Nalina Kim

The inspiration piece for this project was a blue and- white porcelain Korean water dropper from the Joseon Dynasty. As shown through the lack of literal “weaving” within the artwork, my approach to the weaving element of this assignment was highly conceptual. I wanted to create a piece that tied together my personal experience growing up as a first-generation Korean American with the impact it had on my understanding of my cultural heritage and identity. Thus, the piece displays a handmade replica of the original water droppers form as a traditional Korean house representing my cultural heritage in its purest form, surrounded by miniature photos from my own childhood that float around it, all contained in a water-filled glass jar to exhibit the interaction between both elements within the perception of my own cultural identity. Consequently, the research that informed both this piece and the essay portion of the project focused on the cultural history of Korean ceramics in correlation with my own cultural identity as a Korean American.