Journal no. 3

last week, our tutor assigned us to create a piece of art, only using material bought with five dollars.
we couldn't use materials we already have, so if we want to use a pen and paper, the cost of both have to be included in the five dollar limit.

this week, he gave us 2 minutes to pitch the artwork to the class, after which we had a silent auction where we would place change equivalent to five dollars on the ones we liked.

here are some of the pieces.

 clay model based on Japanese architecture and student's memory of architecture granddad telling him to build upwards ("the sky is the limit").
others commented that it's like a Shaun Tan style, the moulded surface is like the interior of a cave, the block is like a collision of different elements.

student collected first teabag she used in Australia as it reminds her of the tea-culture of her country and her separation from her family. the skull is influenced by seeing tattoos here and the (Mexican?) idea of honoring the dead.
others comments that it was a good idea to use personal lost and separation as a pitch tool.

the other artworks:
- bottle of Coke, a Crunchie, change and supermarket receipt - literal use of money and possibility to exchange it back for cash
- $1 steak, $2 salad, yoga classes (assumption that he will get $5 from everyone to pay for it) for a picture of good health and enlightenment (shown through him)
- 5 paper cutouts, Chinese style (tutor commented that the character for "double happiness" looked like 2 robots joined together in gay marriage, lol)
- a tin box and a necklace made from $0.60 material and handmade knots, Chinese style
- 3 ballpens and 2 bananas, with writing on it - "This is not a banana" and "Intellectual property has a life span like of banana"
- contracting child labour ($1.50) to make 2 sheets of fancy paper ($3.50) into 2 wedding dress cutouts
- half a bottle of $8 wine, shared with neighbour as both relax and chat about their genius ideas which they never do - "genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration"

mine was the aerogramme i bought from Australia Post, with not-completely-cut-out words (by penknife) saying, "hi dad, happy birthday, love____".
my pitch was of my dad's actual birthday a few days ago, the things i don't express, and the memory of writing family letter before going to Australia.
tutor said it was sad but he really liked the personalization of a mass produced thing, and commented on the artwork of the stamp not having anything to do with Australia.

i won the bid for the "picture of good health and enlightenment" because the student was very entertaining in telling us his pitch.