The One With The Constructland

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For now, I do not have any title for this work just yet. But enjoy the photographs. Will be doing a behind the scene video as well! Stay tune!

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The idea behind this installation is to create a conversation on the topic of construction. These hard hats could represent a foreign worker or it could represent a balance between the right amount of nature and architecture in terms of buildings. analog-2

In a summary, this installation speaks about the concept of construction which is relevant in more developing countries and also developed countries as well.  These safety hats are balanced on an acrylic rod which stands on its centre of gravity. This act of balancing represent the challenge government bodies faced on the issue of preserving the nature but at the same time, building infrastructure for the progress for the nation. analog-5

Simple materials were used in this installation. There are only 3 items in fact. Helmets, nails and acrylic rods. The use of nails protruding the top of the helmet symbolises the life of these construction workers where they are nailed down to this choice of employment due to the lack of education.analog-7

This installation is interactive in a way that the helmets will sway left and right where there are winds, hence this installation is site specific.analog-8

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Thank you to Vivian and Cindy for helping me out with the set up! Appreciate it!

The One With The Safety Installation

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Over the weekend, I was still thinking of how to improve the current idea of my last post here. I was walking towards Tiong Bahru and i saw this construction site. Then it hit me. Scaffolding. I was thinking on what do I use as a stand for the hard hat to balance. So I went to art friend. I was also thinking, why didn’t i think of putting my installation at the roof of ADM? cause IT MAKE PERFECT SENSE! There is wind and the grass floor is a perfect way to cheat. Furthermore, it emphasise of the concept of construction and nature. Having the right balance of nature and building is a challenged for every government and Singapore has find ways to tackle this. So I imagine this installation to be at the roof of ADM.

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But first, I have to find the helmet’s centre of gravity. So what i did was to balance the helmet with a pole from the inside of the helmet. And I mark it and nailed it.

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This nail would be the final balancing point that will connect the helmet and the pole. hard-2

Sometimes I have trouble finding the right spot and when that happens, I have to nailed it again. hard-3

For the pole, I chose 2 different materials. Acrylic rod and a wooden one. When I tried both material on site, I was in for a surprise. It turns out when I took a photo, the acrylic rod seems invisible! It is almost an illusion. And I am loving this. The only problem is that I have to find a acrylic rod that is not hollow.hard-4

As you can see, it stays quite nicely. Imagine the whole roof is filled with these helmets. It will be visually pleasing.hard-5

In terms of playing with the height, I also put some thoughts into it. I was thinking of playing with different height for different helmet but I won’t be making that decision now. Below is the video when there is wind.

 

The One With The Balancing Act

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The recess week is almost over and I still really have not really think of how my analog installation is going to take shape honestly. Despite the ideas that I shared last week in class, I still feel there is something missing in my work. Until today.

I was walking back to ADM from North Spine for lunch and 2 events I experienced struck me.

Firstly, these white helmets on the back of a bicycle. They were placed there randomly and they were almost balancing on the basket.IMG_8750

Secondly, when I was reaching ADM’s carpark, they were cleaners up climbing to wash the exterior of the building. They were wearing safety helmets incase anything happens.IMG_8751

Then suddenly, an idea struck me. I know I need to add another element to my yellow safety hat so this thought have always lingers in my mind. What if I could let the safety hat balance in motion? Below is an sketch that I did to visualise my idea. I would need a some sort of a stand that is able to take the centre of gravity of the helmet for it to balance.

I also thought about the layout of these balancing helmet. If I have nice helmets spaced out evenly, like option number 2, it would allow people to walk in between them to get a closer look of the installation.

sketch of helmet and layout options

sketch of helmet and layout options

In my opinion, I feel that this additional element in my analog installation would look good. I can imagine all 9 of them in balance and the tiny subtle movement of the hats would make the experience even special. I also feel that with the wind coming in from the side, it will shake the helmet and it will produce a very stunning visual moment in art history.

Furthermore, it speaks about how working in a construction place is actually a balancing act. Figuratively. One needs the right balance to ensure a right balance of work and also play. Working in high element in a construction place also requires a good balance as it is very dangerous and risky working in high places.

