Now or Never: Kim Fung Interviewed by Dimitri Kallins and Hugh Zhang
Kim’s poster does an awesome job demonstrating the toxic environment we are creating for ourselves on Earth. The message “save me now” makes clear that Earth is in grave danger and needs us to make a change in order to save our planet. – Dimitri Kallins
In his poster, Kim conveys the urgency of today’s climate-change crisis. He brings together many motifs and symbols all driven by a similar message. Posters like these are integral to solving such a pressing issue. – Hugh Zhang
Dimitri Kallins I really found your earth concept incredibly interesting. What inspired you to create your work?
Kim Fung Yeah, I was mainly inspired by the issues I have noticed that we are facing, namely global warming, pollution, sanitation, hunger and the use of plastics. I wanted to find a way to incorporate all of the issues related to climate change together into one short animation.
Hugh Zhang How pressing of a matter do you think climate change is? How do you think art, like yours, can be used to combat it?
KF One of the reasons why I have decided to call this “Now or Never” is because I think that climate change is very pressing. It reflects how everyone should work together and start to take actionable steps to solve climate change as soon as possible, without further hesitation. I think that art such as mine could help spread the message, in this case, the urgency to save our planet, to others and inspire them to do the same.
DK How would you best describe the message that you are trying to convey to your audience?
KF Here, apart from global warming, pollution, sanitation, hunger and the use of plastics, which can be seen in the sun melting, the smokes, dirty water, empty bowl with non-recyclable utensils respectively, the bowl acts as a metaphor for the Earth in that it “contains” all the problems we have. There is no way around this and no way to escape the problem unless you jump over the bowl. In today’s world, there is no escape and no alternative so we must try to save the planet now. I wanted to mainly convey the urgency of such an issue, and the chaotic nature of the piece definitely adds to it.
HZ Talk a little more about the message “save me now.” What made you choose this one instead of some of the other frequently-used climate change quotes?
KF I decided to incorporate the message “save me now” because I wanted to add an unseen perspective and let the viewer see it from a first person perspective. Imagine if you were the earth and were being attacked. Imagine if someone were to pick your skin and pour acid onto you. How would you feel? The message occurs at the same time as the Earth being attacked in this picture, and it’s almost as if you could hear the Earth saying that to me as it happens. I also wanted a message that’s bold and clean, and this certainly does the job!
DK The phrase really resonates with me and I feel like this would be the same case with the rest of your audience.
HZ I agree totally. What do you think our world will look like in the future? Do you see a lot of climate change related art popping up in the coming years?
KF Yeah, I think the world will deteriorate quickly if nothing is done, and I am kind of worried about that! Although I most probably won’t live long enough to witness any great changes, I want my descendants to continue the advancement of the human race, have a comfortable and enjoyable life, and do great things. The Earth is a great home and I really don’t want to have it burnt away due to our ignorance and selfishness when there’s clearly something that can be done to reduce the impact. In the coming years, I think the message will reach even more people, and the virtuous cycle will only start to continue. People in the past have already started to witness climate change related art popping up, and I don’t see any reason as to why it would disappear any time soon! I really hope it won’t!
HZ Going back to the very cool animations you’ve included, such as the falling words and utensils as well as the movement of the drop. What were the softwares and techniques that you used?
KF I’ve created the whole piece using the open-source animation software called Blender. The movement of the drop and the smokes were created using the fluid modifier, for liquid and gas respectively, while the falling words and utensils were created using the rigid body modifier. The bowl was made to look like earth through the image texture feature. I think the color-changing technique was the most effective in that it added vibrancy to the whole piece, and was done through the use of keyframes.
DK & HZ Thanks for your time, Kim.
End of the Tunnel: Hugh Zhang Interviewed by Kim Fung and Dimitri Kallins
Hugh’s poster does a great job of demonstrating how we need to protect our planet. The phrase “there is no planet B” demonstrates how we have one home and one home only. Hugh’s poster takes us through many different natural backgrounds which invoke emotions related to our planet and our love for the world. By viewing his work, I think we all leave with a little more appreciation for our only planet that we all need to protect. – Dimitri Kallins
Kim Fung The first thing I’ve noticed about your artwork is how it has a lot of nature-related components associated with it. Can you share the inspiration behind this?
