So finally I decided to name it Hardland.
Enjoy the process video.
regards,
kamarul
The One With The Hardland
1 Reply
Tag Archives: installation
The One With The Pitching of Ideas
For the pitching of ideas, I have come up with two of them below.
For a project with a partner, I would like to curate the world’s largest art fair ever. It will consists of one gallery from each country, yes from each country in the world, all 196 countries. This will be a clash of cultures, ideologies, art and many more! Way larger than Art Basel and all the other biennale combine.
For a project with myself, I would like to come up with an outdoor interactive art installation exploring the issue of construction and progression. It will be a though provoking installation that will question the role of our nation builders.
The One With The Processing Plant
Since this week’s reading is about budget control, i think my questions for Professor Louis-Philippe Demers couldn’t be more relevant.
Does budget ever a problem for you to design and execute your robotics sculptures/artworks?
As I imagined they are very expensive to build as they need very special parts and mechanism, is there a work where you changed some aspect of it to fit in the budget that you have?
Furthermore, do you think budget should ever be a problem for us students? Do working with budget constraints only push our creativity to the maximum?
I would also like to argue that working with budget constraints is a very important issue as we will not be able to make our idea a vision if we have no money to buy materials. So when this happens, our ideas shift towards a different direction to cater to our budget instead. How do we deal with this problems as a student?
If there is a specific work I have to ask question for, it would be the recent Inferno. How does working alone and working with a partner different? Does a clash of ideas always happen and how did you and bill manage to finalise on an idea?
The One With The Constructland
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!
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. 
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. 
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.
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.
Thank you to Vivian and Cindy for helping me out with the set up! Appreciate it!
The One With The Safety Installation
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.
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.
This nail would be the final balancing point that will connect the helmet and the pole. 
Sometimes I have trouble finding the right spot and when that happens, I have to nailed it again. 
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.
As you can see, it stays quite nicely. Imagine the whole roof is filled with these helmets. It will be visually pleasing.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
Option 1: Outside the lobby. Clean nice background
Option 2: Outdoor carpark. Spacious empty and windy
Option 3: Outdoor carpark. Nice background. Appropriate.
Option 3: Same place but different angle.
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.
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.
The One With The Analog Project In Progress
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.
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 More Construction Ideas
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!
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.
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.
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!
The One With The Interactive Space Analog Idea
I started thinking about the analog interactive space installation as soon as the assignment was told to us during class. This was my first initial idea. Using Multi plug as the main object, I want to multiply them to lay out to form a pattern or a shape. Take a look at my sketchbook below for my reasoning and concept.
Yeah, as you can see, it is very simple and I was inspired by William Forsythe’s work, especially the work titled Nowhere and Everywhere at the Same Time No. 2. It is very minimal, clean but at the same time, capture your attention.
NOWHERE AND EVERYWHERE AT THE SAME TIME, NO.2
NOWHERE AND EVERYWHERE AT THE SAME TIME, NO.2
I envision the multi plug to be in a very geometric patterns and visitors are able to interact with them by actually changing the patterns and making their own.
I also managed to read up on Gernot Bohme’s article titled ‘The art of the stage set as paradigm for an aesthetics of atmospheres’. Basically an article exploring the definition of Atmosphere and how it is important in a stage work and I find it is also relevant in interactive installation or any artwork for that matter.
As I read the article, I took down some points to make summarise the article in my own way. It is quite insightful as atmosphere is important to allow the visitors/audience to want to interact with the surroundings. 
As my analog idea is still in the early stage, I feel there could be some development however, I really like how this idea feels so simple and strong, at least to me. The interaction to my work could be open and I want that for this idea. But we shall see. The professor has suggest that I add some element of electricity in it to make like a sound work. Googled Christina Kubisch and her work on the idea of an Electricity Walks is pretty interesting. I shall make another post on her works next.