I feel the message is quite simple and subtle at the same time. I also thought of different places around ADM that I could install them to make the experience better. Below are the places that I consider. Taking in consideration that these frames that i took are the final frame that i would want to photograph them cinematically.

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Option 1: Outside the lobby. Clean nice background

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Option 2: Outdoor carpark. Spacious empty and windy

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Option 3: Outdoor carpark. Nice background. Appropriate.

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Option 3: Same place but different angle.

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Option 4: Outdoor carpark. Different side of the carpark.

I’m all about the photograph and the final landscape that these helmets will play a part in the space. So i feel that the location is also equally important.

 

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I was googling works of installation art that deals with a balancing act and I feel this is quite accurate to what I have in mind. I’m not too sure where and what this is about though.

I did a quick balance of my safety helmet that I have in class.

It seems i would need to make a small incise cut on to the helmet to make the balance more stable. Below is one example of a balancing toy.

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The One With The Analog Project In Progress

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I admit, it is hard to think of a concept and come up with ideas. No I lie, it is not hard to come up with ideas, the hard part is to actually stick with it.

Not trying to sound like a broken record, I am doing on the theme of Construction this whole semester for Interactive Spaces. I feel this direction will allow me to think creatively and also to limit ideas within a smaller frame. Does that make sense?

Below is a mind map that I have construct (pun intended) to allow me to see clearly where can I go with this. I would not have see things clearly if I hadn’t done this mind map actually. What’s interesting is that construction is not always about building things but it could also be tearing down things, like for example, demolishing an old building.

I have an idea of doing a sound installation so I did explore what kind of sound a construction would made and below are some of it which could be more of course. 

What if I could have a space that is able to allow people to experience a soundscape of a construction place. I think that could be cool. But taking inspiration from my previous post on Zul Mahmod’s work, I would like to construct a sound installation based on a data. Making sense of the first assignment where i used the yellow safety helmet, I would continue that series onto the next one. Here’s the one where Zul uses a solenoid motor to make a sound installation.

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So my idea is this; have a helmet in a orderly manner and have these solenoid motor on each one of them to represent the connection between the helmet and a metal, which is a symbolic for construction I feel. Below is the sketches that i made.

The installation would require a little bit of programming as I want the solenoid to hit on interval times according to the data that I wish to tell and one of them is, the number of life is taken in a construction site.

However, after consulting LPD, he say that, the idea would be perfect for the final assignment instead.

So right now, I am going to loan out the Zoom 6 and put underneath the helmet to amplify the echo the helmet made! Be right back.

The One With The 50 Shades Of Comparison

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In this Fifty Shade assignment, I have chosen two of the project that I am going to compare and contrast.

  1. Art Stage Singapore, an annual Art Fair here in Singapore. Link to project.
  2. The Fragility Of Time, a series of sculpture by artist  Ignacio Canales Aracil. Link to project

These two projects are chosen mainly because they overlap each other in terms of an artwork in an Art Fair. I will attempt to make a timeline for both project to visualise and understand the process they took for this two projects. Moreover, it makes perfect sense as there will be some parallel events and contrasts between the two projects. In this essay, I will include scope, scheduling, budget, life-cycle, and projects objectives for Art Stage Singapore & The Fragility Of Time. I will also make a mock example where The Fragility of Time will be shown at the Art Stage Singapore.

Before I begin, let me briefly introduce those 2 projects.

Art Stage SingaporeIMG_7494Firstly, Art Stage Singapore is an annual leading art fair where they gather the region’s top contemporary artwork under one roof. It aims to ignite the art market in the South East Asia region by attracting private collectors and corporate buyers. Galleries are handpicked from Asian and Western countries that complement each other. However, Art Stage Singapore is focussing on Asia hence the ratio of asian galleries to western galleries is 3 to 1. Art Stage Singapore is founded by Lorenzo Rudolf, who used to be the Director for Art Basel.

