November 2024
This project is a collaboration series with my daughter.
We create many drawings and paintings during our time together. Sometimes she imitates my drawings, sometimes I imitate hers. Our creations influence each other.
The flow is simple: I select some of her drawings and paintings, scan them, then trace her lines with dots
on my computer.
We started this collaboration when she was 3 years old; now she is 6. She still struggles to control the strength of her arm, which normally results in her lines being either too weak or too strong. I want to express that lack of control as graphic design, so I trace her lines, using fewer dots for weak strokes and more dots for strong ones.
I see this as imitative behavior, following in my daughter’s footsteps. Typically, “imitative behavior” refers to children mimicking their parents. But in this case, I am imitating my daughter’s creations.
This has been a very enriching experience for me
as an artist. Usually, we draw inspiration from the past — history, art movements, and old masters. I, too, have often created designs inspired by the past. But this project is inspired by the future: my daughter’s work.
I have always tried to build a relationship with the future by looking at the past. But now, I believe creators should build a relationship with the future by looking forward.
I watched a zombie movie a few years ago where someone said: “Suppose you can only help one: adults or children. Choosing adults is choosing wisdom. Choosing children is choosing hope”. I want to build a relationship with the future through a design that has this “hope”.
