Statement
This exhibition includes a selection of final projects from the 2022 English for Art & Design (EAD): Bridge to First Year program at OCAD University. Over the last six-weeks of this intensive program, students have been immersed in creative processes such as brainstorming, mind mapping, sketch book activities, and iterative project development for artmaking and writing. Students were asked to consider ways that innovation has impacted their lives and to create timelines that focused on their own experiences and influences. Over our time together many different themes emerged including concerns about the environment, body image, race & gender, impacts of the pandemic and other socio-political events. Students have demonstrated real engagement, contemplating the context in which they live and make art. This title "Self in Place" emphasizes the depth and reflection our students have given to the context in which they are making art and starting their art & design studies at OCAD University.
About EAD: Bridge To First Year
EAD: Bridge to First year is a 6-week intensive bridging/pathway program (non-credit) for students who have met the admissions criteria for entry to OCAD University except for the English language proficiency level requirements. Students work with experienced instructors to build academic language skills that are specific to art and design, engage in creative studio practice, learn about university and OCAD U-specific classroom culture/practices, develop familiarity with different media, and build helpful connections to start their first year.
This year, the program involved 45 students located across the globe, entering a diversity of programs at OCAD University. You can click on a student's name to take you to their artwork.
Our Team
This program would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of those listed here: Manager, English Language Learning: Emilie Brancato; EAD Specialist: Adrienne Reynolds; ELL Specialist, EAD: Shahriar Mirshahidi; EAD Program Coordinator: Elaine Munro; Instructional Designer: Michelle Majeed; Discussions in Visual Culture Instructors: James Ashby, Xiangying Huo, Jonathan Luke; Art & Design Studio Instructors: Emily Cadotte, Craig Rodmore, Adrienne Reynolds; ELL Writing & Learning Consultants (Language Coaches): Shahriar Mirshahidi, Andrea Valente; and Student Monitor: Ivy He.
We also wish to thank other OCAD University staff/community members: Director, Teaching & Learning: Susan Ferguson; our colleagues who work in Admissions & Recruitment; Educational Developer: Claire Bartleman; Writing & Learning Consultant (ELL): Phoebe Wang; Writing & Learning Consultant: Rebecca Diederichs, and 2022 OCAD U Advertising Graduate: Wing Chan, for their support.
STUDENTS
Amo, Alex (Zu-Chi) Chang, Yun-Hsun Chang, Angela (Yueh Chiu) Chen, Emily (Chen-Hsuan) Chiang, Cem (Hasan Cem) Coban, Yichen Fan, Zhan Gu, Numan Nihat Gultekin, Tongzhen Guo, Franklin (Jingxiang) He, Tzu-Jui Huang, Renee (Jing) Huang, Ella (Yinming) Ip, Cherrie Jeon, Chaeyeong Jeong, Alan (Chengru) Ji, Billy (Zhangcheng) Jiang, Donya Kavoosi, Zoe (Ziqi) Li, Eden (Yiting) Liang, Brenda (Yun-Hsuan) Lin, Yingtao Lu, Noora (Xiaoyu) Luo, E-bing (Yin Ling) Ng, Jiaming Ren, Dami Ryu, YuJeong Seol, Zhuocheng Song, Rain (Heyang) Sun, Fiona (Qian) Sun, Negar Talebi, Amelia (Meng-Han) Tsai, Tina (Qianyi) Wang, Yilin Wang, Hannah (Jingwei) Wang, Ruby (Ruobing) Wang, Alivia Wang, Tony (ChengLong) Wu, Yolanda (Xinru) Yu, Elif Zelef, Emily (Yiling) Zhang, Lora (Siqi) Zhang, Scarlet (Jiatong) Zhang
THE EXHIBITION
Amo
There’s a character in the Disney movie called Baymax, but in China, it’s a nickname for health care workers fighting the pandemic. Because my parents were both medical workers, they were often forced to be Baymax, and I, as their daughter, was often even quarantined. As medical workers, they give up their time and sacrifice their lives to help the society. It is a moving spirit. Affectionately known as Baymax, they are confined to small hospitals, unable to see the outside world. I got inspiration from the current Chinese social environment and the EAD project self & place.
Alex Chang
Manta Ray is a super sports family car, this is drawn with marker, pen, and sketch pencil. Streamlining the body and hybrid can make the car save power and make it faster. Also, the front has enough room to put the suitcase in.
Yun-Hsun Chang
Stress can cause repressed emotions, like being manipulated and trapped. The breathless feeling makes me sink and melt in the deep sea. The overall tone is presented in red, black and white, in order to express the theme that the negative emotions caused by stress, so I chose simple but strong colours. The hands are used to express the feeling of being manipulated and breathless, and the helplessness is made through the expression of melting in the picture.
Emily Chiang
Sometimes people’s thoughts and behaviors are limited by the frame. I think we should break through the frame and get out of the shackles in this era. So letting the wax flow freely is also a symbol.
Zhan Gu
In this illustration, I want to satirize the emergence of aesthetic standards. Especially in Asia, more and more people have plastic surgery. Beauty has slowly changed from a subjective point of view to an objective question with a standard answer. In cognition, it must be big eyes, white skin, a high nose bridge, and an S-shaped figure. People are willing to spend a lot of money to buy beauty. Now many people think that beauties look alike. Nowadays, many girls pursue beauty in social cognition. A lot of women want to know “what do you want” instead of “what do I want”, I keep seeing some men make rude comments about a woman's appearance. This is also a cause of women's own doubts about themselves. Beauty should be subjective, and everyone can be beautiful.
