Part 1: Choose, consider, and clarify your topic
For the second project, I plan to make a shrine that symbolizes Vietnamese culture. Since Vietnam is a country that is heavily influenced by Buddhism, temples and pagodas have become an important religious part of many Vietnamese lives. I remember going to these sacred places every Lunar New Year to wish for good luck and prosperity. Since shrines also represent a holy place for worship, it reminds me of my home and culture. As an international student living far away from home, I have realized the importance of maintaining my identity while adapting to a new culture. Therefore, I want to make a shrine of my Vietnamese culture to remind myself of where I come from and what defines my identity. It is not only to preserve my distinctive values but also to introduce them to friends of different cultures.
Concerning the visual aspects of the sculpture, I intend to incorporate some traditional patterns of Vietnamese architecture into the shrine’s design. I also want to depict my culture through folklore paintings on the shrine’s exterior. Other cultural aspects that I want to include inside my shrine are lotus – the national flower and rice – the main food source for every Vietnamese. I plan to carve lotus from wood and put it on top of the shrine to represent its elevated position in my heart. The rice will be placed inside the shrine as a symbol of inner strength that keeps human function.
Part 2: Visual research
Part 3: Borrow a strategy
As One Pillar Pagoda is one of the most famous pagodas in Vietnam for its unique composition and its ancient architecture in the middle of the modern city of Hanoi, I want my shrine to stand on one pillar as inspired by this work.