginning of Shy Gong’s creative journey, his works have always been full of the element of light. The question proposed is that is the sense of energy the most basic form of beauty, and is this a universal and common way to present beauty? Movements; Shy Gong’s previous performance artworks have been transformed into a force of energy for this artistic creation, and now he has used interactive installations with sensors to give the artworks sensual vitality." (Taishinart.org, 2010) -one long direct quote.

The Love Birds' Sweet Time is a beautiful display of energy and movement. I enjoy the use of modern technology and how it provides the opportunity for the pieces to evolve and use light, color and pattern in a dynamic and continually changing and evolutionary way. Gong pulls on his background in architecture and incorporates many of the principles in forming his concepts and process of creating his art.
 * Personal Interpretation **

**References** Artinasia.com. "Taike Fantasy - Shy Gong Solo Exhibition"  (December 2010) Taishinart.org. "Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture"  (December 2010)


 * Lesson Title: ** Tell ‘em!
 * Grade Level: ** 9th Grade
 * Time: ** Seven, 45 minute lessons

// National Standards for Visual Art Education: // Standard 3: Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas. -Students reflect on how artworks differ visually, spatially, temporally, and functionally, and describe how these are related to history and culture. -Students apply subjects, symbols, and ideas in their artworks and use the skills gained to solve problems in daily life.
 * Standards: **

Standard 4: Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures. -Students differentiate among a variety of historical and cultural contexts in terms of characteristics and purposes of works of art. -Students describe the function and explore the meaning of specific art objects within varied cultures, times, and places.

Standard 5: Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others. -Students correlate responses to works of visual art with various techniques for communicating meanings, ideas, attitudes, views, and intentions.

// National Educational Technology Standards for Students // Standard 1: Creativity and Innovation - Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes. b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression.

Standard 2: Communication and Collaboration - Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media. b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.

Standard 3: Research and Information Fluency - Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media. c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.

Standard 4: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making - Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. b. Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project. c. Collect and analyze data to identify.

Contradictions: Contradictions are when two or more statements or situations are presented that conflict in their inherent meaning or value. Shy Gong’s focus within this piece is the deliberate use of contradictory elements and imagery to portray a message. Gong uses traditional imagery from Taiwan’s culture mixed with a very modern digital medium. Gong also uses symbols of peace and silence mixed with chaotic elements. Gong’s decision to do this came from a shock upon retuning to Taiwan and witnessing the chaos, yet vitality, in society.
 * Central Concepts: **

Story: Story is a message or narrative created by an individual who wishes to convey their message or views about something. Shy Gong has a very clear message displayed in the work. After returning to his home country from a two-year leave, he was shocked to find the society in a state of chaos, yet still being vital and prosperous. This led him to create this piece and visually represent the thoughts he was feeling and witnessing about Taiwan’s society.

Digital Art: Digital art is any form of art that utilizes technology (i.e., computers and digital rendering programs) in its creation process. Digital artwork is a relatively new form of artistic creation. This piece shows the usage of vectors and very detailed line and pattern work, all created on the computer. The blending of each element, through digital mediums, allows Gong’s piece to take on a very complex and chaotic feel.

Activity 1: Introduction to Art with Meaning (1 lesson period) Students will discuss art as a human process where something is created and infused with meaning. The first activity will involve students writing a one page letter to another classmate describing specific instructions about accomplishing a task (such as how to ride a bike or make a sandwich) or describing a person, then delivering that letter and reading the received letter out loud. Only, they will completely make up the letter having it say whatever they want. Students will see that the original intent of the written message is vitally important and cannot always be left open to interpretation. The discussion will focus around a series of artworks (Artworks include: //School of Athens//, oil on canvas, 1510 by Raphael, //The Scream,// oil on canvas, 1893 by Edvard Munch, and //Tears From Heaven,// Digital Print 2010 by Ryan Bliss) and students will try to determine the message the artist intended through individual and class analysis and discussion. After discussing it, they will then learn from the author’s own words what the message is.
 * Lesson Activities: **

