My first project, based around the thinking skill of contextualization, dealt with the culture, geopolitics and people of Nepal. Nepal is a landlocked country that lies between the countries of India and China. Being in the middle of such cultural, economical and political superpowers is no easy feat, and even though Nepal's culture is heavily influenced by theirs, Nepal is still a force to be reckoned with. It is the birthplace of Buddha, the site of Mount Everest, home to the valiant Gurkha warriors, and all in all, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful places in the world.
English
Not many people are of this, but my passion for this country came from my time living there as a young child with my family many years ago. So, needless to say, I could not make this project without incorporating my experiences in it somehow. So, for my English portion of the project, I decided to create a personal essay that used context from my years there as well as my research to encourage my audience to face the future with courage and resilience. To make this piece, I looked at other personal essays that others authors had written and tried to identify the strong points I could incorporate as well as the flaws I should try to avoid in my own essay.
Art
For my art portion of the project, I decided to mimic the traditional art form of Paubha, which was first created by the Newari People. I also tried to incorporate symbols from Nepal's history, folklore and culture, including Mount Everest, Lord Shiva, the Buddha, and its first king, Prithvi Narayan Shah. I first created some compositions and decided to create some collages so that I can transfer it onto some paper and paint atop of it. I then cut it out and placed it in a laser printed frame. It was a long process, with lots of color mixing, shading, and highlighting, but I am so happy with how it turned out. Here, below, you can see the pictures and how it came to be from start to finish.
For my time management and communication, I kept a time log to keep track of my various appointments and activities throughout the day. Here is also my research and notes, as well as my works cited page. Below, you can see my building context documents which have an in-depth analysis of my notes.
Thank you for your time and consideration in viewing this project!