Hugh Zhang I am really a fan of nature, so I definitely wanted to incorporate it into my painting. Originally, I was not going to do a climate-change-motivated work. I wanted to do something more focused on self-care and introspection, which I believe is also associated with nature. So I guess nature really is just one of the bigger themes in my life.
KF Yes, I see a forest, a waterfall, and an ocean all in a moving tunnel. The viewer really gets immersed in the fast, tight, claustrophobic space of the tunnel.
Dimitri Kallins I love the fast-paced style of your work. I find it very invigorating. What made you decide on this style?
HZ Well, I think art is most impactful when it captures one’s attention quickly. The main motive of my poster was very much to have this very direct impact on the viewer. I think the quick movements as well as how rapidly the scene changes really has a sudden effect on the viewer, making him or her really want to watch the animation again.
KF What exact effects were you trying to convey with the fast movement?
HZ I think I wanted to give the false impression that the tunnel is never-ending, and then boom, the viewer just realizes how in fact the tunnel does end. And just like the tunnel ends, there is a limit to our world. Style-wise, I also wanted there to be a part in the animation where I can showcase some words. Within the tunnel, there was not much space to do that.
DK Talk a little more about how you created this work. Describe your process.
HZ So it actually took a lot of time. I knew I wanted to have some sort of immersive effect, like making the viewer feel like they are becoming sucked in or lost within the art, but I wasn’t sure at first on how to execute it. I had this “never-ending tunnel” idea that I was completely unsure of how to do until Avery gave me a hand. After understanding the blender tools that I needed to know, the rest was just tweaking and adding new ideas, until I got the general “tunnel” down. Then, I was like, “what do I do now?” To really drill home the climate change theme, I added the “There is no Planet B” mantra with the flames, which I really think brings everything together.
DK Would you do anything differently if you could make this again?
HZ Yes. I would definitely put more time into planning. My planning was not bad, but it was just rushed. At the beginning, even when I had done a lot in blender, I still wasn’t 100% on what direction I wanted the poster to take. So for time sake, I would probably put more time and thought into planning.
DK What best describes the message you are trying to convey to your audience?
HZ That we are living in a fragile world that is not invincible. Human behavior currently drives negative climate change practices and for years, we have been negatively impacting the world that we live in. Sure, there is technology and plans developed to combat climate change and save us, but it is limited and it is scary to think that we will soon have to use it. My motive is to convey the urgency of climate change and how we should start caring about it more.
DK Who is your intended audience?
HZ Everyone. But probably more toward the younger generation. It would suck to see my future children or my brother’s children be negatively impacted by climate change. I feel like the older generation may have already seen the negative effects of climate change coming for a long time, so they see it as it is, but the younger generation still has an entire lifetime in front of them.
DK Describe the artistic process you used to create your work?
HZ Finalize the theme, then make sure my artistic creations relate to that theme, whether it be the color, movement, or motifs in the poster. Also, a lot of tinkering with blender and youtube tutorials. This project really showed me how massive blender is and the endless possibilities you can do.
DK What were your previous drafts like?
HZ They were similar, but they were definitely trash. To get to my current poster, I had to go through a lot of drafts that slowly built up to what it was I actually wanted. I guess that they were not completely “trash,” as they were definitely necessary. Also, as I had mentioned my planning was not that good, a lot of my drafts were definitely efforts to come to a final theme that I was happy with. This could have definitely been avoided.
DK Have there been any large/significant global events that inspired your work?
HZ Not any particular events, but definitely the many articles, images, and papers I have read in recent years showing the negative effects of climate change played a massive role in shaping my work. I learned in psychology that a lot of people are not very worried about climate change because it just isn’t showcase in the news or social media as much as other topics like sports or culture. The few images I have seen, however, have had a lasting impact on me. I also suppose that the frequent snowfalls in April and 30 degree weather in May has had a slight impact.
DK Why did you decide to choose the phrase “There is no planet B”? Why did you choose this phrase and what message did you intend to convey?
