BIA SEM 3 PROJECT 1
 70633863_493748478073298_878146663134055 |  70333532_2447872398761690_32367907384233 |
|---|---|
 69739567_499428130875187_671953255141893 |  70547274_2473128289401674_44164821514159 |
 69744729_2414128708913120_11073065510366 |  71259731_937035199963443_233197444923601 |
 70117693_367064210840171_375137930425715 |  70154519_375650046464787_897499355414108 |
 70580036_494467131286112_750008219105388 |  70750565_381744049188016_100664078113544 |
The first assignment was a group project in which the whole class had to create 4 presentation boards and site/space model after a site visit to the Jao Tim Cafe' in Kuala Lumpur. It was divided into 5 groups and I was assigned to group 2 which was about Art and Culture.
For this project, we observed the behaviour of the people on site during day time and night time and observed huge differences. There were not a lot of folks during day time and when most shops closed down early, the lively night life began. There were a lot of street vendors and shady activities and it was interesting to see the same streets in a different light. We decided to showcase the information we collected on the board in a creative way by having a spinning mechanism between day and night, collecting items on site and attaching it to the board and also making the smells which we experienced there. We expressed the information of art and cultural behaviours in a collage form and hopefully it turns out good.
Site visit; penang
My experience
Our trip to Penang was mainly about finding a sample subject for the second project. We had to find an activity or an item that has been fading throughout the course of time or that has been forgotten and use iit for inspiration for our concept model making. Even if we do not select a subject matter in Penang, our trip was to inspire and experience the realities of the different cultures.
The first day we arrived was a long ride and we were a bit tired but still filled with excitement to explore the state. It was my first time there and I found it to be a peaceful environment in which it is easy to walk around. We first headed to awesome canteen which had a really open and rustic interior. After exploring the area a bit, I decided to venture through the streets and discover new things. My friends and I explored the areas around Little India and Chinatown and found many traditional items and food that was not often seen in our modern society. We saw objects like chimes, ancient letterings and bags/parasols of olden weaving techniques and fabrics used. After exploring and enjoying a bit with food and friends, we decided to rest for a bit. However, later that night I experienced something I have never seen before. As I was hungry, I went to eat with my friends and there was a cultural event going on the road. There were Chinese dancers and actors doing a play with loud music. They were wearing traditional outfits with a lot of makeup and crowns as well. The music and performance were very unique and I enjoyed watching it. However, suddenly while we were watching the play, a man jumped from the side and started shaking uncontrollably. Three people went to his aid and I thought he was having a heart attack. He started head banging and I got scared so we ran away for a bit and came back after a few minutes out of curiosity. By then he was normal and there was a ritual being practiced by giving offerings with drums playing in the background. My friend suggested that it could have been an oracle ceremony which I found very fascinating as it is not present in my religion or culture as well.
The next day was all about site visits. From St George's church to Chinese and Hindu temples, we learnt about the history of Penang and its culture/ architecture. It was interesting to learn about different beliefs and how different the practices have changed throughout the years. I particularly liked learning about the Chinese principles and values they uphold. It was nice to see how much respect they have for their parents alongside with their gods. The tour ended at a jetty area and we found a lot of handmade local products such as bags there as well. What I noticed from this trip is that Penang showcased a lot of art in galleries, in the form of street art and in ways you don't normally experience like my visit to the Upside down museum.
I had a wonderful experience in Penang; especially with the delicious meals. Although I am not choosing a subject matter in Penang, it has surely helped me understand what I need to do better.