The Fragility Of Time by Ignacio Canales Aracil

Secondly, the artwork titled The Fragility Of Time by Ignacio Canales Aracil. This series of sculptures are made from pressing flowers and plants together to form them. These flowers are collected from private gardens and galleries from different part of the region. So in a way it is a collaboration between the gardens and the artist as well. These flowers are do not use any other material to hold them together except the intricate weaving pattern. It takes about 1 month let the flowers sit and dry before moving it to the gallery to be shown.

Project Manager
In this 2 projects, the Project Manager can be easily identified. Lorenzo Rudolf might be the founder of Art Stage but I still feel he has the final say in things so I would assume that he is the Project Manger in Art Stage Singapore. In the case of the Fragility of Time, it is straightforward, the artist is the Project Manager.

As the project manager, Lorenzo will need to determine which team he would need. He would probably need a small team around 10 for example to make everything possible to happen. He would then need more temporary staff to run the day to day errands during the event itself, for example, ushers and crowd controllers and securities. For Ignacio, he run the project as a sole proprietorship. As he is also the artist, he need to wear many hats in the making of this project.

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Above attached is a timeline that i have created to compare and contrast the type of management and events that might took place in the 2 projects. Feel free to press on the image to see it in a larger format. In this timeline, I decided to go with 6 months as I make an estimation. However, I am aware that planning of an art fair could take place longer. Given Art Stage have been here since 2010, I assume they have enough experience to reiterate their planning. Again, let’s assume that The Fragility of Time is being exhibited in the Art Stage, hence this way, we are able to see the contrast and parallel events clearly.

Scheduling
In scheduling, Art Stage Singapore took a longer time to plan and execute as it requires a lot of planning and detailing to ensure the event is a successful one. In this case, I give 5-6 months before the Art Stage takes place in January. This including handpicking of galleries to exhibit in Art Stage. As Art Stage depends on the galleries to do all the work in a sense, picking and liaising with the art galleries is the most important task in my opinion. From the date of the first planning, the scheduling will take the course over 6 months till the end of Art Stage Singapore. However, I feel there will be an amount of time used for the need for closure, those closing the deal kind of thing.

For Ignacio, his scheduling period starts when he is chosen as one of the artist to represent the gallery in Art Stage Singapore. As as Spanish artist, he needs to consider the time differences to communicate with his contacts over in Singapore. Right after he come up with a new design for his sculpture, he would need to find his flowers and since he always uses the exhibiting country’s flowers, I assume he would need to contact the Singapore Botanical Garden to supply him with the flowers. This collaboration with SBG and Ignacio may take a longer time to plan. If Ignacio have no trouble coming down to Singapore 2 months before the exhibition, then the whole process will be a smooth one. His sculpture need a month to dry and production phase would probably take place somewhere in early December. His scheduling for this project will end when the Art Stage Singapore event is over.

As you can see, there are parallel activity especially during the exhibition period. Both projects takes a few months to plan and finish and this is clearly shown in my drawing above. Scheduling is also the same as the life-cycle of this 2 projects as shown in the drawing as well.

Budget
As Art Stage Singapore gets the bulk of their profit by getting an amount of percentage of the galleries sale, their budget of the event should probably be a higher value. Running an event as large as Art Stage Singapore, takes a lot of funds and moreover, they have sponsors and partners. Singapore Airlines, Marina Bay Sands Singapore, National Art Council, National Heritage Board and Le Free Port are just some of their Official Partners! Furthermore, as the government are pushing Singapore to be an art hub in the region, getting the budget is not really an issue, like how we have seen the case of Sonoport.

On the other hand, Ignacio and his flowers might not be getting the VIP treatment as Art Stage though. In this case, the gallery that is representing Ignacio might have some funds for him to use for his production. From my experience, artist is able to write in to their country’s art council to ask for some money if they were to represent the country for an art exhibit overseas. So Ignacio could also do this to get more budget. Ignacio also have to prepare some budget for his stay in Singapore as well.

Looking at both different projects, both projects should have no trouble getting the budget that they need. Budget is very important as they will determine the quality of work being done and also the scale of it.

