Nest Magazine Submission

For the 10th issue of Nest magazine, the open submissions are to be based around the concept 'focus'. This sparked ideas for me of working, focusing on something detailed and intricate. This reminded me of what I saw last summer when visiting Vietnam, I was fascinated by the level of detail in artwork I saw created by those who had been affected by Orange Agent during the Vietnamese war. American forces dropped Orange Agent bomb which mutilated the Vietnamese citizens, four generations of whom are still being affected with mental and physical defects. In warehouses, these art studios are set up and supported by the government; they also make deals with tours who transport tourists that they must visit these workshops in order to make more money and fund these projects. 

People can also make donations, all money will be given to the workers, this method therefore ensures that despite their disabilities they can still work and earn a living. I bought a jewellery box from this particular workshop just outside Ho Chi Minh city which was hand crafted; as all the pieces made here are. Those sold outside these workshops were fakes, it was clear to tell this as the intricacy of detail on the real pieces was stunning. Materials used include tiny broken shards of egg shell and pearl.

All the photographs included are ones I've taken myself using a film camera, I liked how the other photograph edges were visible behind the first when I took a rough picture so I decided not to crop them out, I feel it gave the image depth with the suggestion this is part of a trip/ story. Focus can also be attributed to the focal point of a camera, the stack of photos suggest I also focused on things in particular which were interesting to me, each individual who visited these workshops will have taken  pictures from different angles depending on what they're focusing on, which will be due to what interests them personally. Using an older film camera as well highlights the link between old fashioned methods, all the artwork created is done so by hand or machines that are made by hand.

The 'a' and 'm' I chose to slightly conceal so as to emphasise how there is much of Vietnam we do not necessarily see. We often have to seek out truths, as often more stereotypically attractive things are shown on advertisements and tourist leaflets in attempts to shy away from the reality of the devastation of the war and the impact it still has to this day.
I furthermore chose Arial Italic as I noted that many billboards that conveyed Communist political messages which were situated all around, focused on a typographical style that stood out, conveyed the message and focused on propaganda purpose. Mirroring this I chose a clean sans serif typeface with a purpose to be factual and formal, due to the nature of the context.