Entry No 3

TRANSFORMATION IN ART

 

 

Allison J.Bratt, (2011), Caterpillar to Butterfly Transformation Hallway [ONLINE]. Available at: http://allisonjbratt.com/2011/10/creative-minds-learning-center-welcome-mural/butterflyhallwaycaterpillar/ [Accessed 11 November 12].
 

The above image shows a mural that was created by the artist Allison J. Bratt.  It is found at the Creative Minds Learning Center’s Sellwood location in Portland, Oregon.  Allison’s artwork focuses mainly on animals and the natural environment.  This painting shows the stages that take place during the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly.  During my research, another painting that also shows how a caterpillar changes into a butterfly caught my attention.  It is a surreal painting, shown here below, by the artist Mihai Criste which I find most fascinating.  This artist revealed the transformation in a very different way from Allison.  I think his artwork inspires thought, whereas Allison’s painting, although eye-catching, is quite straightforward.

 



 

 Mihai Criste, (2012), Transformation | Surreal artworks by Mihai Criste [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.curiositiesbydickens.com/transformation-surreal-artworks-by-mihai-criste/ [Accessed 11 November 12].

 

 

TRANSFORMATION IN DESIGN

 

 

 

 

This is the Oakley Full Metal Jacket watch.  It is a very modern and unusual type of watch manufactured from titanium.  Although it has a single watch face, this particular watch can be transformed from a wrist watch into a pocket watch.  A pocket watch casing comes with the watch.

 

This design is a mixture of the old and the new – the old manual and artistic skills and the modern technology - brought together to create an artistic and useful object. 


The following video shows the transformation that takes place with this watch:

 

 

ttcomer. (2012). Oakley Full MetalJacket Watch. [Online Video]. 16 March. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0TUNjfBT74&feature=player_embedded. [Accessed: 11 November 2012].

TRANSFORMATION IN FILM

 

 



 

Return to Paradise (1998):

 

The three main male characters in this film are Lewis McBride (Joaquin Phoenix), Sheriff (Vince Vaughn) and Tony (David Conrad).  The film begins with them having great fun in a beautiful location in Malaysia. They involve themselves into exciting events and adventures, for example when they are almost run over by a car while riding a bicycle or when they are forced to buy some rhinoceros horn from Malaysian locals. We then see the three men winding up at their beach house thinking whether their future should be in that paradise.

 

Tony and Sheriff decide to return to New York, while Lewis, who loves nature, wishes to travel to Borneo to save endangered orangutans. Back in New York, Sheriff is working as a limo driver and Tony as an architect. A young lawyer named Beth (Anne Heche) informs them that their friend Lewis has served the last two years in Penang prison in Malaysia, because of the hash found at their Malaysian house. She tells them that Lewis will receive the death sentence unless one or both of the men return to share responsibility. Beth assures both of the men that they will not suffer in the prison and neither will they be tortured or harmed in any way. After a very tiring eight days, during which they must make a decision, and a heated love affair between Beth and Sheriff, both men decide to return to Malaysia. Upon their arrival, all seems well until they visit the prison to see Lewis.

 

Although usually prisoners are tortured or starved in the prison where Lewis is serving his sentence, it is reported that this is not the case with Lewis. However he has suffered from mental damage due to the imprisonment. In the meantime, Beth tells them that she is actually Lewis' sister. Her lie makes Tony fearful of the Malaysian justice system and he abandons Lewis and flies back to New York. Sheriff first follows Tony, but just as he was going to board the plane for New York, he decides to face jail to save his friend.  So he returns to the courtroom in which Lewis is being tried. The judge (Patrick Teoh) seems happy by this act of courage and bravery and was going to pardon Lewis, until he discovers a news clipping from an American newspaper blaming the Malaysian justice system and condemning them for their harsh sentencing of Lewis. Because of this, the judge becomes very angry and gives Lewis a death sentence, despite Sheriff's decision to accept his share of the responsibility. He also gives Sheriff an unknown period of jail time. As a noose is tied around Lewis' neck for his execution, Sheriff attempts to comfort him. Lewis is then dropped from the platform and killed.

 

Sheriff later assures Beth that Lewis died at peace. Beth becomes emotional and kisses Sheriff.  She loves him and she will wait for him in Malaysia until he is released from prison.

 

In this film I see transformation in the three main characters. They started as reckless and irresponsible young men, smoking hash, drinking alcohol, wasting their money and just wanting to have fun. However, later they all found a good job to earn a living. The fact that Tony and Sheriff decided to go back to Malaysia to save their friend, even though Tony later returned to New York, shows that they had been transformed into mature adults, especially Sheriff who suffered consequences in prison, after facing up to his responsibilities and taking part of the blame. This brave act shows also the love and respect that he genuinely had for Lewis and his sister.

 

micarone. (2008). Return to paradise (1998) Trailer. [Online Video]. 15 February. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePm4NsspL0Q&feature=player_embedded. [Accessed: 11 November 2012].

 

References:

http://allisonjbratt.com/about/

http://www.curiositiesbydickens.com/transformation-surreal-artworks-by-mihai-criste/
http://www.eefineart.com/artist_detail.php?artist_id=27
http://www.oakley.com/store/watches
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_to_Paradise_(1998_film)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0TUNjfBT74