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Taken by me at Art Stage Singapore 2016

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In Summary, the 2 projects are of different scale and size, however, the similarities is they as artists, Lorenzo and Ignacio wants the best for their portfolios. Making an artwork or staging an art fair required a special kind of taste and by contrasting these 2 projects, we are able to see the different steps being taken. The life of an artwork starts when the process of making it begins but the Art Stage Singapore, the happenings begin on the first day of the event till the last visitor exit the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre. In terms of project management, there is also some contrast especially having a team running the event and working solo as I have pointed out above.

Reference Website:
http://el-nogal.tumblr.com
http://www.artstagesingapore.com

The One With Candice Ng

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I always see Candice around in school and wherever we see each other, she will always be the first one to smile, so I smile back. Even though I have never took her class, she seem very nice.

Anyway, when I was looking through Candice’s website, I found Playing The Archive, part of Studio Lab from Penn State. To be honest, I spent more time watching the performance from Playing The Archive than on Candice’s website but that doesn’t mean I did not read all of her works! Cause she only has 5 works on her website.

In a summary, Playing The Archive is literally what it means. They believe that musicians, visual artist and data analysts should work together to perform and display the archive in multiple format and media. The archives here refers to artefacts and documents which are worth to be archive and it is also a process where a hard object becomes digital in a form of archiving.  But anyway this is not the topic here. But however, Studio Lab’s mission is almost parallel to what Candice is doing I feel. That is not a surprise as Candice is a part of the team.

Sleeping In The Power Socket was her MPA solo thesis show. As she presents her artists project by saying that perhaps it is important to start understanding man’s relationship to objects, I agree with her on this actually. Likewise, I always have a fascination on why certain objects means so much to one person but it does not mean anything at all for another person. I think the act of possessing it also plays a part.

What we choose to identify ourselves with and the act of leaving behind paraphernalia – of means to leave a mark; that of passing values, wills (both monetary and ethical), the need of a second self – is crucial to study.

-Candice Ng.

This statement actually reminds me Voldermort in Harry Potter. Voldermort actually split his soul into 8 parts and each part is embedded on an object. Voldermort wanted immortality. This came up to me when Candice mention the above statement. I guess the point i am making is that what we do on earth is a testament to what we will leave behind when we die, and this can take in a form of Artworks or a beautiful crafted poem about Love.

Candice also uses everyday objects that has a special meaning for her in her works. For example, a chocolate bar and a chinese incense paper. In her work titled Alternative Rituals of Remembering, it is a personal work where she talks about remembering her late dad. These objects has a special relationship with her and this is one way she make sense of the world I feel.

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Going back to the questions you posted, Candice’s works talks about identity by asking what are the elements of identity especially in SEA where traditions are particularly very important. One’s identity could take form in a literature or a form of a folklore for example and by knowing what is our identity, she is trying to imagine what happen in the near future where all this identity is being archived in a digital form. Yes it is also relevant in NTU’s 5 peaks of excellence, one of them being New Media. Candice explores the future of this medium which is the New Media through the use of RFID which has more potential I feel. Working with data also means that a physical tangible object could no longer be part of the equation and going online is the NEW MEDIA. This is also a scary thought as pointed out by Candice, ‘Does the creation of digital content loose meaning just because it has no ‘tangible’ physical properties? How can data be sacred?.

I look forward for Candice’s introduction to her works in more details in class!

The One With The Construction Video Walk

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Here is the point of view of the video walk for the 2nd mini exercise.

The concept here is to ‘change’ the space into a different one through the use of Projectors and screens. Videos and visuals are being projected onto the floor and blinds to make a new space, in the case, a construction place and a housing estate.

The concept here touches on construction and developments of buildings and infrastructure. With the sound of bricks being played, it urged the user to experience a never ending sound of construction, which is a representation on today’s modern society.

Above is the video that you guys can experience.

 

The One With The Field Trip To Sonoport

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Having the opportunity to go to Sonoport’s office is an eye opener! I am confuse whether to call it a studio or an office. It could be a studio as that is where they make their ‘sound’ happen, but it is also an office as it has a very formal arrangement.