HZ It’s one of the few quotes about climate change that have really stuck with me. Coincidentally, Madeleine had chose the same quote. I guess there are some quotes that really make a lasting impact. I felt that this quote really conveyed the urgency of the climate change issue. I also thought it fit really well with the other aesthetics of my poster.
KF The flashing effect to the words “There is no Planet B” also really grabs the attention of the viewer like myself. Would you consider that the main part of your piece?
HZ I would say it is a big part, but I really tried to design the poster so that all parts of it are equally as important, like the fire, nature, and letters. I think its a great way to bring the main message together, and without this piece, the poster definitely would not have been as impactful.
Dimitri Kallins interviewed by Hugh Zhang and Kim Fung
Dmitri’s simple yet meaningful poster highlights an important message that is slowly and slowly being lost in today’s tech-driven world: “be active.” The poster reminds us to always keep our health and exercise in check. – Hugh Zhang
Hugh Zhang I love the combination of simplicity and meaning in your poster. There is something about the soccer ball and its shadow that makes it very captivating and re-watchable. Were you aiming to convey these messages in your art?
Dimitri Kallins Yes, I was aiming to create a style of art that is pleasant to watch multiple times in one sitting. The art that I created is supposed to send the message of being active. If people enjoy watching my poster, then I am one step closer to achieving my goal of encouraging public physical activity.
Kim Fung It is interesting how you have selected to view the scene from a birds-eye view. What was going through your mind when you were creating this?
DK I genuinely found the birds-eye viewpoint to be most engaging to my audience. During my creative process, this viewpoint felt slightly unconventional while still being able to spark imagination and deliver my message in a concise yet artistic way. I did go through many drafts and played with this viewpoint to some extent. I created many interactions of my work and viewpoints yet none of my drafts created the same effect as the current one I have selected.
HZ Obviously your poster is about sports and exercise. Have these topics been an important part of your life? And if so, what made you decide to use them in a poster?
DK Yes, the topics of sports and exercise have always been an important part of my life. As a D1 athlete on the men’s rowing team, exercise has really helped me become a happier and healthier person. Because of this, I decided that I should create a poster that promotes physical activity to the general public so that they too may reap the benefits that I have had from exercise.
KF Normally, soccer balls belong to the grass field. What drew you to the placement of it on a grass-patterned floor with artificial lighting and shadows?
DK I chose the current background and lighting because it most effectively allows the soccer ball to stand out in my work. I like that with such a small amount of time and space I am able to create a rather engaging work of art that sparks the imagination. Due to such a small amount of time and space, It is important that my work has a relatively dramatic floor and lighting. I also like the fact that my style looks slightly unrealistic, it allows for a unique style that does not exist in the natural world. Having such a style allows for even further imagination than you otherwise would have.
HZ Walk me through the artistic process. What softwares did you use? What techniques?
DK I first used Adobe illustrator and Fresco to create some drafts for my poster. I then decided to pivot to Blender and created many drafts. I also wrote down many phrases on the side in order to figure out the message I was trying to convey. After many phrases and many drafts on Blender, I settled on the draft I have now. I used Blender to create an animation as well as the physics properties to create the bouncing effect. Creating the final product took a lot of experimentation with many iterations.
HZ If you could start over again, what would you do differently?
DK Honestly, it is hard to say. I think I would educate myself more on the physics properties of Blender. Other than that, I feel like after informing myself more on the capabilities of the software then there is not much more I can do besides seeing what crazy ideas I would come up with next.
HZ Do you think lack of exercise is a really pressing matter right now? If so, what do you think can be done to solve the issue?
DK I think that the lack of physical activity in society is something that needs to be addressed. We need to incorporate more sports into daily activities, we also need to encourage people to move on an everyday basis as well. Physical activity does not need to be a massive effort but rather something that is simple and consistent, such as biking to work or taking the stairs.
HZ Fun question: what’s your favorite soccer club?
DK I am definitely not too well versed in soccer clubs. However, I do enjoy the Greek team Olympiacos F.C. Do to my Greek heritage, I am very interested in their progress as a team as well as the fact that they have cool gear.
HZ & KF Thanks for your time, Dimitri.
DK Thank you!