BIA SEM 3 PROJECT 2
 First option: Kintsugi |  2nd Option; Boduberu |
|---|---|
 3rd Option; Maldivian Compass |  Ideas for model |
 Model Ideas after compass selection |  1st prototype |
 Crit; Narrative and Design Process |  1st Prototype |
 Key words |  Idea 1 |
 Idea 2 |  Idea 3 |
 Model in progress |  Model in progress |
 Model in progress |  Model in progress |
 Model in progress |  Model in progress |
 Model in progress |  Model in progress |
 Model in progress |  Model in progress |
 Model in progress |  Model in progress; Wave making |
 Final result |  Final result |
 Board Ideas |  Final board |
For the first tutorial, I came up with three different forgotten culture subject matters. One was for Japanese culture Kintsugi method, the other one was Boduberu of Maldivian culture and the last one was a Maldivian compass. After a talk with my tutor, I decided to go with the compass. It was once widely used in vessels but is no longer practiced due to GPS and other technologies. While researching, I found that there are different sea creatures for each island/atoll and this may or may not be mythical creatures we believe in. The words written in DHivehi were linked to both Astronomy and Astrology.
I made some sketches on how I would arrange and present the model and also made a prototype mockup model as well as a board for crit session. The board contained the design process, keywords and story of the compass. I was advised to visually show more of how the keywords are reflected in model making and also describing the design process.
So I came up with a few sketches for the final layout and chose the one resembling a fish like structure. I wanted to put elements of the sea creature like the fins, scales and bones as well as adding compass gears. My first prototype was too literal and I wanted to make it more abstract looking so I decided to seperate the gears of the compass. I also wanted to add waves and use strings to show a boat travelling throughout the model. To add a hint of mystery, the boat could end up getting a treasure chest, or in a sea creatures mouth. The Maldivian letters were also put in the design as I found it in my research. The shape of the string could also represent a constellation; relating it to astronomy and astrology.
I used polymer clay to create the bones and laser cut several gears after drawing on Autocad. I also made fins and used glitter to add more texture and put scales (beads) as well. The waves were made using hot glue. In the end I was satisfied with my overall model.
I still had some improvements to be made on the board but I thinkk I put in a good effort.
My experience
BIA SEM 3 PROJECT 3
 FIN BOARD 1Description of project,process and includes Facade and perspectives |  FIN BOARD 2Includes rendered floor plans and perspectives |  FIN BOARD 3Axonometric view with space planning and also section rendered |
|---|---|---|
 FIN BOARD 4Furniture detailing, minor space perspectives and rendered sections |  Space zoning/ISometric |  Space programming+Floor plan |
 patterns from concept |  patterns from concept |  Hand drawn perspectives |
 Hand drawn perspectives |  Hand drawn perspectives |  Hand drawn perspectives |
 Hand drawn perspectives |  Sketchup model in progress |  Sketchup model in progress |
 Sketchup model in progress |  Sketchup model in progress |  Sketchup model in progress |
 Sketchup model in progress |  Sketchup model in progress |  Library |
 Market |  Vieww above |  Craft area |
 Stage |  Treasure hunt area |  Entrance |
 Gallery |  Model |  Model |
 Model |  Model |  floor plans phase 2 |
 Initial Section |  Initial Section and facade |  Axonometric INital |
 ele 1 |
My experience
This experience has been very valuable overall. From overnight thinking and practicing to learning how to apply concepts into design is something I have never attempted before. From the first week onwards we had to learn and improve our space planning for an Artists in Residence Project where elements and stories are inspirations taken from the concept model. My concept model was a compass so I wanted to make it an area where fishermen, craftsmen and younger people could come and understand the use of this in the past and how to make/use it. I wanted to revive the forgotten culture by showing cultural plays regarding the ancient sea monsters(seen on the compass) and also making it fun by utilizing the compass using a treasure hunt activity. The flow of the space is made in a way that the first floor is a public area and is a roundabout like a compass The upper floor is used by the artist’s (2 max)residing there for a week. I put in design elements from my compass model which were the scales and bones of the fish as well as the curves and gear shapes as entrances, railings, stages etc. Unfortunately my renders did not turn out well as I had intended to as I had problems with lighting and adjusting the quality of the image. My review did not go well this time but I will take it as a message to improve my stories and the quality of my work during the next semester and work hard this break.