Before the trip, I remember I was imagining how the office will look like. I picture a very modern and creative office as they are a creative company that works with sound. However, it turns out to be an disappointment. The office looks really boring and the walls are really plain. The table arrangement were pretty predictable and I just did sense any creative vibe at all when I was there the whole time actually. But its all good homie, as long as you guys do a good job and everyone’s happy, then that’s all that matters.

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It was an insightful talk and introduction by the founder of Sonoport, Mr. Fredrik Brostrom.  It is not easy to set up a business and approaching people to believe in you actually. Furthermore it is harder if no one wants to try the services that you provided, in this case, sound on an interaction web application. However, getting the capital is not that hard in Singapore as it turns out. We all know that Singapore wants to attract foreign investors  to set up an office here. So spending millions on giving out grants to new established start ups is the only way. But anyway, Sonoport sounds and look interesting but sadly they don’t have a wide range of clients and portfolios, YET. So i am excited to see the future of web application since companies like Sonoport is trying to make that difference. Maybe Sonoport could be the next Facebook in terms of sound application in the near Future. IMG_7951

As Permagnus wants us to come up with questions, I have came up with 2 in my previous post. But right after I leave the office and on my way home, I have more questions about Sonoport that I wished I have asked them. The questions changed before and after the trip actually.

1. What is the future of sound in web application? Say about 10 years, will sound make an impact on the internet as much as visuals do.?

2. Is Sonoport a multiple design studio? They have another office in the UK as they mentioned.

3. Why does Sonoport restrict their business to just web base kind of audio? In my head, I was thinking there are brands out there that has a signature sound effect for example yahoo has that signature music that shouts ‘YAHOOOOOOO’. Why didn’t sonoport create sound for different companies and brands?

4. It makes me question if Sound really matters in an interaction? How percentage is the sound plays an important role than the main touch interaction itself?IMG_7953 copy

On our way back to the bus, I saw 2 black cats roaming the carpark, creating attention and craving a pat or two by the larger human being. It makes me wonder if Sonoport should adopt this 2 cats or not.

The One With More Construction Ideas

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Dear OSS, I am here again to share my latest ideas on the first installation that I am going to embark. I am excited as much as nervous to tell you the truth. There are so many great ideas out there but unfortunately, I have to restrict myself to think even harder as I have to consider these few things. Firstly, budget. This will be a self funded project but I remember Prof. LPD mention something about ‘a little bit of money for the class’. Budget will determine if I want to go big or I need to buy any specific materials to make the idea a reality. Secondly, availability. I am not sure how available are certain materials is, for example, a big block of steel. Or any materials for that matter, if I can’t get the right materials or equipments, then my idea is a far fetch one.

But anyway, as I have mentioned on previous posts, I have decided to go on the theme of construction this semester. So my ideas have more or less the theme of construction. For my first inspiration, here is a sound installation by the one and only Zul Mahmood, a local Singaporean. I believed he teaches Sound Art in ADM before back then. Here’s one of the works he showed in the Singapore Art Museum. The composition is based on the National Anthem, Majulah Singapore.

Here’s more photographs of the installation. I managed to see it the other day when I went there. It was quite amazing actually!

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Sound installation commissioned by Singapore Art Museum. The sound composition is based on the national anthem, Majulah Singapura. It consists of 52 solenoids, 12 electromagnets, 2 micro controllers, computer, copper pipes, bass and guitar strings and 12 speakers.

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Sound installation commissioned by Singapore Art Museum. The sound composition is based on the national anthem, Majulah Singapura. It consists of 52 solenoids, 12 electromagnets, 2 micro controllers, computer, copper pipes, bass and guitar strings and 12 speakers.

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Sound installation commissioned by Singapore Art Museum. The sound composition is based on the national anthem, Majulah Singapura. It consists of 52 solenoids, 12 electromagnets, 2 micro controllers, computer, copper pipes, bass and guitar strings and 12 speakers.

So how is this going to be included in my idea? Stay tune to the next post to find out!