The objective of this installation is to increase the level of interaction between people and people as well as with the space around.
It’s interesting to see people engage with your work and how they interpret things compared to what you originally had in mind. For instance, I created the “sea card”, merely as a background image for people to write stuffs on it. However, I discovered that people made use of that image as literally “background”, where they create art on it. There are people who make use of the tiny rectangular box at the bottom to answer our question too.
Apart from that, a strategic location for site-specific installation is really important, for example, placing our work at the side of the table near the aisle could have different effects compared to placing it at the middle or far right. This is because the side near the aisle increases the chance of getting noticed when people walk to the study area.
The main struggle that we faced in this project was during the conceptual stage when we couldn’t get our heads around what this project needs and our proposed ideas were just OFF – not feasible. We kinda tried too hard in finding solutions to improve the library experience that we didn’t put much thoughts on the creative elements. Through this project, I have a better understanding of how an installation work in the public space. There are a lot of things to be taken into consideration; details which we never would have thought of such as the scale of your work and its location, the way you place the items to make them look like a family, materials used etc. Put yourself in the shoes of the user or ask for feedbacks help you discover specific issues and get a clearer view. It ain’t an easy task but it is such a cool experience when it accomplished what you set out to achieve.
All in all, the past few months were good. We get to explore different types of work and think a little deeper. Thank you Prof. Michael for all the guidance!
For now, I can safely say that installation is fun (tiring at the same time) and I will continue to explore! But this time I would like to play with media work.
Improvement to be made:
User experience is crucial – some of the slits are not deep enough for people to place their cards easily.
Project Two has come to an end. I would like to say this was definitely one of the most interesting projects I get to do in ADM. And the fact that it was a group work! SO FUN!
As mentioned in my previous post, my group worked with trashcans and recycle bins that can be easily found around ADM. TRASH TALK is our title! (thanks XF for the awesome name!) So are we talking about trash here? Or the trash talking about us?
The objective of this sound installation is to make people aware of the waste they are producing on a daily basis. For example, sneezing sounds can be heard if a recyclable waste is being thrown into a normal bin. People may associate this sound with sickness, hence it suggests a “negative” action which something is wrong and how they can do better next time (think twice before you throw). The sounds that we selected are rather comedic so that overall it is an engaging experience instead of putting people off.
During the presentation, Michael as well as our classmates had given us some feedbacks; things that we can further improve upon and also whether this installation has the potential to grow. Due to the fact that most of our sound effects are comedic, we were left with a question asking us where we could put this work into good use. The response was kindergarten because it is believed that little kids will be more interested in this “cartoon theme” sound installation compared to adults. In order to push this project further, one of our classmates suggest that we could incorporate relaxing nature sounds for the recycling bins to symbolise a small act such as recycling, can help to save Mother Earth. Cool. There was one who suggest using the sound of an object disintegrating/evaporating when a rubbish is placed in the correct bin! It must be satisfying to hear that.
The main challenge that we faced in this Project is to make a connection between sound and its meaning. How do we provide a better, meaningful user experience instead of pure interactive? From misinterpreting the project concept to finally having a clue of what we are supposed to do, it was a great experience with both XF and KY! I love how our group was quick and effective when it comes to ideas and execution. Overall, we have definitely gained a better understanding of sound art installation through this project.
Not to forget, I get to explore the technical part of implementing a sensor network system into the bins!!! (Who knows there is a microcomputer called Raspberry Pi?? HAHA) I guess I have been through an express module in Electrical Engineering, thanks to 4D!
Role: Research, Sound editing, Mockup system designer
After consultation, I found that my initial idea was a little static.
Michael encouraged me to explore further such as discovering the reasons why specific people are drawn to specific places and how space is being utilised, what makes the characters in the space stand out? I did go back a couple of times to observe the people and place, however it just seems that it’s not quite up to my expectations (my initial thought was to bring out the diversity of life in a place).
I chanced upon this idea of documenting the life at Kreta Ayer Square, just a few mins walk from People’s Park, while I was having my location painting class. It is a place where you can meet people from all walks of life be it tourists, little kids, old folks etc. The whole place is filled with vibrancy, colours and culture! There were people there on their own and there were also groups of elderly people, looking like they were having the best time of their life!
It isn’t really crowded on a daily basis and it seems like most of the people there have known each other for a lifetime. The street performers were entertaining and people there were so enthusiastic that they would just sing and dance along. Compared to the hostile atmosphere in most of the places we go these days, Kreta Ayer Square exudes warmth and a sense of home. Instead of doing a photo series, I think videography is a better option in bringing out the energy of a place.
I get the opportunity to strike up a conversation with one of the elderly there – Mr Wong (Mr. Wong refused to be filmed/photographed). Instead of making it like a formal interview session, I decided to just let the conversation flows itself – just like meeting a new friend, keeping the topics open, merely talking about his life and thoughts on certain things.
He started sharing what his favourite food is in Chinatown and bits of his family as well as where he comes from. Surprisingly his hometown is in Johor! Mr Wong is an awesome soul; he is so adventurous for his age such that he will use his free time to take long bus rides travelling to different parts of Singapore and food hunting too! Besides, he kept emphasising on how important education is and that he regretted missing his chance.
Reflections
I find it hard to put myself out there in the public still. And I think this project has definitely pushed me a little further out of my comfort zone. Also, I think that the most precious thing in life is to be able to gain new perspectives just by talking to people, regardless if he or she is just a stranger because everyone you meet has a story to tell.
