Faiz Zahirul Mohd Dip
Moving Image
Artwork title: Ulek Mayang
The concept of this artwork come from the traditional dance from Malaysia, “Ulek Mayang”. The main key point of the video is to combine the meaning of the song and the interpretive dance of “Ulek Mayang”. To give context, the song tells a tale of a sea-princess who fell in love with a fisherman. The fisherman's body was rendered unconscious as the princess kidnapped his soul. His friends begged a bomoh (shaman) to heal him. The princess appeared and responded by summoning five of her sisters to help her when the bomoh performed the healing ritual to restore the fisherman's soul. The seventh and oldest princess then appeared and put an end to the conflict between the bomoh and the other six princesses. With that in mind, the artwork uses dual channel video to create an immersive interpretation of the song. The left side of the video is illustrating the sea, having it to symbolize the song lyrics. The editing on the left side of the artwork is inspired by Daniel Crooks’ artwork “Train No. 1”. It was split into 7 separate layers running at a different time and some of it were reversed. 7 layers are to represent the 7 princesses in the lyrics. The footage was shot with an iPhone 14 Pro, as at the time I do not have any lens further than 50mm. The video then later was colour graded to give details of the ocean while giving a haunting vibe. The right side of the artwork portrays the interpretation of the “Ulek Mayang” dance. Inspired by “Static No.12 (seek stillness in movement)” by Daniel Crooks, the dance was added with echo effect. The footage for this was recorded in a studio and was colour graded to have an old-fashioned feel. Both videos were recorded in high frame rate (60 fps and 100 fps respectively) and were interpreted as 25 fps to make a smooth slow-motion video. The audio for this artwork is my perception of the song. The original song is said to have supernatural qualities because it makes people feel spooked. Some believes that anyone who sings the song especially at dusk by the beach would get possessed and possibly kill you. At least one participant present during the incantation will become possessed, according to indigenous Malays. Knowing that, I created the song to have an ominous feeling by using strings and synths to symbolize the chilling feel of the original song.
Artwork title: I Love You, Colourful
Inspired by Bruce Nauman’s 1969 artwork “Lip Sync”, I Love You, Colourful is a moving image that visualizes the words “I Love You” and “Colourful”, which both if we just see through lip reading are quite the same. This work challenges the ways the audience sees artwork through moving images, as the absence of sound prompts viewers to focus on the physicality of the subjects’ mouth movements. By isolating a particular detail of the subjects’ faces, the artwork can emphasize its significance and invite the viewer to interpret its symbolic value. The shot was taken handheld to give the audience a feeling having conversation with the subjects. Each subjects have a particular way of expressing the word “I Love You, Colourful”, which then conveyed by the colour of their emotion. Colour can appear beneficial for showing information nonverbally and establishing emotions. As my camera does not have a LOG video format, I created my own flat video by decreasing the saturation, contrast, and sharpness setting, which later helps the colour grading process. The artwork is recorded with a 50mm f/1.1 lens to give a good contrast between the subjects and the background.
I am a first-year Malaysian international student studying Bachelor of Fine Arts (Animation & Moving Image). I am particularly interested in animation, visual effects, and mixed media works. My journey as a student has been fuelled by a desire to explore and push boundaries. I honed my skills during my diploma years in Malaysia, which provided me with a solid foundation in Creative Multimedia. Aside from the classroom, I work as a freelance graphic and web designer, which influences and inspires my creative endeavours. As a hobby, I enjoy digital drawing and photography. I created this artwork with the hope of expanding the recognition of Malaysian arts.
Acknowledgement of Country
UNSW School of Art & Design stands on an important place of learning and exchange first occupied by the Bidjigal and Gadigal peoples.
We acknowledge the Bidjigal and Gadigal peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land that our students and staff share, create and operate on. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and extend this respect to all First Nations peoples across Australia. Sovereignty has never been ceded.
