Mihi Mihi

My composition explores my Por-Por who travelled from Guangdong, China to New Zealand in the 1950s. My goal was to communicate her journey between the two countries. Most of the photographs which feature my Por-Por were from different time eras, the biggest one being from the 1990s when she received her New Zealand citizenship. The younger image is from her time in China, and the last photo shows her at a marae. These images were critical, as the photo at the Marae represents Por-Por’s life in New Zealand, which illustrates her change. Another image I used was her handwritten notes from her cookbook, which, aided by her physical features, shows her Chinese heritage. To highlight the journey, I used a location pin and a boat drawing. They both allude to movement, as the pin represents emigration and the boat represents travel. The pin strategically placed on Por-Por at the marae exemplifies this further. Lastly, I used a limited colour palette, red and black. I used black in the background as it acted as a nice contrast from the red, so my main composition could stand out. I used red to represent her life in China, which further emphasises her origin and journey.

The fundamental design principles which I focused on were contrast and scale. Scale is seen in the figures, with the two smaller figures fitting inside the biggest one. I employed this principle so that we could understand that her journey began in her youth. I also used contrast, which is shown in the use of red and black. This was an important design principle that I struggled with in my earlier compositions but was important so that my composition didn’t look too busy, and to distinguish between the background and the foreground easier. For my animation, specific elements enhanced the meaning, such as animating the smoke, to emphasise the moody atmosphere. The critique I have for myself is that I wished I spent more time on After Effects, as I feel that the animation could have been done more creatively, but nevertheless, I am happy with the final result.