Fusion of Christmas

Christmas is supposed to be the happiest time of the year. Everyone is expected to be back with their families and it's all about remembering Baby Jesus, sharing, thinking about and giving to others. However, I sometimes wonder as I walk around the shops in Leeds City Centre whether advertising has created this consumerism market around it that now just puts pressure on people to buy the best gifts and spend money that they don't necessarily have?

DFS adverts are the perfect example of thinking you are spending but all you are really doing is planning to pay it back at a later date, so you don't actually feel the money going out of your pocket at the moment.

Wouldn’t it be better to concentrate instead on the traditional Christmas values of love, caring and thinking about those who are less fortunate than you?

Who says Christmas can't be like out of 'Love Actually', with just a lot of love?

fusion

'Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today'

-James Dean

This is one of my all time favourite quotes as I believe that you should make the most of your time and never have any regrets. Everyone makes mistakes but I think you should learn from them and adapt yourself. I made mistakes with some of the choices I made for my GCSE exams and sat some that I really struggled with. However that taught me more about what I was good at and what I was bad at, and perhaps more importantly, what I enjoyed doing. It is because of some of those lessons that I am doing Graphic Design here at Leeds

I think dreaming is also really important with being creative in design. But as it's so fast moving and subjective for each person, you can't take criticism too much to heart and you just have to focus on the task in hand.

But always follow what you believe in and reach for the stars.

Fusion of morality with my conscience

I’ve always had a strong moral conscience about society and one’s responsibilities to those who are less fortunate than oneself. This started when I lived in Asia and saw real poverty and hardship.

This was reinforced by doing A-Level sociology where you learn about different points of view within society and about breaking down these views and stereotypes. During this time I was given a creative brief, which I approached by portraying homeless people in London.

I presented this campaign as if it was being done by the charity Shelter. This campaign aimed to break down judgments about homeless people and the stigma that is attached to them. I used the irony of estate agents taglines but applied to the locations where homeless people live. For example I went to Marble Arch at 5am in February, when the temperature was below freezing, and I took photos of homeless people sleeping in Hyde Park and added words like “contemporary space with sunny, open aspects…”

I think there are so many rigid views within society that need to be broken down and portrayed in a different light. I always feel passionate about socially aware campaigns and they have become a large part of me. I think that I am developing a social conscience, which is a fusion with my morality, and is beginning to define who I am today.

Fusion Quote

'What lies behind us, and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.'

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fusing Photography - Finalcrit.com

Photography is a massive part of my life. I got my first camera for my 6th birthday and it has been ongoing ever since. It was heightened by everything I learned and gained from doing A level photography, especially the skills I learnt from the experimentation and fun you can have in the dark room. In particular I especially love black and white photography as I think that it’s so much more striking and lets me create a bold statement.

My love of travel has also given me the opportunity to photograph extraordinary places, people and things, allowing me to use the basic skills I have picked up over the years. You can also have a great time taking pictures of all the stuff around you every day. My A level tutor taught me a lot as he had a whole exhibition, which was based around discarded plastic bags in canals, which was amazing. This love of photographing specific aspects of things has developed over the years, especially with trying to portray people’s characters from a still shot. I realize that I have lots to learn but all of it is fun and it is great with digital camer

as to be able to take loads of photos and throw away all the bad ones before anyone else can see them!

I’ve always believed that you should look where everyone else isn’t when you are behind the lens of a camera. When visiting Paris I remember being in a church looking out a side door and seeing the backstreets of Paris, rather than the intricate interior, which allowed me to take a picture of something that your average tourist doesn’t see.

Photography is an interesting and fun way of documenting anything and everything from everyday life to the weird and wacky.

I have set up a portfolio of some of my work which can be viewed at:

http://www.finalcrit.com/portfolio/annaheale

Fusion of Sculpture

Yorkshire Sculpture Park is absolutely incredible. Here there are a wide variety of sculptures from Henry Moore and Andy Goldsworthy (who are on permanent display) to current exhibitions, where I saw Peter Randall-Page.

Randall-Page, is inspired by the human, and organic form. I think in modern society it is vital to go back to basics and understand the simplicity in form, by stripping out the complexity that continually surrounds us. Randall-Page’s sculptures also link to the environment and, with the sculptures displayed both outside and inside, it is truly immersed in nature.

I was inspired by sculpture when I was studying History of Art for A-level. The first piece we studied was Michelangelo's David. Even though it is arguably not the greatest sculpture ever, I was stunned by the magnitude of it and seeing the copy in the V&A Museum in London swept me into a love of sculpture. This was then confirmed by seeing the Gates of Paradise by Ghiberti, also exhibited at the V&A.

I think that even though graphic design is my main emphasis, it is crucial to repeatedly expose oneself to all forms of art. One can be influenced and inspired from the most unusual places. For example I used to live in Hong Kong and often used to walk past the wonderful Henry Moore statues outside Exchange Square. I am certain that from an early age, seeing these sculptures has instilled in me a love for design and form.

Fusion of Remembrance

Today is Remembrance Sunday. This is particularly important to me because my grandfather was in the army, my grandmother was in the Wrens during World War Two and her brother died on D-Day. Also amongst my friends I know of people who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan today.

Even though I am passionate about the poppy and everything it stands for, I hate the idea of war and all the waste and suffering that goes alongside it. Do these contradictory views matter when one is creating a design or is that tension valuable?

During last year we did a poppy brief, using the power of the colour red. I love the poppy

because it is such a simple yet powerful emblem of pain, commitment, honour and

bravery. In design terms, the power of the poppy lies in its purity of line and simplicity of image. The colour red has a range of opposing connotations, such as blood and danger, along side love and warmth.

Thus the poppy is interpreted in different ways by individuals within society. The poppy, in its simplicity, allows these interpretations to have personal significance and even extends to feelings such as hope and promise. These do not necessarily associate with the colour red, however the poppy as a symbol, evokes these emotions. It is a clear, focused and direct symbol.

It is arguably the purest example of successful design. I try to extend these values where appropriate in my work and life.

Fusion in a box

All of us are a fusion of different influences. We are the sum of our experiences to date. A key part of what i am is my life abroad and these are the pieces to the puzzle that today makes me.

Good design comes from fusion as well, it is the summary of views, opinions and influences coming together to produce something that is visually exciting, stimulating and practical. Design has to live in the real world, so on another level when it comes into being it is part of a new fusion.

When i was a child i was given a lacquer box in which i keep my special things. I sometimes think the box is a little bit like me because in order to make a lacquer box you start with simple pieces of wood on which you paint layer after layer of lacquer. That is what has happened to me in my life.

So what are the really important layers of me. Over and above everything is Asia, where i was born and brought up. Asia is my first layer and so different to England. Hong Kong, where i was born, is worlds away from leeds, even if people here think that you can get good chinese takeaway. The concept of chinese takeaway does not even exist in Hong Kong!