Activity 2: What Stirs You? (1 lesson period) Students will have learned from Shy Gong’s work that often art not only has an intended message, but is a window into someone’s heart, mind, culture, society, and time because it is a physical expression of what they are thinking and feeling and what influenced the artist. They will discuss three artworks, (//Ethiopia-Faith//, Photography, 2013 by Michel and Ann-Marie Detay//,// //Vikings,// Digital Image, 2013 by Platige Image, //and// //Hero T’s,// Digital Print on Fabric, 2011 by Jason Landis) saDed brainstorm what the artist was possibly thinking to determine the //heart// and //mind// of the artist as to what influenced the artist’s thinking. They will write their thoughts on paper and once completed, share with their table groups and then to the class. This differs from the first exercise in that the first one seeks to determine the intended message of the artwork. The second exercise seeks to understand the heart and mind of the artist (in essence their worldview) and what might have influenced the artist’s thinking based on the revealed message from a piece or pieces. They will then do rough sketches of different art pieces that convey what they see in society, what is important and meaningful to them, and/or what troubles them.

Activity 3: Adobe Illustrator Tutorial (3 lesson periods) Students will learn how to use basic functions in Adobe Illustrator. They will then take their sketches of meaningful content, and begin creating them on the computer. The first 3 class periods will be instructional periods where students learn various tools and functions in Adobe Illustrator. They will be given small assignments as well that test their competency in the program (assignments include: 1. “How to Set up A Document Correctly.” 2. “Learning to Create and Manipulate Simple Objects.” 3. “How to Use the Pen Tool.” 4. “Complex Pen Tool Actions.” 5. “Selecting Color and Gradients.” 6. “Learning the Type Tool.”). Each assignment will be based on learned concepts (creating an appropriate document size, color selection, creating shapes, etc.) that are relevant to the final project. Students will be given three websites (Lynda.com, tutsplus.com, layers.com) that have tutorials and instructional videos covering Adobe Illustrator. Then, the students will have to learn how to navigate through the learning material and make decisions on what is relevant to learn based on the final requirements of the project (see rubric). This will give students a beginning familiarity with using the web to search out answers and learn skills that they currently do not yet know. This is vital to learn because it teaches students that they can be the teacher and learn whatever they want.

Activity 4: Creating the Digital Piece (2 lesson periods) Then, they will create their final piece as an 11x17 inch poster, at 300 dpi, in CMYK color mode, and print it out. The final piece will be a physical representation of what they see in society, what they believe is important and, or, something that is of value to them. The assignment is intentionally left open in its scope so as to allow for each student to freely interpret they general guidelines. In addition to completing their final piece, students will be given a tutorial on gtext.com, a free SMS texting service. The teacher will show students how to set up an account that allows them to receive text messages to a random number. Once they set up the account, the students will be given opportunities to send test texts to their peers and make sure they can send and receive texts from their phone and or computer.

Activity 5: Presentation Day (2 lesson periods) On the presentation day, students will set up their final pieces on displays around the room. Next to their final piece, they will print off a note card with their gtext number on it. During the first twenty minutes of class, students will browse through each of the students work around the room, and send their comments to the student’s text message account using their phone or portable laptops. The text messages should include a positive comment, an area of improvement and an observation about what they feel the artist was attempting to convey through their work. Next, each student will present their work to the class and lead a discussion asking questions about what their peers see or come to conclusion of based off of the work presented (during this time, students may respond or the presenter may read some of the received text messages). During the discussion, students will focus on what the message of the piece is according to the viewer //and// the artist, and how they differ and possibly contradict each other. They will also look at the story of the work, and see how it conveys the artist’s intent. Finally, they will brainstorm how they could do the same assignment differently while still using a digital medium.

Formative assessment will be student’s participation in class discussions, completing sketches and Adobe Illustrator mini-lessons. Summative assessment will be students ’ final art piece and their presentation of it (see attached rubric).
 * Assessment: **

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 * References: **

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https://www.gtext.com/about/

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http://layersmagazine.com/

www.lynda.com

http://teachartwiki.wikispaces.com/The+Love+Bird%27s+Sweet+Time+-++Shy+Gong

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