Numan Gultekin
First and everything start with me, forgetting many things at home! And then, I decided to create a smart bag. With the help of your super fancy stickers, you will never forget your stuff at home again. No red flag, yes smart bag :)
Franklin (Jingxiang) He
Through this work, I first call on people to protect the environment. In the exploration stage, human beings only focus on how to do research and improve the level of science and technology but forget that the exploration process will also damage the environment.
Tzu-Jui Huang
By observing the environment in which I live, the shapes and functions of the old and new eras influence each other. This makes me have questions about environmental changes. In the process of growing up, it was always uncomfortable for me to face the expectations of society, the expectations of my family, or the expectations of anyone, but is it right to expect the change of the environment I live? I observe this problem by simulating the process of environmental changes.
Ella Ip
My work can be a light in the heart of the homeless. It can be a hot soup on a hungry night. It can be a fire on a cold winter day. Here, peace and love always exist!
Cherrie Jeon
The scent in my room controls me and my inner self.
Chaeyeong Jeong
This is a work of art that tries to express everything about the piano.
Alan (Chengru) Ji
My work named The Last Pure Land. I draw this digital painting to remind people not to be numbed by excessive pressure, but to learn more about themselves and explore the real meaning of life. Also calls on people to pay attention to the importance of mental health.
Billy (Zhangcheng) Jiang
The story of my work is that the knight like a lion guards the castle behind him. The theme is connection, which symbolizes the brave, loyal and fearless Knight like a lion as the first line of defense guarding the castle behind him that is his home
Donya Kavoosi
The reason why I made my self-portrait blurry is that cameras can capture far more details than human eyes, so blurry pictures push our vision back to what actually we can see. Blurry pictures can show emotions that sometimes perfect photos cannot.
Eden Liang
It was inspired by the furniture around me. I wanted to express my passion for life with this project, making 3D figures out of model clay. These are also my own anime characters with their own characteristics. I want to show real-life anime characters and their daily life.
Brenda (Yun-Hsuan) Lin
When a new life begins, everything will be brand new. Excitement, nervousness, or panic starts growing in mind. Strawberry Quartz would give blessings to those who wearing it, and their new life will begin under the happiness and blessings.
Yingtao Lu
This work describes the current expectations of the new world constructed by the metaverse.
Noora (Xiaoyu) Luo
My work is called Echo, which represents the mutual influence and coexistence of humans and nature. The destruction of nature will eventually reverberate back to humans themselves. Just like shouting at the mountains, the mountains will bring the same echo.
E-bing Ng
Life is like a game of chess, and sometimes we don’t know what will happen next and a person we will meet may change our life. Actually, everyone is going in the same direction since the day of their birth.
Dami Ryu
My work is a series of three and you can travel through my work. Start with London to Paris. Also, I used a different material to paint this work. When you see this focus on the details of the work and what materials I used to express it. My painting has many themes about me, my experience, or just landscape.
YuJeong Seol
This is a work of art that observes my life by focusing on the light of the ceiling that I often use. It means that I can observe what other things look like from the point of view of the object and what activities I do during the whole day.
Fiona (Qian) Sun
This was their last encounter, which took place in the last ten minutes before the Earth was swallowed by the sun that turned into a red giant. The alligator met with a former friend. Billions of years have passed, Earth energy has long been exhausted, her fate to be swallowed by the sun.
Rain Sun
Negar Talebi
I want to make a smart lamp that change colour with our feeling. I think it is a good idea, because a lot of people are introverted as me and saying feelings should be an awkward thing in this situation. It will help us to explain our feelings better and you can use it anywhere!!
Amelia (Meng-Han) Tsai
Monster is not frightful. Using vibrant colour combinations and different shapes and hope the bad monsters could vanish from children's dreams. Making creativity accessible to them. I combine candies and happiness to create adorable and odd monster stickers and boxes for them!
Jingwei Wang
When comments overlap with the video, does the original meaning the author intends to convey get diluted? On the bullet screen, words overlap words: in the internet age, my words are where my eyes go.
Qianyi Wang
Personification, reconstruction, and brief introduction of Yutyrannus huali, a large feathered dinosaur unearthed from the Jehol Biota in China.
Yilin Wang
What does “a country’’ mean? For me, the country is the land where I was born, and people from the same country as me are my compatriots. The connected flowers are a symbol of the close connection between compatriots abroad and those born in the same country.
Emily (Yiling) Zhang
Design concept: most of the lounger on the market too short, loose and soft. This type of sofa will be very uncomfortable back after sitting for a long time, get up will also be troublesome. I then designed a double lounger sofa with high feet, I combined through the principle that the Chinese rural cool chairs can be shaken to ensure that the premise of comfort has a proper swing is also beneficial to the human body structure.
Lora (Siqi) Zhang
Different flowers suit different people. I also believe that flowers can bring good luck. You must also want to know which kind of flower is suitable for you. It's inconvenient to carry flowers with you. I designed them into brooches. You can match it according to different clothes. My mother often buys flowers and even grows flowers at home, which makes me always like flowers. I mean, flowers can't define a girl. I hope all girls can do what they want.
Thank you for visiting this online exhibition!
Credits:
Created with an image by aga7ta - "artistic painted bacground texture"