Themes & Variations

I

II

III

IV

“Using Visual Effects as a Creative Tool for Contemporary Art”, M.F.A. Thesis Project

by Ziye Liu, M.F.A. Candidate

February, 2014 - August 2015

Thesis Statement

Contemporary art such as conceptual art, kinetic sculpture and installation art all have a resemblance to the visual characteristics of computer generated imagery. The style of much contemporary artwork is very similar to the style of visual effects technique. The difference is that most of the artwork is static and restricted in motion, while visual effects provides infinite possibilities and will bring these artworks to a new level.

Thesis Visual Project

This thesis project will create a body of original creative art, expanding upon contemporary installation, sculpture and architecture, using visual effects techniques to make a personal statement of my artistic vision.

• The visual component will consist of five minutes of video sequence including objects and environments. Visual effects techniques such as 3-D modeling, texturing, lighting and rendering, as well as fluid simulation, particle simulation and digital composting will be used to achieve the project.
  

• The written component of the thesis will include an explanation of my artistic goals for the project as well as a complete documentation of the technical means I used to achieve these goals.
  

Submitted to the Faculty of the Department of Visual Effects in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of Master of Fine Arts in Visual Effects at Savannah Collage of Art and Design by Ziye Liu, © August 2015

Deborah R. Fowler, Committee Chair
Stuart Robertson, Committee Member
Barbara McCullough, Committee Member