INTERACTIVE WEBSITE
Chinese Weddings
Problem
A series of 60 artworks were made in response to 'Chinese traditional weddings'. I needed a space to house all the artworks together.
Solution
All responses are hosted inside an interactive website which was inspired by the look of a traditional Chinese study room. In the room, there are artifacts that site visitors can click on to view one of the 60 visual responses.
Role
UX/UI, illustration, animation, visual design, and web dev
Time
2 months
Team
Personal Project
Year
Aug 2019 - Oct 2019
Research
Before responding to the topic of Ancient Chinese Weddings, I wanted to learn more about the traditions that were done during these ceremonies.
Ancient Chinese Wedding Traditions
Matchmaking Myths
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Yue Lao is the Chinese god of marriage and is also known from the tale, the Old Man Under the Moon. It is said that Yue Lao binds potential couples together with his red silken string even before they are born.
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The dragon and the phoenix symbolizes that the couple will stay together through thick and thin.
Pre-Wedding Traditions
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Elders and professional matchmakers would ponder over the pros and cons of a proposal for a long time before the marriage was finalized. The topics of discussion include the couple’s social standing, reputation, financial situation and the social relationship between the two households.
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Betrothal gifts, like a hairpin, jade or dragon and phoenix wax candles, are given from the groom’s family to the bride’s family. These gifts were so important that a marriage without them was considered dishonorable.
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The most common dowries given from the bride’s family to the groom’s family included scissors like two butterflies never separating, rulers indicating acres of field, and vases for peace and wealth.
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The bride and groom will bathe with pomelo leaves to cleanse off bad spirits and change into new red clothes and slippers before the wedding.
Wedding Day
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The groom must shoot three headless arrows at the bride. When it is done, the groom will pick them up and break them in half, signifying that their love will last forever.
60 Artworks
Digital & traditional pieces made in response to Chinese traditional weddings.
The 3D Assets
Next, the study room and all the artifacts inside it were made.
Mapping the Assets
All 60 responses were animated and incorporated into the 3D assets. Here is a sample of how it was done with paper cutouts.
Cutouts animated
Cutouts mapped onto a 3D vase
The Study Room
This website is meant to house all the explorations that were created based on Chinese traditional weddings.
What I Learned
Through this project, I was able to use many tools I’ve never utilized prior, including Cinema4D and Procreate.
